Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an had passed by immortal ferry stations several times before. Apart from the ferry station located on the border between Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation, where he had made a purchase at Green Beetle Shop, Chen Ping’an had largely passed by the other ferry stations in a rush. He had stopped at some of them and wandered around, yet he hadn’t made any purchases.

Today, he decided to take Pei Qian and the others with him and spend a good amount of time wandering around this ferry station. Chen Ping’an gave each of his four subordinates a single lesser heat coin, allowing them to purchase whatever they wanted. There was the so-called “magnitudes of 10” rule when it came to immortal currency, and this rule referred to the fact that one snowflake coin was worth one thousand taels of silver, while one lesser heat coin was worth one hundred thousand taels of silver.

Buying spirit tools or immortal treasures with one lesser heat coin was nothing but a pipe dream, but a few rare and interesting trinkets from the mountains were very much affordable.

After agreeing with Wei Xian and the others to meet at the most famous landmark of the ferry station in two hours, Chen Ping’an left with Pei Qian to wander around on their own.

When purchasing items at ferry stations, it would be incredibly difficult to find a bargain at places like Green Beetle Shop, where there would be skilled appraisers evaluating each treasure. Moreover, treasures in such shops would be relatively expensive compared to other shops.

On the other hand, one could try their luck with merchants who peddled their goods in cloth wrappers. This was a gamble, and at the same time a test of one’s appraisal skills. These wandering merchants were often vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators who called the entire world their home.

They liked to purchase treasures from declining clans at a low price, and some liked to claim that their clan or sect had produced earth immortals at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier before. This was a common theme among the wandering merchants, so potential buyers didn’t need to concern themselves with these trivial matters.

Chen Ping’an had learned many things from Xu Yuanxia when traveling around the nations with him and Zhang Shanfeng, and the so-called caged haggling that Yao Jinzhi had mentioned also pertained to the process of making transactions with these wandering merchants.[1]

Pei Qian hadn’t seen much of the world yet, so she was fascinated by the myriad of immortal paintings, spirit tools, and mountain spirits that were sold in the various types of shops. However, there was one good thing about the little girl who Zhu Lian ridiculed as a Taotie, a beast of gluttony. She liked to collect trinkets, and she wouldn’t turn down anything that came her way. However, she didn’t like to spend money, and she wouldn’t waste a single copper coin more than she had to.

Thus, Pei Qian would only take a few extra glances at an item even if she genuinely wanted to obtain it. She most definitely wouldn’t open the scented sachet that Lady Gui had given her on Osmanthus Island, a sachet that she was using as a purse now. If she genuinely liked an item, then she would earnestly stare at it for a while and pretend that it was hers. She was simply storing it in the shop for the moment.

Similarly, Chen Ping’an wasn’t someone to spend his money extravagantly. After wandering around for an hour and entering more than a dozen shops with Pei Qian, they had yet to spend a single copper coin.

They came across a wandering merchant as they walked, an honest-looking middle-aged man who appeared to be lame. He said that his surname was Liu, so they could refer to him as Skinny Liu. After catching the attention of this young man who was dressed in white robes and carrying a sword in a white scabbard on his back, Skinny Liu followed him for more than seven hundred paces.

Skinny Liu looked like an honest person, and he wasn’t bad at speaking either. He claimed that his grandfather was a great general of Wenjing Nation, and after the nation was destroyed, the emperor of the nation had died while fleeing for his life. A hornless dragon imperial seal, one of the seventeen treasures of the Hall of Union, had fallen into his grandfather’s hands and been brought into the common world.

Right now, an esteemed immortal from Azure Phoenix Nation had already gathered sixteen of the seventeen treasures, and they were only missing this hornless dragon imperial seal which was regarded as a divine treasure that could gather fortune. When it came to collectors, achieving a complete collection was always the primary aim. Thus, this hornless dragon imperial seal which was rumored to potentially harbor some remaining fortune of the destroyed Wenjing Nation was worth an absolute fortune.

There were two reasons why Skinny Liu had followed Chen Ping’an for more than seven hundred paces. Firstly, the wealthy-looking young man was extremely good-tempered and didn’t shoo him away. Instead, he listened to Skinny Liu’s explanation very carefully.

Secondly, Skinny Liu would suffer greatly if he didn’t get any business soon. He had gone to great lengths and just barely managed to scrape through last year, and the transaction value of three lesser heat coins was more than enough to purchase his life several times over.

Skinny Liu had celebrated the New Year in a frugal manner with fear and trepidation in his heart, and according to the rules, he would definitely face punishment if he failed to trick another wealthy idiot before the conclusion of the first month. Each nation had its own laws, just as each profession had its own rules. Moreover, these rules could truly punish him with death.

It could be said that Skinny Liu was pulling out all the stops to try and stay alive. As a third-tier Qi refiner, he not only shamelessly followed Chen Ping’an around, but even started to introduce the ferry station to the wealthy young master.

The immortal ferry station located on the border of Azure Phoenix Nation was called Wasp Tail Ferry Station, and it had initially been an ordinary small town. At one point, someone from this town, more specifically from the very bottom of society, had ended up becoming an Unpolished Jade Tier immortal. As a vagrant cultivator, he had relied on his steely resolve and incredible fated opportunities to advance to the Upper Five Tiers.

Afterward, stories of his feats and immortal achievements had spread throughout half of the continent, bringing him great fame among the vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. This immortal’s ancestral home was located on a small alley called Narrow Wasp Alley, at the tail end of the alley. Thus, the future generations decided to honor him by naming the ferry station Wasp Tail Ferry Station.

The ferry station was located on the border between three nations, and the ownership of Narrow Wasp Alley and the esteemed immortal’s ancestral home was also hotly contested. As a result, the Imperial Tang Clan of Azure Phoenix Nation had used both calligraphy brushes and sharp blades to clash with its two neighbors during the past several hundred years.

Many battles were fought on paper and on the battlefield, yet all three sides tacitly agreed that their battles shouldn’t go as far as to involve the immortal ferry station. In order to make sure of this, Lake View Academy had specially dispatched noble scholars and virtuous scholars several times to offer mediation between the three neighboring nations.

As they walked, Skinny Liu earnestly recommended that they try the well-water immortal wine, a type of wine unique to the ferry station. This wine cost one snowflake coin for a small pot, and it was often purchased by officials and nobles from Azure Phoenix Nation who wanted to flaunt their wealth. To his surprise, Chen Ping’an genuinely stopped by a tavern at the street corner and purchased a pot of well-water immortal wine.

Chen Ping’an asked the shopkeeper for two white bowls, and he smiled and gestured for Skinny Liu to join him at the table after he sat down. Skinny Liu had initially wanted to turn down the offer and remain standing on the street. That way, he could pretend to be pitiful and hopefully gain some sympathy from the wealthy young master. If his performance were good enough, the wealthy young master might even purchase his useless trinkets out of compassion.

However, his mind couldn’t defeat his tongue, and he eventually sat down to drink with Chen Ping’an. While Skinny Liu drank, he continued to scold himself for failing to suppress his desires. Now that he had given in, he would most likely fail to make any transaction with the wealthy young master in white. He was filled with mixed emotions, and he decided to treat this as his last bowl of wine before death.

Chen Ping’an clinked bowls with the wandering merchant and asked with a smile, “If the imperial seal is so valuable, and if that esteemed immortal is so desperate to obtain it to complete his collection of seventeen treasures from Wenjing Nation, then why don’t you directly visit him to sell the imperial seal?”

Skinny Liu had naturally prepared a response to this kind of question. With a bitter smile, he said, “That elderly earth immortal possesses a profound cultivation base, yet his character is… Well, I’m afraid that I won’t survive to spend the money that he gives me.”

Skinny Liu’s voice was deep and quiet.

Chen Ping’an nodded in understanding. This was a reasonable response, especially since immortals from the mountains cultivated all kinds of Dao, including a myriad of heretical Daos. After all, weren’t there people like Du Mao among paramount Ascension Tier immortals? Back in his hometown, hadn’t he also come across Liu Zhimao, the River Severing True Lord from Bamboo Scroll Lake?

As for the ill-intentioned Qi refiners whom he had encountered on Sky Calling Street, they might have truly struck it rich and been enjoying an extravagant life right now if they had managed to encircle and kill him and Lu Tai. Using their newfound wealth, they might have even advanced to the Golden Core Tier. Unfortunately for these people, however, they had traveled a thousand li just to offer up their heads, losing their lives and possessions to Chen Ping’an and Lu Tai.

Skinny Liu was likely convinced that he would lose his opportunity with this wealthy young master from out of town if he didn’t reveal something radical soon. He placed his wine bowl on the table and lowered his voice, saying, “In reality, it’s only because of a taboo that I introduced my grandfather as a great general of Wenjing Nation. My grandfather was actually an official in Peace Square, a place located in the capital of Wenjing Nation that was initially used for raising all kinds of rare and peculiar beasts.

“However, the square was eventually abandoned due to a lack of funds, and in the end, it was used to house eunuchs and palace maids who had made mistakes and been kicked out of the palace. The final emperor of Wenjing Nation grew up in Peace Square, which housed all kinds of filth and vermin. My grandfather always looked after him, and he somehow managed to climb the ranks and go from an illegitimate son hidden in Peace Square to the emperor of the nation.

“Regardless of why the Wenjing Nation was destroyed, he could still be regarded as a grateful emperor who treated my grandpa with respect. After the capital was breached by the formidable army from Lofty Sky Nation, the emperor fled back to Peace Square to seek refuge. I was still little back then, so I don’t remember much of what happened. In any case, I eventually received the imperial seal from my grandfather. Before my grandfather passed away, he reminded me that I definitely had to give the imperial seal to a descendant of Wenjing Nation. He said that I couldn’t treat it as my own possession…”

After saying this, Skinny Liu drank a mouthful of wine and continued with a dazed expression, “I’m such an unfilial descendant… I’ve betrayed my grandfather’s final wish, and I’ve also betrayed the crown prince of Wenjing Nation who’s said to have changed his name and fled to the mountains to cultivate Dao…”

With quivering lips and tears in his eyes, Skinny Liu pleaded, “Young Master, please do a good deed and purchase the precious imperial seal. That way, I can buy wine to intoxicate myself and wash away my sorrows. I won’t need to face the imperial seal and feel immeasurable guilt every single day…”

Chen Ping’an poured Skinny Liu another bowl of well-water immortal wine, and he shook his head and replied, “I can treat you to wine, but I won’t purchase the imperial seal from you.”

Skinny Liu was unwilling to give up, and he asked, “Young Master, are you not even going to take a look at the imperial seal? Are you not going to check whether it’s genuinely real and valuable? I’m sure that you can appraise it with a single glance. In fact, I won’t regret my decision even if you drive a hard bargain.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head again, replying, “I don’t have much luck when it comes to getting windfalls, so… I’ll pass on this one. You should look for someone who has both good fortune and good appraisal skills. You shouldn’t waste your time on me.”

Pei Qian was just about to speak, but she immediately shut up when she saw Chen Ping’an glancing over.

After finishing his second bowl of wine, Skinny Liu apologized and thanked Chen Ping’an for his hospitality. He then stood up and left in despondence.

Only then did Pei Qian say in a quiet voice, “He’s quite pitiful.”

Chen Ping’an took a sip of wine and concurred, “It’s true that he’s quite pitiful. However, the imperial seal that he’s peddling isn’t necessarily real.”

“You didn’t look at it, so how do you know?” Pei Qian asked in confusion. “What if it was actually real? It’s not like we’re not in a hurry to get anywhere right now.”

“If the one-in-ten-thousand chance of winning the ‘what if’ truly lands on our heads, then that will naturally be the best result. However, what about the worst-case scenario?” Chen Ping’an explained patiently.

Pei Qian was at a loss, and she replied, “The worst-case scenario is simply that the imperial seal is fake and we fail to realize this, so we get scammed of immortal currency by that person?”

The skinny little girl suddenly slammed the table and exclaimed with a pained expression, “That’s absolutely unforgivable!”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “What kind of worst-case scenario is this? The worst-case scenario is if someone sets up a trap and forces us to buy their goods. Not only that, but they might even take things further once we pay them immortal currency. They might decide to kill us to steal all of our belongings.

“Think of Skinny Liu’s character. We don’t really know what he’s like, so it would be risky to deal with him even if he’s not an innately bad person. If he’s facing some insurmountable challenge—for example, if he owes a huge debt and he’s a weak-natured person, yet the debt collectors are extremely vicious people—then that will be a case of a pitiful person having a detestable quality.[2] If we take pity on him now, then who will take pity on us in the future?”

Pei Qian carefully thought about this for a moment before replying, “There are quite a few of us, and we’re in the right anyway, so can’t we just kill him with a few punches if it truly comes to that?”

Chen Ping’an immediately flicked her on the forehead and scolded, “If we simply rely on our fists to reason with other people in the world, then Du Mao is the best example of what can happen. Du Mao eventually came across us, so what if we also come across our own nemeses?”

“But we’re good people, aren’t we?” Pei Qian asked in an aggrieved voice. “Old Criminal Du was a bad person, so he deserved to be punished by the heavens and struck by lightning. After death, he deserves to be tossed into boiling oil, have his tongue ripped out, have his organs dissected, have molten metal poured into his mouth…”

Chen Ping’an interrupted Pei Qian’s nonsense and asked, “Where did you learn these things from?”

There was lingering fear in Pei Qian’s heart as she replied, “When we were appreciating the lanterns in Old Dragon City during the Lantern Festival, Little Bai told me that some of the lanterns are used for deterring evil and promoting good. I opened my eyes wide to look at them for a while, but I felt like these lanterns had little to do with me. However, the books say that a person should correct their mistakes if they’ve committed them, and to avoid them if they haven’t.”

Chen Ping’an’s Sword Nurturing Gourd was filled with medicinal wine now, so it could no longer be used for holding well-water immortal wine from this ferry station. The Fan Clan had also given him many pots of osmanthus wine which were sitting in his jade tablet minimization treasure right now. Thus, Chen Ping’an had enough good wine to last him an entire year.

That being the case, Chen Ping’an only purchased two pots of well-water immortal wine, planning to put them together with the osmanthus wine later. When he returned to Downtrodden Mountain, he would bury all of this wine behind the bamboo building and retrieve a single pot every ten years. This would become one part of his enviable wealth.

1. As per Yao Jinzhi’s explanation, if the seller and the prospective buyer are both interested in completing a transaction, then they would head to a quiet place to discuss things further. They wouldn’t talk about the price explicitly, and they would instead signal their desired price in their sleeves. ☜

2. A pitiful person having a detestable quality is a common saying, and this refers to the fact that many people are pitiful due to their poor personal decisions. ☜