Unsheathed

After a while, Chen Ping’an asked, “Do I need to keep preparing? Will Zhu Lian be next, or will Wei Xian be next?”

Cui Dongshan pointed at himself.

Pei Qian struggled to contain her laughter and keep a straight face.

Cui Dongshan grabbed a jujube and flicked it away, accurately striking the center of Pei Qian’s forehead.

Pei Qian bent down and caught the jujube. However, she didn’t dare to eat it, afraid that Cui Dongshan would make up some other story to frighten her. She only dared to place it back on the small plate on the table before sitting down next to Chen Ping’an.

“You’re not going to observe the debate between Buddhism and Daoism in the Azure Phoenix Nation?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Cui Dongshan shook his head and revealed a secret, saying, “Ordinary people will only be able to see two groups of people arguing in the heart of the capital. However, it’s quite uninteresting to watch those bull-nosed Daoist priests and bald donkey monks slinging nonsense at each other.

“The true competition pertains to the reincarnation of that profound Buddhist monk at the White Water Temple as well as the temple master of the Azure Phoenix Nation’s White Cloud Daoist Temple. One used to be a renowned eminent monk in his past life, and he’s equally as wise and enlightened in his current life. The other doesn’t have any background to speak of; he’s simply a middle-aged Daoist priest who likes to read books. However, he can understand everything that he reads.

“Even though the true competition is between these two individuals, few people will cast their gaze over to this side. Those who do are all powerful and troublesome entities. There’s Lake View Academy, the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan, and perhaps there’ll be many other immortals and elites flocking here from all over the world. Among them, there might be some old bastards who haven’t shown their faces for a long time.

“In other words, I’ve been involved in many significant events before, so there’s no need for me to observe a debate as measly as this. On the opposite side, I have far too many enemies, so it won’t make sense for me to visit the capital to watch the debate.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and concurred, “Caution is the key to longevity.”

Cui Dongshan stood up to bow and apologize, saying, “I need to bring Wei Xian with me on this trip. Can you please approve this request, Master?”

Chen Ping’an crunched down on a jujube before smiling and replying, “Shouldn’t I be the one thanking you?”

In a rare turn of events, Cui Dongshan surprisingly didn’t utter any unbelievable nonsense this time. He placed his arms on the table and interlocked his fingers, saying slowly, “The situation in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is quite complicated right now. Things are chaotic both inside the mountains and outside the mountains, and many vagrant cultivators are taking advantage of this opportunity to make a huge killing.

“These cultivators are extremely ferocious and merciless, and many of them have already capitalized on this chance to become earth immortals. Some of these cultivators are from proper immortal forces and clans, yet they completely tossed the rules and etiquette aside to achieve their goals. Meanwhile, Bamboo Scroll Lake has always been a pungent pool filled with all manner of weak shrimp.

“I suggest that you travel to the Great Sui Nation’s Mountain Cliff Academy first after leaving the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation. While you’re there, you can also use the opportunity to refine that golden scholarly core into your second bonded item.

“I’ll write a letter for you. Apart from the Great Li Empire directly delivering all of the remaining gold essence copper coins to the academy, Mao Xiaodong will also act as a guard for you at that time. This is merely icing on the cake, but it can also be regarded as a formless act of helping those in dire straits from the viewpoint of the Great Sui Nation’s Imperial Gao Clan. Master, you don’t need to feel like you’re taking advantage of others. There’s a thriving scholarly culture in the Great Sui Nation to begin with, so it’s naturally the most suitable location to refine that golden scholarly core of yours.

“Afterward, it’s up to you whether you go on another trip to the Colorful Garment Nation, the Water Combing Nation, and so on. Of course, you can also return to Dragon Spring Prefecture to check on your ancestral home. Both of these options are fine.

“Once all of this is done, it will be a good time for you to visit Bamboo Scroll Lake. The central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent would have already regained stability at the time, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Peace and Safety Tablets bestowed by the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Ministry of Rites skyrocket in value and gain the ability to deter earth immortals.”

Chen Ping’an mulled over this for a long time, and he also grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist to take small sips of medicinal wine. He eventually nodded and replied, “Okay, this sounds like a good plan. I’ll do something along those lines after I leave the Azure Phoenix Nation.”

Cui Dongshan breathed a long sigh of relief, and he didn’t conceal the fact that a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulder. “Rest assured, Master, there’s no hidden scheme to harm you or take advantage of you here. In any case, you and I are on the same boat and traveling on the same path now. The more impressive your achievements are, the more I can bask in your glory. This is the case even if I slack off and do nothing all day long. My standing will be naturally dragged up thanks to your wonderful achievements.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a brief moment before asking, “How do you communicate with your other self that’s in the capital of the Great Li Empire?”

Cui Dongshan’s head forcefully banged into the table. He looked extremely dejected, as if he were bordering on the verge of wanting to die. He banged his head against the table three times before looking up and replying, “My heart aches whenever I talk about this.”

“You brought all of this upon yourself, so there’s naturally no one you can blame apart from yourself,” Chen Ping’an replied with a chuckle.

“But why is that old geezer the one who gets to enjoy life and continue on as the mighty imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire?” Cui Dongshan asked in an aggrieved voice. “On the other hand, I’ve even lost my nickname of Embroidered Tiger. Every time I go outside, I’m also forced to camp in the wilderness and hide from dangers.”

Chen Ping’an gloated over Cui Dongshan’s misfortune and replied, “You should be grateful for what you have. Apart from the myriad of treasures in your minimization treasure, you also have this immortal body that is even better than Du Mao’s avatar.”

Cui Dongshan sighed and rested his cheek on his palm. Looking up at the sky, he said, “That’s true. Thankfully, I’m not especially interested in fighting and killing people anymore. However, I’m still a young boy, after all, so it’s quite easy for me to become bored. Things have been better since I left the academy in the Great Sui Nation, and I’ve enjoyed my time interacting with you every day for the past while. Back at East Mountain, Little Baoping always ignored me, Yu Lu and Xie Xie annoyed me, and I had nothing to talk about with Li Huai and Lin Shouyi. I was so lonely and pitiful back there.”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t be bothered trying to console him. In any case, did the Great Li Empire’s Embroidered Tiger need anyone to console him? What an absolute joke!

Cui Dongshan sat up straight and chuckled, “Master, it can be said that we’ve temporarily reached the end game regarding the four people from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Let me review things for Master, and we can treat this as a final lesson about Go beyond Go before I bid farewell.”

Chen Ping’an subconsciously assumed a proper sitting posture—he would always be this serious and proper when learning Go from Cui Dongshan—and he said, “Please go ahead.”

Cui Dongshan found this somewhat funny, yet he also felt slightly melancholy at the same time. However, he concealed these emotions extremely well, not allowing them to show on his face at all.

He first used his flying sword to draw a perimeter around them.

“That Sui Youbian is a silly girl. She’s like a porcelain vase from the dragon kilns, something that’s beautiful on the outside yet fragile when struck. But even though she’s silly, she is indeed an innate sword talent. If the Jade Tablet Sect is willing to invest in her and raise her, it’s entirely possible that she can become a Nascent Tier sword cultivator. As for whether she can become an Upper Five Tier sword immortal, this isn’t something that she can decide by herself. She needs to ask this heaven and earth whether they agree first.

“Regardless, Sui Youbian can be regarded as the most fortunate out of the four people from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Moreover, you have truly taken good care of her during your time together. She died three times, yet her mental state surprisingly didn’t crumble. Instead, it became even more dazzling.”

There was a strange look in Chen Ping’an’s eyes.

Cui Dongshan held up his index and middle fingers in a kind of oath and said in a categorical manner, “I swear to the heavens that I wasn’t implying anything else! I definitely wasn’t trying to insinuate anything!”

Chen Ping’an handed Pei Qian a fragrant pear that was as white as snow. Pei Qian accepted the pear and rubbed it between her hands a few times, giving it a brief clean before starting to gnaw on it.

Cui Dongshan continued to review the situation, saying, “As for the troublesome Wei Xian… I’ve already dealt with this issue for you, Master. At the end of the day, he’s nothing more than a naive and foolish man. There’s no need to say anything more.”

Cui Dongshan had initially wanted to place a heavier emphasis on this and expand on his thrilling exchange with Wei Xian, yet he quickly noticed the meaningful look in Chen Ping’an’s eyes. Just how astute was Cui Dongshan? He immediately understood Chen Ping’an’s intention and changed his tone, skipping over the details and stating that there was nothing more to say.

Cui Dongshan shot a sideways glance at Pei Qian who was calmly eating fruit and huffed, “Eat, eat, eat… All you can do is eat. You don’t have any observation skills at all…”

However, he quickly faced the consequences, with Chen Ping’an kicking him under the table.

Cui Dongshan huffed and continued, “Lu Baixiang is an extremely talented person, and there’s a chance for him to become a universally talented person. It’s just that it will be extremely difficult for him to reach the peak of martial arts. Advancing to the ninth tier won’t be difficult, but he doesn’t need to dream about advancing to the tenth tier unless a profound fated opportunity descends from the heavens. Of course, even in the Great Li Empire of the future, ninth tier martial artists will still be transcendent beings who possess a certain amount of martial fortune. With how good Lu Baixiang’s brain is, I can teach him some heretical methods in the future and allow him to become a relatively powerful lackey… No, a good subordinate.”

Pei Qian shot a glare at him and scolded, “Speak properly in front of our master. You’re not allowed to spew nonsense and insult Old Man Wei and Little Bai like this.”

Cui Dongshan smiled with squinted eyes and replied, “Should I tell you a story about ghosts and spirits related to the fragrant pear in your hand?”

Pei Qian immediately smiled and said, “Striving to be better after seeing the errors in your way is an amazing quality to have. Master won’t be disappointed to have a disciple like you.”

Cui Dongshan copied Pei Qian’s tone, lightly waving a hand before clicking his tongue in wonder and saying, “It’s also an amazing thing for Master to have an unyielding and impressive disciple such as yourself.”

Pei Qian pretended to be deaf and mute as she sat there and smiled.

Cui Dongshan’s expression changed slightly, and he said in a solemn voice, “Zhu Lian is the only one who looks like he won’t get too hung up on things. He appears to make the best of what he has, and it seems like he can live a happy life no matter where he goes. However, this also signifies that his feelings fluctuate the most.

“He was born into a wealthy family in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and he was once a peerlessly handsome young master with both wealth and influence. Yet, he ran away to practice martial arts, and he genuinely managed to become the most powerful martial artist in the world.

“He’s skilled at cooking, and he’s especially fond of delicious food. He also says that he wants to capture the heart of a beautiful woman. Moreover, he’s also a flexible person who can adapt to the situation. Taking all of this into account, Zhu Lian has the broadest outlook and highest ambition out of the four people from the picture scrolls.”

Pei Qian nodded earnestly in response.

Out of the four, she was indeed most afraid of the hunchbacked old man called Zhu Lian.

Cui Dongshan suddenly chuckled and continued, “People like him aren’t attached to anything, so if you don’t teach him well, it’s entirely possible that Zhu Lian might sell you out one day. If you do teach him well, however… you’ll be given a pleasant surprise in the future. At that time, Zhu Lian will be the only one out of the four people who will be willing to die for your sake! Moreover, he’ll strive toward death resolutely, and he won’t hesitate at all. This will be the case even if he’s on his final life. As for the three other people, I’m able to manage and control them to some extent. However, I can’t do anything about Zhu Lian. Only you will be able to teach him, Master.”

Seeing the look of slight puzzlement on Chen Ping’an’s face, Cui Dongshan explained patiently, “Sui Youbian can’t become as loyal as Zhu Lian because she’s pursuing the Sword Dao—this is what she desires the most. Meanwhile, Lu Baixiang appears to be the most like-minded with you, but that isn’t actually the case. If anything, he’s rather cold and heartless.”

Cui Dongshan didn’t say the rest aloud, and he instead used his mind’s voice to secretly tell Chen Ping’an, “Wei Xian feels like he can’t die yet because he’s still yet to fulfill his wish. He was also an emperor in the past, so apart from the attachment in his heart, he also believes that everyone in the world can be killed, and everything in the world can be sold. Regarding his attachment, please don’t blame me for being too nosy, Master. I need to use my relationships in the Parasol Leaf Continent to do some digging about the family life of Wei Xian during the earlier years of his rule in the Southern Garden Nation.”

“Be careful and take it easy when it comes to matters pertaining to the old Daoist priest from the Observing Dao Temple,” Chen Ping’an said in reminder.

Cui Dongshan smiled and replied, “I’ll definitely be very careful around that stinky old man. To be honest, I didn’t dare to provoke him even when I was at the peak stage of the twelfth tier, the Immortal Tier, in the past. By the way, the old scholar actually has a fairly interesting relationship with him.”

Cui Dongshan fell silent for a moment before standing up and pacing back and forth. He rubbed his palms together, and it was as if he were teaching Chen Ping’an how to play Go. At the same time, it also seemed like he was reviewing the events that had affected the Scholarly Sage’s lineage all those years ago.

His voice was soft as he continued, “Please remember this, Master. Regardless of whether it’s your disciples or disciples of the sect, an immortal force must have a varied mix of people. It can’t have just a single type of people. More importantly, it shouldn’t have a single type of people who are all like the master.

“It shouldn’t be the case that everyone is as kind, friendly, and noble as you, and it shouldn’t be the case that everyone only focuses on exploring profound principles and writing essays about morality and etiquette. Similarly, it shouldn’t be the case that everyone is brainless and only knows how to fight.

“There need to be people like me who can go against their conscience and can find loopholes in the rules and regulations. There needs to be detestable people who understand the bigger picture and understand how to act according to the greater trend. These people can highlight your good qualities and allow your image to remain as lofty as the mountains and as bright as the moon.

“There needs to be someone who only acknowledges you, with your life and death being equivalent to their own life and death. In fact, your life should be even more important than theirs.

“There need to be people who can inherit your knowledge and teachings, and these people need to be genuinely like-minded and walk along the same Scholarly Great Dao. These people will be ideal for creating a good environment in the sect.

“There needs to be those who can deter sinister people and heretical individuals, and they especially need to guard against fake noble scholars and genuinely crazy people. For example, there needs to be someone like Zhu Lian.

“There have to be wealthy individuals, for example, that person in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain… Okay, you are probably aware that person is my grandpa.

“There also have to be amusing people who display a sense of innocence and child-like humor, lest the sect become too solemn and lifeless. For example, there’s the water snake and the fire python that I helped you subdue in the Yellow Court Nation all those years ago.

“To put it simply, there needs to be someone who can subdue others through reason when you are speaking reason with others.

“There needs to be someone who can step forward and subdue others through the strength of their morality when Master is comparing his Great Dao to someone else’s.

“If there are people who like to resort to violence when we’re speaking reason, yet they pretend to be pitiful when we’re forced to get physical and subdue them, then there needs to be someone who can help Master beat these people into submission. Afterward, Master simply needs to scold them a bit and maybe provide some minor compensation to those who have been beaten black and blue. For example, Master can offer them a jujube to eat. That way, outsiders won’t be able to find any problems with our sect’s people, culture, and teachings.”

Here, Cui Dongshan stood up and chuckled. “I’m just voicing my thoughts and giving some casual suggestions. I’ll be satisfied if you are willing to consider some of these suggestions.”

Still sitting upright, Chen Ping’an replied, “Thank you for enlightening me.”

Cui Dongshan looked at Chen Ping’an’s gleaming eyes before bowing in respect and saying with a smile, “O’ noble and elegant person, take a knife and file to sharpen your knowledge, take a chisel and sand to polish your character.[1]”

Listening to Cui Dongshan’s words hurt Pei Qian’s brain.

1. This is a line from The Classic of Poetry, more specifically, The Odes of Wei. This ode originates from the pre-Qin period (221 BC), and this specific line compares sharpening one’s knowledge to carving bones or ivory and polishing one’s moral character to carving jade or stone. In other words, these actions will transform something ordinary into something refined. ☜