Unsheathed

Shi Rou was feeling the most relaxed right now.

They had mysteriously left the capital at night, with Chen Ping’an saying that he needed to pay a visit to a fellow townsman.

Pei Qian hadn’t thought much about this, but Shi Rou had detected an unfamiliar aura hidden inside Chen Ping’an’s body—killing intent.

Sure enough, Zhu Lian had engaged in an intense fight with someone.

Thankfully, Chen Ping’an and Zhu Lian had both said that everything was fine after returning.

Shi Rou didn’t ask any additional questions. Chen Ping’an was a trustworthy person, so if he personally said that everything was fine, then everything was fine. As for Zhu Lian, however, Shi Rou wouldn’t trust him even if he patted his chest until it was broken and guaranteed that everything was fine.

Even though Pei Qian didn’t understand the situation, she was still utterly terrified by the faint smell of blood lingering on Zhu Lian’s body.

“Master, were they enemies from your hometown?” Pei Qian asked in a soft voice.

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment before exhaling the murky breath that had been stuck in his chest for a long time. He grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and drank a sip of the wine that he had bought in the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation. He then smiled faintly and replied, “There’s no need to worry about these things, the problem has been resolved for the time being.”

Pei Qian nodded and asked with a smile, “Did Master benefit or suffer a loss in the battle?”

Zhu Lian was aware that Chen Ping’an had obtained a talisman and a jade pendant.

Even though he hadn’t examined them carefully, there was one thing that Zhu Lian was certain of. It was very likely the case that not a single person who had left Chen Ping’an’s small town and chose to wander around the outside world was an ordinary person. For example, there was Old Dragon City’s Zheng Dafeng as well as Li Er who had hurriedly shown himself and then left. The former was at the ninth tier, while the latter was at the tenth tier. With this in mind, the two items that Chen Ping’an had snatched from that person’s hands were definitely extremely valuable treasures.

However, Chen Ping’an replied, “I didn’t benefit and I didn’t suffer a loss either. I obtained two items, and I plan to give them to someone who can make better use of them than me.”

“Oh, okay,” Pei Qian said.

Everything would be fine as long as there were no problems.

She turned around and glanced at the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation in the distance.

She held her hiking pole in one hand and her small gourd in her other hand.

Zhu Lian turned his head, following which Shi Rou also shifted her gaze.

Zhu Lian smiled and asked, “Are you worried about me, Lady Shi Rou?”

Shi Rou remained silent.

Zhu Lian clicked his tongue in wonder and said, “Lady Shi Rou, you might not know, but the person who I fought against was a Far Roaming Tier superior grandmaster. His cultivation was paramount, and his strength was immense. He could shatter the mountains and split the earth with a single punch, and he could also flip the mountains and rotate the seas with a single punch…”

“And even then, he still couldn’t kill you, Zhu Lian? That being the case, aren’t your fist techniques unfathomable and your strength unmatched in the world?” Shi Rou asked with a sneer.

Zhu Lian chuckled and replied, “And that’s where you’re mistaken. That senior brother was far too polite, and he was unwilling to fight me to the death from the beginning to the end. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be standing next to you right now without any severe injuries. Instead, Lady Shi Rou would have had to see me in a pitiful state, with my flesh broken and the bones on my arms showing.

“At that time, Lady Shi Rou would shed tears of grief, while I would also feel utter sorrow. I would definitely flare up in anger for the sake of my love, and I would rush back to the battlefield to collect the scattered pieces of that senior brother’s corpse. That way, I could stitch him back together and whip his corpse again…”

Shi Rou treated his words as nothing more than wind passing by her ears.

“While we’re on our way to the Dragon Spring Prefecture after we visit the Great Sui Nation’s Mountain Cliff Academy, we might need to look for a female ghost in a wedding dress who lives in a residence hidden in the mountain forests,” Chen Ping’an suddenly said. “Her cultivation base isn’t weak, but we won’t necessarily be able to find her.”

Zhu Lian was delighted, and he asked, “Young Master, is that female ghost in the wedding dress pretty? How does she compare to Lady Shi Rou’s original appearance?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “When I saw her for the first time back then, her face was deathly pale and she was wearing a bright red wedding dress. I simply found her creepy, and I didn’t pay too much attention to her actual appearance.”

Pei Qian secretly gulped and stuck a talisman on her forehead.

“What percentage of your strength do you need to defeat that eighth tier martial artist?” Chen Ping’an asked in a quiet voice.

Zhu Lian appeared slightly bashful as he replied, “Young Master, I always unleash my full strength when I fight with others. Thus, if Young Master told me to stop a moment later, then I might have truly ripped that senior brother into eight pieces. Moreover, it’s anyone’s guess whether he could have become a water ghost or not.”

“That’s a… good habit,” Chen Ping’an remarked in helplessness.

Zhu Lian smiled sheepishly in response.

“Old Cook, why aren’t you trying to flatter my master now? Why don’t you say that you learned this from him?” Pei Qian asked in a gloating voice.

Zhu Lian chuckled and kicked Pei Qian in the backside, sending her sprawling forward. However, Pei Qian instinctively stuck her hiking pole in the ground, allowing her to rapidly spin in a circle. However, she wasn’t in a hurry to curse Zhu Lian, nor was she curious about why she hadn’t fallen over.

Instead, Pei Qian pulled out from the ground the hiking that had accompanied her for a long time and ran over to Chen Ping’an, asking in a puzzled voice, “Master, I’ve had this ‘Old Mountain God’ for so long, so how has it still not snapped yet? See, there’s not even a single crack in it, right? Perhaps I picked up a treasure right from the very beginning? Is this truly a branch from some immortal tree planted by a mountain god?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and offered no response.

Zhu Lian roared with laughter and revealed, “Young Master used an immortal technique to refine this hiking pole for you a long time ago. Otherwise, it would have snapped into pieces very early on. After all, how can ordinary branches withstand the abuse of your Deranged Demon Sword Technique?”

Pei Qian scratched her head and said, “Oh, is that so.”

It was as if she found this surprising yet expected.

Afterward, the little girl with a wild imagination looked up at the night sky and asked, “Why isn’t it raining yet?”

Chen Ping’an was practicing the six-step walking meditation right now, and he asked, “Why should it rain?”

Pei Qian was also practicing the White Ape Sword-Carrying Technique now, temporarily using her hiking pole as a sword. As she practiced this, she replied, “If it rains, then I can hold an umbrella for Master.”

Zhu Lian raised his foot to kick her backside again, yet Pei Qian nimbly dodged his attack, causing the hunchbacked old man to chuckle and scold, “You’re a shorty who doesn’t grow taller regardless of how much you eat, so how are you going to hold up an umbrella for your master?”

Pei Qian was extremely vexed, and she hung her head in disappointment and conceded, “That’s true.”

“It’s fine as long as your heart is in the right place,” Chen Ping’an consoled.

“This money-losing child has nothing left but some heart,” Zhu Lian chuckled.

Pei Qian glared at Zhu Lian and said, “If it weren’t for your injuries, I would have definitely forced you to take a lesson from my self-created Deranged Demon Sword Technique.”

“Heh, come on, let’s spar with each other.”

Zhu Lian strode forward, and Pei Qian roared with laughter as she started to run in circles around Chen Ping’an.

Shi Rou felt slightly adrift as she looked at this.

Even though Pei Qian had followed Chen Ping’an into the mountains and through the rivers, she was still a tanned little girl just like always.

However, as she ran around under the moonlight and on the smooth official road at this moment, it was as if there were a faint sheen of bright light enveloping her body.

The question was, would things be the same or completely different when Pei Qian one day traveled through the cultivation world by herself?

For example, would she be like the radiant sun, one that blinded onlookers from very far away?

As they continued to walk, Shi Rou started to regret the fact that she had developed such complicated and meaningless thoughts.

However, she couldn’t help this, as Pei Qian was indeed far too unruly and mischievous.

————

It was already summer, and they were going to arrive at the immortal ferry station located in the eastern region of the Azure Phoenix Nation very soon.

On this day, Pei Qian ran to some distant place in the old mountain forest to collect dry branches for starting a fire to cook food. Her body was covered in dirt and her hair was filled with grass when she returned, and there was a gray hare in her hands which she was holding by the ears. She sprinted over to Chen Ping’an and swung the pitiful hare around, exclaiming in delight, “Master, look at what I caught! It’s a wild hare that hops extremely fast!”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “We’re going to eat vegetarian food instead of meat today, so how about you release this hare?”

Pei Qian was astonished, and she immediately felt a slight sense of reluctance afterward. After all, it had taken her a lot of effort to catch this hare. “Master, can we keep it and raise it until it’s fat before we kill it and eat it?” she asked. “I can tie it up with a long rope and look after it in the meantime.”

Chen Ping’an waved his hand and replied, “If you truly want to eat meat, then we can ask Zhu Lian to catch a wild boar for you later.”

Pei Qian thought about this for a moment and decided that it was a beneficial trade for her. That being the case, it wouldn’t hurt to release this hare. She nodded in agreement before taking a deep breath and spinning around in a circle, tossing away the wild hare in her hands with all her might. With a whoosh, the wild hare that was potentially fortunate and potentially pitiful quickly vanished into the distance. “Fly, my little bro!”

Shi Rou facepalmed when she saw this.

Pei Qian patted her hands and squatted in front of the stove beside Chen Ping’an, asking in curiosity, “Master, what day is it today? Is there any deeper meaning? For example, is it the birthday of some powerful mountain god? Is that why we can’t eat meat in the mountains today?”

Chen Ping’an simply smiled and replied, “There’s no deeper meaning.”

————

The immortal ferry station on the border of the Azure Phoenix Nation was the most ordinary ferry station that Chen Ping’an had seen.

Not only was it lacking the restrictive formations of most immortal ferry stations, but it was as if this ferry station were afraid that wealthy mortals weren’t willing to visit it. Chen Ping’an and the others were still dozens of kilometers away from the ferry station when they started to see people advertising the immortal ferry station and trying to win business.

As it turned out, this immortal ferry station carried all kinds of strange routes. For example, one could travel to some immortal abode near the Azure Phoenix Nation, and one could sit at the “fishing platform” atop some mountain and cast one’s fishing line into the sea of clouds to fish for some kind of precious bird or flying fish.

Because of this, the road to the immortal ferry station was bustling with people.

It was also here that Chen Ping’an heard many pieces of news about the capital.

For example, Emperor Tang Li had listened to the voices of his people and established Confucianism as the fundamental teaching of the nation.

As for Buddhism and Daoism, it was said that they needed to wait for a while longer before it was determined which would be second and which would be third.

A small Daoist temple called the White Cloud Temple suddenly became a royal Daoist temple that the imperial family of the Azure Phoenix Nation visited to offer incense and pray to deities.

At the same time, a young and previously unknown monk from the White Water Temple started to expound Buddhist teachings to the mortal world, spreading these teachings in the Buddhist temple, on the roads, and even in the bustling marketplaces. It was said that his teachings were extremely plain and simple, so much so that even little children could understand him.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an and the others boarded a normal-sized immortal ship without a hitch.

Pei Qian looked a little listless and downcast, and she quietly returned to her room after transcribing some texts in Chen Ping’an’s room. She was like a completely different person from normal.

Chen Ping’an went to ask Zhu Lian about this, but Zhu Lian couldn’t offer any explanation either. In the end, he had no option but to ask Shi Rou, and the latter offered her view on the situation.

The next day, Pei Qian was just about to leave after transcribing the texts.

However, Chen Ping’an called her over and left the room with her, going to the bow of the immortal ship to enjoy the scenery of the sea of clouds together.

The young man and the little girl stood in front of the railing, and Chen Ping’an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and was just about to drink some wine.

Pei Qian also grabbed her small gourd and raised it above her head, glancing left and right as she did so.

Chen Ping’an chose not to drink, and he retied the wine gourd to his waist before turning around and asking with a smile, “There’s something on your mind?”

Pei Qian exerted herself and stood on her tippy-toes so that she could lean over the railings. She then replied in a quiet voice, “Master, after we arrive at Mountain Cliff Academy, will you not like me and only like Little Baoping who refers to you as Junior Uncle?”

Chen Ping’an gazed into the distance, shaking his head and replying, “Of course not.”

Pei Qian sat down and crossed her arms, saying, “I don’t believe you!”

Chen Ping’an sat down beside her and raised his foot, winking at Pei Qian as he did so.

Pei Qian immediately smiled upon seeing the pair of boots on Chen Ping’an’s feet, and she swirled her small gourd around and said, “Let’s drink some wine, Master!”

Chen Ping’an laughed heartily and grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd again, clinking it together with Pei Qian’s small gourd before taking a swig of wine.

Pei Qian pretended that her small gourd was also filled with wine as she tilted her head back and pretended to drink. She then stood up and retreated several steps, stumbling around like an inebriated little drunkard as she exclaimed, “Ohoho, it seems like I’ve had a bit too much to drink, Master…”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw this.

He was just about to call out and warn her, but Pei Qian had already stumbled into a burly man walking behind her.

There was a long saber hanging by the man’s waist, and he sneered and spat, “Piss off, you blind little brat!”

The man grabbed Pei Qian’s head, twisting his wrist and preparing to throw her aside.

Before he could exert any force, however, his wrist was grabbed by a young man carrying a sword on his back.

Pei Qian hurriedly apologized to the burly man, saying, “Sorry, I didn’t see you walking behind me just then. Sorry for walking into you.”

The man furrowed his brows, most probably feeling like he was losing face by being stopped by the young man. He refused to give in, and he immediately exerted more strength and attempted to use his astral energy to push the impudent weakling away. He would then toss this tanned little troublemaker aside.

However, agonizing pain instantly shot through the wrist of the burly man at this moment, causing him to surprisingly fall to his knees, with sweat pouring down his face.

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly at Pei Qian and gestured for her to stand behind him.

He then held his gourd-holding hand behind his back and released his grip from the pure martial artist’s wrist, placing his hand on the burly man’s head instead. He bent down and asked expressionlessly, “Are you seeking death?”

His fingers were like powerful claws.

The burly man became as pale as a sheet, yet he gritted his teeth and refused to beg for forgiveness.

After a while, he was genuinely unable to withstand the pain any longer, so he shouted in a furious voice, “That’s it, you’ve crossed the line now, I’ll definitely get you back for this!”

He was traveling on this immortal ship with seven or eight companions, and these people immediately rushed over and were just about to use their advantage in numbers to entertain themselves. Indeed, this was a good opportunity for them to beat the young man and the little girl into cripples to alleviate their boredom.

However, two flying swords immediately materialized in front of the glabella of the man rushing at the forefront.

Seeing this, the group of seven or eight people felt like they had plummeted into an icy cave. It was a blazing summer’s day, yet their bodies were gripped by an ice-cold chill.

In this world, sword cultivators were the most direct when it came to killing people!

Moreover, these people most likely didn’t know that this wasn’t so much about whether Chen Ping’an was a sword cultivator or not. After all, Chen Ping’an had crossed the lines of quite a few foes. Not only that, but the cultivation bases and backgrounds of his foes were also quite powerful.

Thus, Chen Ping’an was least afraid of making new enemies.

Chen Ping’an lifted the kneeling man by the head and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backward into his companions. They all jumped in fear, and the group of companions in distress quickly fled for their lives together.

Chen Ping’an turned around and smiled at Pei Qian, saying, “Don’t be scared. If anyone bullies you in the cultivation world in the future, then come home and look for your master.”