Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an first visited the courtyard that was owned by Cui Dongshan. While standing at the entrance, Li Baoping asked him whether Pei Qian could sleep at her place tonight. Chen Ping’an responded that it would be fine as long as Pei Qian also agreed.

Li Baoping also asked whether she could give or lend Auspicious Talisman and the small silver gourd to Pei Qian, allowing Pei Qian to appear more impressive as she traveled around the cultivation world.

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied that there was no current need to give Pei Qian such valuable gifts. When Pei Qian traveled around the cultivation world in the future, everything that she needed would be provided by him, her master. Moreover, it was best to keep a low profile when traveling around the cultivation world for the first time. In this sense, being able to ride on a small donkey would be good enough already. In any case, the saber, Halting Snow, was fairly similar to Auspicious Talisman, and there was also a decent sword called Deep Infatuation.

Li Baoping felt slightly disappointed.

After waving goodbye to her junior uncle, she sprinted off with her small bamboo bookcase.

Xie Xie gently opened the courtyard door before Chen Ping’an could even knock.

“I’m not disturbing you, am I?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

Xie Xie shook her head and stepped aside to let Chen Ping’an through.

At the end of the day, she had a much better impression of Chen Ping’an than she did of Yu Lu.

At the same time, Xie Xie didn’t dare to slight her “young master’s” master. Otherwise, she would ultimately be the one to suffer.

She openly looked Chen Ping’an up and down for a brief moment before saying, “It’s often said that girls change a lot when they grow up. But how have you changed so much as well?”

Chen Ping’an entered the courtyard, and Xie Xie hesitated for a moment before eventually closing the courtyard door. At the same time, she also felt a slight sense of self-ridicule. She was in a pathetic state right now, so if Chen Ping’an were genuinely deranged enough to force himself onto her, then that would be quite an impressive feat on his part.

In any case, Xie Xie was well aware of Chen Ping’an’s character, and she had never been delusional enough to think that they were like-minded people. They hadn’t viewed each other as old friends at first sight, nor did they harbor a deep sense of admiration for each other. It was merely the case that they didn’t detest each other.

Just like everyone had their own preferences when it came to calligraphy — whether they were fond of free-flowing cursive script or enjoyed proper regular script — there was no sense of superiority or inferiority when it came to these matters.

Compared to her loathing of Yu Lu, Xie Xie was much more polite and tolerant of Chen Ping’an. She pointed at the bamboo corridor outside the main building and said, “There’s no need to take your shoes off. This immortal bamboo is a special breed grown in the Great Sui Nation’s Green Cloud Ferry Station, and it’s warm during winter and cool during summer. It’s suitable for cultivators to meditate on, so before Young Master Cui left, he told me to notify Lin Shouyi that he could come here to cultivate his lightning techniques. However, I felt like Lin Shouyi would most likely turn down my offer, so I didn’t go over to invite a rejection.”

Chen Ping’an decided to take his boots off anyway before walking over. These were the boots that Pei Qian had secretly bought for him in Fox Town.

He sat down cross-legged, and sure enough, the bamboo floor was extremely comfortable to sit on. He flicked his wrist and retrieved from his minimization treasure a pot of well-water immortal wine that he had purchased from Wasp Tail Ferry Station. “Do you want to drink some? It’s just ordinary wine from the markets,” he asked.

Sitting on the steps nearby, Xie Xie nodded and accepted Chen Ping’an’s offer.

Chen Ping’an lightly tossed the pot of wine over.

Xie Xie caught the pot of wine and opened the lid to take a sniff. “It’s surprisingly not bad. As expected of something retrieved from a pocket treasure.”

She wasn’t in a hurry to drink, and she asked with a smile, “Is that a Dao robe you’re wearing right now? I’m only able to detect its subtle flow of spiritual energy because we’re inside this courtyard.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “This Dao robe is called Golden Sweet Wine, and I obtained it by chance at a place called the Flood Dragon Trench while I was traveling to Stalactite Mountain.”

Xie Xie turned around and glanced at the courtyard door with a complicated expression, murmuring, “Then you’re truly quite fortunate.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in reply before grabbing his Sword Nurturing Gourd and taking a swig of wine.

Xie Xie smiled and remarked, “Oh, so you genuinely do drink now. It looks like you didn’t waste your time in the cultivation world.”

Chen Ping’an pretended not to hear her, and he reached down to touch the bamboo floor through which spiritual energy was flowing like a small stream. Even though this courtyard couldn’t compare to a legitimate immortal residence or abode, it already possessed much more spiritual energy than the highest-grade immortal inns in the mortal empires.

Heaven and earth were silent.

“Glimmers of light all around, reflecting onto the river flowing by the side. Has the summer heat dissipated? The immortal thatched cottage is so cool and refreshing,” Xie Xie murmured to herself.

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and asked, “Which literary giant in the Lu Empire composed this?”

Xie Xie shook her head slowly and replied, “A very long time ago, on a night similar to tonight, my master casually recited this line without any context. She told me that lyric poetry is merely the remnants of classic poetry, and it’s nothing more than a minor Dao similar to calligraphy and Go. It’s barely worth a mention.”[1]

“I initially prepared a gift for both you and Lin Shouyi when I was at Stalactite Mountain’s Ganoderma Inn,” Chen Ping’an said. “Back then, I mistakenly thought that the gift intended for you was simply a damaged Dew Armor that couldn’t be repaired, and I was able to purchase it for a very low price. It was only afterward that I learned that it was actually one of the eight ancestral Divine Dewbearing Armors. Not only that, but a friend of mine was even able to repair it.

“I came across Cui Dongshan in the Azure Phoenix Nation, and regarding this matter, he said that I shouldn’t give you such a valuable gift. After all, our relationship hasn’t reached that level yet. As such, you might even get the wrong idea about my intentions. I felt like Cui Dongshan’s explanations were reasonable, so I’ve decided to hold onto the Divine Dewbearing Armor for the moment. It won’t be too late to give it to you when we become genuine friends one day. In any case, I’ve got another gift for you today. Here, catch.”

Xie Xie turned around and caught an exquisite ornament crafted from beautiful jade. This was a white ox holding a piece of ganoderma in its mouth.

Chen Ping’an smiled and explained, “This is a small gift that I received from Stalactite Mountain’s Ganoderma Inn. I hope you like it.”

Xie Xie smiled and asked, “Chen Ping’an, are you hinting to me that as long as I become your friend, I’ll be able to receive an extraordinarily valuable Militarian treasure?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and offered no response.

Holding the smooth and exquisite jade ornament in her hand, Xie Xie continued, “You’re not that type of person.”

Chen Ping’an raised his Sword Nurturing Gourd and suppressed a chuckle, saying, “Why, thank you.”

Xie Xie shot a sideways glance at Chen Ping’an and remarked, “Oh? You’ve only been gone for a few years, yet you’ve already learned how to speak in such a glib manner? People truly change quickly.”[2]

Chen Ping’an retied his Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist before placing his hands inside his opposite sleeves and saying with emotion, “That time when Li Huai was bullied by other students, you, Lin Shouyi, and Yu Lu all stepped forward to help him. I was genuinely very happy after hearing about this, so that’s why I decided to tell you about West Mountain, the Divine Dewbearing Armor.

“I’m not trying to flaunt my wealth or anything, and I sincerely hope that you and I can become friends one day. In fact, I have my own selfish reasons as well. Even if we don’t become friends, I still hope that you can become good friends with Little Baoping and Li Huai. That way, you can continue to look after them in the academy.”

There was one additional reason that Chen Ping’an didn’t reveal to Xie Xie.

No matter how convoluted the relationship was, Chen Ping’an was technically still Cui Dongshan’s master right now. Thus, it could be argued that he had failed to discipline his student.

Cui Dongshan had taken Xie Xie as his personal maidservant, and no matter how one looked at the situation, it was seemingly the case that Cui Dongshan was bringing harm to the young woman who was once a cultivation prodigy in the Lu Empire.

However, worldly affairs were complicated, and many seemingly well-intentioned gestures would end up being one-sided decisions that brought disaster instead.

Left untouched, some scars would remain painless and obscure.

Once torn open, however, these scars would become raw and bloody.

Chen Ping’an walked to the bottom of the steps and sat down, pulling on his boots.

“I’ll see you off here then,” Xie Xie said in a quiet voice.

“Goodbye,” Chen Ping’an waved his hand and said.

Xie Xie involuntarily covered her mouth and smiled after Chen Ping’an left.

For some reason, she felt like Chen Ping’an was much like a cat roaming around and cheating on his partner. And now, he was sneaking back home at midnight lest his partner unleash her wrathful might.

Of course, this was nothing more than an inexplicable thought of Xie Xie’s.

A woman’s thoughts were impossible to comprehend.

In any case, this was a sign that Xie Xie was in a fairly good mood right now.

Xie Xie lifted her hand and raised the jade ornament high into the air.

It looked quite nice.

————

After leaving the courtyard that possessed some of the best feng shui in the academy, Chen Ping’an walked to Yu Lu’s dorm where he was now living by himself. The lights were already extinguished, yet Chen Ping’an didn’t hesitate in the least as he knocked on the door.

It wasn’t long before Yu Lu put on his boots and answered the door, saying with a smile, “What a rare guest I have.”

Yu Lu then returned inside to light the candles, while Chen Ping’an closed the door behind him. Afterward, the two of them sat down opposite each other.

Apart from the items that the academy prepared for each dorm, it could be said that Yu Lu’s dorm was completely empty right now.

This was a reflection of Yu Lu’s character.

It was as if he weren’t attached to anything at all.

As the crown prince of a large empire, he remained calm and aloof from worldly affairs even after his empire was destroyed. In fact, much unlike Xie Xie, he didn’t appear to feel a burning sense of hatred toward Cui Dongshan either, even though the imperial preceptor was one of the key architects of the Lu Empire’s downfall.

In this regard, Yu Lu was slightly similar to Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian who had also come from an impressive background.

When traveling to the Great Sui Nation back then, it had often been Chen Ping’an and Yu Lu taking turns guarding the night. One would guard the first half of the night, and one would guard the second half of the night. Even if the former wasn’t feeling sleepy and remained by the campfire, there was actually very little that the two of them would talk about. Oftentimes, Chen Ping’an would practice standing meditation or walking meditation, while Yu Lu would sit there and zone out by himself. If Chen Ping’an were practicing walking meditation, then Yu Lu might observe him for a short while.

Yu Lu didn’t drink any wine tonight.

Chen Ping’an didn’t drink any wine either.

He retrieved the immortal book that he had also purchased from Stalactite Mountain, the Mountain and Sea Chronicle, and gave it to Yu Lu.

Yu Lu naturally thanked Chen Ping’an. However, he also added that he was dirt poor right now, so he wasn’t able to give Chen Ping’an anything in return. He could only express his gratitude by seeing Chen Ping’an off to the entrance of his dorm.

Chen Ping’an bid farewell and left.

Yu Lu lightly shut the door.

He then closed his eyes and continued to stroll around his pitch-dark dorm, clenching his hands into fists before loosening them, again and again.

While Yu Lu was practicing fist techniques, Xie Xie was also sitting in the bamboo corridor and diligently cultivating.

1. Lyric poetry refers to Ci (词). It is also referred to as “remnant poetry” (诗余) because it was derived from classic poetry (诗) but is viewed as inferior. ☜

2. This is referring to Chen Ping’an’s remark of thank you. Reminder that Xie Xie’s name literally means thank you (谢谢). ☜