Unsheathed

After Chen Ping’an returned to the plank roads, Zhu Lian discovered that his young master who had used some small tricks to soar through the sky was radiating with a slightly different aura.

This was an extremely mystical feeling.

In fact, it was only after interacting with Chen Ping’an for an extended period of time that Zhu Lian could notice these kinds of subtle changes. It was like… the spring breeze sending ripples through a pond.

Chen Ping’an told Pei Qian, who had waited a very long time for him, to go to bed first, and he surprisingly called Zhu Lian over for a drink in a very rare display. The two of them sat cross-legged on the cliff beyond the plank road, and Zhu Lian asked with a smile, “Young Master, you look quite happy? Is this because it felt very good to soar through the sky on your sword?”

“Do you still remember Cao Ci?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Zhu Lian smiled and replied, “How can I forget this name? Young Master lost three consecutive battles against him at the Sword Qi Great Wall, and he managed to make Young Master accept the defeats wholeheartedly. I feel a strong urge to visit him tomorrow and smash him to death with one or two punches, lest he compete with Young Master for the martial fortune of the world in the future. That way, he won’t delay Young Master from reaching the Martial God Tier, the legendary eleventh tier.”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to Zhu Lian’s obsequious words of praise and jokes, and he casually took a sip of wine as he replied, “I don’t know whether it’s a false perception or not, but it seems like Cao Ci might have broken through again.”

“Then why is Young Master still feeling happy?” Zhu Lian asked in puzzlement. “The title of number one in the world can’t belong to two people at the same time. Of course, it’s still far too early for Young Master and Cao Ci to consider this title.”

Chen Ping’an took a sip of Old Flood Dragon Yearning Wine from his Sword Nurturing Gourd and asked, “Why do pure martial artists like us practice fist techniques and other martial arts techniques?”

Zhu Lian smiled and replied, “Naturally for the sake of achieving great liberation and great freedom — we can do whatever we want to do, and we can say no to whatever we don’t want to do. Even though the strongest individuals in the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land each had their own goals and aspirations, they were all aligned in their pursuit of these overarching notions of liberation and freedom.

“In this sense, Sui Youbian, Lu Baixiang, Wei Xian, and I were all the same. However, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was only a small place, after all, so our understanding of longevity and immortality was shallow even though we were already standing at the apex of the world. As such, we never pondered too deeply on this matter, especially since we were oblivious to the existence of a so-called higher world.

“In terms of seeking longevity and pursuing Dao, Wei Xian traveled the furthest relative to the rest of us. He was an emperor, so it was only natural that he aspired to achieve longevity after hearing his subjects shout ‘long live the emperor’ all the time.”

Chen Ping’an pointed at himself and said, “I haven’t told you much about my situation a few years ago. In the beginning, I only started to practice fist techniques because someone shattered my bridge of immortality. I needed to practice fist techniques to stay alive, but this eventually became a habit that I’ve maintained until today. When I fulfilled my promise and delivered the sword forged by Ruan Qiong to Ning Yao at Stalactite Mountain, I had already traveled a very long distance and was about to reach my goal of throwing one million punches.

“At the time, I was naturally feeling a sense of confusion in the depths of my heart. There was already no need to practice fist techniques to stay alive, and I’m not the type of person who wants to fight others for the title of number one in the world either. That being the case, where should I go from there?

“Should I become the next Zhu He? That wouldn’t be very difficult. Or should I become like the Water Combing Nation’s Song Yushao? That wouldn’t be hard either. Or should I get my head down and throw another one million punches, aspiring to one day obtain the impressive aura of Vajra Body Tier martial artists?

“It’s important to note that I was at the Sword Qi Great Wall at the time, the place that contains the largest number of sword immortals in the world. A few steps from where I lived was the thatched cottage of the most experienced old great sword immortal at the Sword Qi Great Wall, and on the wall beneath me were the characters carved out by the old great sword immortal as well as A’Liang. Did I not want to switch to practicing sword techniques instead? I felt a very strong desire to switch.

“This is the reason why I was so desperate to rebuild my bridge of immortality back then. In fact, I even thought to myself that since it was bad to focus on too many things at once, should I abandon my fist techniques and focus all of my effort on becoming a sword cultivator instead? Should I nurture a bonded flying sword and eventually become a legitimate sword immortal?

“I was deeply attracted by this option, but I didn’t dare to reveal these thoughts to Ning Yao, afraid that she would view me as someone who wasn’t dedicated to his initial goals. If I abandoned my fist techniques with such casual disregard, would I do the same to her in the future?”

Zhu Lian took a swig of wine and remarked, “I regret meeting Young Master so late. I actually missed the period of time when Young Master was feeling anxious, something that I might not be able to witness again in the future. I have to take a swig of wine to wash away the disappointment in my heart.”

Chen Ping’an looked up and held his Sword Nurturing Gourd in both hands, lightly patting it as he chuckled, “It was at that time that I met Cao Ci, so I’m extremely thankful to him. However, I was always too embarrassed to say this out loud.”

Chen Ping’an pointed at himself again before pointing at the tall mountain face opposite the plank road and continuing, “Perhaps Cao Ci is right over there, and the gulf between us is immense. Even though I’m not explicitly trying to become the strongest martial artist in the world or whatnot, I’m not a fool either. Who doesn’t want to be number one? It’s just that I’m… willing to take things a little slower.

“This is similar to when I was pacing back and forth on the railing of the Purple Sun Residence’s treasure-storage building not long ago. I was blindly contemplating the concept of slowness, and I was able to understand many things. If I dig deeper and look for the origin, I actually came across this concept a long time ago when I was still an apprentice learning to mold pottery in the dragon kilns.

“Old Man Yao said I was talentless, so he was never willing to teach me any principles and didn’t even like to speak with me. However, I had treated my job in the dragon kilns as the foundation for my life, so what could I do if Old Man Yao was unwilling to teach me anything? Thus, I always listened in when he was teaching Liu Xianyang and the other apprentices, telling them that they needed to calm their minds if they wanted to stabilize their hands. Only that way could they go from slow and not wrong to quick and correct.

“Taking this into account, it can be said that I came across the concept of slowness a long time ago, right? Moreover, I also remembered the principle quite well, no? In reality, this isn’t the case. It was only after I traveled a long distance and came across many people that many principles in my mind finally took root. As Mountain Master Mao put it, these principles finally became my own.

“After meeting Cao Ci, I realized that Ma Kuxuan wasn’t the only impressive person at the same age as me. There’s also Cao Ci, and I can’t bring myself to detest or feel jealous of him no matter how dazzling he is. At most, I’ll only feel disappointed that I lost three consecutive battles against someone in front of the girl whom I like. It’s only natural that I feel slightly unhappy as well. Thus, I decided at that time that I would strive to win three consecutive battles against Cao Ci one day regardless of how lofty his martial arts cultivation base became in the future, and regardless of how others referred to him as an unrivaled martial arts talent!”

Chen Ping’an’s expression was calm and relaxed, yet there was a bright glimmer in his eyes as he exclaimed, “I’ll strive to defeat him using fist techniques alone!”

Zhu Lian slapped his thigh and praised, “Magnificent! Young Master’s aspiration is truly as lofty as the heavens!”

Chen Ping’an patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd and gazed at the opposite mountain face, smiling with squinted eyes as he said, “That was just some drunken ramble.”

Zhu Lian felt like he was the best at understanding other people and improving the atmosphere, and this was similar to how a new pot of wine should be put away and allowed to rest after the clay seal was formed. It didn’t make sense to pick it up straight away and smell it.

Thus, Zhu Lian changed the topic and asked, “It seems like Young Master is worried about something?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “You’ve also been keeping an eye on the state of the Great Li Empire, so do you not find it strange that Cui Dongshan appeared in Mountain Cliff Academy while Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan is busy scheming and casting nets in another area?”

“The mystical powers of those at the Upper Five Tiers are unfathomable, so it’s not exactly strange that the imperial preceptor can split his soul into two right? In any case, we also have Shi Rou who’s living in an immortal body,” Zhu Lian replied.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and explained, “Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan have already become two different people, and they’ve also started to diverge onto different paths of the Great Dao. With this in mind, how do you think two people with the same character and disposition will interact with each other in the future?”

Zhu Lian smiled and responded, “With Cui Dongshan’s temper, he definitely won’t bow his head to anyone apart from Young Master. He… won’t even bow his head to himself.”

“As someone who came up with the Iridescent Cloud Go Manual, how will he play this game of Go with himself?” Chen Ping’an murmured.

Zhu Lian furrowed his brows, with his expression becoming solemn as he turned around to look at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an nodded and continued, “I suspect that I’m the Go board, and it’s very likely that the two of them would start their game of Go once I set foot in Old Dragon City.”

Chen Ping’an raised a finger and drew a cross in the air, saying, “There are many criss-crossing points of interest, with the larger points of interest being places like the Azure Phoenix Nation and Mountain Cliff Academy. Meanwhile, the smaller points of interest can be places like the Lion Garden, any immortal ship that sails to the Great Sui Nation, and the Purple Sun Residence that we just visited not long ago.”

“Cui Dongshan most likely won’t stoop as low as to harm Young Master, right?” Zhu Lian asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied, “He’s always been trying his best to help me, so we don’t need to doubt him in this regard.”

Zhu Lian couldn’t help but stand up, with his figure hunched over as he said in a solemn voice, “This isn’t a minor matter!”

Chen Ping’an remained sitting, and he gently swirled his Sword Nurturing Gourd around as he said, “Of course this isn’t a small matter. However, this doesn’t matter. I’ve already made it through bigger plots and more perilous games of Go.”

Zhu Lian slowly paced around, rubbing his palms together as he replied, “I need to give this some more thought.”

Chen Ping’an started to console Zhu Lian instead, saying, “Don’t worry, this won’t pertain to life or death, so we definitely won’t encounter the kinds of deadly battles where every strike hits flesh. We won’t face a perilous situation such as Du Mao suddenly appearing in Old Dragon City either.”

Zhu Lian thought about this for a moment, yet his brows were still knitted in a deep frown as he complained, “Then things will be even more troublesome. If that’s the case, then doesn’t it mean that I won’t be able to help at all? Will I truly have to stand aside and watch on idly? That will stifle me to death.”

Chen Ping’an gazed at the opposite mountain face, straightening his back and placing his hands behind his head as he replied, “Forget about it, we’ll take things one step at a time. After all, how can I be afraid to go home?”

Zhu Lian looked at Chen Ping’an and remarked, “Deal with problems as they come up? Young Master appears quite calm and confident.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly sighed and said with emotion, “Having learned so many principles, I’ll occasionally feel a little confused.”

Chen Ping’an bent down and placed his hands on top of his Sword Nurturing Gourd, continuing, “The criss-crossing paths on the Go board represent a myriad of principles, and these principles and rules are all straightforward and set. However, worldly matters will cause these straight lines to become crooked, and the lines within some people’s hearts might even become wonky circles. This is called self-justification.

“Thus, there are many people in the world who remain unreasonable even after reading a large number of books. Similarly, there are also many people who only care about themselves and completely disregard other people. Even so, some of these people are able to enjoy very good lives because they’re also able to calm their minds and feel at peace. In fact, they’ll face even fewer restrictions than those who adhere to the rules and regulations.

“Regarding how to live, one simply needs to follow their own ideals and conscience. Regarding how to appear reasonable and feel at ease and justified with one’s lifestyle, or how to live better by using this as a disguise, one can simply pick a few sentences from the plethora of classics belonging to the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools of Thought. One can simply borrow a few principles that align with their own thinking. Is this difficult? No, not at all.”

Zhu Lian heaved a long sigh.

He sat back down next to Chen Ping’an, putting down the pot of wine that he had already finished at some unknown time. Zhu Lian placed his hands on his knees, and the skinny and hunchbacked old man suddenly felt a little melancholy at this moment.

If Chen Ping’an revealed these genuine thoughts to Sui Youbian, Wei Xian, and Lu Baixiang, the three of them most likely wouldn’t be too stirred by his words. Sui Youbian possessed a pure sword heart and was entirely focused on the sword, Wei Xian was once an emperor who could rival an army of thousands, while Lu Baixiang was the founder of the demonic sect in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Because of this, it was… more interesting to reveal these thoughts to Zhu Lian.

Zhu Lian appeared heartless on the surface, treating both big matters and small matters as if they were heartless matters. It was as if he didn’t have a care in the world. In reality, however, Zhu Lian had witnessed and experienced the greatest variety of people and matters in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

He was born into a wealthy and powerful clan, allowing him to experience the extravagant lifestyle of true nobles and giving him the opportunity to see the emperor and other influential officials from up close. He had also possessed incredible martial arts talent ever since a young age, but he had still followed his clan’s wishes and attended the imperial examination even though he had soared to great heights on the path of martial arts cultivation.

Zhu Lian had easily placed in the second band on the imperial examination, and the only reason he hadn’t placed in the first band was because the key examiner — a pillar official and a senior from a friendly clan — had purposely pushed down his ranking. Otherwise, he would have at least placed first or second in the first band.

At that time, Zhu Lian had already become the most renowned young master in the capital, with his calligraphy works, essays, and outings causing the hearts of countless young maidens to flutter. However, Zhu Lian only served as an official for a few years before finding an excuse to resign and travel around the world to seek knowledge. In reality, he was adventuring around the world and exploring the cultivation world.

As time went on, the unrestrained young master mysteriously ended up becoming the most powerful person in the world. At the same time, he became a figure stuck in the minds of countless celestial maidens in the martial arts world and countless gallant heroines in the cultivation world.

Afterward, chaotic wars broke out between the various nations, causing the mountains and rivers to shatter and crumble. Zhu Lian left the cultivation world and returned to his clan, entering the battlefield and becoming a graceful and knowledgeable general who had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere. During his six years on the battlefield, Zhu Lian relied on his military strategies instead of martial arts prowess to forcefully turn the tides, unexpectedly defending a nation on the brink of destruction for many years.

However, the great trend was irreversible, and Zhu Lian was unable to prevent the nation from collapsing even after guiding a prince for many years as he personally managed the state affairs. In the end, Zhu Lian helped to resettle his clan before once again returning to the cultivation world. Zhu Lian remained single from the beginning to the end.

According to Zhu Lian’s explanation, he had still been carefree and romantic even when he was in his forties and fifties. He had possessed the maturity of mellow wine, and he had still been a dream partner in the minds of many beautiful young women.