Unsheathed

Old Man Yang glanced at the hunchbacked and slightly adrift Zheng Dafeng, revealing, “Cui Chan’s actions and desires as well as his secret philosophies have taught me some extremely valuable things. I’ve benefited immensely from them. I racked my brain for nine thousand years in the past, yet I was still unable to come up with a good answer for my dilemma. I thought about many things, yet I only made insignificant progress. In fact, I made more progress during two casual chats with Cui Chan. As such, I need to repay Cui Chan for this unexpected benefit.

“In other words, it won’t matter much even if I lose everything pertaining to my bet on Chen Ping’an.”

“Master, there’s something that I’m very curious about. Out of all the disciples that you’ve taken, is there anyone that makes you very happy or very sad? For example, is Master relatively satisfied with Senior Brother Li Er having the potential to reach the Divinity Tier of the tenth tier?” Zheng Dafeng asked.

“No,” Old Man Yang replied with a shake of his head.

Zheng Dafeng pointed at himself and asked with a sheepish grin, “Then what about me? I’m already so pitiful, so does Master not feel a modicum of sadness for me?”

Old Man Yang replied with a snigger.

There was a look of grief in Zheng Dafeng’s eyes as he lamented, “Master, even though I was already prepared for this, I still can’t help but feel a little hurt after hearing your answer.”

Old Man Yang couldn’t be bothered speaking nonsense with his disciple anymore, and he suddenly said, “In order to stay alive, and to live a better life after staying alive, it’s necessary to compete with the entire world. Children are naive, youths are hotheaded, ignorant people are courageous, those in the cultivation world are righteous, scholars are strong-willed, generals are loyal, and ruthless leaders are risk-takers. All of these paths will allow one to stride forward with a clear conscience. However, some people insist on fighting with themselves, so how can they untie the complicated knot that they’ve made in their hearts?

“It’s difficult for cultivators to cultivate their hearts nowadays, and this is because of a… restriction that we established for cultivators back then. It’s because of this restriction that cultivators are inferior to even ants. However, we didn’t imagine at the time that it was coincidentally this handicap that became the so-called sparks that Cui Chan speaks of…

“Forget about it. Focusing on the hesitant and indecisive nature of the human heart alone, it’s as if someone is wearing soaking wet clothes as they climb a mountain. Their clothes will feel heavier and heavier, and the halfway point of a journey of one hundred kilometers will become ninety kilometers. In the end, it’s a profound topic regarding how one can wring dry their clothes and continue up the mountain in a relaxed and refreshed manner.

“However, everyone was caught by surprise that these ants actually managed to make it to the peak of the mountain. Of course, some people might have considered the possibility, yet they paid no heed to the matter because they only cared about their pursuit of immortality. They mistakenly thought that after the ants reached the mountain peak and saw the jade pagodas in the heavens, it would still be a very long journey for them to fly up from the mountains even if they grew wings. Thus, they could simply crush the ants to death at that time.

“They planned to fatten up the prey before hunting them and enjoying a scrumptious meal, yet in reality, things have remained very peaceful even after countless years. Many deities have managed to slow down the decay of their godly bodies, and heaven and earth are also continuing to expand further and further. However, you’ve already seen the final outcome.”

Old Man Yang didn’t display too much grief, indignance, or sorrow as he said this, and he remained so calm and composed that he appeared much like an outsider who was revealing the biggest secret of the world.

“Why aren’t the sages of the Three Teachings disposing of Master once and for all to avoid any future troubles?” Zheng Dafeng asked in a careful voice.

Old Man Yang smiled and replied, “Is there any point in you asking such a profound question right now? Should you not be thinking about how to escape the life of a bachelor?”

Zheng Dafeng smiled in embarrassment and remarked, “So Master also knows how to tell jokes now.”

An extremely rare look of helplessness appeared on Old Man Yang’s face, causing his wrinkles to bunch together as he replied, “It’s all thanks to the constant nagging by Li Er’s wife who’s detested by both gods and ghosts alike.”

“Sister-in-law is also…?” Zheng Dafeng asked in a quiet voice.

Old Man Yang sneered and replied, “If she were, then would I not punish her until she lives a worse life than dogs and sows? It’s because she’s nothing more than an annoying mortal shrew that I don’t bicker with her.”

Zheng Dafeng felt a huge sense of relief.

“Gu Can to Chen Ping’an is just like Chen Ping’an to Qi Jingchun. This is the crux of the death trap,” Old Man Yang revealed.

Zheng Dafeng frowned and asked, “Gu Can and Chen Ping’an’s innate dispositions are far too different, no?”

He shook his head and continued, “It’s not the same, it’s not the same at all.”

“If you ignore the notion of good and evil and look at them again, are they truly not the same?” Old Man Yang asked with a smile.

Zheng Dafeng fell deep into thought.

However, his gaze gradually became resolute.

Old Man Yang shook his head and warned, “Don’t get involved in this matter. Even if you, Zheng Dafeng, were a tenth tier cultivator, you would still be unable to make a difference. This situation has nothing to do with physical conflict or life and death, and the Scholarly Sage won’t be able to help Chen Ping’an either even if he wants to. This has nothing to do with whether one possesses profound knowledge or a lofty cultivation base.

“Even though the Scholarly Sage’s statues in the Confucian temples have been smashed, his knowledge still remains intact. As such, the Scholarly Sage can naturally use a profound principle to forcefully suppress Chen Ping’an’s current philosophy and subdue the evil flood dragon in his mind’s realm. In the long term, however, this will do more harm than good, and it will increase the risk of Chen Ping’an straying down the wrong path and walking to his death.”

Old Man Yang glanced at the sky and continued, “Branch Master Lu who also visited me before can indeed help Chen Ping’an walk onto a different path, but Chen Ping’an himself definitely won’t agree to this option.

“Moreover, there’s one thing that Chen Ping’an also assessed very correctly. That is, what Branch Master Lu yearns for is the Chen Ping’an who was chosen by Qi Jingchun and not necessarily Chen Ping’an himself. Thus, once his mind wavers and he agrees to go to the White Jade Capital, then the best-case scenario is that he becomes a puppet who can potentially reach the eleventh or twelfth tier. If he fares a little worse, however, then it’s very likely that he’ll never be able to escape from Branch Master Lu’s palm no matter how many times he reincarnates. He’ll be used as a tool to observe Dao.”

Zheng Dafeng nodded and concurred, “Mhm, this is just like a man feeling increasingly uncomfortable and attracted if he’s unable to obtain his dream girl. She’ll appear more and more beautiful because of this. Once he obtains her, however, he’ll realize that she wasn’t as special as he imagined.”

“There are many brothels in the small town now,” Old Man Yang suddenly said out of the blue.

Zheng Dafeng flushed bright red, and he retorted, “Master, I might speak in a frivolous manner, but I’m not actually that type of person!”

Old Man Yang asked a seemingly unrelated question, saying, “There are four plaques hanging on the Crab Archway that belong to Three Teachings and one sect. Tell me, what’s written on these plaques?”

“The Confucian Sect’s ‘doing my part,’ the Daoist Sect’s ‘comply with the natural order,’ the Buddhist Sect’s ‘refrain from looking outward,’ and the Militarian Sect’s ‘unmatched aura,’” Zheng Dafeng replied.

Old Man Yang smiled and said, “Contemplate them carefully.”

Zheng Dafeng thought for a moment before saying, “The notion of doing one’s part is one of the critical reasons why Chen Ping’an is trapped in his current situation…”

Old Man Yang smiled and explained, “The Daoist Sect promotes pursuing the Great Dao by oneself and integrating with the Dao of Heaven and Earth. Doesn’t this sound wonderful? And that’s why I said that Branch Master Lu’s Dao power can save Chen Ping’an for the moment and perhaps for a lifetime. However, he doesn’t even care about the mortal world anymore, so will he truly care about the life and death or the good and bad of a young bumpkin from Clay Vase Alley?

“The Scholarly Sage scolded Branch Master Lu for only understanding the force of the heavens but not understanding the power of the people. However, this isn’t necessarily the case in my view. Perhaps it was true during the earlier days when Branch Master Lu was still seeking Dao in the lands of the Majestic World, but things already started to change once he stepped onto the boat and went out to sea. He genuinely started to obtain what he yearned for, yet he also started to forget himself at the same time. He achieved extraordinary affinity, and he came close to the Great Dao of the Dao Ancestor. It was because of this that he became the Dao Ancestor’s favorite disciple.

“As for the Buddhist philosophies deriving from that Buddhist saying, it appears as though Chen Ping’an has another option to break free from his current dilemma. However, this is not the case. Cui Chan definitely considered this as well, so he already has countermeasures in place. As for the Militarian Sect’s unmatched aura…”

”Then what about her?” Zheng Dafeng lowered his voice and asked.

“Her? She doesn’t care at all,” Old Man Yang replied expressionlessly. “In fact, she might be eager to see Chen Ping’an acting in a more straightforward manner. Everything will be fine as long as Chen Ping’an doesn’t die, and she’ll be happy even if he leans toward one extreme.”

Zheng Dafeng scratched his head and lamented, “After saying so much, it sounds like Chen Ping’an is definitely done for?”

Old Man Yang smiled and replied, “He’ll become a wealthy person living in his mountains, and you’ll become a gatekeeper responsible for looking after his land. You’ll be able to eat and drink for free, so isn’t that quite good?”

Zheng Dafeng suddenly looked up and stared at Old Man Yang, saying, “Master purposely made the evil flood dragon in Chen Ping’an’s heart rear its head, using this opportunity to temper his sword heart and dissuade him from adhering to the restrictive notions of benevolence, righteousness, and morality. You want Chen Ping’an to think that regardless of how vast heaven and earth are, only the sword in his hand is capable of speaking reason. That way, you can help that being remove the intangible sheathe that Chen Ping’an is placing on the sword. Am I right?!”

Old Man Yang smiled faintly and remarked, “To be able to think this far… It looks like you have indeed improved a little.”

“Is this a request from her?” Zheng Dafeng asked in a quivering voice.

Old Man Yang shook his head, a look of emotion and reminiscence on his face as he murmured, “She doesn’t care about these things, and she wouldn’t mind either way. After all, she’s… her.”

“Pitiful, how utterly pitiful,” Zheng Dafeng said with a sorrowful expression.

He recalled the young man who had sat opposite him under the eaves in the Dust Medicinal Shop, snacking on roasted seeds as he smiled and looked at everyone else in the courtyard.

He felt like that young man had already suffered such a perilous and underserved calamity, so it should surely be time for him to relax and enjoy some peaceful days, right?

Unexpectedly, however, there was a scheme even more terrifying than Du Mao and his Sword Devouring Ark waiting for Chen Ping’an right from the moment he left Old Dragon City.

Autumn had arrived.

It was now time for autumn hunting.

“Following the arrival of a chaotic age, there will eventually come a day when people in the Majestic World dislike talking about principles and reasons,” Old Man Yang said calmly. “There are fools who think that learning and understanding the principles is useless, and there are ill-intentioned people who twist the principles to achieve their own goals and satisfy their own desires. Everything will come to light with the fundamental reasons.

“People will die without food, and it’s even more certain that they’ll die without water. At that time, people will realize the value of someone who is willing to speak reason. Fortunately, people have very short memories, often forgetting past hardships once their wounds heal. The world thus repeats this cycle again and again, with nothing improving at all even after ten thousand years.

“Fortunately? How is this fortunate?” Zheng Dafeng asked in a shaky voice.

“Am I a human?” Old Man Yang asked with a smile.

Zheng Dafeng was rendered speechless.

“And are you a human?” Old Man Yang asked next.

Zheng Dafeng remained silent.

In the end, Zheng Dafeng left the medicine shop and walked along Clay Vase Alley, walking past Chen Ping’an’s ancestral residence and also walking past Gu Can’s ancestral residence.

Old Man Yang continued to puff at his smoking pipe alone in the backyard of the medicine shop.

Ten thousand years ago, there had been clusters of divine light in the sky, appearing majestic among the dazzling celestial bodies.

The humans in the world were nothing more than insignificant sparks, so how could they possibly win?

Cui Chan had already given his answer.

Old Man Yang was unwilling to admit this, yet he had no option but to admit it.

Meanwhile, the person who was able to give this answer was most likely already at someplace in Bamboo Scroll Lake.