Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an turned around, and he saw that Pei Qian had placed all of the husks of the roasted seeds into one palm just like him. Her actions were as natural as could be.

Chen Ping’an poured the seed husks from his hand into Pei Qian’s hand, saying, “There will eventually come a day when you come across people who will point at you and make comments if you casually throw some seed husks onto the ground of a small alley. These people can be separated into two different categories.

One type hails from wealthy clans, and these people have never experienced the struggles or hardships that come with living an impoverished life. The other type of people are those who are destined to remain in Dragon Riding Alley forever, even after you’ve already left. You need to be more careful of the latter type of people when you travel around the cultivation world in the future. This is because the former type of people are arrogant, while the latter group of people are ill-intentioned.”

Pei Qian’s eyes were wide with incredulity as she exclaimed, “I’ll get scolded for casually tossing seed husks onto the ground? The small alleys are filled with chicken shit and dog shit already, so why don’t they complain about this instead? What the hell is wrong with this world?!”

Chen Ping’an didn’t mention the two more extreme possibilities. For example, the moral shortcomings of sages and the good deeds occasionally performed by incredibly vile people.

It was still too early to mention these matters to Pei Qian. These matters were too profound, and mentioning them wouldn’t make Pei Qian a better and more reasonable person. Rather, these matters would become things that weighed down on her little shoulders.

In any case, Chen Ping’an didn’t want Pei Qian to become the second him.

As such, Chen Ping’an tried his best to transform his principles into something akin to steamed buns and small bowls of congee when he expounded them to Pei Qian. That way, she wouldn’t get sick no matter how she ate and digested them. Even if Pei Qian ate too much, she would simply feel a little stuffed. She could set aside the rest to eat later. When it came to teaching Pei Qian, Chen Ping’an hoped that he wasn’t feeding her a bowl of bitter medicine, a cup of strong wine, or a plate of spicy food.

Chen Ping’an smiled and explained, “I’m saying these things to you because I’m afraid that you’ll hide somewhere and feel angry by yourself in the future. I want you to know that these kinds of people exist in the world. Moreover, these people whom you don’t necessarily like might do things in a way you dislike in some aspects, yet they’ll do things in a way even better than you in other aspects. With this in mind, we should try our best to gain a deeper understanding of the world.”

Pei Qian scratched her head and said, “Master, my brain hurts.”

Chen Ping’an patted her head and replied, “It’s okay as long as you roughly understand these principles. You can look more and think more when you travel around the cultivation world by yourself in the future. Of course, you should also act decisively when you need to, as not all of the rights and wrongs in the world are murky and ambiguous.”

“Master, will you refuse to buy a small donkey for me if I fail to make it very far in the cultivation world in the future?” Pei Qian asked in a timid voice.

“Of course not,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Pei Qian finally felt at ease after hearing this.

This was good news. She could still make it back to Downtrodden Mountain in time for dinner.

“How far are you planning to travel on your first journey through the cultivation world?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

Pei Qian’s eyes darted around as if she were facing a formidable enemy, yet she couldn’t come up with a good answer no matter what. However, she wasn’t willing to lie to her master either, so she ended up appearing slightly flustered.

“You should at least make it as far as Red Candle Town, right?” Chen Ping’an asked in exasperation.

Pei Qian felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Thank heavens her master hadn’t asked her to travel to the Yellow Court Nation, the capital of the Great Li Empire, or some other faraway place. “That’s no problem at all! I’ll make sure to bring enough dry rations and roasted seeds!” she promised loudly.

Chen Ping’an immediately replied with a knuckle to her forehead.

Pei Qian endured the pain, and she didn’t forget to clench her fists lest the husks of the roasted seeds fall to the ground.

Chen Ping’an stood up and locked the door of Liu Xianyang’s residence, after which he left the alley together with Pei Qian.

He casually picked up a stick from the side of the street.

When there was no one around, Chen Ping’an smiled and asked Pei Qian to create a “rain of flowers.”

Pei Qian nodded earnestly, clutching the seed husks in her hands as she exclaimed, “Then I’m going to toss them up now, Master.”

Chen Ping’an clasped one hand behind his back and held the stick with his other hand as he nodded in reply.

Giving a soft shout, Pei Qian tossed the seed husks high into the air.

Chen Ping’an didn’t move, nor did the stick in his hand move. Instead, only the sleeves and hems of his azure robe fluttered slightly even though there was no wind.

Chen Ping’an strode forward, instantly leaving an azure afterimage in his wake.

After being struck by the “sword tip,” the seed husks in the air rapidly exploded one after another.

When Chen Ping’an stood still again, what Pei Qian saw was countless afterimages of her master unleashing sword strikes within a radius of three meters.

Pei Qian struck her palm with her fist, praising loudly, “Master, your peerless sword technique truly astonishes the heavens and terrifies fiends and ghosts! It’s even stronger than my Deranged Demon Sword Technique! Impressive, absolutely impressive!”

Chen Ping’an threw away the stick and replied with a smile, “That was your Deranged Demon Sword Technique.”

Pei Qian blinked and asked, “It’s possible to not hit yourself with the Deranged Demon Sword Technique?”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but chuckle, and after thinking for a moment, he couldn’t resist the urge to tease Pei Qian by saying, “Watch carefully, there’s one more move.”

Pei Qian immediately took a deep breath and pushed her palms downward, acting as if she were pushing her Qi into her dantian. “Please go ahead, Master!”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the stick on the ground before holding his index finger and middle finger together, suddenly twisting his body and moving forward. His large sleeves billowed through the air, and the stick on the ground immediately rose into the air and drew an arc like a flying sword. When Chen Ping’an stood still again, he pointed in some direction and commanded, “Off you go!”

The stick flew forward and pierced into a wall in the distance like a sharp sword.

Pei Qian clutched her belly and roared with laughter.

Master was copying her actions right now, wasn’t he?

What kind of master would sneakily learn their disciple’s most powerful techniques?

Chen Ping’an laughed loudly and returned to Dragon Riding Alley with the skipping Pei Qian. However, Pei Qian suddenly turned around and ran back to pull the stick out from the wall, saying that she needed to cherish and collect this divine weapon.

After taking Pei Qian back to the pastry shop, Chen Ping’an waved goodbye to the old lady and Shi Rou before returning to Downtrodden Mountain.

Pei Qian said that she wanted to see her master off, so she walked with him along Dragon Riding Alley.

Chen Ping’an told Pei Qian to head back when he reached the end of the alley.

Pei Qian ran back with a whoosh. She saw that her master was still standing at the end of the alley when she arrived at the door of the pastry shop, so she vigorously waved goodbye at him and only swaggered inside the shop when she saw her master nod in acknowledgement. She raised the stick in her hand high into the air, smiling at Shi Rou who was standing behind the counter and asking, “Big Sister Shi Rou, can you tell what treasure this is?”

Shi Rou looked at the buoyant expression of the tanned little girl, not knowing what she was up to this time. She shook her head and replied, “Forgive my lack of appraisal skills, but I can’t tell what it is.”

Pei Qian seemed to be taking pity on Shi Rou as she sighed and said, “Big Sister Shi Rou, can you seriously not tell? This is just a stick!”

Shi Rou didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

She was certain that Pei Qian would have come up with some other explanation if she had replied that this was a stick.

At the end of the small alley…

Chen Ping’an continued to walk forward after Pei Qian disappeared into the pastry shop. However, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

Several years ago, in another small alley, there had also been a man walking forward with a young child. Compared to his master and disciple relationship with Pei Qian, however, there was not yet any link between the man and the young child. There had only been rain in the alley.

Chen Ping’an gazed at the small alley just like that, seemingly looking at the two people from back then slowly walking toward him.

“Chen Ping’an, to have a pure heart doesn’t mean to be naive and to oversimplify the complicated world. Rather, it’s to persevere in being a good person even after learning many things about the world, relationships between people, rules, and principles. Even after experiencing a lot and suddenly feeling like good people seemingly don’t enjoy good fates, you still silently tell yourself that you’re willing to shoulder these hardships. Regardless of how much fortune bad people might enjoy, they’re still bad people, after all, and their actions are still wrong.

“Are you able to understand this?”

“I understand it, Mr. Qi!”

“Are you able to act on it?”

“I don’t dare to say that I can right now.”

“That’s okay, you can take things slowly.”

At this moment…

It was Chen Ping’an wearing an azure robe as he suddenly said, “I’m already moving forward very slowly beyond the realm of principles, so I can’t afford to go any slower than this.”

Chen Ping’an shut his eyes.

In the martial sage temple located beside the immortal tomb in the Great Li Empire’s Dragon Spring Prefecture…

The divine statue started to shake.

Not only that, but many statues of Bodhisattvas and heavenly officials in the immortal tomb started to sway back and forth as well.

All of the martial door gods plastered on the doors of the residences in Dragon Spring Prefecture started to glow a radiant gold.

The towering divine statue enshrined in the martial sage temple in the small town looked to be trying its best to suppress itself and prevent its godly body from leaving its statue to bow down to a certain person.

This didn’t adhere to etiquette!

This didn’t align with his heart!

However, a concentrated flow of martial fortune poured through the martial sage temple like a waterfall, permeating through the temple like mist.

Meanwhile, all kinds of strange things were also happening to the divine statues in the scholarly temple located near the mountain of porcelain.

If the martial sages in Dragon Spring Prefecture were feeling stunned and indignant, then the scholarly sages were feeling shocked and puzzled.

At almost the exact same time, someone left the mountain peak of Cloud Drape Mountain, and someone left a room and walked over to the railings on Downtrodden Mountain.

Wei Bo instantly appeared beside the barefooted old man.

Wei Bo was also slightly puzzled as he asked in a quiet voice, “This is…?”

Cui Cheng put on a stern expression and replied, “It’s nothing more than a pure martial artist breaking through to the fifth tier. It’s a tiny matter that isn’t worth a mention.”

Wei Bo felt a little exasperated. Cui Cheng, the tenth tier martial artist, could at least suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, right?

Cui Cheng’s expression suddenly became serious as he murmured to himself, “Young lad, don’t be afraid to cause a scene regardless of whether you’re a martial artist or a sword cultivator. You should have the confidence and poise to achieve this no matter what, right?”

Wei Bo felt a slight headache.

Cui Cheng frowned and said, “What are you zoning out for? Hurry up and help conceal his aura!”

Wei Bo hurriedly flicked his sleeve and started to channel the fortune of the mountains and rivers.

Cui Cheng suddenly started to laugh heartily, smacking his palm on the railing.

Wei Bo also heard the murmurings at the end of Dragon Riding Alley, and this rendered him dazed and speechless. Was this still the Chen Ping’an that he knew?

At the end of the small alley…

Sword Immortal, the sword on Chen Ping’an’s back, had already left its scabbard by itself, with its tip touching the ground as if it were standing upright beside Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an placed his hand on the sword hilt after opening his eyes, and he gazed into the distance and said with a faint smile, “It’s up to me whether I want this martial fortune or not, so it’s naturally unacceptable for it not to come over!”

With a single thought, Chen Ping’an summoned Sword Immortal back to its scabbard.

When Chen Ping’an finished speaking…

Near the immortal tomb, a radiant white light as thick as a well opening rose from the martial sage temple and flew toward Chen Ping’an. During this process, several more slender rays of light rose from other areas and merged together in the sky. Over at the end of the alley, Chen Ping’an decided to advance rather than retreat, and he slowly walked back to Dragon Riding Alley and used a single hand to catch the thick column of radiant white light, absorbing everything that came his way.

In the end, Chen Ping’an rubbed his hands together and formed a glowing flood dragon jewel. When the bright and crystalline jewel formed, Chen Ping’an had already reached the entrance of the pastry shop. As if being suppressed by a divine might, Shi Rou was squatting on the floor and trembling. Meanwhile, only Pei Qian was dazedly standing in the shop feeling completely puzzled about what was happening.

Chen Ping’an walked inside, holding the bright and slowly spinning jewel in his palm as he walked in front of Pei Qian. He then bent down and said with a smile, “Here, take it.”

Pei Qian held out her two hands.

Her eyes were as radiant as the sun and moon competing for glory in blessed lands and mystical realms.

The jewel formed from martial fortune disappeared in a flash once Chen Ping’an placed it in Pei Qian’s hands.

Heaven and earth fell silent again.

Pei Qian suddenly burped, appearing dazed as she asked, “Master, what was that?”

“One of your master’s principles,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Pei Qian wiped her mouth and patted her belly, smiling brightly as she said, “That was delicious, Master. Is there any more?”

Chen Ping’an bent down again, grabbing Pei Qian by one ear and asking with a smile, “What do you think?”

Pei Qian grinned and replied, “That’s okay, it’s fine even if there aren’t any more.”

Chen Ping’an was just about to speak, yet he suddenly felt as if he were being tugged by someone. He immediately disappeared from the pastry shop, appearing in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain where he saw Cui Chen and Wei Bo standing in front of him.

Wei Bo smiled and cupped his fists, saying, “Many congratulations.”

“It was so-so,” Cui Cheng said expressionlessly.

Chen Ping’an felt slightly more at ease. By the looks of it, he could indeed set off for the Colorful Garment Nation and the Water Combing Nation now.

If he traveled over now, he would be just in time to eat the old grandma’s stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots and invite Senior Song to enjoy some hotpot together.

However, Chen Ping’an wasn’t able to feel happy for long before Cui Chen turned around and walked inside the bamboo building, saying, “Come inside, and I’ll show you, a sixth tier superior grandmaster, the scenery of the tenth tier. After that, you can treat your wounds and set off whenever you manage to climb out of bed and walk again.”

Wei Bo ran away without saying another word.

He left behind Chen Ping’an, who felt a sense of grief well up from the bottom of his heart.

In reality, Pei Qian didn’t understand what had happened at all. Her master had mysteriously returned before mysteriously leaving again. She clasped her hands behind her back and walked over to the counter, looking at the female ghost who was still squatting there with her arms around her head. Pei Qian jumped onto the small stool, and feeling slightly bored, she retrieved a yellow paper talisman from her sleeve and slapped it onto her forehead. She then looked at Shi Rou again and remarked, “What a scaredy-cat!”