Unsheathed

In the light autumn drizzle…

Chen Ping’an took a slight detour and arrived outside the temple of a formal god that the imperial court of the Colorful Garment Nation had just entered into the genealogical records. He confidently strode inside.

It was time for the autumn harvest, and it was very early in the morning as well, so there were few worshippers to the mountain god temple that had been built atop the ruins of an illegal temple.

Chen Ping’an took off his bamboo hat and shook off the raindrops before stepping over the door threshold.

He no longer concealed his fist intent and aura on purpose.

The mountain god immediately appeared in his godly body form, and the tall and burly martial general suited in armor walked out from his painted divine statue. The mountain god was filled with unease as he cupped his fists and bowed in greeting, saying, “This minor god pays his respects to Esteemed Immortal.”

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and said, “Pardon my intrusion, I’ve come here to ask a simple question. Are any cultivators in the nearby immortal forces coveting the spiritual energy of that estate?”

He didn’t speak using the official dialect of the Colorful Garment Nation, nor did he speak using the official dialect of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Instead, Chen Ping’an spoke using the official dialect of the Great Li Empire.

Due to the current state of affairs, understanding the official dialect of the Great Li Empire was necessary for all of the mountain gods and river gods in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. There was an awkward smile on the mountain god’s face, and he was just in the process of coming up with an acceptable explanation. However, the young sword immortal with a terrifying aura surprisingly put on his bamboo hat and said, “Then I’ll trouble Mr. Mountain God with looking after the estate.”

The mountain god felt like he had just experienced a brush with death, so he immediately replied in a solemn voice, “I don’t dare to say that I’ll look after the estate, but please rest assured that I’ll maintain a good relationship with Yang Huang and his wife. Better a close neighbor than a distant relative, after all. I understand what I need to do.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists in thanks before he left, smiling and reminding the mountain god, “Just pretend that I never came.”

The mountain god who had just recently received official appointment from the imperial court of the Colorful Garment Nation and was responsible for overlooking this piece of treasured land hurriedly nodded in understanding.

If he wasn’t smart enough, then just relying on his meritorious service in life and hidden virtue after death wouldn’t have been enough for him to contest for and obtain this coveted role. Becoming a formal god that governed a mountain or river was, in fact, no different from climbing up the ranks in the imperial court.

Chen Ping’an left the mountain god temple.

The mountain god slowly paced back and forth in the main hall of his temple. He wouldn’t provoke or target that estate anymore in the future, especially since he wouldn’t be powerful enough to get a share of the spoils no matter how abundant the spiritual energy in that area was.

Chen Ping’an traveled to the Colorful Garment Nation’s Blusher Prefecture, handing over his travel documents when he reached the city gates. This was a brand new passport that Wei Bo had obtained for him. Of course, his passport still listed him as a citizen of the Great Li Empire’s Dragon Spring Prefecture.

After asking around for directions as he walked, Chen Ping’an eventually found his way to the residence of Mr. Fisherman.

This was a small and serene alley that only had the sound of rain at this moment.

Chen Ping’an knocked using the door knockers.

It wasn’t long before a relatively expressionless young boy answered the door. After seeing Chen Ping’an, the tall and skinny young boy appeared extremely hesitant, seemingly not daring to confirm whether it was actually Chen Ping’an standing in front of him.

Chen Ping’an smiled and greeted the young boy, saying, “Zhao Shuxia.”

“Mr. Chen!” the young boy exclaimed in delight.

Chen Ping’an nodded in acknowledgement and observed the tall young boy for a moment. His fist intent wasn’t abundant, but it was very pure. He was probably a third tier martial artist right now, and he was quite a fair distance away from reaching the next tier. Even though he wasn’t like Cen Yuanji, someone who could clearly be identified as a martial arts talent at a single glance, Chen Ping’an was actually fonder of Zhao Shuxia’s “attitude.” Zhao Shuxia had earnestly practiced the six-step walking meditation that he had “stolen” from Chen Ping’an.

The young boy was none other than Zhao Shuxia, the person who had tightly gripped onto a machete and protected the little girl back then.

Zhao Shuxia closed the door and led Chen Ping’an to the backyard of the residence. Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “Regarding the fist stance I taught back then, have you practiced it one hundred thousand times yet?”

Zhao Shuxia appeared slightly embarrassed as he scratched his head and replied, “According to what Mr. Chen said back then, practicing the fist stance one time counts as throwing one punch. I haven’t dared to slack off these past few years, but my ability to perform the fist stance is truly far too slow. I’ve only practiced it around one-hundred-and-sixty-three thousand times.”

“Have you fought against any enemies? Or have you received any guidance from powerful individuals?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“No,” Zhao Shuxia replied with a shake of his head.

Chen Ping’an understood the situation upon hearing this. If Zhao Shuxia had experienced the tests of life-and-death battles, allowing him to temper and refine his fist aura, then his ability to complete the fist stance would gradually become quicker and quicker. In that case, he would have definitely been able to complete the fist stance more than one-hundred-and-sixty-three thousand times. Since he hadn’t experienced any such challenges, however, then his only option was to slowly complete the fist stance and slowly accumulate experience. As such, it was naturally very difficult for him to complete the fist stance any quicker.

Even so, Chen Ping’an wasn’t worried about Zhao Shuxia being slow because of this reason. Possessing fist aura was much like how the old granny in the estate had handed him wine — as long as one maintained their stability and balance, their fist intent or wine wouldn’t run away no matter what. Each drop of fist intent one accumulated would remain in one’s body.

On the other hand, one’s fist intent would be flimsy and unstable if one slacked off, and this would be akin to remaining unaware as one’s wine splashed all over the place. If this were the case, then one would find it extremely difficult to overcome the critical barrier leading to the fourth tier of martial arts. It would be exceedingly difficult to advance from the Three Physique Tempering Tiers to the Three Qi Tempering Tiers.

Chen Ping’an had overcome many hardships, while Zhu Lu had failed to do the same back then. Instead, she had relied on the medicinal ointments of the Yang Family’s medicine shop to just barely advance to the next tier. Meanwhile, the female disciple newly taken in by Old Man Yang had overcome all of these hardships by herself. They were both female martial artists, yet the difference between their martial arts potential was like the gulf between heaven and earth.

Zhao Shuxia led Chen Ping’an to the serene backyard where an old man in Confucian robes and a young girl with lively eyes were standing side by side under the eaves.

“Mr. Chen has come to visit us!” Zhao Shuxia announced with a smile.

Chen Ping’an took off his bamboo hat and cupped his fists with a smile, saying, “Greetings, Mr. Fisherman.”

He then turned to Zhao Luan who was just old enough to be regarded as a young girl and said, “It’s been a long time, Luanluan.”

The old scholar with snow-white hair almost didn’t dare to believe that he was truly Chen Ping’an.

He had changed far too much.

Even though many years had indeed passed following their previous encounter, the old scholar still found it very difficult to match this slender and refined young man up with the young boy who had always carried a bamboo bookcase around back then.

Standing beside him, tears were already streaming down Luanluan’s cheeks as she sobbed and smiled, her voice quivering as she greeted, “Mr. Chen.”

When it came to Chen Ping’an, Zhao Luan couldn’t thank him enough.

At the same time, it wouldn’t appear excessive no matter how much she missed him and thought about him.

Zhao Luan had always been thinking of Chen Ping’an these past few years, and she would think about him whenever she experienced dullness, difficulties, grievances, and happiness on the path of cultivation.

Her older brother, Zhao Shuxia, liked to tease her about this, and Zhao Luan became more and more inclined to hide these feelings as she gradually grew older, lest her older brother tease her even more.

Zhao Shuxia was a solemn person, and he would only open up completely in front of Luanluan who was essentially no different from a biological little sister.

The four of them sat down together. The four people had drank wine when reuniting in the old estate, and the four people here were now replacing the wine with tea.

There were wisps of spiritual energy contained inside the tea, and this was for the sake of Zhao Luan’s cultivation. The more talented a cultivator was, and the smoother their journey of cultivation, the more money they would need to spend on food, clothes, and shelter.

Mr. Fisherman, the cultivator who had vanquished demons and eliminated fiends with Chen Ping’an in Blusher Prefecture back then, was a Confucian scholar and cultivator by the name of Wu Shuowen. Chen Ping’an felt nothing but respect for him, or else he wouldn’t have dared to put Zhao Shuxia and Zhao Luan in his care.

It was clear that the old scholar had indeed looked after the two children very well.

However, Chen Ping’an had also started to feel a little guilty over the past few years. As he gained more and more experience in the cultivation world, further understanding the sinister nature of the human heart, he became increasingly aware that his so-called good deed from back then might actually bring significant trouble for Wu Shuowen.

When it came to matters pertaining to the cultivation of those in the mountains, one would often be forced to make compromises whether they liked it or not.

If one were not involved in the cultivation world, then one would be free from the many conflicts and fights that would very likely involve life and death. Not being a cultivator in the mountains was both a misfortune and a fortune. It was a misfortune because one couldn’t witness those peculiar and remarkable scenes on the path to attaining Dao and achieving freedom and immortality, but it was a fortune because one could enjoy peace and stability instead.

Moreover, the more talented Zhao Luan was, the more burdensome things would be for Wu Shuowen. How could he support Zhao Luan’s cultivation and not delay her progress? How could he obtain suitably powerful immortal cultivation techniques to match Zhao Luan’s talent? How could he guarantee her a smooth cultivation journey where she didn’t need to worry about the expenditure of immortal coins?

In the past, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t have been able to consider these things at all.

Only after traveling tens of thousands of kilometers and encountering all kinds of people and matters did he finally understand that being a so-called good person wasn’t so simple. It was only then that he could better empathize with the countless hardships in the world.

Because of this, Chen Ping’an had visited the Ancient Elm Nation before entering the Colorful Garment Nation, finding the imperial preceptor who was actually the tree spirit he had become mortal enemies with back then.

This was because Chen Ping’an was worried that the high-ranking tree spirit would attempt to target the old estate again in the future. The surprise assassination attempt in the Water Combing Nation back then was still fresh in Chen Ping’an’s memory.

Things had been very simple after Chen Ping’an entered the capital of the Ancient Elm Nation. After finding the imperial preceptor’s residence and coming face to face with him, Chen Ping’an had knocked him down in three simple punches.

The tree spirit had suffered heavy wounds, losing at least thirty years of hard-earned cultivation progress.

Chen Ping’an had then asked the tree spirit whether he wanted to continue this feud, and whether he would dare to send more assassins after him.

The imperial preceptor of the Ancient Elm Nation, assuming the form of a scholar, had collapsed to the floor with his face drenched in blood, and he had replied that he wouldn’t dare to do so.

After all, two flying swords had flown out of Chen Ping’an’s Sword Nurturing Gourd, with one hovering in front of the tree spirit’s glabella and one hovering in front of the tree spirit’s heart.

Only after doing this did Chen Ping’an leave.

Moreover, he had purposely sat down at a tea stall located outside the city gates of the capital, waiting for the imperial preceptor to utilize his backup plan.

However, nothing had been forthcoming.

Only then did Chen Ping’an leave and make his way to the Colorful Garment Nation.

Chen Ping’an took a sip of hot tea before asking frankly, “Mr. Wu, I’ve heard that a cultivator from the Colorful Garment Nation wants to take Luanluan as his disciple?”

Wu Shuowen nodded and replied with anxiousness, “If that esteemed immortal is genuinely willing to teach Luanluan immortal techniques, then I wouldn’t prevent Luanluan from obtaining this fated opportunity regardless of how reluctant I am to part ways with her. However, this esteemed immortal is hellbent on recruiting Luanluan into the mountains for two reasons.

“One reason is her cultivation aptitude, and the other reason is… Sigh, it’s because the esteemed immortal’s direct disciple, an extremely libertine person with poor morals, took a fancy to Luanluan when he saw her at a banquet hosted in the capital of the Colorful Garment Nation. Forget about it, there’s no point mentioning these unsightly matters. If worse comes to worst, I’ll simply leave the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent with Luanluan and Shuxia. We won’t stay in the Colorful Garment Nation and the one dozen or so surrounding nations.”

“What’s the name of that immortal force, and what’s the name of that master and disciple? How far is the immortal force from Blusher Prefecture? And where is it located?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Even though Wu Shuowen was puzzled by Chen Ping’an’s questions, he still answered them one by one. He said that Misty Mountain was located approximately six hundred kilometers from Blusher Prefecture, and this was, of course, referring to the distance on foot.

After drinking a bowl of tea, Chen Ping’an stood up and said with a smile, “Then I’ll pay a visit to Misty Mountain’s ancestral hall now. It shouldn’t take me too long to go there and come back.”

Wu Shuowen stood up and shook his head, saying, “Please don’t be rash, Young Master Chen. We need to take our time to make careful deliberations first. Misty Mountain’s mountain-protection formation possesses powerful offensive abilities, and there’s also a Dragon Gate Tier immortal guarding the mountain…”

Chen Ping’an’s expression was calm and composed as he smiled faintly and replied, “Rest assured, I’m simply heading over to speak some reason with them. If reason doesn’t get through… then I’ll have to try some other method.”

There were some things that Chen Ping’an didn’t say.

If a person were strong enough to speak reason, then they shouldn’t suppress themself and keep their reasons cooped up. They should speak their reasons and go from there. For example, the current situation with Misty Mountain. If a person were unable to speak their reasons for whatever reason, then they should keep these reasons saved up first. For example, Chen Ping’an’s grudges against Sun Scorch Mountain and Light Breeze City’s Xu Clan. There would eventually come a day when he dug up these matters as if he were digging up a pot of aged wine from the ground.

As for how Chen Ping’an spoke reason, he had both fists and swords.

When he arrived at the ancestral hall of that immortal force, he would use his fists and his swords more than he used his mouth.

Back in the bamboo building at Downtrodden Mountain, he had witnessed Cui Cheng’s might as a tenth tier martial artist and also listened to some of the old man’s principles. In fact, Cui Cheng’s principle was two simple sentences.

You should drink fine wine with those who speak reason, and you should throw rapid punches at those who refuse to speak reason — this is the cultivation world that belongs to you, Chen Ping’an. Practicing fist techniques isn’t for the sake of fighting in bed, and it should instead be used to compete with the entire world — it should be used against those in the mountains and outside the mountains, telling them to kowtow whenever they see you!

Chen Ping’an completely agreed with the first sentence, but he felt like the second sentence was deserving of some further discussion.

However, he hadn’t dared to voice his thoughts in the bamboo building, afraid that he would suffer another beating. Cui Cheng had been radiating with the aura of a martial artist at the peak stage of the tenth tier back then, so just a single careless punch from the old man would have been enough to genuinely kill Chen Ping’an.

Wu Shuowen was clearly unconvinced, and he was afraid that the young boy… young man in front of him wasn’t thinking things through properly. Chen Ping’an had displayed his impressive composure during the defensive battle in Blusher Prefecture several years ago, but their opponent this time was an experienced Dragon Gate Tier immortal, after all.

Not only that, but the immortal was also the leader of an immortal force that had managed to build a relationship with the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire. It was rumored that he was going to become the next imperial preceptor as well, so he was enjoying unparalleled fame and power at this moment. That being the case, how could Chen Ping’an possibly barge into the immortal force by himself?

People in the cultivation world would be more afraid of the vigorous youth, but this wasn’t the case for Qi refiners in the mountains. Being able to advance to the Dragon Gate Tier implied both a powerful cultivation ability and a shrewd mind. Moreover, which of them wouldn’t have a powerful backer?

Meanwhile, Zhao Shuxia wasn’t too worried, most likely thinking that it wouldn’t be surprising no matter how powerful Mr. Chen, the person who had taught him fist techniques, was.

On the other hand, Zhao Luan was even more worried than her master, Wu Shuowen. Having no time to worry about status or etiquette, she hurriedly walked over to Chen Ping’an’s side and grabbed the hem of his clothes, the rims of her eyes red as she exclaimed, “Please don’t go, Mr. Chen!”

Chen Ping’an glanced at Wu Shuowen before looking at Zhao Luan and saying with an exasperated smile, “I’m not going to seek death, and I’ll run away if I can’t defeat them.”

Tears immediately flowed down Zhao Luan’s cheeks, and she retorted, “Mr. Chen, you said you were going to speak reason with them just then.”

Chen Ping’an was rendered speechless, and he signalled to Zhao Shuxia with his eyes, wanting him to help console Zhao Luan. However, the young boy was quite slow and dull, and he simply stood there and chuckled, not moving a single step.

Chen Ping’an sighed and relented, saying, “Then let’s sit down and continue to drink tea.”

The tear-filled eyes of Zhao Luan were even mistier than Misty Mountain which was covered in mist all year round, and she asked, “Honest?”

Chen Ping’an nodded in reply, and only then did Zhao Luan let go of his clothes and timidly walk back to her seat to sit down.

Wu Shuowen also sat down, and he persuaded, “There’s no need to hurry, Young Master Chen, I’ll treat this as a sight-seeing journey with the two children.”

“Then what about Mr. Wu’s family and clan?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“I presume that a Dragon Gate Tier cultivator wouldn’t stoop to such low and shameless levels,” Wu Shuowen replied.

Chen Ping’an looked at Wu Shuowen.

Wu Shuowen lowered his head to drink tea.

The old scholar could only sigh in his mind. He was obviously well aware that the so-called sight-seeing journey was nothing more than an excuse to allow Luanluan and Shuxia to not feel guilty.

Chen Ping’an gently set down his teacup.

In the next instant…

Chen Ping’an’s figure had already vanished from the room.

Wu Shuowen was flabbergasted as he held his teacup.

Zhao Luan and Zhao Shuxia looked at each other with dumbstruck expressions.

What they saw was the young man in azure standing in the courtyard, with the sword on his back leaving its scabbard and transforming into a ray of golden light as it soared into the sky. With a tap of his foot, Chen Ping’an leaped onto his sword and burst through the curtain of rain, riding atop his sword as he traveled north.

Wu Shuowen hurriedly drank a sip of tea to suppress his astonishment after he came back to his senses. There was nothing else he could do since it was clearly impossible for him to stop Chen Ping’an.

There was an entranced look in Zhao Luan’s bright and watery eyes. She hurriedly wiped away her tears, and her tear-stained appearance was truly as moving and attractive as could be. It was no wonder that the young mountain master of Misty Mountain had instantly taken a fancy to her.

Zhao Shuxia scratched his head and chuckled, “Seriously, what’s with Mr. Chen’s hastiness? He’s going to their ancestral hall, yet it’s as if he’s in a hurry to head out and buy wine.”

It was noon, yet the heavy downpour at the immortal force that was often drenched in rain made it appear much like midnight.

As a result, the streak of golden light that appeared over the horizon was extremely radiant and eye-catching. In any case, this streak of light was also accompanied by a thunderous boom as it tore through the sky.

It didn’t matter if the cultivators on Misty Mountain were deaf or blind, and they should all be acutely aware that a sword immortal had come to visit their mountain.