Unsheathed

Chapter 471 (5): I Heard That You Wanted to Challenge Someone’s Swordsmanship

Outside the small town neighboring the Sword Water Villa, Chen Ping’an returned his sword to its scabbard atop a small and serene mountain. He then descended the mountain and slowly walked along the official road.

He walked past the small town and arrived outside the entrance of the Sword Water Villa.

Chen Ping’an took off his bamboo hat and smiled at an elderly steward of the villa, saying, “Can you please inform Sword Saint Song that Chen Ping’an is here to treat him to some hotpot?”

The old steward hesitated for a moment and glanced at the young man. The visitor had a sword on his back and a wine gourd by his side, so he was most likely a member of the cultivation world as well. However, he looked unfamiliar, and he had never heard the name Chen Ping’an before either. In other words, he most likely wasn’t an old acquaintance or friend of the villa. Moreover, it made even less sense for this person to visit the villa now. With this in mind, the old steward said in an apologetic voice, “Young Master, our villa isn’t accepting any guests right now, so please make your way back.”

Chen Ping’an had no option but to explain to the old steward that he was genuinely friends with Senior Song. In fact, he had even stayed at the villa for a period of time back then and practiced fist techniques in the pavilion near the waterfall.

The Sword Water Villa was very strict about rules, and the old steward didn’t like to talk about other matters beyond guarding his own area. In addition, Song Yushao had designated the area near the Mountain and Water Pavilion as a restricted area back then, so the old steward genuinely hadn’t heard about Chen Ping’an before. Most importantly, the old steward was proud of his good eyesight and decent memory even though he was getting old, and he was confident that he could remember all of his acquaintances from the cultivation world as long as he glanced at them a few times. However, he genuinely didn’t recognize the young man in front of him. He had never seen this person before!

The old steward subtly stepped to the side, coincidentally blocking the side entrance, lest this suspicious junior from the cultivation world barge into the villa without permission. Things weren’t going smoothly at the villa right now, and the external dangers were significant and terrifying. Even so, the old steward was sure that things would be the same as the previous time when the army of the imperial court had been bearing down on them. They could turn misfortune into fortune as long as the old villa master was still present.

In the depths of the old steward’s heart, however, he was still filled with deep anxiety. After all, Chu Hao, the person who liked to challenge the villa all the time, had not only been promoted in the imperial court, but he now wielded immense power over other officials. This was in stark contrast to his status as an ordinary general back then. In addition, there was also the rapidly rising Unruly Saber Villa which should have been friends with the Sword Water Villa. However, the cultivation world was a place where one would often feel helpless. Everyone liked to fight for the top spot.

Su Lang, the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal from the Pine Stream Nation, had killed Sword Grandmaster Lin Gushan from the Ancient Elm Nation, with the divine weapon, Green Jewel, hanging from his hip being proof of this. Su Lang was of the view that his sword skills had already reached a pinnacle level, so he wanted to fight for the top spot of swordsmanship with the old villa master of the Sword Water Villa. Meanwhile, Wang Yiran wanted to fight the old villa master for the title of number one martial artist in the Water Combing Nation. As for the two villas, they were naturally like two competing forces in the cultivation world as well.

However, even for those in the Sword Water Villa, regardless of their position, it was difficult to claim that the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal Su Lang and the Unruly Saber Villa’s Wang Yiran were necessarily bad people.

He had already arrived at the entrance of the Sword Water Villa, so Chen Ping’an wasn’t in much hurry anymore. He remained patient as he tried to convince the old steward.

After speaking for a while, the old steward most likely confirmed that this junior from the cultivation world wasn’t a bad person and simply liked to spout unfounded nonsense in an attempt to trick other people. That being the case, he blocked the entrance and continued to talk with the young man. He had nothing better to do anyway.

However, the old man also grumbled in his mind, thinking that this young man wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. The young man had already taken many swigs of wine during their exchange, yet he never once asked him if he wanted to drink, not even out of mere politeness. He wouldn’t actually accept the offer, in any case, especially since he was still guarding the entrance. He naturally wasn’t allowed to drink on the job.

Furthermore, the wine made at the villa was top-notch, so would he truly covet the wine in that young man’s crappy wine gourd? It didn’t smell very good anyway. However, whether or not he accepted the offer was one matter, and whether or not the young man made an offer was another altogether, right?

Chen Ping’an obviously had some unspeakable pains as well. There was only an illusion technique on the Sword Nurturing Gourd, so he would definitely be exposed if the old steward was allowed to interact with it. After all, it wasn’t like he could use his minimization treasure and summon a pot of crow caw wine out of thin air. In any case, he was genuinely reluctant to offer any wine to the old steward. They weren’t friends or relatives, so did it make any sense for Chen Ping’an to offer immortal wine to everyone he came across? Chen Ping’an enjoyed slight renown in the cultivation world for being a miserly person.

The old steward was idle with nothing better to do, so he continued to grumble about the young man in his mind while playing along with him and revealing some information that everyone in the Water Combing Nation knew about.

Over at the imperial court, Chu Hao had already announced that the Sword Water Villa would face severe consequences if they didn’t move out and relocate within one month.

Meanwhile, Wang Yiran was relatively polite and he didn’t kick up a commotion at the Sword Water Villa. Rather, he invited gallant figures from all over the region to his Unruly Saber Villa in preparation for the imminent martial gathering. There, they would enjoy the magnificent event together.

As for the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal Su Lang, he would soon come to the Sword Water Villa to challenge the swordsmanship of the old villa master. He came with ill intentions, and if he weren’t confident, he wouldn’t have dared to act so rashly in the first place.

The old steward said that the old villa master had clearly turned down Su Lang’s challenge already, yet the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal was still young and vigorous, so he had announced to the entire cultivation world of the Water Combing Nation that he would definitely make a trip to the Sword Water Villa no matter what.

Chen Ping’an fell silent after hearing this.

He had fought with Su Lang two times before, yet Su Lang had suddenly defected in the end, turning his sword around and beheading Lin Gushan instead, someone who should have been his ally.

The old steward sighed with emotion and said, “Junior from the outside, do you understand why I’m not allowing you to enter now? If it were normal times, I would have already let you in, and our Sword Water Villa isn’t short of a few pots of wine to treat our guests. However, things are different now, and it’s no longer as peaceful as before. Who knows if there are spies from the imperial court stationed in the small town and watching over us? Who knows what will happen if I allow you to enter and then exit again in a moment? Think about this carefully, young man. Is it worth bringing trouble onto yourself for the sake of some intangible renown in the cultivation world? Why make things difficult for yourself? It’s best that you turn around and leave.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly shifted his head to the side and looked inside, and the old steward also turned around and followed his gaze, thinking that someone had walked over from inside the villa.

However, he didn’t see a single shadow.

When the old steward turned back around, the young man was already holding a pot of wine in front of him, asking with a smile, “Old Mister is an experienced member of the cultivation world, and you deserve this pot of wine for your kindhearted warning.”

The old steward was still puzzled about the young man’s gaze just then, but he pushed this out of his mind and thought to himself that the young man at least had some aptitude to travel around the cultivation world. Otherwise, a naive and muddleheaded person wouldn’t be able to achieve anything great regardless of how strong their martial arts was and regardless of how good their character was. Even so, the old steward still shook his head and replied, “Won’t I feel bad if I take your wine after blocking you from entering the villa for so long? Forget about it, you don’t look like a very wealthy person either, so just leave the wine for yourself. In any case, I’m a steward, so I can’t drink right now even if I want to.”

Chen Ping’an cracked open the clay seal and swirled the pot of wine in front of the old steward, asking, “You truly don’t want any?”

The old steward was tempted after smelling the wine, but he still refused to accept the young man’s offer. It was against the rules no matter how good the wine was. Moreover, human nature was an unpredictable thing, so he didn’t dare to accept the wine anyway.

However, the young man suddenly put on his bamboo hat and pushed the pot of wine into his hands, after which he turned around and walked down the steps, smiling and saying, “It seems like someone is coming to visit. He’s most likely someone like me, so I’ll help the old villa master greet this visitor. I’ll tell him that there’s no need to fish for fame at the Sword Water Villa.”

The old steward held the pot of wine and gazed into the distance. However, he couldn’t see a single person walking over.

Meanwhile, that young man continued to slowly walk away.

The old steward didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. This person was a young man, after all, so it was understandable for him to feel embarrassed after being refused entry into the villa. As such, he had made up this poor excuse to save himself from the awkward situation and leave?

The old man sighed softly, feeling slightly sorry for the young man.

However, this was life in the cultivation world. He had initially planned to tell the young man who was pretending to be a swordsman that he could visit again after everything settled down in the Sword Water Villa, and that he definitely wouldn’t stop him from entering at that time.

After hesitating for a moment, however, the old steward had decided to swallow these words.

When young people left home and traveled around the cultivation world, it wasn’t a bad thing for them to encounter some challenges and obstacles.

————

In the bustling small town near the Sword Water Villa, there was a man in his forties staying in a premium room at some inn. Contrary to his age, however, the handsome man appeared younger and younger as time went on. He had looked to be in his thirties ten years ago, yet he now looked more like a young master in his twenties.

He was sitting cross-legged on a straw mat, and he was meticulously wiping a long sword that was out of its scabbard. The sword scabbard was placed horizontally across his knees, and inscribed on it were the characters, “Green Jewel.” This sword had once been the favorite sword of Lin Gushan, the number one swordsman of the Ancient Elm Nation. After Lin Gushan was beheaded, this precious sword that could slice through metal with ease became his sword instead.

Also hanging on this person’s hip was a length of luscious green bamboo that measured two feet and six inches long. This was the length of an ordinary sword.

When a swordsman in azure wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a sword on his back left the small town…

A beautiful woman who had accompanied the person meticulously wiping his sword from the Pine Stream Nation to this small town walked to his room with light footsteps and knocked on the door. She was both a sword attendant and a disciple, and she said in a soft voice, “Master, someone is finally visiting the Sword Water Villa.”

She was both a disciple and a servant, and she had already stayed here with her master for close to ten days, with her master instructing her to watch out for anyone visiting the Sword Water Villa which was currently devoid of visitors. Whenever someone visited was whenever her master would draw his blade and make a move.

She had camped at the highest spot of the small town for the past few days, waiting for that visitor to appear.

She was already feeling slightly annoyed from waiting, especially since she was fully convinced that her master would definitely gain great renown throughout the Water Combing Nation, the Pine Stream Nation, the Colorful Garment Nation, and the nations beyond once he successfully defeated Song Yushao in swordsmanship!

However, not a single visitor from the cultivation world had traveled to the Sword Water Villa even after close to ten days of bitter waiting.

The man in the room smiled faintly and replied, “Very well.”

The sword attendant retreated from his room.

She jumped onto the curved eave of the building, brimming with anticipation and excitement as she waited for her master to unleash his swordsmanship.

His sword strike would definitely carry with it a magnificence unparalleled in the cultivation world!

This was because the man in the room was none other than the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal Su Lang.

Su Lang was in no hurry to stand up, and he continued to wipe Green Jewel with his head lowered.

Wiping the sword blade was equivalent to nurturing and accumulating sword intent.

The sword attendant felt like each second was a year, and she was afraid that Song Yushao might suddenly flee as she looked at the Sword Water Villa. At the same time, she hoped that her master could hurry up and come out as she looked at the inn.

After changing back into his long green robes, Green Bamboo Sword Immortal Su Lang finally walked out of the inn and stood in the center of the bustling street that led directly to the Sword Water Villa.

Su Lang held Green Jewel in his hand, and the length of green bamboo hanging by his waist was a clear representation of his transcendent status.

Sword qi roared through the street like a furious tide.

Like scattering birds and beasts, the pedestrians on the street immediately dispersed in fear.

Afterward, some unknown person exclaimed the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal’s title, after which shouts of astonishment rose and fell one after another.

Countless curious onlookers ascended the nearby buildings or climbed onto the roofs like Su Lang’s sword attendant, and among them were some men and women with solemn expressions stationed in various regions of the small town. They were calmer and quieter than the noisy and red-faced onlookers, and they were none other than the spies and pawns stationed here by the imperial court of the Water Combing Nation.

Su Lang’s sword attendant chuckled coldly as she stood on the curved eave offering the widest field of view.

Su Lang took his first step forward.

Sword qi wantonly spread into the surroundings.

He took his second step, covering three meters with a single stride.

Some foolish passers-by were still seeking death by standing on the two sides of the street, and they finally ran into the shops to seek shelter after they started to feel stifled and unable to breathe. Only then were they able to gasp in some air.

When the powerful sword immortal who was widely renowned in the cultivation world of several nations took his third step, he was already covering more than ten meters with each stride.

The spies and pawns stationed in the small town by Great General Chu were observing from far away, yet they were still deeply astounded by the extraordinarily intense sword qi of Su Lang.

Su Lang’s fourth step was just enough to take him beyond the archway of the small town.

His sword intent and aura had already climbed to the highest level in his lifetime.

However, it was at this moment that Su Lang surprisingly stopped.

A swordsman dressed in azure and wearing a bamboo hat walked over from a distance.

There was a good reason why Su Lang stopped and didn’t continue to stride to the Sword Water Villa to challenge Song Yushao.

This was due to the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared in front of him. Following his appearance, there was a split second when Su Lang was just about to draw Green Jewel from its scabbard, yet he seemingly noticed a speck of dust and hesitation in his mental state that he had initially viewed as flawless and his aura that he had initially viewed as complete.

And thus, Su Lang decided to stop in his tracks.

Moreover, he allowed that person to arrive in front of him in a single stride.

Su Lang had never been afraid of engaging in close-quarter combat with other people, especially if his opponent were a cultivator from the mountains. That would be even better.

The swordsman wearing a bamboo hat appeared very young.

“I heard that you wanted to challenge someone’s swordsmanship?” the young swordsman asked.

“But hasn’t Senior Song clearly turned down your challenge already? This is already a very significant decision for a senior in the cultivation world like Senior Song, yet you still insist on taking things further?”

Su Lang felt like these were very childish questions, with each more laughable than the previous. These questions shouldn’t have been uttered by someone who was capable of temporarily blocking his path.

The young swordsman hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you believe that one can do as they please as long as they have a reason, regardless of the right or wrong of this reason?”

Su Lang smiled faintly and replied, “Then why don’t you look for a reason as well?”

The young swordsman surprisingly started to contemplate this, eventually adjusting his bamboo hat and replying with a smile, “I’ve got it. You’re delaying me from treating Senior Song to some hotpot.”

Su Lang had already regained his flawless mental state and sword heart, and he said slowly, “Then let’s see if you can block my sword.”

After a single punch…

Chen Ping’an didn’t even need to use his Inch Movement Talismans.

The widely renowned Green Bamboo Sword Immortal was sent flying through the air and back to where he had come from, thudding to the ground in front of the inn that he had just walked out of.

Chen Ping’an didn’t so much as glance over, turning around and walking back to the Sword Water Villa as he murmured to himself, “He probably just advanced to the seventh tier? No wonder he was as strong as wet lettuce.”

After he returned to the Sword Water Villa…

The old steward was filled with confusion, because not only had the old villa master appeared, but even the young villa master and his wife had appeared at the same time.

Everyone had a solemn expression.

Perhaps the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal had arrived?

However, all that the old steward saw was the young swordsman in azure who had returned after leaving a moment ago. He was extremely amused, and he exclaimed in his mind that this young lad was quite shameless indeed. However, he would let things slide this time thanks to that pot of fine wine. In any case, being shameless was sometimes a good thing when traveling around the cultivation world.

What the old steward saw was the young swordsman continually nearing the entrance, jogging and waving as he exclaimed, “Senior Song, care for some hotpot?”

The old steward massaged his face and thought, ‘Young man, this is getting a bit too shameless now, no?’