Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an continued to travel north along the so-called official road after leaving Crow Peak, but he would definitely venture along the small paths forking off the road to take a look whenever he came across them, continuing all the way until he reached a dead end. Perhaps he would come across deep streams hidden amid the tall and undulating peaks, or perhaps he would come across tall cliffs and sheer mountain faces.

As Chen Ping’an expected, Malicious Ghost Valley was brimming with mystery. When standing beside the mountain stream just then, he had detected members of the water race lying at the bottom of the stream and nurturing their souls. Even when Chen Ping’an squatted down and scooped up some water to wash his face, the demons hidden beneath the water were still able to hold back and refrain from attacking him. Since they were so cautious, Chen Ping’an also decided not to target them.

As for the pair of steep cliffs facing each other, there was a suspension bridge connecting them together, yet the wooden planks of the bridge had already decayed completely, with only the lonely iron chains swaying slightly in the wind.

Walking across this broken bridge wouldn’t be difficult for Qi refiners or pure martial artists, but Chen Ping’an saw a large and pitch-black python coiled around the middle of the bridge, with its body as thick as a corridor pillar. The python hissed softly, and not far away from it was an extremely wide spider web especially used for catching birds in the mountains. The head of the spider spirit was only as big as a fist, yet the spider spirit had already managed to successfully manifest the appearance of a human woman.

If Daoist priests or Buddhist monks traveled here and witnessed this scene, perhaps they would step forward to slay the demons and eliminate the fiends, viewing this as an act of accumulating hidden virtue.

In Chen Ping’an’s view, however, even if the demons and fiends here wanted to feast on humans and commit grave sins, they needed to actually come across some humans first.

Once again following a small fork path, Chen Ping’an ventured into the deep mountain forests, surprisingly coming across a rundown structure at the foot of a tall mountain that looked like a small resting station and temple. This structure wasn’t recorded in the Be At Ease Compilation, and Chen Ping’an planned to rest here for a moment before continuing to climb the mountain.

Even though the small temple had no name and no fame, the Be At Ease Compilation introduced this tall mountain as Treasure Mirror Mountain. There was a mountain stream at the waist of Treasure Mirror Mountain, and there was a legend pertaining to the origin of this stream and the name of the mountain.

It was said that an immortal had been traveling around the world in the ancient past, yet they had accidentally dropped an extremely precious treasure mirror when coming across thunder guardians, lightning goddesses, and other deities summoning clouds and rain in this area. In the end, the lost treasure mirror had transformed into the mountain stream.

In the Be At Ease Complication, the cultivators of the Flax Robe Sect speculated that the primordial treasure mirror was perhaps an immortal treasure on the surface, yet it was actually a mystical treasure that contained astonishing fated opportunities.

This piqued Chen Ping’an’s interest, so he wanted to explore this area and take a look. In any case, there was no concept of taking a detour or whatnot since he was simply in Malicious Ghost Valley to train. Chen Ping’an had always felt a sense of resignation toward fated opportunities in the past, feeling certain that he wouldn’t enjoy any good fortune.

However, things had changed a lot now, but he still couldn’t become involved in fated opportunities pertaining to things such as the eight wall paintings of the female heavenly officials in Mural City. As for the remaining fated opportunities — be that treasures with no owners in the immortal abodes of mystical realms or natural treasures born from heaven and earth —Chen Ping’an wanted to try his luck with all of these opportunities.

Chen Ping’an built a small campfire in the rundown temple, and the flames flickered a faint dark green like the ghost fires in tombs.

While he was eating dry rations, he noticed a short old man holding a wooden walking stick walking over from the small path outside, with a gourd hanging from his walking stick. However, Chen Ping’an paid no heed to the old man as he continued to eat his food.

The short old man stood at the entrance of the small temple and asked with a smile, “Young Master, are you planning to venture to the deep mountain stream of Treasure Mirror Mountain?”

“That’s correct,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

The short old man sighed with emotion and said, “Young Master, this old man isn’t trying to frighten you on purpose, but that region is genuinely crawling with extreme dangers. Even though it’s called a stream, it’s actually as deep and wide as a large lake, with the water so limpid that one can see the bottom. Perhaps staying true to that saying, the water is so clear that no fish can survive.[1]

“There’s not a single fish in the stream, and neither birds in the sky nor beasts on the land dare to visit this stream to drink. In fact, there are often birds that lose their lives after diving into the stream. With the passing of time, this stream has gradually come to be known as the Soul Restraining Stream. There are piles of bones at the bottom of the stream, and apart from the skeletons of birds and beasts, there are also many skeletons belonging to those cultivators who doubted the dangers of the stream. The cultivation of these people went to waste, transforming into the water fortune of this stream.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “Then dare I ask, Old Mister, do you want me to visit the stream, or do you want me to turn around and leave?”

“Why do you ask this, Young Master?”

The short old man appeared slightly puzzled as he continued, “I naturally hope that Young Master doesn’t risk such great danger for the sake of enjoying some scenery. Since Young Master is a cultivator, what kind of magnificent scenery in the sky and on the earth have you not seen before? Is there any need to risk so much to see a mere mountain stream?

“One thousand years have passed, yet the cultivators of the Flax Robe Sect are still unable to solve this mystery. Not only that, but how many terrestrial immortals have entered this mountain already? Yet, not a single one of them has managed to obtain the fated opportunity. Young Master is clearly from a large and powerful clan, so there’s no need for you to risk your life. This is all I’m going to say, lest Young Master misunderstand my intentions.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the wooden walking stick of the short old man which had a few green shoots, and he asked, “Old Mister, perhaps you’re the mountain lord of this region?”

Holding the walking stick in one hand and stroking his beard with his other hand, the short old man smiled faintly and replied, “There doesn’t exist the title of mountain lord in the mountains of Malicious Ghost Valley, but there does indeed exist such a position. Thanks to some fool’s luck, I was able to assume such a position. However, compared to those heroic spirits who are enjoying incense offerings and fortune in the large cities and towns, glowing as bright as the sun and moon, I’m nothing but a tiny speck of light.”

“Dare I ask, Old Mister, what is your true identity?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The short old man was incensed, and he scolded, “How very disrespectful of you, young child. Even in the mortal empires and towns, Buddhist monks don’t mention their names and Daoist priests don’t talk about their age. As a cultivator, how can you ask mountain and river deities about their life before death?! By the looks of it, you’re most definitely not an official immortal. What’s wrong? You’re a measly vagrant cultivator who’s unable to survive in the outside world, so you’ve come to Malicious Ghost Valley in desperation and are now exchanging your life for the fated opportunity of my Treasure Mirror Mountain? Everything will be over if you die, but you’ll obtain immense wealth if you survive?”

The short old man shook his head and turned around to leave, lamenting, “By the looks of it, another corpse is about to appear at the bottom of the stream.”

The gourd on his walking stick was lush green, appearing as if it had just been plucked from the vines.

Chen Ping’an extended his hands over the campfire to warm them up, smiling as he did so.

The short old man referred to himself as the mountain lord of Treasure Mirror Mountain, yet his illusion techniques and ability to trick others were truly filled with shortcomings. They were barely worth a mention.

He must have gone to some difficulty to find the wooden walking stick that was dry yet sprouting with a new lease on life and the lush green gourd that was oozing with the smell of refreshing mountain wilderness.

However, the short old man didn’t conceal his foxy smell too well, and it was an iron rule of the Majestic World that fox spirits couldn’t become mountain gods.

Chen Ping’an speculated that this old fox’s true position was probably as the river guardian of the mountain stream. He hoped for Chen Ping’an to accidentally jump into the stream and kill himself, but he was also afraid of Chen Ping’an obtaining the fated opportunity pertaining to the treasure mirror, causing him to lose the foundation of his Great Dao. It was because of these reasons that he had personally come here to confirm the situation. Of course, it was also possible that this old fox was the subordinate or lackey of some water god in Treasure Mirror Mountain.

However, there were few records about the mountain gods and water gods in the Be At Ease Compilation, and the book simply mentioned that there was a very small number of deities in Malicious Ghost Valley. Generally speaking, only the heroic spirit city lords could be regarded as half-deities, while the remaining yin entities who self-proclaimed to be the official deities of mountains and rivers were far too undeserving and unauthentic.

Chen Ping’an started to drink some wine.

The old fox appeared outside the rundown temple again, saying with a slightly embarrassed expression, “I presume that Young Master has already seen through this old man’s disguise, with my illusion techniques being truly measly and laughable. Indeed, I’m an old fox from West Mountain, and Treasure Mirror Mountain has never had any mountain lords or river guardians.

“I’ve lived and cultivated in Treasure Mirror Mountain ever since I was young, and I’ve indeed been relying on the spiritual energy of that mountain stream. However, I have a daughter who once made a vow when she attained Dao and assumed human form, saying that she was willing to marry the person who managed to swim through the mountain stream and retrieve the golden hairpin that she had accidentally dropped inside when she was little, regardless of whether this person was a cultivator, a ghost, or a spirit.”

The old fox sighed with emotion and continued, “I’ve already waited for several hundred years, and my breathtakingly beautiful but pitiful daughter has already received countless proposals from the nearby ghost generals. However, my daughter has turned all of them down, causing quite some displeasure among the ghost generals. If this continues, I’ll no longer be able to stay at Treasure Mirror Mountain in the future.

“Now that I’ve come across such a proper-looking Young Master, however, I was thinking that this huge worry of mine can be alleviated if Young Master is able to retrieve the golden hairpin from the mountain stream. As for whether Young Master wants to take my daughter with you after retrieving the golden hairpin and upon leaving Malicious Ghost Valley, that’s completely up to you. If you’re willing to take my daughter with you, then I’m even less worried about whether you treat her as a mistress or treat her as a maidservant. The fox tribe from West Mountain has never cared about the etiquette of humans.”

Chen Ping’an shook his hands and replied, “I don’t care what you’re scheming, but just stay away from me, okay? How many times are you going to gild the lily? Do you want me to count for you?”

“Did I take things too far when talking about the golden hairpin?” the old fox asked in an uncertain voice.

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “What do you think?”

The old fox beat his chest and stomped his foot, turning around and fuming as he left. However, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Chen Ping’an, asking in resentment, “Why are you people from the outside world so sly and hard to trick?! Perhaps the world beyond Malicious Ghost Valley is nothing but a nest of cheaters and swindlers?”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but chuckle in speechlessness.

The old fox glanced at the dry rations in Chen Ping’an’s hand and started to curse, huffing, “You’re also a poor bastard! You don’t have money, and you don’t have good looks either. How can my daughter be attracted to someone like you? Hurry up and piss off, you shameless bastard. You actually dared to visit Treasure Mirror Mountain to search for treasures…?”

Chen Ping’an held up the small amount of dry rations remaining in his hand and replied with a faint smile, “I’ll deal with you after I finish eating.”

The old fox from West Mountain hurriedly fled into the distance.

Chen Ping’an rested for a brief while after finishing his food, following which he extinguished the campfire and sighed as he picked up a piece of firewood that wasn’t completely burned through. He left the small and rundown temple, only to see a young woman dressed in red and green slowly walking over from a distance. Not only was she emaciated, but more importantly, Chen Ping’an immediately recognized “her” as the old fox from West Mountain who had hidden his wooden walking stick and lush green gourd at some unknown place.

Chen Ping’an didn’t hold back anymore, and he threw the piece of firewood in his hand, striking the forehead of the old fox whose illusion techniques and disguise skills were far inferior to Zhu Lian. The old fox flew through the air like a broken kite, crashing to the ground and convulsing twice before falling unconscious. He wouldn’t regain consciousness anytime soon.

Chen Ping’an started to slowly climb the mountain after finally getting some peace and quiet, but he couldn’t help but falter when he arrived near the mountain stream.

Again? Can this old fox stop haunting me?

Chen Ping’an didn’t say another word, and he grabbed a stone and weighed it in his hand before throwing it at the old fox again, this time with slightly more force. He had clearly been too benevolent at the rundown temple just then.

A young woman was currently sitting atop a snow-white stone cliff beside the mountain stream with her back facing Chen Ping’an. There was a pair of embroidered shoes placed neatly beside her, and she was holding a small emerald-green umbrella slanted diagonally in her hands and gently twirling it around.

If Chen Ping’an hadn’t experienced the disgusting things just then, then he definitely wouldn’t have attacked immediately upon seeing the young woman.

The stone directly tore through the small umbrella and smacked into the young woman’s head with a crack, causing her to directly collapse to the ground.

Chen Ping’an still held back, and he didn’t directly aim for the back of the young woman’s head, or else she would have directly fallen into the strange mountain stream. Instead, the young woman collapsed sideways before losing consciousness, facing no danger of rolling into the stream.

Chen Ping’an didn’t pay any more attention to the old fox from West Mountain.

He took a deep breath and cautiously walked to the bank of the stream, gathering his focus as he observed the situation. Sure enough, the mountain stream was extremely deep, yet it was so limpid that he could see the bottom.

Only the piles of white bones at the bottom of the stream flickered with a few faint specks of light, with the source of this light most likely being the spirit tools and other treasures of the deceased cultivators. After being eroded by the currents for hundreds upon thousands of years, the spiritual energy of these treasures was eaten away until only these faint specks of light remained. Chen Ping’an surmised that even if some of these treasures had been immortal tools before, they might not even be as valuable as spirit tools in their current state.

Chen Ping’an was feeling slightly hopeful, and he wanted to follow these specks of light to see whether he could find one or two immortal treasures belonging to the water element. After sinking to the bottom of this mountain stream, perhaps the quality of such immortal treasures might even go up.

However, Chen Ping’an remained alert and guarded against the Soul Restraining Stream the entire time, especially since there were strange beings who liked to jump into the stream to commit suicide in this place.

Chen Ping’an suddenly turned around, only to see a short old man holding a walking stick with a hanging gourd running out from the mountain forest. He sprinted to the bank of the stream, wailing about how pitiful his daughter was. Now, she had been killed before she even had the opportunity to marry!

Chen Ping’an felt a slight headache.

He looked up at the snow-white stone cave on the opposite side of the stream that was filled with bumps and pits, inside of which was seated a man in ragged clothes. The man stretched lazily before standing up and swaggering over to the stream, where he sat down and stuck his feet into the water. He laughed loudly and remarked, “White clouds overhead are my hat, green mountains around are my clothes, limpid water underfoot is my shoes. If I’m not an immortal, then who is an immortal?”

The old fox from West Mountain suddenly raised his voice even more, scolding in anger, “Bastard, you’re so poor that your third leg is almost about to stick out from the holes in your pants, yet you’re still sitting here and trying to act all intelligent and scholarly? Don’t you always holler about wanting to become my son-in-law? Well, my daughter has been killed by a wicked person now, yet what in the world are you doing? Care to explain?”

The man leaned forward and placed his hands in the stream, taking a glance at Chen Ping’an before turning around to look at the old fox from West Mountain, smiling and replying, “Rest assured, your daughter is only unconscious, not dead. This person’s attack was far too light-handed and mild, so much so that I was too embarrassed to step forward and play the hero. Otherwise, a lowly old fox such as yourself would have truly managed to obtain a perfect son-in-law. Perhaps even Pu Rang would have referred to you as a friend, and maybe even Skeleton Wall City would have invited you over as an esteemed guest.”

Cradled in the old fox’s lap, the young woman who was his daughter slowly woke up, dazedly furrowing her brows as she came to.

The old fox was so moved that he almost shed tears, and he said in a quivering voice, “You almost scared me to death, Daughter. If you lost your life, then wouldn’t that mean no betrothal gift from my future son-in-law?”

A faint smile appeared on the young woman’s face. She was already accustomed to her father’s schemes and antics, and in any case, mountain spirits and yin entities adhered to a different set of etiquette from humans in the mortal world.

Chen Ping’an looked toward the old fox and his daughter and apologized, “I’m sorry about just then, Young Lady.”

The young woman turned her head, seemingly too embarrassed and timid to look at a stranger. Not only that, but she even covered her face with one hand, using her other hand to pick up the small umbrella that now had a fresh hole. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

The old fox pushed aside the troublesome green umbrella and craned his neck, staring intently at the young bastard wearing a bamboo hat and shouting hysterically, “Is a simple ‘I’m sorry’ going to cut it? My daughter is breathtakingly beautiful, so even losing a single strand of hair would be a massive loss. Yet, you actually struck her on the head so hard! You need to pay the damages! At least five… No, it needs to be at least ten snowflake coins!”

Chen Ping’an lightly tossed over ten snowflake coins, yet his gaze remained fixed on the shabbily-dressed man the entire time.

The old fox from West Mountain caught the snowflake coins, and it was as if the words forming in his mouth were pushed down his throat. He looked down at the immortal coins in his hands, a complicated look in his eyes.

The man on the opposite side of the stream was still randomly slapping the water to wash his face, and he looked up and asked with a chuckle, “Why are you looking at me? I don’t have any thoughts about killing you.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “That’s good to hear.”

The man pointed at the young woman holding the small and emerald-green umbrella, saying to Chen Ping’an, “However, things might change if you try to snatch her away from me.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and didn’t bother to say anything.

Right at this moment, however, the young woman’s extremely quiet voice gently flowed out from behind the small umbrella, saying, “Young Master, dare I ask for your name? Why did you knock me unconscious with a stone? Did you see a golden hairpin at the bottom of the stream just then?”

“Poor bastards, whichever one of you is richer is whichever one of you will become my son-in-law!” the old fox from West Mountain suddenly announced loudly.

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to the old fox’s words.

The man in ragged clothes sat with his back hunched, his cheek in one hand as his gaze shifted hesitantly between the small green umbrella and the bamboo hat.

1. This is a saying from the Ritual Records of Dai the Elder. ☜