Unsheathed

Meanwhile, after Yuan Xuan parted ways with Chen Ping’an…

When the young man realized that Du Wensi was a kindly senior who didn’t speak very much, he actually became more talkative than normal, recounting the interesting experiences and observations from his trip to Du Wensi.

As they walked, Du Wensi turned his head once, whether intentionally or not, and he glanced at the disappearing figure of the young wanderer. The young Golden Core Tier cultivator from the Flax Robe Sect who enjoyed an equal standing with Mural City’s Yang Lin had a contemplative look on his face.

A few things had taken place at Meticulous Skin City, and it was said that a female official had been severely wounded by a young sword immortal at Crow Peak. Not only that, but Fan Yunluo had almost died by the blade of the young sword immortal as well. In the end, it was White Cage City’s Pu Rang who had stepped forward to stop the young sword immortal, preventing the commotion from becoming even greater.

Du Wensi was curious about how Yuan Xuan had become acquainted with the young wanderer. This person didn’t seem like a reckless cultivator, so why was he so intense and unyielding? He presumably hadn’t been in Malicious Ghost Valley for too long, yet he had directly caught Pu Rang’s attention already? No one in Malicious Ghost Valley could stop Pu Rang if he were hellbent on killing someone. Even Sect Leader Zhu Quan couldn’t stop him, and perhaps the Unpolished Jade Tier heroic spirit from Skeleton Wall City couldn’t stop him either.

Pu Rang was especially cruel and vicious when he targeted sword cultivators, never holding back as he killed them.

Du Wensi felt slightly anxious as he thought about the subtle movements and hidden undercurrents flowing through the various large cities in Malicious Ghost Valley in the recent years.

He had an imperceptible feeling that a storm was brewing.

Du Wensi could already be regarded as the Qi refiner who cared least about mortal non-cultivation matters in the Flax Robe Sect, and from the sect leader to his fellow disciples, everyone would consciously accommodate this and allow him to not become involved in such matters. This allowed him to put his complete focus on cultivation and breaking through to the next tier. However, even Du Wensi was able to detect the restlessness in Malicious Ghost Valley now, so this was a clear reflection of the seriousness of the situation.

As for Meticulous Skin City’s Fan Yunluo announcing to the outside world that he was her sworn brother, Du Wensi didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. In fact, he was quite impressed that she was able to come up with something like this, so he decided to let it be.

The foundation of a cultivator’s Great Dao was like a large mountain. Mortal matters were like fleeting clouds, and the life cycle of vegetation and the flow of mountain streams didn’t need to be retained, so there was no need to worry about these matters either.

————

Chen Ping’an walked slowly.

His mind drifted far away, and he was unable to calm down the entire time.

Perhaps the world wasn’t as good as he imagined it to be.

However, perhaps it wasn’t as bad as he imagined it to be either.

At the end of the day, each of these possibilities represented a potential accident or surprise.

When walking along the path of life, each person that one came across might be the ideal person of someone else’s dreams.

Chen Ping’an was increasingly able to understand the thought process of those who performed sinister deeds.

However, he was still unable to understand why sinister people like this could live such good lives. In fact, they sometimes lived even better lives than good people.

There was a deep and solemn look in Chen Ping’an’s eyes.

It wasn’t long before the dark fog in his mind cleared up, however. In reality, Chen Ping’an was only feeling gloomy because he had failed to encounter a single mountain-moving ape after walking around Copper Official Mountain. To say nothing of mountain-moving apes, he hadn’t even come across a single mountain-chasing dog.

Du Wensi had presumably caused quite a big commotion when traveling on the wind just then, so he had perhaps frightened the ghosts and yin entities in this region.

This caused Chen Ping’an to feel slightly frustrated and helpless.

Ordinarily speaking, the violent and aggressive mountain-moving apes would actively show themselves once they caught the slightest scent of a human.

Chen Ping’an purposely lingered around, wandering all over the mountain with his cultivation base suppressed to that of an ordinary fifth tier martial artist. However, he didn’t get a single bite even after wandering around for more than half a day.

In the end, Chen Ping’an had no option but to rest in an area with a good field of view. He planned to camp here for the night, and he would leave and continue his trip to Green Cottage if he still failed to encounter any mountain-moving apes or mountain-chasing dogs.

He refused to believe that he wouldn’t come across any of the Six Sages of Malicious Ghost Valley afterward.

Chen Ping’an made a campfire and sat still for the entire night, practicing the Sword Furnace Stance of standing meditation.

Failing to encounter any beasts, he had no option but to leave Copper Official Mountain.

Inside an extremely pungent secret cave located on Copper Official Mountain, a silverback mountain-moving ape that hadn’t chosen to assume human form peered through a well-concealed window that was only as large as a palm. Even though it could walk like a human, its facial features and body full of hair were still extremely jarring to look at.

It waved a hand, and a short man with thievish eyes quickly scuttled over from behind. The mountain-moving ape’s voice was hoarse as it said, “Make haste and report this matter to the Mountain-Moving Great Sage and those guests. Tell them that the young wanderer genuinely came here. There’s no doubt about it, and he was definitely the one who caused significant issues for Meticulous Skin City.”

The short man was just about to leave via an underground passage.

However, the mountain-moving ape said in warning, “Remember to use your brain and choose a more hidden path. You’re better off taking a huge detour than to run into that person’s sword and seek death. It doesn’t matter if you die, but if you delay the proper matters of the Mountain-Moving Great Sage, I’ll make sure to cook your entire nest of rat descendants.”

The short man smiled obsequiously and replied, “I definitely won’t delay the proper matters.”

He then walked along the underground passage, eventually exiting through a crack in some faraway mountain face. He jumped forward and reverted to his true form, a gigantic black rat that was as large as a dog. After doing this, he started to sprint as quickly as he could.

Whether a bird or a rat, each form of being would have their own method of survival.

This rat looked fat on the surface, but it was actually very quick and nimble as it dashed through the mountains and over the peaks like a bolt of lightning. It didn’t dare to slow down at all as it sprinted toward its destination.

After leaving the territory of Copper Official Mountain, the rat spirit suddenly burrowed into the ground and only reappeared near some tree roots half a kilometer away after approximately fifteen minutes. He stuck his head out and looked around, only lowering his head and continuing to sprint forward after he made sure that no one was following him.

However, the rat spirit could never imagine that there was actually a stranger following him from a great distance. After the young man took off his bamboo hat, unstrapped Sword Immortal from his back, and untied his Sword Nurturing Gourd, he put on the face mask of a young boy.

The rat spirit was already careful enough, but the abilities of the person following him were seemingly one level higher.

Noon arrived, and the rat spirit finally arrived at the mountain residence of the Mountain-Moving Great Sage after carefully navigating along the border that connected the territories of two great demons. He assumed human form again, and he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Even though the Six Sages were like brothers who faced external enemies together, it wasn’t anything surprising for there to be some slight disagreements and friction between them, like that between couples and siblings. However, this was bad news for their lackeys who possessed low cultivation bases, with these underlings occasionally becoming meals for the so-called sages for no apparent reason. Indeed, eating these lackeys could fill the bellies and increase the cultivation bases of the Six Sages, and those lackeys who couldn’t even maintain their human forms for an extended period of time were nothing more than worthless commodities.

The mountain path was wide, and the rat spirit became filled with courage after returning to his own territory. He rolled up his sleeves and was just about to climb up the mountain, yet he suddenly saw a familiar figure walking over along a small path from another direction. This was a hunchbacked old man who was unsteady as he walked, appearing much like a stumbling old farmer from the fields. The rat spirit was delighted, and he giddily ran over and shouted, “This underling pays his respects to Old Ancestor!”

A thick hemp rope was tied around the old man’s waist, and he appeared quite unattractive as he walked over in straw sandals with his eyes squinted as if his vision was impaired and his hearing was compromised. He cocked his head and asked loudly, “Who are you? And what did you just say?”

The rat spirit grabbed the old man’s arm and replied, “It’s me! I came from Copper Official Mountain, and I even have some blood relationship with Old Ancestor.”

The old man nodded and didn’t turn down the rat spirit’s giddy support. However, he suddenly came to a stop after taking a few steps, wrinkling his nose before widening his eyes and looking around with an intense gaze. He no longer appeared like a worn old man at this instant, and he continued to look around as he said in a stern voice, “No, something isn’t right. I smell a human… I definitely smell a human! Very well! How truly sneaky and well-concealed. You almost managed to trick me as well.”

The rat spirit went weak at the knees, with his legs trembling severely as he almost collapsed to the ground in terror.

As it turned out, that young sword immortal from the rumors had been following him the entire time?

“Hmm? He’s run away?” the hunchbacked old man suddenly mused.

He then turned to his descendant and berated him loudly, scolding in fury, “You’re a piece of useless trash! You were completely oblivious even though someone was following you the entire time? If that person was a spy sent over by those dirty people, and if they ruin our mountain and water formation, then you won’t be able to make up for things even if you die one hundred times over!”

The legs of the rat spirit buckled, and he collapsed to the ground with his face as white as a sheet. Fortunately, he didn’t forget about the proper matters, and he recounted the events on Copper Official Mountain to his old ancestor.

The expression of the old man changed again and again.

The seemingly senile old man held an incredibly lofty status. He was one of the Six Sages, and he referred to himself as the Demon-Hunting Immortal.

The undying old geezer was a spirit himself, yet he had a demon-binding chain around his waist and even had two flood dragon whiskers from Copper Green Lake’s thousand-year-old silver carp hidden inside the demon-binding chain. It was child’s play for him to capture ordinary ghosts and demons, and his victims would have their skin and flesh ripped apart and their bones crushed into pieces once they were caught. According to the Demon-Hunting Immortal, only meat like this was chewy enough for his liking. Moreover, only the drops of fresh blood that seeped out of such meat would taste like wine.

The Demon-Hunting Immortal suddenly grabbed his demon-binding chain and tossed it forward, causing it to dash around the surroundings like a slithering snake. After a short while, it returned to the old man’s hand like a bolt of lightning. “He’s indeed run away.”

The Demon-Hunting Immortal rode away on the mists and clouds, no longer walking in a calm and leisurely manner as he had before. He hurriedly made his way to the cave abode constructed by the Mountain-Moving Great Sage.

Dozens of kilometers away, Chen Ping’an, who had put on the face mask of a young boy to disguise himself, rapidly but quietly dashed through the mountain forest.

He wasn’t retreating in the face of difficulty or anything, and he had simply changed his mind on the spot.

When following the rat spirit to the Mountain-Moving Great Sage’s mountain abode just then, Chen Ping’an had seen a group of spirits from afar. They had caught and tied up a skinny and decorous young scholar in azure, with the hands and feet of this young man tied to a bamboo pole. Two lackeys who had assumed incomplete human forms were carrying the bamboo pole on their shoulders, causing it to sway from side to side as they walked. The pitiful young scholar was barely hanging on to life as he was carelessly swung around like livestock.

The spirit leading the group had assumed complete human form, and he was dressed in scholarly garb and appeared extremely refined and elegant. There was a folding fan made from bones in his hand, and there was a blooming peach tree branch illustrated on the fan. The spirit slowly rocked the folding fan back and forth in front of his chest.

Walking beside him was an elder with a goatee, and the two of them chatted casually as they walked. They had especially traveled away to welcome someone just then, and the refined and elegant spirit holding the folding fan was the most favored and trusted subordinate of Lady Bishu.[1] He was often able to capture living people from Copper Stench City and bring them back to improve and add flavor to Lady Bishu’s meals.

The elder with the goatee chuckled and said, “Scholars are truly a rare find here, so they’ll definitely taste incredibly delicious. How did Master manage to catch him? Care to share the details?”

The spirit holding the bony folding fan appeared extremely proud and smug as he explained slowly, “It took me quite some planning. This naive young man was enjoying the scenery near Copper Stench City, so I approached him to talk about some poetry and music. After we enjoyed a hearty conversation, I tricked him into leaving the jurisdiction of Copper Stench City by himself, as this would mean zero trouble caused for Lady Bishu. Even if Copper Stench City noticed something amiss afterward, I wouldn’t be in the wrong either.”

The voice of the feeble scholar quivered as he said, “I’m a new scholar hand-picked and appointed by Copper Stench City, so you people can’t eat me. You can’t eat me…! If Lady Bishu truly wants to eat people, then I can help you trick a few more people over. I can trick woodsmen in the mountains or trick those women who look up to me and admire my talent. I can trick anyone you want…”

The spirit holding the folding fan chuckled derisively and sneered, “Can the words of scholars like us be believed? You believed me not long ago, didn’t you? And what was the outcome?”

The scholar silently shed tears.

Copper Stench City was a very strange and unique city located near Green Cottage Town. It was filled with people from all walks of life, with both living people and ghosts coexisting in a surprisingly peaceful manner. Compared to the other cities in Malicious Ghost Valley, it could be said that Copper Stench City was one of the most peaceful cities in this mystical realm. There were rarely any malicious ghosts or violent spirits wandering around the outskirts of Copper Stench City, and the rules inside the city were also incredibly strict. Killing other people or ghosts was strictly forbidden.

This was thanks to Copper Stench City’s close vicinity to Green Cottage Town. More precisely, this was thanks to Sect Leader Zhu Quan, also known as Esteemed Immortal Guochi.

There were approximately twenty thousand living people in Copper Stench City, and many of them had lived here for generations after generation. In the beginning, the ancestors of these people were cultivators who had fled here following the destruction of their immortal forces. They had offered Copper Stench City a huge sum of money to stay here and live in peace, and after several hundred years, many of their descendants still enjoyed a calm and peaceful life in the city. Afterward, many itinerant cultivators continued to gather at Copper Stench City, and the dynamic in the city was similar to that of the commoners who coexisted with ghosts and spirits near the mountains of the immortal forces. Both sides were accustomed to living with each other.

However, the humans who lived near Copper Stench City would often suffer from a short lifespan, with those in their fifties already considered very old. At the same time, the mortal women in Copper Stench City were all extremely beautiful and charming even if they didn’t possess any cultivation aptitude at all. Unfortunately, however, their beauty would wither very quickly, and they would often start to display signs of old age after just twenty-five years of age. This was truly a huge shame.

Copper Stench City would choose a group of beautiful young girls of around thirteen or fourteen years old each year to receive meticulous training from some older women. Afterward, these young girls would be offered to the various neighboring cities to become the concubines or maidservants of the powerful yin entities. This was in order to build a good relationship with the powerful yin entities and perhaps win them over.

The city lord of Copper Stench City also had a younger sister who was just as famous as he was. On the fifteenth day of every new year, she would stand on the city wall and scatter some gold coins. This was a hobby of hers, and she would occasionally include one or two lesser heat coins among the gold coins as well.

There was a Hall of Supreme Harmony in Copper Stench City, and there was a small imperial court within this hall. The city lord had appointed one hundred or so scholarly officials and military generals in a single go, building up the Six Ministries and filling all the official posts. The city was small, but all the essential positions were now occupied.

The officials would assemble every ten days, making them appear much like the imperial court of a proper mortal empire.

There were even imperial examinations, and the only thing that was missing was the regional examinations that usually took place beforehand. There were only royal examinations that took place in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Copper Stench City only had a small population, after all, and the number of scholars and literati was even smaller.

The city lord’s younger sister had appointed herself as the so-called prime minister examiner, and she was responsible for writing the questions and marking the exams.

1. Bishu (避暑) literally means to avoid the summer heat. ☜