Unsheathed

Li Liu looked at the fox spirit who was hanging in midair, with blood continuing to pour from Wei Taizhen’s empty eye socket.

Her empty eye socket was like the origin of a small and bloody stream.

“Do you want to have a swift death?” Li Liu suddenly asked.

Wei Taizhen summoned all her strength to shake her head slightly. Her lips quivered as well, and she most likely wanted to say that she didn’t want to die.

Or perhaps she wanted to say that she wanted to take one final glance at Jiang Qujiang before she died.

Even she was unsure about why she felt such a strong attachment to him after just a single glance.

Sure enough, love at first sight did exist in the world.

How truly wonderful.

She didn’t feel aggrieved even after suffering this calamity.

Li Liu suddenly started to smile as if she had thought about something happy. At this moment, there was a surprisingly gentle look in her eyes.

Even her tone became gentler than before, and her initially cold eyes were like a pair of crescent moons as she said in a gentle voice, “My younger brother is probably going to leave the academy and embark on a trip around the outside world soon, and he’s coincidentally missing a maidservant to serve him tea and food at that time. You’ll be the one.”

Li Liu put her index finger and middle finger together and lightly brushed them over the fox spirit’s bleeding eye socket.

Wei Taizhen felt an ice-cold energy pierce through her skin and bones, causing her soul to shudder. However, the pain around her body surprisingly vanished the next instant.

“I didn’t remember this matter just then, so I casually crushed your eyeball with my hands,” Li Liu said softly. “As such, I have no option but to replace it with another one. I hope that my younger brother doesn’t mind your heterochromia.”

Wei Taizhen suddenly plummeted to the ground. She was fortunately very close to the ground to begin with, so she only swayed slightly before standing still. She blinked furiously, and she was finally able to confirm that the pain was indeed gone.

Wei Gaowu once again sprinted over, and he suddenly fell to his knees when he was still a dozen or so paces from the young woman. He prostrated himself and said through sobs, “Please teach me immortal techniques, Celestial Maiden! I’m willing to become your slave in exchange, and I’ll die without regrets in the future regardless of how high or low my cultivation base is at that time!”

Li Liu smiled and retorted, “Are you worthy of becoming my servant?”

Tears streamed down Wei Gaowu’s face as he kowtowed again and again, begging Li Liu to teach him immortal techniques.

Wei Taizhen was just about to open her mouth and say something, but Li Liu immediately grabbed her delicate cheeks, with her fingers instantly digging five bloody wounds into her face. Li Liu’s voice was apathetic as she said, “You’ve already escaped with your life, so you need to cherish what you still have.”

After saying this, Li Liu threw the young fox spirit sideways and sent her crashing into the stone cliff. Wei Taizhen collapsed to the ground in a heap, with her hands clutching her face as blood continued to seep through her fingers. Even so, she still didn’t dare to make a single sound.

Li Liu looked at Wei Gaowu and asked, “You want to cultivate?”

Wei Gaowu didn’t look up, and he instead kowtowed even harder against the stone cliff, leaving his bloody and mangled forehead firmly against the ground as he replied loudly, “Yes, I do!”

“My ask is very simple,” Li Liu said. “Kill that old fox, and I’ll teach you an orthodox Dao power that will give you the opportunity to advance to the Upper Five Tiers. You should be well aware that I’m not in the mood to joke around with you.”

Wei Gaowu froze on the spot and fell deep into thought.

Li Liu smiled and said, “It’s already too late to feel regret now. Either you kill the old fox, or you die instead. An old and worthless life, or a bright future on the path of the Great Dao — the choice is in your hands. Your decision will decide everything.”

Wei Gaowu suddenly stood up, with tears streaming down his face as he turned around to glance at the old fox from West Mountain who was still unconscious on the ground. He then looked at his younger sister who was shaking her head furiously, and he eventually asked through sobs and smiles, “Can my father and Taizhen live if I die instead?”

Li Liu nodded in response.

Wei Gaowu roared with sorrowful laughter, turning around and violently spitting on the ground as he cursed, “To hell with the heavens!”

He then turned around and glanced toward the cliff face, wanting to say something but feeling hesitant at the same time. He wanted to tell Wei Taizhen that the man over there wasn’t a good person. She shouldn’t fall in love with him. She definitely shouldn’t fall for a person like him.

However, he was ultimately unable to bring himself to utter these words.

Wei Gaowu looked at the young woman who was even loftier than Yang Chongxuan, and his voice quivered as he said, “High and mighty immortals like you, cultivators like you… You’re still human, right…? Don’t lie to me anymore, just don’t lie to me anymore. I’m just a measly ant, so it’s not worth it for people like you to lie to me….”

Tears streamed down Wei Gaowu’s face, but his expression suddenly became resolute as he quickly retrieved a sharp bone blade from his sleeve. He had initially planned to use this weapon to fight to the death with Yang Chongxuan, but he instead chose to ruthlessly drive it into his own heart at this moment.

“No!” Wei Taizhen screamed.

There was an amused smile on Li Liu’s face as she murmured, “The stupidest method, but the most correct choice.”

————

There was violent commotion at Treasure Mirror Mountain today.

On the journey south…

Looking forward as she walked, a young woman said softly to the young fox spirit behind her, “My younger brother is most naive, honest, and friendly. He isn’t mischievous at all… In any case, you definitely have to look after him when you become his maidservant in the future. I’ll teach you a secret technique afterward, and your cultivation base will rise quite quickly when you arrive at Lion Peak. So, don’t feel afraid of your own progress at that time.”

Wei Taizhen nodded earnestly in response.

She then glanced back and smiled faintly.

The burly young man behind her was walking slowly and unevenly, but he faced no other troubles apart from his face being especially pale. Of course, there were also small streaks of blood seeping through his clothes near his heart.

A wide smile stretched across his face.

However, he couldn’t help but turn around, but his father was already nowhere to be seen. He most likely didn’t dare to follow them this far.

Behind him was the young man called Jiang Qujiang as well as the Rain Bringer Divine Maiden.

Walking in front of him, Wei Taizhen felt slightly puzzled at this moment. In fact, her eyes were filled with puzzlement.

This was because she no longer felt any romantic attraction when she looked at Jiang Qujiang now.

Li Liu walked at the very front with one hand clasped behind her back and one hand gently swaying back and forth in front of her. There was a ball of tangled red silk slowly transforming into ashes on the tip of her finger.

When the final length of red silk disintegrated and vanished…

Li Liu lowered her head and glanced down, sighing in her mind that some pledges of love and life between men and women were actually unable to withstand even the smallest of challenges.

Li Liu didn’t turn around as she said to the Rain Bringer Divine Maiden, “There’s no need for the two of you to follow us anymore. Don’t forget the promise of sixty years, Shushi, and make sure not to die too easily. Otherwise, I naturally have methods to make you suffer even worse pain than death. I’ll have you suffer excruciating torment that you can’t even begin to imagine.”

The Rain Bringer Divine Maiden should have been unafraid of death, but she still felt strong apprehension in her heart and a deep sense of terror. At the same time, she also felt a slight sense of apprehension. After she nodded and accepted Li Liu’s “instructions,” she grabbed the dispirited Jiang Qujiang by the shoulder and soared away on the wind.

————

Over at Sheep Intestine Palace…

There had initially been two lackey spirits carrying wooden spears in front of the main entrance, but there was now only a single one remaining.

Chen Ping’an smiled and slowly walked over.

The small rat spirit froze upon seeing him, but it hurriedly stood up and grabbed its wooden spear, loudly demanding, “Who goes there? Identify yourself!”

In reality, he had already recognized the person walking over. However, he still needed to put up a small act.

Chen Ping’an waved his hand, gesturing to the rat spirit that there was no need to play dumb anymore. “Did your old ancestor not take his anger out on you after losing a box of military books?” he asked.

If the Demon Hunting Immortal still had the courage to remain at his Sheep Intestine Palace, then Chen Ping’an would be willing to sincerely refer to him as a Great Immortal.

The commotion at the Black River had been quite big, and the news of the Imperial Thunder Divine General’s miserable fate had most likely spread like wildfire as well.

The rat spirit was already able to manifest a human face, but it was still possible to see vague hints of his original appearance as a rat. His cultivation base was ultimately still too low.

He scratched his head and replied, “Esteemed Sword Immortal, my old ancestor didn’t return for a long time, so I had already regained consciousness by myself. I was afraid of my old ancestor growing suspicious, so I ruthlessly smashed my head against the door two more times. It took a great deal of effort to knock myself unconscious, but when I woke up again, I was surprised to discover that my old ancestor was still yet to return.

“I steeled my heart and rammed my head against the door again, and I was finally able to stay unconscious until my old ancestor returned this time. After I was kicked awake, I told my old ancestor that I was knocked unconscious without knowing what was going on. My old ancestor had no time to interrogate me, and he ran to the underground passageway to check on his treasures. I seized this opportunity to sneak away, and I burrowed into the ground and hid far away from Sheep Intestine Palace. Sure enough, my old ancestor was unable to find me, so he eventually flew away on the clouds and mists.”

Chen Ping’an sat down on the steps, and the small rat spirit also sat down on the steps after hesitating for a moment. However, he sat quite far away from Chen Ping’an.

He actually wanted to sit closer and bathe in some immortal aura of this sword immortal, but he didn’t have the courage to do so.

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “Where’s the book that I gave you?”

The rat spirit pointed at the location where he had buried the book and replied happily, “It’s hidden well over there, Esteemed Sword Immortal. I haven’t dared to take it out yet, and I’m planning to read it carefully after a few more days. Just like Esteemed Sword Immortal said before, there will be big trouble if my old ancestor discovers this book. The books describe this as impatience spoiling great plans. Is it correct to use this saying in this manner?”

Chen Ping’an held back a chuckle and replied with a nod, “Yes, you can use it like this.”

The rat spirit held his wooden spear in his arms and chuckled giddily.

He was most likely thinking that he had done something… fairly impressive?

Chen Ping’an placed his hands inside his opposite sleeves before bending down slightly and turning around to look at the rat spirit, asking, “If you’re able to, do you want to take a look around the outside world?”

The rat spirit nodded and replied, “Of course I do. My old ancestor said that the books in the outside world are all incredibly cheap, regardless of whether they’re written by the sages or written by other people. It’s almost as if they’re free. I want to go outside to buy some books back.”

“You still want to return?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The rat spirit nodded in response, appearing slightly bashful as he replied, “This place is my home, after all.”

He didn’t dare to emulate the esteemed sword immortal’s sitting posture, so he lifted his knees up and placed his arms on his knees, sitting in a curled-up position.

“I’m aware that Esteemed Sword Immortal doesn’t like my old ancestor, and you might even kill him if you do come across him. So, I’m actually very happy that Esteemed Sword Immortal hasn’t encountered my old ancestor the two times that you’ve visited Sheep Intestine Palace,” the rat spirit said in a quiet voice.

Chen Ping’an smiled and retrieved a pot of wine from his minimization treasure, asking, “Do you want to drink some?”

“I’ll be done for if I’m caught by my old ancestor,” the rat spirit replied with a shake of his head.

“The Demon Hunting Immortal won’t dare to come back for at least ten to fifteen days,” Chen Ping’an said.

However, the rat spirit earnestly shook his hands and insisted, “Thank you for the offer, Esteemed Sword Immortal, but this underling won’t drink today. Um… I’ve also heard that wine is something that will burn the intestines.”

The rat spirit appeared slightly downcast as he said this.

Chen Ping’an nodded and cracked open the clay seal, taking a small sip and squinting his eyes. However, Chen Ping’an felt nothing but a fuzzy and comfortable warmth this time. He was basking in the sun, drinking small sips of wine, and sitting beside a small spirit in Malicious Ghost Valley who liked to read and even make notes. It was as if Chen Ping’an were enjoying the life of an immortal.

The rat spirit summoned his courage and asked in a careful voice, “Esteemed Sword Immortal, did you come to Malicious Ghost Valley to train?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “I also earned some money as well.”

New for three years, old for three years, and lasting another three years with mends and patches.[1]

Days like this were truly good days.

In any case, he had indeed earned many immortal coins in Malicious Ghost Valley.

Chen Ping’an put his wine away after drinking a few sips, and he stood up and said, “I’m going to leave now.”

He retrieved his bamboo hat and put it back on, and he also pulled away his elderly face mask and revealed his true appearance.

The rat spirit took a glance at him before hurriedly standing up straight and exclaiming, “This underling respectfully farewells Young Esteemed Immortal!”

After saying this from the bottom of his heart…

The rat spirit instantly felt like he was a truly clever spirit.

Chen Ping’an didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, and he shook his head in helplessness and said, “How many times have you flattered me and called me Esteemed Sword Immortal already? Your flattery skills still need some work, to be honest, so remember to read more books in the future.”

The rat spirit appeared slightly befuddled, thinking that he hadn’t been trying to flatter the esteemed sword immortal. However, it was naturally necessary for him to read more books in the future.

In any case, his wealth had risen from one book to two books now. He had struck riches!

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “Have you seen a sword cultivator flying on their sword before?”

The rat spirit vigorously shook his head and replied, “I’ve never seen something like that in my life, Esteemed Sword Immortal!”

“Beyond reading, do you also like to cultivate?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

The rat spirit grabbed the wooden spear in his hand tightly and immediately replied, “I do!”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying, “Then let me say something that I read in the books. Do you want to hear it?”

The rat spirit took a deep breath and puffed out his chest before replying with a solemn expression, “Please share your wisdom, Esteemed Sword Immortal!”

Chen Ping’an almost swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.

There was already no impressive aura to speak of at this moment, so Chen Ping’an appeared calm and casual as he chuckled, “The books say that cultivators cultivate their strength for the sake of safeguarding their Dao Hearts. It’s not the case that cultivators earnestly seek Dao and cultivate their minds for the sole purpose of cultivating strength.”

The rat spirit only vaguely understood these words.

Chen Ping’an adjusted his bamboo hat and prepared to leave.

“I’ll definitely drink some wine if I encounter Esteemed Sword Immortal again in the future,” the rat spirit said.

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “I’ll remember that. Also, you might not be aware of this, but I’m actually not a sword immortal yet. I’m only a sword practitioner. However, sword practitioners can only become sword immortals if they drink enough wine.”

The rat spirit came to a sudden realization.

Chen Ping’an held back a smile, and Sword Immortal had already flown out from the scabbard on his back and automatically arrived in front of him.

Chen Ping’an strode onto Sword Immortal with a single step and soared into the distance, with his aura majestic and his sword qi lofty as he traveled freely through heaven and earth.

1. This refers to the clothes of poor people being worn for a long time. ☜