Unsheathed

Jiang Shangzhen hurriedly wiped his mouth with his hand and said with a pitiful expression, “Even though we’re in the ruins of an immortal abode, directly calling out the name of a sage is still inappropriate.”

“There are some grudges between us, so cursing him more or cursing him less won’t change anything,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

“Chen Ping’an, answer me honestly this time,” Jiang Shangzhen said.

He then winked and raised his backside briefly, pointing to the sky and asking, “Is he hellbent on getting you killed?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and explained, “It’s not that serious. The old grudges between us have mostly been dealt with already, and seeing that he’s such a lofty branch master responsible for overseeing all of the living beings in a large world, he doesn’t have so much spare time and effort to deal with me. However, I’m definitely an eyesore for him, so I’m feeling very hesitant about whether I should travel to the Heavenly World in the future.”

In addition to the nine continents of the Majestic World, Chen Ping’an also wanted to visit the three large worlds beyond the Majestic World.

Only after hearing this did Jiang Shangzhen sit back down on the railing. Otherwise, if Lu Chen were hellbent on targeting Chen Ping’an, then he would obediently return to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Bamboo Scroll Lake to hide like a cowardly turtle. The lake was big and the water was deep, so if he didn’t act like a turtle, would he perhaps act like a bird out of the forest? Old Man Xun had repeated the same phrase ten thousand times, saying that one needed to make haste and conform to the local customs and practices when one went to Bamboo Scroll Lake. One needed to view oneself as a powerful local force instead of a passing dragon.

“I know that you won’t get yourself involved in some matters, so why don’t you tell me what you can?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Jiang Shangzhen took a small sip of wine before nodding and saying, “Gao Cheng is incredibly ambitious, and his ambitions are so wild that he can scare some people to death. He wants to create an netherworld residence in Malicious Ghost Valley that sits between the yin world and the yang world, a place where people can reincarnate as they live and die. There are two incredible benefits to achieving this, with one being the ability to turn around the feng shui of Malicious Ghost Valley and transforming this mystical realm into a realm similar to a complete blessed land. It will no longer be just a small world, and with heaven, earth, and humans existing in one place, the sun and the moon can genuinely be born along with the four seasons and the myriad sceneries of the solar terms.

“Gao Cheng will become the legitimate heaven of this place, and his status will be one step above that of the so-called sages who oversee the small worlds. He might even be able to ascend to lofty heights in a single step, directly advancing from the Unpolished Jade Tier to the Ascension Tier, rapidly striding through the Immortal Tier in the process.

“At that time, Gao Cheng will be like… that small number of strange beings in this world, genuinely achieving a state of great freedom having broken through the restrictive cage of heaven and earth. Those who have the ability to kill him might not do so because they will have very likely cast their gaze much higher and much further. Meanwhile, those who genuinely want to kill Gao Cheng won’t have the ability to do so.

“Another aspect is the effect on the conflicts and battles that take place afterward. Even if the Flax Robe Sect is able to forcefully contain everything to just Malicious Ghost Valley, Gao Cheng and Skeleton Wall City will still be enjoying a stable and indomitable position. In fact, each cultivator that the Flax Robe Sect loses might be an extra bit of power that Malicious Ghost Valley gains.

“If something untoward happens at the ancestral hall on Wood Garment Mountain, then the Flax Robe Sect might accidentally allow Gao Cheng to charge to Skeleton Shoal with his army, bringing catastrophe to the empires and vassal states in the north along the Swaying River. To say nothing of the Flax Robe Sect that has fewer than two hundred cultivators, even a coalition between the several sect-level immortal forces in the region won’t be able to enjoy an advantage over Gao Cheng at that time.”

Jiang Shangzhen held the neck of the wine pot between two fingers and gently swirled it around, continuing slowly, “So, Gao Cheng’s actions are a huge taboo. However, the fact that he was able to rise from an ordinary and nameless foot soldier to where he is today is a testament to his exceptional abilities. He’s naturally no fool, and he’s very calculated with everything that he does, taking things one step at a time. I suspect that he’ll show extreme restraint in the next one hundred years, immediately stopping his advance once he defeats the Flax Robe Sect. Gao Cheng will stop after he conquers the territory of Skeleton Shoal.

“In the following one thousand years, he’ll attack his neighbors and forge relationships with those further away, playing the different forces against each other as he strives to conquer another sect-level immortal force. By progressing slowly like this, Skeleton Wall City will gradually become more and more legitimate in the eyes of other people. It’s difficult to say how the Confucian academies will react, especially since they adhere to far too many rules. They often fight amongst themselves for a long time, and as things drag on, many conflicts and situations would have already reached a conclusion.

“Because of this, only two forces will genuinely resist Gao Cheng at this current time. One is the Flax Robe Sect, where everyone from the top to the bottom is simple-minded, and the other is the bald monks from the Buddhist Sect. After all, the Buddhist Sect is definitely unwilling to see someone creating a netherworld in the living world and actively forging their own cycle of samsara and the six paths of reincarnation.

“As for the Daoist Sect in the Northern Complete Reed Continent, the Lofty Cloud Palace’s Yang Clan in the Great Origin Empire’s Esteemed Mystery Department, and Heavenly Lord Xie Shi, they might not necessarily despise Gao Cheng’s actions as much as the Flax Robe Sect and the Buddhist Sect. The former will most likely stand aside and watch the tigers fight, allowing Gao Cheng and the Buddhist Sect to grind away at each other’s strength. This is especially the case for the latter, and you should already be aware of the reason for this, so I won’t explain any further.”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and revealed, “It was Gao Cheng who shouted ‘leave the flying sword behind’ back then.”

Chen Ping’an sighed and glanced down at his Sword Nurturing Gourd, recalling one small detail at that time. “I understand. I was like a little child carrying a bag of gold through the market, and I coincidentally walked straight into Skeleton Wall City’s Gao Cheng. It’s no wonder that he was so angry in the end. If it weren’t for the ancestral hall of Wood Garment Mountain activating the mountain-protection formation, I probably wouldn’t have been able to leave Skeleton Shoal alive even if I managed to flee from Malicious Ghost Valley.”

Jiang Shangzhen waved his hand and replied, “What child? You don’t need to devalue yourself like this, and it would have been more accurate to describe you as a common man holding a gem.”

“What do you think Gao Cheng is planning to do now?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and replied, “He’s probably stabbing voodoo dolls at Skeleton Wall City. It’s extremely difficult to obtain a fated opportunity after letting it slip past, and trying to do so is even harder than trying to ascend the heavens. It’s very challenging to explain these matters in terms of reason and principles, but cultivators in the mountains don’t have the luxury to not believe these matters. The older one becomes, the more they’ll believe these matters. So, you actually don’t need to feel too worried right now. Those who survive a catastrophe are bound to have good fortune later on.”

Chen Ping’an smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t even dare to leave Wood Garment Mountain right now, and I’m even more afraid to venture through Skeleton Shoal to travel north. Heaven knows whether Gao Cheng will secretly sneak out of Malicious Ghost Valley and hack me to death.”

Jiang Shangzhen was just about to explain these matters a little further.

However, Chen Ping’an suddenly looked into the distance, with his eyes dark as he remarked, “If I were Gao Cheng, then Chen Ping’an would definitely die if he dares to continue traveling around the Complete Reed Continent.”

Jiang Shangzhen was immediately rendered speechless.

If he said anything else and continued to encourage Chen Ping’an to travel around the Complete Reed Continent, then it would appear as if he harbored ill intentions and ulterior motives.

Chen Ping’an turned around and asked with a smile, “Jiang Shangzhen, why did you do something extra in Malicious Ghost Valley and purposely sow animosity between you and Gao Cheng? If my guess is correct, then according to your explanation, Gao Cheng would have very likely completed a transaction with you and the Jade Tablet Sect since he possesses such wild ambitions. That being the case, you could have easily seized the opportunity and become an esteemed guest of Skeleton Wall City.”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled faintly and replied, “Then it’s probably me acting based on my emotions rather than logic. I can’t bear to see ladies getting bullied, and I also can’t stand listening to Pu Rang’s bold and hair-raising words.”

Chen Ping’an held out his wine pot, and Jiang Shangzhen lightly clinked his wine pot against Chen Ping’an’s. They then both took a swig of wine.

“What do you think about Zhu Quan as a person? And what do you think about Pu Rang as a ghost? And what about the attitude of the Flax Robe Sect?” Jiang Shangzhen suddenly asked.

“I feel a sense of admiration toward them,” Chen Ping’an replied.

Jiang Shangzhen nodded and warned, “Then if — and I’m saying if — you intend to continue traveling around the Northern Complete Reed Continent, then you definitely need to be careful. There are indeed people like Zhu Quan and Pu Rang here, but there are also people who appear like them on the surface but are actually powerful individuals who are even more scheming and sinister than me.”

Jiang Shangzhen slowly drank wine as he continued, “I’ve suffered greatly two times in the Northern Complete Reed Continent, and one time was because of this exact reason. I almost got myself killed and helped that person count his earnings in the process. Turning around and looking back, the person holding the deadly saber surprisingly turned out to be my best friend in the Northern Complete Reed Continent. I still remember that terrible feeling even after so much time has already passed. How should I put this? My feelings were hopelessly stupid. At the time, the first thought that flashed through my mind wasn’t despair or fury, and it was surprisingly a question about whether I had done something wrong to elicit such a response from my friend.”

“I’ll keep this in mind,” Chen Ping’an said.

Jiang Shangzhen heaved a sigh, with his expression bitter as he continued in a pitiful voice, “I wouldn’t have come to Malicious Ghost Valley no matter what if I had known earlier that there was animosity between you and her. After all, what’s the point of coming here?”

Chen Ping’an wanted to laugh, but he felt like doing so would be a bit too impolite. As such, he hurriedly drank some wine and swallowed his laughter into his belly.

Jiang Shangzhen swayed his head as he recalled something, and he said, “Let me tell you a piece of relatively bad news. Yang Ningxing, the innate Dao Seed from the Lofty Cloud Palace, had his evil thoughts left behind after his severing of the three corpses — the scholar — suffer at your hands the entire time. However, this didn’t delay his proper matters, and the old Daoist priest from the Small Mystery Capital Temple seemingly helped him as a temporary Dao guardian. In the end, Yang Ningxing even managed to obtain the pair of relatively valuable Luo fish from the Old Dragon Cave. These Luo fish were raised by the old turtle for one thousand years, and they had already lived for at least one thousand years before that. This was a decently-sized fated opportunity.

“Don’t feel like this doesn’t matter, as things that are regarded as relatively valuable by me are genuinely very valuable. By the looks of it, this young lad is enjoying a period of flourishing fortune. If you leave Malicious Ghost Valley and she’s already left as well, and if you continue to travel north by yourself and once again encounter that scholar at the Great Origin Empire, then you’ll have even more trouble dealing with him the second time around.”

“These matters are nothing compared to dealing with Skeleton Wall City’s Gao Cheng,” Chen Ping’an replied.

“How did you figure out Yang Ningxing’s identity and background? After all, it’s already been many years since you last visited the Northern Complete Reed Continent, hasn’t it?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

Jiang Shangzhen laughed loudly and replied, “Do you know how many lovers I have at the Northern Complete Reed Continent, Chen Ping’an? One or two of them will travel to the Jade Tablet Sect to look for me every one hundred years, and they’ll use all kinds of excuses to seek a reunion with me and reminisce about the past. In fact, one of them especially traveled to the Cloud Cave Blessed Land to look for me. It’s extremely difficult to deal with the kindness and attraction from beautiful women. In any case, this is the reason why I have a thorough understanding of the Northern Complete Reed Continent.”

Chen Ping’an shot a sideways glance at him and commented, “Men being able to attract many women is naturally a type of ability, but men being able to show loyalty to a single woman is much more impressive.”

Jiang Shangzhen shook his hand and replied, “People with different aspirations and principles will ultimately walk different paths. Apart from spending money, there’s nothing else in the world that can cause me to remain loyal and unwavering.”

Looking back at his trip through Malicious Ghost Valley, Chen Ping’an felt like he had genuinely risked his life to wander around and make some small profits here and there. He had taken even greater risks than vagrant cultivators, yet Jiang Shangzhen was sitting here and talking to him about these kinds of things?

A thought occurred to Chen Ping’an, and he retrieved from his minimization treasure the Hundred Eye Taotie Dao robe that he had pulled off Yang Ningxing’s body. Jiang Shangzhen had mentioned the old Daoist priest of the Small Mystery Capital Temple acting as a temporary Dao guardian, and this was most likely related to Yang Ningxing’s strange glance before he had retreated his mind near the suspension bridge between the two cliffs.

Chen Ping’an had felt like something was off at the time, and looking back at the situation now, Yang Ningxing had most likely already detected the old Daoist priest’s presence. However, Yang Ningxing had probably been uncertain about fortune or misfortune at the time as well, and he hadn’t dared to confirm whether the old Daoist priest harbored kind intentions or ill intentions.

Jiang Shangzhen glanced at the Dao robe and nodded in acknowledgement, most likely signifying that this Dao robe was valuable enough to be appreciated by him. “It’s slightly higher grade than the azure Dao robe that you’re wearing right now, but its foundation is countless times better,” he said slowly.

“Even though this black Dao robe is quite ugly, it possesses the ability to grow when given the correct nutrients like the trees and grass in this world. In other words, this Dao robe can be regarded as one of the most valuable spirit tools. The Dao robe that you wore at the Parasol Leaf Continent and the sword that Sui Youbian is wielding are both valuable spirit tools with similar features.

“However, each spirit tool naturally possesses its own advantages and disadvantages, similar to the cultivation potential of Qi refiners. There are some people who have limited talent, and they can only crawl like turtles to the Golden Core Tier no matter how hard they try. Meanwhile, some people can advance to the Nascent Tier or even the Upper Five Tiers.

“Of the three valuable spirit tools, the snow-white Dao robe that you wore back then possessed the strongest potential, having the ability to reach the level of pseudo-celestial tool and beyond. Sui Youbian’s sword possesses the second-best potential, having the ability to become a good pseudo-celestial tool. As for this Dao robe that you snatched from Yang Ningxing, it can at most only become a pseudo-celestial tool. Moreover, this will be a slow process that requires a huge consumption of resources.”

This was an unexpected surprise.

He had initially thought that this Dao robe and the Spring Grass Dao Robe were quite similar, yet this Dao robe surprisingly still had a lot of room for growth.

In the future, he could perhaps pretend to be a vagrant cultivator more easily when he traveled through the cultivation world after putting on a face mask and wearing this Dao robe.

Chen Ping’an retrieved the three talismans from his sleeve and asked with a smile, “I can only tell that these are secret talismans from the Lofty Cloud Palace, and even though I recognize the seal script characters, I know nothing about their true origin, specific use, or power. Can you take a look at them and tell me roughly how much they’re worth?”

Jiang Shangzhen accepted the three gold paper talismans from the Lofty Cloud Palace and replied, “One is the Jade Heaven Residence Talisman belonging to a side branch of mountain talismans, and it’s one of the most famous talismans of the Esteemed Mystery Department. Another is the Pure Jade Illumination Talisman, and this talisman exudes impressive might and is able to cover a large area. However, its destructive ability is mediocre, and it works better as a talisman to frighten other people.

“The last talisman is the Cloud Slashing Fiend Talisman, and this is a genuinely valuable talisman that contains four specks of divine light in its talismanic core. Even I feel slightly tempted by this talisman. However, it’s not the case that everyone can use these good talismans, and it’s necessary to know the many secret mantras to ‘unlock the doors.’ This is especially the case for this Cloud Slashing Fiend Talisman, a secret talisman among secret talismans of the Lofty Cloud Palace’s Yang Clan. However, I coincidentally have a very good relationship with a Daoist nun from the Lofty Cloud Palace, and the two of us are candid with each other both day and night…”

Jiang Shangzhen suddenly turned around with a strange expression.

Chen Ping’an showed no signs of wanting to take the talismans back, and he drank small sips of wine as he said, “I know that these three talismans definitely aren’t as valuable as your net, but something is definitely better than nothing, right?”

Jiang Shangzhen slapped the three talismans on the railing and laughed heartily, saying, “Oh, spare me and take these away please. I, Jiang Shangzhen, am unrestrained by heaven and earth when it comes to making money and spending money! I’m just as bold and heroic as Skeleton Pu!”

Chen Ping’an turned his head and looked at Jiang Shangzhen, asking, “You really don’t want them? I’m showing utmost sincerity right now. I’m not as wealthy as you, and I’ve always wanted to split a copper coin apart and spend it as if it were eight.”

“Good heavens,” Jiang Shangzhen exclaimed with a sigh.

Chen Ping’an quickly took back the three talismans, putting them back into his minimization treasure along with the Dao robe. He smiled faintly and said, “Then why don’t you be a good person to the end and tell me in detail about the secret mantras for these talismans?”

There wasn’t any displeasure on Jiang Shangzhen’s face, and he instead smiled even wider as he used his mind’s voice to reveal the secret mantras to Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an retrieved a golden lightning whip that he had dug out from Accumulating Cloud Mountain, one that measured as long as an arm, and he asked, “What about the grade and value of this item?”

“This is a manifestation of a thunder pool’s veins, and it’s suitable for crafting ghost-striking whips,” Jiang Shangzhen replied. “It’s known as a twin treasure of the world along with ghost-striking whips crafted from bamboo from Azure Divine Mountain, and these kinds of whips can innately suppress spirits and ghosts who have obtained Dao underground.

“However, this obviously depends on the grade of the thunder pool and bamboo as well, and the thunder pool at Accumulating Cloud Mountain is still slightly lacking. If this lightning whip were crafted in the thunder pool of Stalactite Mountain, then it would already be an innate immortal treasure without needing to refine it first. Now, however, the lightning whip in your hand is only an innate spirit tool with a slightly higher grade. Moreover, the lightning whip is a bit too small, so if it were me, I would have been reluctant to even bend down to pick it up from the ground.”

Chen Ping’an was roughly clear about the value of these treasures now, and he thought to himself that he would refine the longest golden lightning whip into a hiking pole when he got the opportunity. He would use it for a period of time himself first, and after returning to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, he could then gift it to his opening disciple. It would be golden and dazzling, appearing as attractive as could be. Since he liked the golden hiking pole, how could his disciple possibly not like it?

Jiang Shangzhen smiled with squinted eyes and asked, “What other items have you recently obtained in Malicious Ghost Valley that you want me to look at and appraise?”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment, but he still retrieved the erotic paintings that he had obtained from Lady Bishu’s bedroom wall and handed them to Jiang Shangzhen.

Jiang Shangzhen’s expression had initially been one of amusement, but when he saw the dual cultivation painting covered in notes, he nodded and said, “This can be viewed as a type of unorthodox cultivation, and normal earth immortals who are skilled at dual cultivation can almost treat this as a foundation to establish their own immortal force, helping cultivators at the Lower Five Tiers advance to the Middle Five Tiers. This is a shortcut cultivation technique, so this painting is indeed worth some money. As for the other paintings, one can enjoy them in silence if one is unable to sleep at night…”

“This painting is actually that precious?” Chen Ping’an asked in astonishment.

Jiang Shangzhen nodded and replied, “That Moon Palace seed was simply ignorant and unable to fully utilize this painting, completely wasting the fated opportunity that was in her possession. This erotic painting is a copy of one of the twelve ‘Dao Partners In the Mountains Paintings,’ and it’s likely a work of some cultivator who defected from the Charming Sect in the Middle Earth Divine Continent. If you come across someone who knows their treasures, selling this painting for twenty to thirty grain rain coins should be an absolute breeze.”

Jiang Shangzhen couldn’t help but sigh deeply in his mind after saying this.

That He Xiaoliang was truly a very impressive person. Her fortune was so immense that it was bordering on terrifying.

Because of this, Jiang Shangzhen didn’t dare to ask for this inexpensive painting or offer to purchase it from Chen Ping’an even though he was fairly interested in it.

Chen Ping’an put away the painting and also fell silent.