Unsheathed

After a brief silence, he asked, “So you’re saying that I should use the hearts of the people in the Golden Crow Palace as a means of cleansing my sword?”

Chen Ping’an smiled as he replied, “The same rice feeds countless different types of people, just as a single sentence could have countless different interpretations. I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure things out for yourself, Sword Immortal Liu.”

Liu Zhiqing turned his gaze back to the line as he remarked, “Regardless of the outcome and whether I take your advice to go cleanse my sword, just this thought alone is greatly beneficial to me. According to our agreement, this Luminous Jade Cliff now belongs to you. Here’s the deed. Rest assured, I’ll inform the Spring Dew Garden of our deal.”

A golden jade contract that was a priceless treasure in itself drifted down in front of Chen Ping’an. It had been signed by both the Spring Dew Garden in the form of its ancestral hall jade seal, and Liu Zhiqing in the form of a “Liu” character. Even after two hundred years, the Liu character still harbored some residual sword intent.

Chen Ping’an didn’t immediately stow away the deed. Instead, he smiled as he said, “Given how generous you are, I don’t think having the intent of cleansing your sword using the hearts of those around you will have any benefit for you. In fact, it may even be detrimental.

“I’m always very fair and open when it comes to doing business, and I certainly wouldn’t dare to deceive an almighty sword immortal like yourself, so I implore you to take back the deed. All I ask is that you allow me to come here and drink tea without having to pay throughout the duration of my stay in the Spring Dew Garden.”

Liu Zhiqing immediately understood what Chen Ping’an was saying, and he smiled as he said, “If I do decide to follow your advice when I return to the Golden Crow Palace, I will naturally take to the task with a different mindset, so you need not have any concerns about taking this deed.”

Chen Ping’an was silent for a moment, then gently drew a few vertical lines down from the horizontal line on the table with his folding fan.

“The Golden Crow Palace Master, the daughter of the mountain god that is his Dao partner, Wei Jin, the woman who dissuaded Wei Jin from lashing out at me… All of them come from different backgrounds, have had different cultivation journeys, have different allies and enemies, believe in different cultivation doctrines…

“Do you really have an interest in finding out all of that information? If you choose to go down the path of cleansing your sword, then you won’t be able to make any half-arsed efforts and expect the results that you desire. On this path, your cultivation base and your position of seniority will become your greatest hindrances.

“Will you truly be able to cast those things aside, even on just a temporary basis? If you’re unable to persevere and make it all the way from one end of the line to the other in one go, then you’ll only be damaging your own sword heart and sword intent.”

“I am now certain that you are not a swordsman,” Liu Zhiqing said with a smile. “It appears that you are unfamiliar with the rigors of cultivating as a swordsman. The difficulties on the path of cleansing my sword lie in countless trivial matters that I must attend to and the nuanced unpredictability of the human heart.

“However, those difficulties are very similar to the obstacles faced by a swordsman when forging their bonded flying sword. Both endeavors require the utmost attention to detail, so essentially, I will simply be retreading the same path that I’ve already walked once. If I was able to do it back then, I would surely be able to do it again as a Golden Core Tier swordsman.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head with a smile as he said, “The same endeavor can present two different types of difficulty when taken on at different times and under different circumstances.”

Liu Zhiqing carefully mulled over those words for some time, then smiled as he nodded in response.

“I have been enlightened.”

“Really?” Chen Ping’an chuckled. “I was just spouting some vague nonsense to appear mysterious and profound, yet you actually believe me? Are you not worried that I’ll drag you down to my level?”

“I’ll be taking my leave now,” Liu Zhiqing said as he rose to his feet. “Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to come here in the future and have tea as a guest.”

In his eyes, he was already just a visitor of the Luminous Jade Cliff.

Chen Ping’an took a glance at the deed on the table, then turned his gaze back to Liu Zhiqing as he asked, “How is there a swordsman like you in the Golden Crow Palace? Your ancestors must’ve done some really good deeds!”

“It sounds like you’re badmouthing our Golden Crow Palace, but I’ll take that as a compliment,” Liu Clan said with a smile. “I don’t mean to brag, but back in the day, my predecessors at the Golden Crow Palace all had much better reputations than we do now.

“Unfortunately, a stellar reputation does not equate to wealth and cultivation progression, so we’ve been forced to make some compromises. Hence, I often think that even though I don’t like the way my nephew-disciple does things, he hasn’t actually done anything wrong.”

“How about you and I make another deal with each other?” Chen Ping’an proposed as he rose to his feet.

“What’s the deal?” Liu Zhiqing asked.

Before answering, Chen Ping’an asked, “Are there any Spring Dew Garden cultivators spying on this place?”

Liu Zhiqing pointed over at the thatched cottage outside the pergola as he asked, “Do you think my sword is just for show? There are some rules that must be followed. For example, I follow the rules of the Spring Dew Garden whenever I come here to drink tea.

“I once encountered a sworn enemy of our Golden Crow Palace in the Fine Wood Mountain Range, and I really wanted to cut him down, but I turned a blind eye out of respect for the Spring Dew Garden. I expect this respect to be reciprocated. Otherwise, I will see it as an act of direct provocation from the Spring Dew Garden.”

“Good,” Chen Ping’an said as he pointed at himself, then asked, “You’re having trouble finding a suitable whetstone, right?”

Liu Zhiqing looked around as he asked, “Are you not worried that the Luminous Jade Cliff will be destroyed? Don’t forget that this place is your property now.”

“How about we pick a place and isolate it into a small world, then you can use your sword, while I’ll use my fists?” Chen Ping’an suggested.

“I’m worried you’ll die,” Liu Zhiqing said with a smile.

“That would be an honor and a blessing,” Chen Ping’an said as he stowed away his folding fan.

Neither Liu Zhiqing nor Chen Ping’an showed up at the Spring Farewell Banquet, much to the disappointment of everyone in the Spring Dew Garden.

Liu Zhiqing was one of the top cultivators of the Northern Complete Reed Continent’s southeast coast, and even though he was only at the Golden Core Tier, he was very young, and a swordsman to boot.

Ever since the passing of the Golden Crow Palace’s Nascent Tier palace master, Liu Zhiqing had been singlehandedly carrying the reputation and authority of the Golden Crow Palace on his back.

However, everyone was familiar with Liu Zhiqing, so all of the cultivators gathered at the Spring Farewell Banquet were actually more interested in seeing Chen Ping’an, the young foreign sword immortal.

They had all heard many stories about him, the first and foremost of which was the story of him slicing through the Golden Crow Palace’s mountain protection lightning cloud with a single sword strike. This story had been personally corroborated by Liu Zhiqing, so it was definitely credible, and he had even invited the culprit to his Luminous Jade Cliff for tea.

The second story pertained to the rumors of the events that took place on that ship. It was said that not only was he a mighty sword immortal, he also possessed an incredibly powerful physical constitution. With just a single punch, he was able to send a Vajra Body Tier guest elder of the Iron Warship Residence flying off the ship, leaving him within an inch of his life.

Wei Bai did not deny this story, while Tang Qingqing of the Nightglow Grass Hall proclaimed that Chen Ping’an had extensive ties with the Spring Dew Garden, and that both her father and Song Lanqiao were close acquaintances of his.

The third story was that Chen Ping’an would make a daily trip to the Luminous Jade Cliff before returning to the sea of bamboo every single day during his stay in the Jingzhe Residence. As for exactly what the nature of his relationship with Liu Zhiqing was, that was something that others could only guess at.

During this time, another secret meeting was held in the Spring Dew Garden ancestral hall, and after some discussion, it was decided they would no longer try to stifle certain rumors, instead allowing them to spread. However, at the same time, they began helping Chen Ping’an in concealing his whereabouts in the Spring Dew Garden, his true appearance, and the exact details of the events that unfolded on the ship.

In order to accomplish this objective, they began dangling out a series of red herrings. One day, it would be rumored that he was staying in the Grain Rain Residence, the next day, it would be proclaimed that he was actually staying in the Beginning of Spring Residence. On another day, it was said that he had visited the Nightglow Grass Hall for some tea, and as a result of these swirling rumors, no one could ever pin down exactly where he was at any point in time.

Following the conclusion of the Spring Farewell Banquet, more ships began to depart from the Talisman Water Ferry Station as the banquet attendees returned to their homes. Song Lanqiao had also returned to his ship.

On Old Locust Street of the Fine Wood Mountain Range, a new shop was opened.

The shopkeeper was a young man with a red wine gourd strapped to his waist. He would often be seen sunbathing at the entrance of his shop, seated on a small bamboo chair with a folding fan in his hand. He made no effort to advertise his wares, choosing to passively wait for customers instead.

Every plot of land on the bustling and thriving Old Locust Street was worth its weight in gold, and exorbitant sums of rent had to be paid to the Spring Dew Garden yearly even for a tiny shop.

The plaque hanging above the entrance of the little shop read “Pi Fu,”[ref]Pi Fu is a type of large ant.[\ref] and inside the shop were all types of miscellaneous items from both the mortal world and the cultivation world. They were laid out on shelves in an orderly fashion, and on the counter was a strip of paper with the words “no bartering” written on it in large text.

A pair of seals were being used as paperweights that were placed on either end of the strip of paper, and paper tags were adhered to the shelves under each item, stating their name and price.

There was an inner chamber situated at the back of the shop, but its door was tightly shut, and there was another strip of paper plastered over it, reading “within this room is the most prized treasure of the shop, reserved for its fated owner.” However, if one were to inspect the sign closely, they would discover some much smaller fine print that read “reserved for the highest bidder.”

The shop was situated on Old Locust Street, so the prices weren’t necessarily fair, but the goods being sold were guaranteed to be authentic. Additionally, this was a new shop, and generally speaking, the shopkeepers of new shops would be sure to bring out some exceptional items in order to attract customers to the shop during the infancy stage of its operation.

There were several time-honored shops on Old Locust Street that had powerful backers, and each of them had one or two especially prized treasures that were really only for show. While they were up for sale, the price tags attached to them were all in excess of ten grain rain coins, making them completely unaffordable to most, so they were only really serving as inanimate mascots.

In comparison, Chen Ping’an’s shop was rather shabby. The skeletons from the Skeleton Shoal were quite precious, as were the complete sets of mural replicas from Mural City, but it was completely devoid of any exceptional immortal treasures that would truly make one’s eyes light up. Instead, most of the wares being sold consisted of little trinkets and antiques that didn’t even qualify as spirit artifacts.

Furthermore, it seemed to be catered a little too much to a female demographic, with over two entire shelves in the shop laden with items that looked as if they had been taken straight out of a wealthy woman’s boudoir.

Hence, after some time, the shop’s patrons became almost exclusively female, consisting of young female cultivators from different sects, as well as women from prominent and affluent clans of the Great Guan Empire. Many of them came in groups, descending upon the shop like flocks of chatty orioles to inspect the wares within.

Chen Ping’an never made an attempt to attend to the customers, merely continuing to sit outside his shop, and whenever any of them called out to him from inside, asking if he could give any discounts, he would merely wave a hand in refusal. Regardless of how the women tried to reason with him or soften their tone to try and coax him into relenting, his resolve remained unwavering, as did his prices.

Many of the female customers were not short on money, but they were very displeased by Chen Ping’an’s unwillingness to give them even the slightest of discounts, and they would often storm out of his shop in a fit of frustration and indignation.

However, Chen Ping’an never changed his mind or tried to keep the women, merely smiling as he told them to come again.

Over time, the shop gained a negative reputation of having overpriced goods and an unyielding shopkeeper.

In a surprising turn of events, Tang Qingqing brought a bunch of her female friends from the Nightglow Grass Hall to Chen Ping’an’s shop one day at dusk, and each of them picked out one thing to buy. They did not barter, paying full price for everything before promptly departing. Furthermore, Chen Ping’an’s shop was the only one that they visited on the entire street, and they did no further shopping after that.

Following their visit, business picked up a little for the shop, but the real boost in business came after the shop received a visit from none other than Liu Zhiqing himself. Just like Tang Qingqing and her friends, he did not barter, picking out one thing that caught his eye, namely a skeleton from the Skeleton Shoal, then paid for it in full before promptly departing.

For some reason, after leaving the shop, he dragged the skeleton around like a walking advertisement for a while before finally leaving Old Locust Street.

On this day, the shop was closed for the day, and Chen Ping’an was standing behind the counter on his own, tallying his earnings. The shop had no employees or accountants, so he had to do everything himself, including sorting through the small mountain of snowflake coins, interspersed throughout which were several lesser heat coins.

Liu Zhiqing stepped into the shop with an exasperated expression as he asked, “Why are you desperate for money? I don’t understand!”

Chen Ping’an didn’t even bother to raise his head as he said, “I’ve already answered that question, Sword Immortal Liu. Vagrant cultivators like me are willing to do just about anything for money. You official immortals would never understand.”

Liu Zhiqing shook his head as he said, “I have to return to the Golden Crow Palace. I’ve already informed the Spring Dew Garden of our deal, but I’m hoping that you’re not going to sell the ownership rights to the Luminous Jade Cliff or even rent it to anyone else. Otherwise, I won’t go there to drink tea anymore.”

Chen Ping’an raised his head with a smile as he countered, “But if I do that, I’d be missing out on at least six grain rain coins. I can’t settle permanently in the Spring Dew Garden, but I can just get a Spring Dew Garden cultivator to look after my shop for me when I’m gone.

“I’ll have to split the profits with them, but I’ll still be earning money. In contrast, what am I supposed to do with the Luminous Jade Cliff if I don’t sell it or rent it? What use do I have for its deed then? Am I supposed to just keep it for three hundred years, then return it to the Spring Dew Garden?”

Liu Zhiqing heaved a faint sigh.

Chen Ping’an smiled as he said, “If you want to continue to come to the Luminous Jade Cliff to drink tea, you can just give me three grain rain coins, and you’ll be able to come anytime you please over the next three hundred years. I’ll make sure to inform the Spring Dew Garden of our arrangement before I leave, so you don’t have to worry about anyone keeping you out.”

“Do you think my grain rain coins grow on trees?” Liu Zhiqing scoffed.

“I was just being facetious. You can go there and brew tea anytime that you please,” Chen Ping’an said with a dismissive wave.

Liu Zhiqing remained standing still on the spot.

“What are you still standing here for?” Chen Ping’an asked with a puzzled expression. “Do I have to treat you to tea out of my own pocket? Surely you’re asking for too much!”

“What the hell happened to all of the pebbles at the bottom of the spring?!” Liu Zhiqing snapped in a furious manner. “They’re only worth two to three hundred snowflake coins, are you really that desperate for money?!”

Chen Ping’an slammed a hand down onto the table as he countered, “I have the deed, so the entire Luminous Jade Cliff is my property! Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do with a few lousy pebbles on my property?!”

“Fine!” Liu Zhiqing snapped in an exasperated manner. “In that case, I’ll purchase those pebbles from you for them to be put back in the spring. What do you say?”

“That’ll be five lesser heat coins! Take it or leave it!” Chen Ping’an declared.

Liu Zhiqing slammed a hand down onto the counter, leaving behind five lesser heat coins before turning to leave as he threatened, “If I find even a single pebble missing from the spring the next time I visit the Luminous Jade Cliff, you’d better watch out!”

Chen Ping’an gently pressed a finger against the counter to stabilize it. Otherwise, all of the neatly arranged stacks of snowflake coins would be disturbed.