Unsheathed

When they arrived near Sweeping Villa, Chen Ping’an sold the carriage at a discounted price in a nearby county city.

They visited an inn and asked for two rooms, and they found that there were evidently more martial artists from the cultivation world near the county city, with these people most likely heading to the mountain villa to congratulate Senior Wang Dun after learning of his feat.

One had to admit that goodwill in the cultivation world could be earned by traveling around extensively. This was similar to how many friendships were formed over drinks.

There were two types of people who could become respected seniors in the cultivation world. One type was those who possessed lofty martial arts skills and were exceptionally capable, and it wouldn’t matter much regardless of how bad their tempers were. Another type was those who possessed second-rate martial arts skills, yet were first-rate when it came to schemes and strategies. These types of martial artists would also enjoy very good reputations.

Of course, there were also some juniors who understood the traditions of the cultivation world, and these juniors relied on playing the waiting game, waiting to become the leaders of the relevant forces after the second type of respected seniors died of old age. They could then naturally become respected seniors in the cultivation world. However, rising to the top in this manner was ultimately imperfect, and it was because of this that experienced members of the cultivation world had always disliked those vigorous and intense youths.

According to Sui Jingcheng’s explanations, however, Senior Wang Dun was genuinely a respected and reputable individual.

Chen Ping’an stood in front of the window in his room, looking at the bustling street outside for a while.

He then went next door and knocked on the door, informing Sui Jingcheng that he was going to visit a wine shop in the county city to buy a few pots of wine.

Sui Jingcheng put on her veiled hat, feeling slightly uneasy as she left her room. She said that she also wanted to drink wine on the side of the street. In the past, she had only read about gallant martial artists gathering at banquets and eating and drinking their fill in some martial arts novels, and this was something she was fairly curious about and also wanted to try.

Chen Ping’an didn’t stop her.

The two of them arrived at a busy wine shop located on the corner of a street, and it was only after a table of people paid and left that they had a place to sit down and drink. Chen Ping’an purchased a pot of wine and poured a bowl for Sui Jingcheng.

Sui Jingcheng was still wearing her veiled hat, so she could only lower her head and lift up one corner of the veil when she drank.

The tables in the wine shop were placed quite close to each other, with most of them being lively and boisterous. There were people playing guessing games and punishing the loser to drinking wine, and there were also people chatting about the interesting things going on in the cultivation world.

A man sitting on the bench behind Sui Jingcheng exchanged a smile with his friend from the cultivation world before purposely making an exaggerated motion as he went to thrust forth his hand and extend a few fingers for the guessing game, attempting to knock off Sui Jingcheng’s veiled hat in the process. However, Sui Jingcheng leaned forward and perfectly dodged his swipe. The man faltered slightly, but he didn’t push his luck and take things any further. Even so, he was truly unable to resist his urge. The figure of this woman was genuinely lithe and beautiful, so not taking an extra glance at it would be a huge loss.

However, before he and his companions could do anything, another group of martial artists from the cultivation world arrived at the wine shop, with all of them dressed extravagantly and riding majestic horses. They didn’t tie their horses to the hitching posts after dismounting, and after scanning the tables of the wine shop, they saw that there were still two free benches between the young man and the veiled woman who were sitting opposite each other. Moreover, the figure and posture of the veiled woman made her appear like the finest wine in the entire county city.

A brawny man plonked down on one of the benches between the young man in azure and the young woman wearing a veiled hat, and he cupped his fists and greeted with a smile, “I’m Lu Dayong from the Five Lake Gang, and others in the cultivation world give me face and refer to me as the River Churning Flood Dragon!”

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and replied, “Pleased to meet you. I’ve heard much about your great deeds. This is truly a fortunate encounter.”

There were four people in Lu Dayong’s group, and the brawny man grinned widely and asked, “You don’t mind if we sit together, right? We’re all children of the cultivation world, so there’s no need to be too particular about things. It won’t hurt to squeeze together a bit…”

He was about to beckon his three friends over to sit at Chen Ping’an’s table, and one of them would naturally need to sit on the same bench as the shapely woman wearing a veiled hat — for example, him. Lu Dayong had already stood up, planning to offer his seat to his friend so that he could sit together with the young woman. Martial artists from the cultivation world were bold and direct, and they didn’t need to adhere to pedantic and nonsensical rules such as men and women needing to keep an appropriate distance.

Unexpectedly, however, the young man in azure smiled and replied, “I do mind.”

Lu Dayong clearly hadn’t anticipated this reply, having already stood up and shuffled closer to Sui Jingcheng’s bench. He could already smell the sweet fragrance that was even more tempting than wine, and he was just about to boldly sit down next to the shapely woman wearing a veiled hat.

In the next moment, however, it wasn’t only the brawny man who stopped his movements. The customers who had clearly heard the response of “I do mind” didn’t burst into hysterical laughter either. Instead, all of them gulped in silence, with some of them even preparing to stand up and sneak away.

This was because a small and dark-green flying sword was hovering just a few inches away from Lu Dayong’s glabella.

The young man in azure smiled faintly and said, “It’s my turn to ask now. Do you mind squeezing in next to me to drink together?”

Did he not mind?

Did he mind?

Lu Dayong felt like he would be wrong no matter which answer he chose.

His three friends from the cultivation world stood still, looking down at their toes and pretending that they had nothing to do with the so-called River Churning Flood Dragon.

Chen Ping’an waved his hand, following which Lu Dayong and his three friends immediately fled into the distance.

The remaining guests at the wine shop all had terrified expressions as they stood up to flee.

Unexpectedly, however, the “sword immortal” — a rare type of cultivator that could only be seen once every one hundred years — said, “Paying first won’t delay you by too much.”

Several tables of wealthy customers directly tossed silver ingots toward the counter before briskly walking away.

There were no customers left apart from Chen Ping’an and Sui Jingcheng.

Chen Ping’an feigned a lack of strength, looking around as his trembling flying sword descended from mid-air and shakily landed on the table. He then quickly placed it inside his sleeve.

The corners of Sui Jingcheng’s mouth curled up into a smile.

The old shopkeeper mysteriously earned a huge amount of money, and after seeing Chen Ping’an’s actions, he smiled faintly and asked, “You’re a sword cultivator from the mountains, so are you truly not afraid of inviting more trouble? Martial artists from the cultivation world are very good at bearing grudges, and they also have a strong habit of working together in groups, showing a strong tendency to help friends instead of helping reason, and to help the weak instead of helping the strong.”

Chen Ping’an turned around and replied with a smile, “Things most likely won’t become too troublesome with a hidden mighty figure like Shopkeeper looking after the wine shop.”

“You have quite good observation skills, young lad,” the old shopkeeper said with a smile.

“Likewise, likewise,” Chen Ping’an chuckled in response.

“Can I take off my veiled hat now?” Sui Jingcheng asked softly.

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

Sui Jingcheng took off her veiled hat, allowing her to finally drink her bowl of wine in peace and comfort.

The old shopkeeper chuckled and remarked, “What a beautiful young lady! I’ve honestly never seen a more beautiful lady in my lifetime. Are the two of you so-called immortal Dao partners from the mountains? No wonder you dare to travel around the cultivation world like this. Alright, feel free to drink to your heart’s content today, and there’s no need to pay. It’s on the house. After all, it was thanks to the two of you that I was able to earn a hefty sum of silver today.”

Chen Ping’an was just about to raise his bowl to drink some wine, but he stopped his action when he heard the old shopkeeper’s words, hesitating for a moment before ultimately deciding to remain silent. He then took a large swig of wine.

There was a reserved smile in Sui Jingcheng’s long and watery eyes.

The old shopkeeper glanced into the distance before sighing and looking toward the back of the young man in azure, saying, “I suggest you have your missus put her veiled hat back on. Even if I can help the two of you for a moment, I won’t be able to help you forever. Perhaps you’ll only dare to leave after Old Man Wang returns from the capital of the Great Seal Script Empire, giving you an opportunity to become acquainted with him? Then let me be honest with you — Old Man Wang occasionally comes here for free drinks, so I’m most familiar with his temperament. He’s always had a terrible impression of immortals from the mountains, so he might not be willing to meet with the two of you.”

Sui Jingcheng suppressed a smile as she glanced at the senior sword immortal’s expression, and she explained to the old shopkeeper, “We’re not immortal Dao partners or whatnot, and I’m only Senior’s unofficial disciple.”

The old shopkeeper pointed at his eyes and asked, “Do I look blind to you?”

Sui Jingcheng turned around to look at Chen Ping’an, with her expression hinting that she was pitiful and helpless.

However, Chen Ping’an seemingly didn’t mind this, simply turning around to look at the old shopkeeper and ask with a smile, “Old Senior, why have you left the cultivation world to hide in this mortal market?”

People continued to gather on the surrounding streets and alleys, pointing and gesturing at the wine shop.

The old shopkeeper smiled and replied, “This is naturally because I was no longer able to sustain myself in the cultivation world, so I could only pack my bags and piss off. Immortals from the mountains truly don’t understand the sufferings and hardships of ordinary people in the mortal world.”

“If I were a frail scholar encountering today’s situation, and if I weren’t able to come across Senior’s wine shop, then should I stand up in righteousness and be beaten half-dead, or should I endure the humiliation and accept the wanton harassment?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The old shopkeeper leaned against the counter and took a sip of wine, scratching his head and lightly setting down the wine cup before replying, “Endure it, of course. After all, surviving means that you’ll have an opportunity to vent your feelings on someone else at some other place, right?”

Chen Ping’an roared with laughter and raised his wine bowl high into the air, downing its contents in a single gulp.

The old shopkeeper continued to sip wine as he added, “However, choosing this option is ultimately incorrect.”

It wasn’t long before the roofs near the wine shop were packed with onlookers.

Being able to catch a glimpse of a fabled sword immortal was an experience that they could brag about for a lifetime.

However, even though there were many onlookers, none of them dared to venture forward to challenge the temper of the sword immortal. Lu Dayong also called his friends over and hid among the throng of onlookers, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think about exacting revenge for the humiliating defeat just then. Instead, he was filled with spirit and vigor as he bragged to others about how he had faced the elegant and formidable aura of a sword immortal, with his spittle flying everywhere as he exclaimed that the dark green flying sword had been hovering less than an inch from his glabella! He had truly escaped death by the barest of margins.

Chen Ping’an finished drinking his wine. Since the old shopkeeper was being polite, he accepted the politeness and didn’t show any signs of wanting to pay.

He simply stood up and cupped his fists, saying, “My respects to Senior Wang Dun.”

The old shopkeeper nodded in acknowledgement and replied, “I was just saying that you had good observation skills, young lad. What, you’re not going to ask me why I like wearing a face mask and disguising myself as an old wine seller?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head in response.

Wang Dun chuckled and said, “As the lowest-ranked member of the top ten martial artists, should I not hide away and drink in peace and quiet to wash away my sorrows? Perhaps I should accept the congratulations of people all day long, smiling and repeating the words, ‘You flatter me, it was only good fortune?’”

Sui Jingcheng hurriedly stood up and curtsied to Senior Wang Dun, someone whom she had admired for a very long time.

Wang Dun waved his hand and said, “Even though your Dao partner looks fairly impressive, you need to cultivate in earnest as well. There genuinely aren’t many good men in the world, and if anything untoward happens, they always like to scold women for causing trouble due to their beauty.”

Sui Jingcheng turned around to look at the senior sword immortal.

“I’ve achieved some success in regard to cultivating the mind, so I’m not the same person as I was before,” Chen Ping’an reassured with a faint smile.

However, he shot a glance at the veiled hat on the table.

Sui Jingcheng hurriedly put on the veiled hat.

Wang Dun suddenly said, “The two of you can’t be that outsider sword immortal and Sui Jingcheng, right? I heard that because of some matter pertaining to the Jade Person of the Sui Clan, the ninth-ranked Xiao Shuye was killed by an outsider sword immortal, with his head being brought back to the Green Shrine Nation by someone else. Fortunately, I was willing to sacrifice a huge sum of money to purchase a newspaper, or else I would have suffered a terrible loss.”

“Senior has good observation skills,” Chen Ping’an praised with a smile.

Wang Dun navigated around the counter and sat down at their table, saying, “Oh my, please take a seat and don’t be in a hurry to leave. I’ve always admired cultivators from the mountains, so I’m pleased to meet you. This is truly a fortunate encounter.”