Unsheathed

Chapter 524 (3): The Principles of Chen Ping’an and Qi Jinglong

The sun and moon shifted positions, leading to a cycle of day and night.

When Chen Ping’an walked out of his room, Sui Jingcheng immediately followed suit and walked out of her own room.

Qi Jinglong didn’t say anything this time.

Chen Ping’an sat on the same bench in front of the lotus pond, and the lotus leaf on the bench was already starting to wilt, having lost all of its spiritual energy. It no longer appeared as lustrous and supple as before.

Sui Jingcheng didn’t sit on the bench this time, and she instead stood nearby.

She was lithe and graceful like a hibiscus.

Chen Ping’an drank wine from his Sword Nurturing Gourd as he said with a faint smile, “There’s no need to worry.”

“Even you’re not worried, so why would I feel worried?” Qi Jinglong replied with a smile.

Chen Ping’an turned around and said, “Sorry for troubling you with this.”

“Don’t mention it,” Qi Jinglong replied in a short and simple manner.

“Mr. Liu, do you have any unique understanding about the Buddhist concept of subduing one’s restless mind and wandering thoughts?”

Qi Jinglong shook his head and replied, “My understanding is surface-level and not worth a mention. I’ll tell you more about it if I’m able to gain a loftier understanding in the future.”

“I came across an enlightened eminent monk in the past, so I do actually have some thoughts regarding this concept. Care for a casual chat?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“I’d love to,” Qi Jinglong replied with a smile.

Chen Ping’an stood up and extended a hand, with his fingers rigid and hook-like as if he were restraining some item. “Does this count as subduing the restless mind and wandering thoughts?” he asked.

Qi Jinglong carefully mulled over this for a moment before shaking his head and replying, “If this is the first method used, then definitely not. If this is the final outcome, then it can’t be regarded as perfect either.”

Chen Ping’an nodded before squatting down and using a finger to casually draw two extremely shallow circles on the bluestone slabs surrounding the perimeter of the lotus pond. He then drew several lines in various other areas.

In the end, he extended his palm and wiped everything away, leaving only some faint and discontinuous smear marks.

“Is this a representation of our mind’s realm?” Qi Jinglong asked. “Our thoughts are wandering around without restraint in all directions, and even though it appears like they’re returning to the origin of our mind, a moment of carelessness might mean that some traces aren’t truly wiped away for good?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything, and he used his right hand to scoop up a small amount of water from the pond, standing near the circle and using his left hand to carefully place a drop of water in the center.

Qi Jinglong carefully gazed at this.

He then squatted down and lightly ran his hand over it.

It appeared as if there were no more water on the bluestone slab, yet upon closer inspection, thin strands of water continued to flow along the minute scratch marks of different lengths on the bluestone slab, emanating into the surroundings.

Chen Ping’an turned around and said with a smile, “Mr. Liu is correct.”

Qi Jinglong thought for a moment before asking, “But will our restless minds and wandering thoughts truly leave marks in our minds? Could they not be like the footprints left in deep snow, melting away and vanishing without a trace after being scorched by the blazing sun?”

The two of them fell deep into thought.

Sui Jingcheng squatted down near Chen Ping’an, opening her eyes wide and trying to discern something from the marks on the ground.

Otherwise, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for her to always be oblivious and confused?

When she looked up…

…She saw the senior sword immortal shooting a glance at her.

She returned to the bench, putting on an expression that made it seem as if she understood everything.

Chen Ping’an smacked his forehead and tossed away the water in his right hand, flicking his wrist and retrieving an azure Buddhist text. He stood up and handed the Buddhist text to Qi Jinglong, asking, “I don’t recognize Sanskrit characters, so are you able to identify which Buddhist scripture this chapter comes from?”

Qi Jinglong accepted the sheet of azure paper and chuckled, “Chapter? This is a complete Buddhist scripture.”

Chen Ping’an faltered for a moment before sitting down.

Qi Jinglong pondered for a moment before saying, “I won’t say too much about the contents, and you should ask a monk when you have the chance to visit a Buddhist temple in the future. Remember to look after it.”

Chen Ping’an put away the sheet of… a complete Buddhist scripture.

He suddenly chuckled and remarked, “This is fairly good too. Even though I don’t recognize the Sanskrit characters, I can still make transcriptions of this Buddhist scripture to calm my mind.”

Qi Jinglong nodded in response.

Chen Ping’an stood up, and he was just about to return to his room to make some transcriptions.

Sui Jingcheng wanted to say something, but she couldn’t help but hesitate.

“It’s okay,” Chen Ping’an said.

The rims of Sui Jingcheng’s eyes had already become red.

“Don’t think that you can escape your debt by doing this,” Chen Ping’an said in a serious voice.

Sui Jingcheng shot a glare at him before twisting her waist and sitting down on the bench.

Qi Jinglong kept his gaze straight ahead the entire time. He blinked and thought to himself that Mr. Chen was truly a master of his craft.

Perhaps he should ask for some guidance as well?

After all, Qi Jinglong felt slightly guilty when thinking about the gazes of those female cultivators both internal and external to his immortal force, and both inside and outside the mountains.

This was the troublesome aspect of always adhering to principles and speaking reason.

These troubles wouldn’t affect his cultivation of the Great Dao or the purity of his sword heart, but they would ultimately cause him to suffer many disappointments of his own making. He would be fine, but those female cultivators wouldn’t be fine. This wasn’t very good.

Chen Ping’an continued to cultivate in seclusion after completing his transcriptions for the day, and he made a fire to activate his Five-Colored Golden Box Cauldron.

This was his final opportunity to refine the five-colored soil from the Five Mountains of the Great Li Empire.

Night arrived.

Qi Jinglong was resting his mind with his eyes closed.

Sui Jingcheng was sitting there in a daze.

Qi Jinglong opened his eyes, turning around and exclaiming softly, “Why are you getting distracted? You’re facing a critical moment in your cultivation of the Great Dao, so why can’t you trust someone else for once? Perhaps you want to be alone every single time?!”

The slightly disorderly ripples in Chen Ping’an’s room calmed down and returned to normal.

Sui Jingcheng appeared slightly flustered as she asked, “Are there enemies attacking us? Is it immortals from the Golden Scale Palace?”

Qi Jinglong shook his head, but he didn’t say anything else.

A ray of white sword light and a streak of dazzling colors burst over from the horizon, with their booming sound loud enough to capture the attention of the entire Dragon Head Ferry Station.

Almost all of the cultivators in the inn glanced up at the sky. Meanwhile, everyone who was strolling around the inn or chatting in their courtyards quickly returned inside their rooms.

The ray of sword light landed on the opposite bank of the lotus pond, while the streak of dazzling light landed on a lotus leaf in the pond.

The former was Gu Mo, the final disciple of the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord, Li Yu. She was dressed in the unique Dao robe of external Heavenly Masters from Mount Longhu, with the bright red dawn clouds embroidered on the Dao robe hovering slowly and releasing a brilliant glow.

This Dao robe was named Profound Dawn, and it was a renowned garment once worn by the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord.

The other person was an outstanding Nascent Tier sword cultivator, but he wasn’t a Qi refiner from Spiritual Master Fire Dragon’s mountains.

Sure enough, it was just as he had expected.

Qi Jinglong came to an understanding.

Cultivators in the mountains, especially female cultivators, also had their own “bosom friends.”

The Profound Dawn Primordial Lord naturally wasn’t an exception either.

This being the case, it was understandable why that female sword immortal from the central region of the Northern Complete Reed Continent hadn’t gone to Stalactite Mountain.

She was probably waiting for her good friend, Li Yu, to exit seclusion.

Gu Mo saw Qi Jinglong, but due to the gulf between their cultivation bases, she failed to recognize that he was Terrestrial Flood Dragon “Liu Jinglong.”

However, the Nascent Tier sword cultivator saw through his illusion technique and said with a faint smile, “Duckweed Sword Lake’s Rong Chang pays his respects to Mr. Liu.”

The owner of Duckweed Sword Lake was Li Cai.

Sui Jingcheng’s expression was slightly strange. Why did she feel a sense of closeness and familiarity with this sword cultivator who claimed that he was from Duckweed Sword Lake? She shook her head, pushing these mysterious thoughts and feelings from her mind. She then shuffled her feet and moved behind Qi Jinglong.

Rong Chang couldn’t help but chuckle in speechlessness upon seeing this. However, he didn’t say anything as this was completely understandable. He simply needed to remain silent, lest he gild the lily and ruin his Great Dao.

Even so, Rong Chang felt slightly solemn after “reuniting” with her after such a long time.

According to his initial plans, Sui Jingcheng shouldn’t have faced so many obstacles and hardships on her path of cultivation.

Unexpectedly, however, the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord — a paramount cultivator who had a very close relationship with his master and had a very good chance of overcoming her life-and-death tribulation — had already passed away and departed from this world.

As a result, Gu Mo was in a most terrible mood as she traveled south, especially since she was Li Yu’s most treasured and favored disciple. They had come across several demonic dens that had been wreaking havoc for many years, and Gu Mo had unleashed her lightning techniques to shake the earth and split the mountains. One time, she would have placed herself in a perilous situation if it weren’t for Rong Chang drawing his sword and helping her fend off the furious and murderous Nascent Tier great demon.

The heavily wounded Gu Mo had continued to travel south, first visiting the Five Mountain Nation before following the traces and leads and returning to the Green Oriole Nation’s Dragon Head Ferry Station. She hadn’t rested or recuperated the entire time, and Rong Chang had failed to change her behaviour even after trying to persuade her two times, having no option but to give up in the end. Gu Mo wasn’t from the same immortal force as him, after all.

After learning of the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord’s passing, Rong Chang had immediately sent a messenger flying sword to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Bamboo Scroll Lake according to the agreement with his master.

Afterward, his master had quickly sent a reply messenger flying sword to Duckweed Sword Lake, instructing him to safeguard the well-being of Gu Mo and prevent any further accidents. Otherwise, Rong Chang’s master would hold him responsible.

Rong Chang was extremely familiar with the temperament of his master, Li Cai. She definitely hadn’t been speaking in anger.

His master’s temperament was very simple and straightforward, meaning that there was no need for her disciples to baselessly speculate about anything. For example, Li Cai was extremely displeased with Rong Chang’s failure to advance to the Upper Five Tiers after so long, so she would physically lash out and teach him a lesson each time she saw him. Even if Rong Chang were only traveling to and from the mountain on his sword, he would still be brought to the ground by a single sword strike if he were unfortunate enough to be caught by his master who was enjoying the scenery in a rare change of pace.

This was a major matter, after all.

Even though Gu Mo was in a terrible mood, she still honored her agreement with Duckweed Sword Lake’s Rong Chang and said to the young woman standing behind Qi Jingcheng, “You’re Sui Jingcheng, correct? You can be regarded as an unofficial disciple of my master, the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord, and I, Gu Mo, will be your Dao guardian in the future. However, apart from teaching you one sword manipulation technique, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to travel with complete freedom in the future. Whether it’s the mountains or the waters, you can go anywhere you want without any restraint.

“The Bamboo Robe Dao Robe that you’re wearing will also officially belong to you from now on. However, you need to return one of the three golden hairpins, the one with the characters ‘Profound Dawn Commanding Ghosts.’ Our immortal force has different plans for this hairpin. However, I won’t shortchange you, and I’ll compensate you with an immortal treasure of equivalent grade.”

As for Liu Jinglong, he was using an illusion technique anyway, so Gu Mo pretended that she hadn’t seen him and couldn’t recognize him.

She had heard that he was a strange person with an extremely high cultivation base and exceptional talent, yet he liked to speak in a very fussy and pedantic manner.

Gu Mo was unwilling to make polite small talk with him.

As for interpersonal relationships?

Those from the Profound Dawn branch only had relationships with the cultivators whom they had battled alongside in the past, and these cultivators would be treated as esteemed guests of the mountain even if they were only at the Lower Five Tiers. Otherwise, what did it matter even if one were at the Upper Five Tiers?

Sui Jingcheng faltered for a moment before gritting her teeth and walking to Qi Jinglong’s side, asking carefully, “I want to visit the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Can I?”

Gu Mo, who was still standing on a lotus leaf, glanced back at Rong Chang.

Rong Chang smiled faintly and replied, “It’s best that you stay in the Northern Complete Reed Continent.”

Because if everything were going to plan, then his master, Li Cai, was already making her way back to the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Sui Jingcheng hurriedly retrieved the three golden hairpins and said, “I can return all three golden hairpins to you, and if it’s possible, I want to cultivate with a certain senior. Of course, only if it’s possible. However, if the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord doesn’t agree and wants me to remain as an unofficial disciple, then can I at least visit the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent first? After I’m done, I’ll return to the Northern Complete Reed Continent by myself to apologize to the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord…”

“Enough with the nonsense!” Gu Mo shouted in fury.

Rong Chang also felt slightly conflicted.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Sui Jingcheng’s request, but it coincidentally jabbed one of Gu Mo’s biggest pain points.

It would be a huge misfortune for a primordial lord to pass away at any sect-level immortal force, not to mention that Gu Mo was Li Yu’s direct disciple.

Qi Jinglong sighed in his mind, realizing that a significant problem had most likely occurred with the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord.

However, he still said in a calm and composed voice, “Why don’t we discuss things in a calm and civil manner?”

Gu Mo had a frosty expression as she glared at Qi Jinglong and exclaimed, “Does an outsider like you have any right to speak?!”

Qi Jinglong remained unfazed as he continued, “My friend is currently at a critical stage of refining his bonded item, and both Miss Gu and Sword Immortal Rong should be aware of this. That being the case, why don’t we sit down and discuss things slowly?”

Sui Jingcheng nodded earnestly, with her palm still open and outstretched to offer the three golden hairpins.

Rong Chang suddenly furrowed his brows.

Please don’t be that tribulation!

That tribulation was seemingly harmless, yet it was the most difficult to sever cleanly out of all tribulations in the mountains.

In reality, the passing of the Profound Dawn Primordial Lord affected the cultivation catalyst of this young woman to a certain degree. As a result, things would become even more troublesome if she fell victim to another tribulation.

If that were the case, then Rong Chang would no longer be able to idly stand by.

Some small ripples in the mind could be suppressed in the beginning, but if these romantic feelings were allowed to develop unhindered, then they would be like the lotus pond in this courtyard transforming into a lotus field. How could these feelings be severed at that time? If they were severed, would they not damage the foundation of one’s Great Dao?

Qi Jinglong sighed and said softly, “The path of the Great Dao is difficult to navigate, and seeking speed will inhibit one from reaching one’s destination. Should these matters not be contemplated slowly? It’s not an unreasonable request for you to wait for a while longer, is it?”

Gu Mo chuckled coldly and retorted, “A while? Is that two hours or half a day?”

Qi Jinglong frowned upon hearing this, but he still replied in a calm and gentle manner, “I sincerely ask the two of you to wait until my friend has finished his refinement, after which the three parties can discuss these matters. Only those involved can resolve this situation, and perhaps that will be more insightful and effective than us trying to make a hurried decision straight away.”

Rong Chang felt like Qi Jinglong wasn’t wrong.

However, what was troublesome was the fact that it was indeed true that only those involved could resolve the situation. But what if that person was foolish and unwilling to help? What if he provoked Sui Jingcheng slightly and made the situation even more difficult to resolve, especially given her current mental state?

This caused Rong Chang to feel extremely conflicted.

Gu Mo snickered and replied, “What, are you going to rely on your powerful background and lofty cultivation base to make yourself sound reasonable? I truly don’t understand you. You’re an outsider, so what right do you have to make demands of us? Do you not feel ashamed?”

Qi Jinglong shook his head and replied, “This is an interlinked dilemma right now, so if the two of you are truly doing this for the sake of Sui Jingcheng’s Great Dao, then shouldn’t you listen to her thoughts as well? How can you be so sure that your good intentions won’t lead to bad results? Now that things have come to this, many hidden troubles can’t be escaped anymore.

“I’m sure that my friend will listen to your principles when he leaves his room, and if we discover that Miss Sui’s principles are indeed too limited and my principles are indeed too biased, then that will be best, and everything will be easy to resolve. Otherwise, we can also come together to discuss a solution, and only when all three parties make sense of the situation can we truly undo the knot in Miss Sui’s heart…”

“Liu Jinglong, do you not find yourself annoying?!” Gu Mo fumed. “Is there any need for your opinion regarding such minor matters? She can hand over the golden hairpin and leave Dragon Head Ferry Station with us, and apart from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, where else in the Northern Complete Reed Continent can’t she go in the future?”

Sui Jingcheng turned around and glanced at the senior sword immortal’s room before taking a deep breath and saying, “I can leave with the two of you.”

Qi Jinglong suddenly turned around and asked with a faint smile, “Are you afraid of causing trouble for Mr. Chen? Or have you genuinely changed your mind?”

Sui Jingcheng was on the verge of tears as she tightly gripped the three golden hairpins in her hand.

Qi Jinglong nodded and asked, “What if I say that your senior can refine his bonded item in peace as long as I, Qi Jinglong, am standing here? What will your decision be then? I can give you a concrete answer this time, and I can guarantee that Chen Ping’an’s refinement won’t be affected by anything other than his own abilities. I don’t dare to say whether he’ll succeed or not, but my presence will be enough to ensure that no accidents happen outside his room tonight.”

Tears brimmed in Sui Jingcheng’s eyes as she replied, “Even if I’m forced to leave tonight, I still want to say goodbye to Senior first. But I’m still afraid…”

Qi Jinglong turned around and chuckled, “What are you afraid of? Do you truly think that Mr. Chen and Mr. Liu’s principles can’t be used effectively?”

There was a flustered look on Sui Jingcheng’s face.

Qi Jinglong nodded and continued, “Refraining from certain actions is to allow us to engage in other actions.”

He then looked toward the angrily laughing Gu Mo and said, “I know that Miss Gu isn’t a rude and unreasonable person, and it’s because of your unstable Dao Heart that you’re speaking in such a manner right now.”

After saying this, Qi Jinglong turned to the Nascent Tier sword cultivator from Duckweed Sword Lake and continued, “I also know that Sword Immortal Rong has good intentions, and it’s because of the worries weighing on your mind that you’re acting in such a manner.”

Gu Mo chuckled coldly and remarked, “Oh? And is it time for you to say ‘but’ now?!”

Qi Jinglong smiled and shook his head, replying, “Me standing here embodies that ‘but.’ There’s no need for me to explicitly say it.”

Rong Chang thought for a moment before proposing, “I only ask for a single sword strike. What do you say?”

Qi Jinglong nodded in response before shifting his gaze, no longer looking at Rong Chang and instead looking at Gu Mo, with his face expressionless as he said, “It’s your turn now.”

Gu Mo was extremely shocked and terrified, and she immediately turned her head to look back.

Rong Chang remained unmoving as he said with a bitter smile, “Sure enough, both of you were holding back during your battle at Temper Mountain.”

Right now, this Nascent Tier sword cultivator from Duckweed Sword Lake was seemingly trapped inside a small world.

This was a small world formed from countless wisps of pure sword intent.

Qi Jinglong’s bonded flying sword was called “Regulation,” a name derived from a scripture written by a past Confucian sage. However, almost no one in the Northern Complete Reed Continent knew about the bonded mystical ability of this flying sword, which had a very strange name.

Gu Mo gritted her teeth, with her hands starting to tremble as her face became as pale as a sheet.

“Calm your mind and compose your breathing! Don’t move carelessly!” Qi Jinglong shouted softly.

As if receiving a wake-up call, Gu Mo took a deep breath and finally managed to regain her senses. There was a complicated look in her eyes as she looked at the sword cultivator in azure.

Right at this moment, a young man also wearing an azure robe like Qi Jinglong walked out of his room and said, “Apologies for making the two of you wait for so long.”