Unsheathed

The Celestial Water Nation was long renowned for its abundance of lakes and rivers. The vast majority of its provinces, prefectures, and cities, including even the capital city, were constructed on islands of different sizes. Hence, the nation’s transportation water channels were always very busy. There was a large stream that fed into a lake by the name of the Peach Blossom Stream.

The stream’s current was always very gentle, and its banks were lined with peach trees. It was a very popular tourist destination, particularly for esteemed scholars and elites of neighboring nations.

Chen Ping’an was making his way along the stream, but instead of following it directly to a lakeside county, he went down a small path to arrive at an immortal paradise called the Peach Blossom Ferry Station. Cultivators could enter the ferry station simply by dispelling a rudimentary illusion, and upon entering the secret area beyond, they would be met with a whole new world.

There was a lush mountain in the Peach Blossom Ferry Station, one that was surrounded by a small and peaceful lake. The water in the lake was green, and there were white clouds suspended in the sky above the ferry station all year round, resembling an azure-robed immortal wearing a white crown. All of the ships that passed through the area had to go through the sea of clouds, and as a result, they were often concealed from the mortals below.

The Peach Blossom Ferry Station belonged to the number immortal abode of the Celestial Water Nation, the Rainbow Sparrow Residence, which was occupied solely by female cultivators. They excelled in refining the water of the Peach Blossom Stream and using many types of immortal plants in conjunction with an ancient secret technique to weave a type of special Dao robe.

At the very most, the entire Rainbow Sparrow Residence was only able to produce six of these Dao robes a year, and apparently, all of their future Dao robes to be produced over the next century had already been pre-ordered by all of the major sects in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

They were mostly being purchased by various official immortals to be presented to their direct disciples of the Lower Five Tiers as a celebratory gift for when they reached the Middle Five Tiers.

When it came to traveling by immortal ship, Chen Ping’an was already very well-versed in the process, and he entered a tall building at the ferry station to enquire about the costs. From there, he paid some immortal coins in exchange for a peach wood badge that had a piece of beautiful scenery engraved upon it.

The ship was going to set off at midnight for the Dragon Palace Small World, and it was going to be making many stops along the way to allow for its passengers to disembark and explore the various immortal tourist attractions dotted along the route. This method of earning money was actually also seen in that underground dragon channel of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island.

The passengers enjoyed seeing the scenery and purchasing some specialty local products along the way, and the local immortal powers certainly weren’t going to turn away customers. The immortal ship also received some dividends from these immortal powers for bringing customers to their doorstep, and it was a win-win-win situation for everyone.

The Rainbow Sparrow Residence had also specially set up a Celestial Robe Workshop at the ferry station, where tourists could witness the dozen or so processes involved in weaving Dao robes free of charge.

Chen Ping’an naturally wasn’t going to miss out on something like this. He entered the workshop along with a large group of fellow passengers from the ship, and they were led through a long corridor that was lined with rooms, all of which were filled with young female cultivators toiling away.

The rooms further down the corridor were where the Dao robes truly began to take ship, and the interiors of those rooms were illuminated by radiant light emanating from the Dao robes as they approached completion.

Chen Ping’an was interested in purchasing a Dao robe, but he was a complete novice when it came to Dao robes, so he was concerned that his bartering would be ineffective, and he would end up purchasing a Dao robe for far more than it was worth.

Even though official immortals were generally wealthier than vagrant cultivators, the former often saved more money than the latter in many transactions because sellers were likely to consider the backgrounds of their official immortal customers when stating their prices. In contrast, the vast majority of vagrant cultivators had no powerful backing, so no one had any qualms about charging them full price for their goods.

Chen Ping’an was confident that the Rainbow Sparrow Residence was definitely keeping a few of its finest Dao robes on hand, as well as a batch of finished Dao robes that it could bring out in case of emergencies. Of course, they wouldn’t be willing to sell this stock to any ordinary cultivator.

Chen Ping’an was feeling a little disappointed that Qi Jinglong wasn’t with him. Otherwise, he would surely be able to negotiate a fair price with the cultivators of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence.

If a senior figure among the Rainbow Sparrow Residence cultivators just so happened to have been an admirer of Qi Jinglong’s and insisted on selling him a Dao robe at cost price, then who was Chen Ping’an to stop them?

Chen Ping’an was feeling very dejected as he left the Celestial Robe Workshop. Even in the case of incredibly wealthy and powerful immortal sects with countless Dao robes piled up in their treasure chambers, there would still always be demand for more.

This was why demand always far outweighed supply when it came to Dao robes and Militarian armor pellets.

Cultivators were able to enjoy long lives without having to fear any illnesses, so the only way their lives could be cut short would be if they were struck down by some unforeseen mishap. Dao robes and armor pellets were incredibly useful in protecting one in the case of such unforeseen mishaps, so no one would ever complain about having too many of them.

Chen Ping’an had only just left the workshop when he was approached by a female cultivator with a very dignified appearance.

Clearly, she was one of the decision-makers of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence, and Chen Ping’an stopped in his tracks, then cupped his fist in a salute toward the woman.

The woman returned the salute, then smiled as she said, “I am a disciplinary elder of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence’s ancestral hall. My name is Wu Qun.”

Chen Ping’an was rather perplexed. This woman hadn’t been in the workshop earlier, and he didn’t know why she had come to see him, but he still reciprocated with a self-introduction of his own, declaring, “My name is Chen Haoren.”

He stated his false alias with not even the slightest hint of embarrassment.

The woman had encountered more than her fair share of secretive cultivators in the past, and she didn’t even bat an eyelid at Chen Ping’an’s clearly false alias. After a brief hesitation, she cut straight to the point, asking, “May I ask if you’re familiar with Liu Jinglong of the Great Emblem Sword Sect?”

“Who on the Northern Complete Reed Continent isn’t familiar with Liu Jinglong?” Chen Ping’an countered with a smile.

On the Northern Complete Reed Continent, people habitually referred to Qi Jinglong by his name that was recorded in the ancestral hall of the Great Emblem Sword Sect, which was Liu Jinglong.

Chen Ping’an hadn’t asked Qi Jinglong about this, and the latter hadn’t revealed anything to him, either.

Wu Qun was rather amused by this response.

It was rather insincere, but it was also an accurate statement.

“At the moment, the head of our residence is in seclusion, but she once had the fortune of traveling with Mr. Liu for some time, and her cultivation benefitted immensely from their time together,” Wu Qun explained with a smile. “She has always admired Mr. Liu greatly for his character, and it’s always been a source of disappointment for her that Mr. Liu has never passed through our residence.”

Wu Qun was dealing in half-truths here. The current head of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence was very young, and in terms of seniority, she was actually Wu Qun’s junior niece. However, her aptitude was far superior to Wu Qun’s, and on the path of cultivation, power reigned supreme, particularly on the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

The truth was that the young head of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence didn’t just admire Liu Jinglong, she harbored strong romantic feelings for him. As opposed to going into seclusion as Wu Qin proclaimed, she had actually set off in a hurry to pursue Liu Jinglong after sensing the aura of his flying sword when he released into the heavens to pay homage to the fallen sword immortal.

Her goal was to orchestrate a “chance encounter” between the two, and Wu Qun naturally didn’t see it fit to reveal the truth to Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an immediately realized that she wasn’t telling the truth.

The head of the residence going into seclusion was a major event, and this claim ran contrary to how placid and tranquil things appeared at the Rainbow Sparrow Residence and the Peach Blossom Ferry Station.

Furthermore, an ancestral hall disciplinary elder wasn’t necessarily the most powerful cultivator in a sect, but they often the most experienced of the bunch, if the head of their residence truly had gone into seclusion, then Wu Qun definitely wouldn’t have casually revealed this to an outsider.

Taking into account the supposed “admiration” that the head of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence supposedly harbored toward Qi Jinglong, Chen Ping’an quickly realized that she had most likely set off in secret to intercept Liu Jinglong on his northbound journey back to his sect.

Even though Wu Qun wasn’t telling him the entire truth, she had already revealed to him as much as she could, and that was a display of sincerity in itself. Hence, Chen Ping’an decided to reciprocate, revealing in a candid fashion, “I am indeed familiar with Qi Jinglong.”

He had switched back to the name that he used when speaking to Qi Jinglong.

Wu Qun’s expression remained unchanged, but she was slightly shaken by his admission from Chen Ping’an.

She had guessed this to be the case, but even for a Golden Core Tier earth immortal like herself, she was still struck by a subtle sense of pressure upon receiving confirmation that the man standing before her was indeed an acquaintance of Liu Jinglong’s.

Back when Liu Jinglong released his sword to the heavens, the head of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence was able to immediately identify him based on the aura of his flying sword.

However, at the time, he had clearly been accompanied by another sword immortal, who had released a total of three flying swords to the heavens to join Liu Jinglong in paying homage to the fallen sword immortal!

Wu Qun was not an idiot.

If the black-robed swordsman standing before her had revealed even the cultivation base of an earth immortal swordsman upon his arrival at the Peach Blossom Ferry Station, then began insisting to her that he was a close friend of Liu Jinglong’s, she wouldn’t have believed him at all.

However, this was a completely unknown swordsman who had joined Liu Jinglong on the same mountain summit in paying their respects to the fallen sword immortal. Even if someone like him were to proclaim that he didn’t know Liu Jinglong, Wu Qun would’ve been entirely unconvinced.

No one in the cultivation world of the Northern Complete Reed Continent feared Liu Jinglong, whether it be official immortals or vagrant cultivators, because he was renowned for not killing innocents and not using his power to oppress others.

However, at the same time, even cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers were somewhat afraid of having to face Liu Jinglong in battle, regardless of the final outcome.

Liu Jinglong was also renowned for thinking about things extensively and espousing principles wherever he went, so if even he felt inclined to draw his sword, then his opponent would inevitably feel a little unsure of themselves. Could it be that I’ve really done something wrong? Am I going to become a public enemy of the entire cultivation world, or lose some forms of protection that I would’ve normally been naturally entitled to?

Reputation was extremely important for cultivators, even those considered evil and unscrupulous. Killing innocents out of pure bloodlust and justifiable ruthlessness were two completely different things.

This was what made Liu Jinglong so revered.

Among the top ten cultivators of the Northern Complete Reed Continent’s younger generation, the first and second-ranked figures on the list had vastly contrasting personalities, but one of the few things that they saw eye to eye on was their shared respect for Liu Jinglong. As for the seven people below Liu Jinglong, those people were hardly worth even a second look in their eyes.

In fact, the second-ranked prodigy on the list, Xu Xuan, who was also the only disciple of the number one sword immortal in the north, Bai Shang, had once publicly declared that the seven people that came after Liu Jinglong were all useless trash.

This declaration had created a massive stir at the time, and it was said that the fourth-rank vagrant cultivator, Huang Xi, had staged a sneak attack on Xu Xuan over his arrogant comments, but the specific details and the outcome of that encounter were unknown.

The only telltale signs that perhaps indicated what had transpired was that Xu Xuan continued to be very lackadaisical in his cultivation, often posing as a weak and frail scholar who traveled the world with his two sword-bearing maidservants, while no one heard from Huang Xi for several years.

“Senior Wu, may I ask if the Rainbow Sparrow Residence has spare Dao robes that it would be willing to sell?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Of course, but they’re not cheap,” Wu Qun replied with a smile. “The Dao robes being produced in this Celestial Robe Workshop are only ones of lowest caliber produced by our Rainbow Sparrow Residence, meant for Abode Tier cultivators. Above this, we keep stock on two other types of Dao robes, meant for Sea Observation and Dragon Gate Tier cultivators, and Golden Core and Nascent Tier cultivators.”

Wu Qun had taken the initiative to show herself here because she wanted to know just what this friend of Liu Jinglong’s was all about. If she could befriend him, then that would be immensely beneficial to the Rainbow Sparrow Residence and count as a major contribution.

Given the long lifespans of cultivators, favors were taken particularly seriously.

A favor earned today could turn into a massive blessing tomorrow.

Of course, on the flip side, certain actions and words that inadvertently caused offense to others could also result in catastrophic consequences further down the line.

This had always been the case on the Northern Complete Reed Continent, so Wu Qun was actually glad that Chen Ping’an had taken the initiative to ask about purchasing Dao robes.

The Rainbow Sparrow Residence was very well-versed in doing business with other cultivators.

If the head of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence hadn’t met Liu Jinglong in the past, what could Lord possibly talk about with her even if he came to the Peach Blossom Ferry Station? Were they supposed to discuss life principles and swordsmanship?

On this occasion, it was only because of Liu Jinglong that Wu Qun had been willing to come and see Chen Ping’an. Otherwise, even if she had been curious about this foreign cultivator wearing a precious Dao robe, she would’ve chosen to mind her own business and turned a blind eye to him.

“May I ask for the prices of those two types of Dao robes?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Instead of providing an answer, Wu Qun smiled as she proposed, “How about we take a walk together while we chat? There’s a teahouse over at our Peach Blossom Ferry Station, and the tea there is brewed using peach blossom water, while the tea leaves are unique to the mountain behind our Colorful Sparrow Residence.

“We have a total of twelve old tea trees, and a special breed of rainbow sparrow that we keep is used to pick the tea leaves before bouts of rain, following which the tea leaves are roasted by our cultivators using a secret technique. The tea that we serve at the teahouse has earned universal praise from all of our esteemed guests, and the teahouse is not open to the public. We can continue our conversation in more detail there.”

As the guest, Chen Ping’an was naturally happy to comply with the wishes of his host, and he was thinking to himself that it would be great if he could purchase some of these tea leaves along with the Dao robes.

At the moment, Chen Ping’an was still a traveling salesman, and he knew that rarity was one of the main determining factors of something’s value. If something were unique to one place and couldn’t be found anywhere else, then the people with access to that thing could state whatever price they pleased.

Chen Ping’an was never going to turn down any business opportunity that was sure to make a profit. It was just like how he had purchased those paintings back in Mural City. In order to secure a good price on them, he had bartered extensively with Pang Lanxi, knowing that he would surely be able to turn a profit on the paintings during his travels.

Upon arriving at the peaceful teahouse, Wu Qun led Chen Ping’an straight to a lakeside pavilion. They were joined by a female cultivator, who had come to brew tea for them, and Wu Qun introduced the woman as the shopkeeper of the teahouse.

Wu Qun told Chen Ping’an that the Rainbow Sparrow Residence’s current stock on hand consisted of two top-tier Dao robes and sixteen mid-tier Dao robes, with the former priced at fifteen grain rain coins per robe, while the latter only cost five.

After some contemplation, Chen Ping’an decided that he was going to purchase some Dao robes, but at a later date.

This wasn’t because he was so short on funds that he couldn’t even afford a single top-tier Dao robe from the Rainbow Sparrow Residence.

He had been earning money over the course of this entire journey, and setting aside everything else, his Pi Fu shop on the prime real estate of the Spring Dew Garden’s Old Locust Street and the Luminous Jade Cliff that he had scammed Liu Zhiqing out of could both be sold for exorbitant sums of immortal coins. Additionally, he also had some valuable items in his possession.

However, there was still a long journey ahead of him, and Dao robes were never a necessity for him to begin with, so there was no need for him to purchase them in a hurry.

Chen Ping’an was very open and candid, asking Wu Qun if the Rainbow Sparrow Residence could set two Dao robes aside for him. He told her that within the next few years, he would inform the Rainbow Sparrow Residence of whether he was going to purchase them or not.

Wu Qun had been worried that Chen Ping’an wanted to purchase the Rainbow Sparrow Residence’s entire stock at once. There was never a shortage of demand for Dao robes of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence, so if Chen Ping’an wanted to purchase everything that they had, then they would actually be losing out on money with each additional Dao robe sold.

Even if they would be selling Chen Ping’an a favor by allowing him to purchase their entire stock, it would still be a difficult financial loss for the Rainbow Sparrow Residence to stomach.

Hence, this request from Chen Ping’an came as quite a relief to Wu Qun. As long as they agreed to set two Dao robes aside for him, regardless of whether he decided to purchase them or not, he would owe the Rainbow Sparrow Residence a favor.

Enthused by this turn of events, the normally not so talkative Wu Qun decided to chat with Chen Ping’an a little longer, much to the surprise of the teahouse’s shopkeeper, who couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at the young and mild-mannered black-robed swordsman.

Wu Qun was a disciplinary elder, so she generally didn’t get involved in the Rainbow Sparrow Residence’s business dealings, therefore making it all the more remarkable that she was discussing business with this young man.

Chen Ping’an displayed immaculate manners, never drinking while Wu Qun was speaking and only lowering his head to sip on tea whenever there was a pause in Wu Qun’s words. Additionally, he would thank the shopkeeper each time she refilled his cup.

One could fake their words and expressions, but it was very difficult to fake one’s disposition and the look in their eyes.

The more time the shopkeeper spent observing Chen Ping’an, the more convinced she became that he had to have been an official immortal from a mighty immortal sect, much like Yang Ningxing of the Lofty Cloud Palace.

During the course of their conversation, Wu Qun naturally took it upon herself to promote to Chen Ping’an how brilliant and exquisite the Dao robes of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence were.

When it came to the immortal artifacts of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, there was an exclusive group that was considered to be the undisputed best that the continent had to offer.

They were the spirit armor of the Three Official Attendant Temple, the flying swords forged by Hatred Sword Mountain that were replicas of the bonded flying swords of various mighty sword immortals, the crimson, purple, and azure kasaya of the Buddhist Radiance Monastery, and the crane feather robes of the Lofty Cloud Palace.

Outside of that, there were four other sects that each had their own unique and highly sought-after products. Among them, the Dao robes of Old Lord Alley were the best-selling Dao robes on the entire continent. However, almost all of their Dao robes were exclusively supplied to the Jade Forest Sect, and as a result, their prices were severely artificially inflated.

Even so, the Lustrous Robe, of which Old Lord Alley produced only one of every sixty years, was still the primary choice of all of Upper Five Tiers cultivators of the Northern Complete Reed Continent who weren’t sword immortals.

In addition to that, Old Lord Alley also supplied the suits of imperial armor worn by the emperors of mortal empires. These suits of armor were extremely luxurious and splendid, and even though they were sneered upon by cultivators as nothing more than glorified embroidered robes that were all style and no substance, they were still held in very high regard by mortal emperors.

Then came the Dao robes produced by the Rainbow Sparrow Residence.

Chen Ping’an knew that the reason why the Rainbow Sparrow Residence was losing to Old Lord Alley was because the latter had access to a top-tier secret technique, one that made their Lustrous Robes fit to be worn even by cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers. This was nothing short of a blessing from the heavens, and it was something that the Rainbow Sparrow Residence couldn’t hope to replicate.

The other advantage that Old Lord Alley had over the Rainbow Sparrow Residence was its superior number of cultivators and sources of natural treasures. There were certain avenues through which the Rainbow Sparrow Residence could secure better resources.

For example, they could work with the Jade Forest Sect to make an arrangement in which the Rainbow Sparrow Residence supplied all the skill and labor, while the Jade Forest Sect provided all the resources and materials.

However, such an arrangement would make the Rainbow Sparrow Residence overly reliant on the Jade Forest Sect, and if they weren’t careful, they could be reduced to a subsidiary sect of the Jade Forest Sect in several centuries’ time.

Another problem with such an arrangement was that the Jade Forest Sect did not have a good reputation on the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

There had been countless jabs thrown at the founder of the Jade Forest Sect by cultivators from all over the continent, mocking the fact that he had only been able to reach the Unpolished Jade Tier thanks to the sheer weight of his incredible wealth.

Chen Ping’an continued to chat with Wu Qun for a while, and at the end of their conversation, he declared that he was planning to reside in the lakeside pavilion until the intercontinental ship resumed its journey to the Dragon Palace Small World. Wu Qun was more than happy to accommodate him, and she instructed the shopkeeper of the teahouse to look after him well.

Following Wu Qun’s departure, Chen Ping’an apologized to the shopkeeper for his intrusion, and the shopkeeper was very startled, hurriedly replying by telling him that it was no trouble at all, and that she was honored to be able to serve tea to a sword immortal like himself.

That night, Chen Ping’an sat alone in the lakeside pavilion, closing his eyes to rest.

It was a very peaceful night, and it was on nights like these when the thoughts normally condensed in the bottom of one’s heart tended to rise to the surface.

All of the people I care about are so far away. Ning Yao, Liu Xianyang, and Gu Can as well.