Unsheathed

Chapter 556 (2): What’s Most Moving in the Mountains?

Zhu Lian raised his wine cup and took a loud sip of wine, with a blissful expression spreading across his face as he grabbed a soybean and smiled, shooting a sideways glance at Lu Baixiang and chuckling, “You can peacefully work as the leader of your demonic sect, and there’s no need to worry about my matters that are as small and trifling as soybeans.”

Lu Baixiang smiled and asked, “Why don’t you directly tell Chen Ping’an about Pei Qian voluntarily going to the bamboo building to practice fist techniques? Since you view this as a major matter, why are you still allowing Senior Cui to devastate Pei Qian’s true heart like that? Aren’t you afraid of things going over the top and Pei Qian’s martial arts journey being severed right in the beginning?”

Zhu Lian put down his half-raised wine cup and asked with a serious expression, “Do Cui Cheng’s fists only temper a martial artist’s physique? Is there any point if his fists don’t land on Pei Qian’s heart?”

He chuckled coldly before continuing, “Who can’t teach a martial arts prodigy like Little Pei? Who can’t teach her well? I’m able to teach her well, and so are you, Lu Baixiang. In fact, even Cen Yuanji might be able to teach her. To put things simply, Pei Qian will be able to learn very quickly as long as she wants to practice fist techniques herself, so quickly that even her master won’t dare to believe it. However, in terms of who can teach her the best? You and I can’t, and even Young Master won’t be able to!”

Zhu Lian slowly raised his arm and clenched his fist, saying, “When this fist lands, it needs to strike Pei Qian’s physique and heart strings and push them to within an inch of death, forcing her to accept her fate and admit defeat. However, she needs to rely on her last remaining breath to stand back up, insisting on facing another punch even though she’s already lost. She needs to achieve victory over herself.

“This is a principle that Pei Qian doesn’t explicitly understand but has learned from beyond the books, thanks to Young Master’s words and actions, which have landed firmly in her heart, taking root and bearing fruit. Cui Cheng coincidentally understands this very well, and he’s also able to train Pei Qian according to this principle. Are you able to do this, Lu Baixiang? To put things bluntly, Pei Qian won’t think that you have the right to teach her fist techniques. She’ll simply play dumb and ask you with a wide smile, ‘Who are you? How high is your cultivation base? Have you become an eleventh tier martial artist yet? If you have, then why don’t you shatter the heavens with a single punch? Why are you mucking around with me?’”

Zhu Lian chuckled by himself after saying this, downing the contents of his wine cup in a single gulp.

Lu Baixiang smiled and nodded in agreement.

Pei Qian was an incredibly clever and perceptive young girl.

“Do you think she’s aware of Cui Cheng’s cultivation base?” Zhu Lian asked with a smile. “Little Pei doesn’t know shit, and she only knows that her master’s fist techniques were tempered by that old geezer called Cui Cheng, one punch at a time. Thus, apart from her master, whom she views as loftier than heaven and earth, the only other person who has some right to teach her fist techniques is that old man on the second floor of the bamboo building. In Little Pei’s eyes, no one else has the right, regardless of their cultivation base.”

Zhu Lian extended a finger and casually drew a circle on the table, continuing, “Pei Qian speaks with no fear or restraint inside this circle.”

“What if Pei Qian’s martial arts cultivation base surpasses her master one day? Will she still be able to restrain herself at that time?” Lu Baixiang asked.

Zhu Lian snickered and replied, “Young Master already thought about this possibility several hundred years ago, so is there any need for an outsider like you to get worried for nothing? Do you think it’s as easy and relaxing as you teaching those two siblings fist techniques? You throw them a few fist stances and fist techniques for them to practice as they please, and you’ll simply feed them a few fists if you’re in a good mood? I’m not looking down on you, Lu Baixiang, but you should truly burn incense and thank the heavens as Yuan Bao and Yuan Lai’s master if they’re lucky enough to reach the dead end of fist techniques in the future.”

Lu Baixiang didn’t pay any heed to this.

Zhu Lian shook his head and lamented, “Those two pitiful children have ended up with a master who’s never viewed martial arts as the sole pursuit of his life. Even the master isn’t pure in his pursuit, so how can his disciples hope to achieve purity with their fist intent?”

Lu Baixiang chuckled and asked, “Then can I trouble you with extending a helping hand and rendering some assistance if the brother and sister truly face a life and death situation one day?”

Zhu Lian chuckled in response. “It’s difficult to say at the moment how Yuan Bao will turn out in the future, but I genuinely do have a brilliant plan if Yuan Lai wants to overcome a huge barrier.”

“I’m gifting those three immortal treasures to you in a private manner, so it’s completely up to you how you deal with them. I don’t care whether you give them to Downtrodden Mountain or keep them for yourself,” Lu Baixiang said.

“Then it’s a deal?” Zhu Lian asked as he took a sip of wine.

Lu Baixiang nodded in response.

Only after seeing this did Zhu Lian reveal his brilliant plan, saying, “In the future, we’ll ask Little Pei to beat Cen Yuanji half-dead with a single punch in front of Yuan Lai. That will easily do the trick, no?”

Lu Baixiang laughed heartily upon hearing this.

Zhu Lian pushed the half-empty plate of stir-fried soybeans toward Lu Baixiang, saying, “Always making money off friends and allies makes me feel uneasy and unconscionable. Thankfully, Mr. Lu is chivalrous and has given me the opportunity to tear down the east wall to mend the west wall. I’ll retrieve one of the three immortal treasures to give to Chen Lingjun in a moment. One pile of snowflake coins today and one lesser heat coin tomorrow, he’s already close to gambling all of his money away this year.”

Lu Baixiang recalled the little boy in azure who always acted in a proud and haughty manner, and he chuckled. “He’s paying the price for wanting to have face.”

“Wanting to have some face is a good thing,” Zhu Lian commented.

There was an amused expression in Lu Baixiang’s eyes as he looked at Zhu Lian.

“It’s Mountain God Wei who’s being shameless. What’s that got to do with me?” Zhu Lian said in a righteous manner.

Lu Baixiang smiled as he reached over to grab a stir-fried soybean.

Zhu Lian suddenly corrected himself and said, “Putting it this way would be unfair. If we want to be accurate, then it’s Brother Dafeng who’s being shameless, while Brother Wei and I are both relatively shy. We feel embarrassed and ashamed every single day.”

A deity dressed in white with a golden earring and an enchanting smile stood behind Zhu Lian and placed a hand on his shoulder, with his other hand gently motioning at the table. An immortal picture scroll that was as large as a calligraphy work materialized on the table, showing a hunch-backed man sitting on a stool near the entrance of the mountain, basking in the sun and picking at his toes. He showed his middle finger to Zhu Lian, causing the latter to yelp before leaning forward and pressing his upper body against the table.

Zhu Lian hurriedly raised the pot of wine and said with an obsequious smile, “Oh, Brother Dafeng is also present. One day apart feels like three years separated, and I’ve missed you so dearly. Come, come, come, let’s seize this opportunity to enjoy a pot of wine.”

Zheng Dafeng kept his middle finger raised, seemingly telling Zhu Lian to fuck off.

Zhu Lian paid no heed to this, pretending that he couldn’t hear anything as he turned around and grumbled to Wei Bo, “Why aren’t you channeling a mystical ability to deliver a pot of wine to Brother Dafeng?”

Wei Bo flicked his sleeve, delivering a pot of wine from Downtrodden Mountain to Zheng Dafeng, with the latter catching it in his hands.

Holding the picture scroll in one hand and holding a pot of wine in his other hand, Zhu Lian stood up and walked away, drinking wine and chatting with Zheng Dafeng as he did so. The two brothers enjoyed wine together even though they were tens of thousands of kilometers apart.

Lu Baixiang smiled and gestured for the formal mountain god to take a seat.

Wei Bo didn’t leave, but he didn’t sit down either, placing a hand on the armrest of the chair as he said with a chuckle, “Better a close neighbor than a distant relative, so I need to travel to the Central Mountain to visit the new mountain god. It’s coincidentally in the same direction as where you’re headed.”

“This doesn’t adhere to the rules of the mountains, does it?” Lu Baixiang asked in puzzlement.

Generally speaking, formal gods of a mortal nation’s Five Mountains wouldn’t meet with each other for no good reason.

Wei Bo smiled and replied, “I’ve hosted three Night Travel Banquets, and since the jurisdiction of the Central Mountain shares a significant border with my Northern Mountain, it’s only right that the mountain god of the Central Mountain should have attended one of the three banquets. However, since they were busy, I’m going to pay them a visit instead.

“In addition, Wu Yuan, the former parent official of the Dragon Spring Prefecture, is now serving as a prefectural overseer near the foot of the Central Mountain. That being the case, I can visit him to reminisce about the past. There’s also Mr. Xu of the Mohist Sect, who’s currently neighbors with the mountain god of the Central Mountain. I’m an old acquaintance with Mr. Xu, and during the previous Night Travel Banquet, he asked someone to deliver gifts to Cloud Drape Mountain in his stead. It’s only right that I express my gratitude in person.”

Lu Baixiang nodded in understanding. This was indeed reasonable.

The heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire destroyed countless empires and vassal states as it marched south, further sealing and eradicating thousands of illegal temples along the way, crushing countless gold statues in the process.

Meanwhile, Formal God Wei Bo of the Northern Mountain was the only mountain god who had received a gift of one hundred or so gold essence copper coins from the Great Li Empire’s Ministry of Revenue.

The four other new mountain gods of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Five Mountains were yet to enjoy this special benefit.

Zhu Lian and Zheng Dafeng continued to drink with each other in their own rooms, and the immortal picture scroll that Wei Bo had summoned wouldn’t be able to last too long, even though the immortal ship was still in the territory of the Northern Mountain.

“Is something the matter?” Zhu Lian asked.

Zheng Dafeng nodded and replied, “Old Man Cui suddenly wants to take Pei Qian on a trip to the Lotus Root Blessed Land. I didn’t say no, but I didn’t agree straight away either. I could only say that Wei Bo isn’t at Cloud Drape Mountain now, so they won’t be able to enter the blessed land even if they have that parasol leaf umbrella.”

Zhu Lian thought about this for a moment before saying in a solemn voice, “The longer you can delay your response, the better. You definitely have to delay things until Young Master returns to Downtrodden Mountain. Otherwise, the old man won’t be able to maintain his spirit and mental state anymore after his trip to the blessed land.”

Zheng Dafeng scratched his head and sighed with emotion, “Is it necessary for Chen Ping’an to see him one last time? Why do I feel like this will only add unnecessary sorrow to their parting? Old Man Cui’s decision to purposely leave now is also influenced by his own wishes.”

“It’s better to let them meet one final time,” Zhu Lian replied in helplessness.

“What about that money loser?” Zheng Dafeng asked.

“Don’t mention a single word about this to her,” Zhu Lian replied with a shake of his head.

Zheng Dafeng was sitting on his small stool and glancing at the mountain entrance nearby, sipping wine amid the blooming flowers of spring and under the warm sun overhead. This gave some additional flavor to the wine.

What was most moving in the mountains? It was the apricot blossoms of spring, blooming one after another.

He limped up to the mountain top and gazed at the small town in the west, with the sparse candles of midnight also accompanying the bright moon in the prefectural city to the north.

Zheng Dafeng enjoyed this kind of dull and monotonous life.

Moreover, he also looked forward to more people settling down at Downtrodden Mountain in the future.

It would naturally be better if there were more clever and beautiful young women.

“You need to keep a closer eye on the mountains,” Zhu Lian said with a smile.

Zheng Dafeng raised his pot of wine and pointed at the mountain entrance, replying, “Aren’t I keeping an eye on it right now? Am I derelecting my duty if I so much as let a single female fly sneak into the mountains?!”

————

Inside an immortal cave abode at Lion Peak.

Chen Ping’an’s flesh was mangled and bloody as he lay half-dead in a small boat. Li Er held a bamboo pole in his hand and rowed back to the dock as he said, “Your punches are almost quick enough, but you’re still lacking when it comes to power. This is presumably because you were too one-eyed in your pursuit of ending matters in a single punch in the past. Fights between martial artists sound simple and straightforward, but in reality, this isn’t the case. Stop thinking about ending fights in two or three punches all the time. If you get pulled into an extended standoff, what will you do as your punches keep weakening over time?”

Chen Ping’an nodded lightly, expressing his understanding.

In reality, Li Er had already noticed the flaw in Chen Ping’an’s fist intent after sparring with him the first time. Afterward, he had allowed Chen Ping’an to throw the first one hundred punches during their second sparring session, not counterattacking the entire time. Li Er had then thrown a single punch, not unleashing a great deal of power, and simply asking Chen Ping’an to withstand the punch without collapsing. Following that, Chen Ping’an’s breath of True Qi wasn’t allowed to deflate, and the fist intent of his next one hundred punches wasn’t allowed to decrease too much.

Li Er purposely created some openings in his defenses, and if Chen Ping’an were unable to forcefully summon his strength and ferociously attack these openings, then Li Er wouldn’t hold back either. His punches would cause his opponents to feel agonizing pain, even if they were Far Roaming Tier martial artists.

Today was the third sparring session, and Li Er changed his training method again, with the two of them exchanging punches from the beginning. Chen Ping’an unleashed his full strength, while Li Er only used half of his strength. After they stopped, Li Er asked Chen Ping’an how many times he had died just then.

Li Er nodded in approval after Chen Ping’an gave the correct answer, and he rewarded the young man with a single tenth tier punch, directly sending him from one side of the mirror to the other side. Li Er remarked that during life and death battles, one should push aside all thoughts of life and death instead of trying to remember these useless things. Otherwise, was one not seeking death by distracting oneself with these things?

Thankfully, Li Er’s fist only smashed into Chen Ping’an’s shoulder, just like the previous time. Could lying in a bathtub of medicine and having flesh regrow from the bone be regarded as painful? Only shattered bones mending together could be viewed as slightly painful. During this process, pure martial artists needed to guard their hearts and purposely magnify their senses, intimately experiencing the growth of their bones, tendons, and flesh. Only by doing so could they take a small step toward elementary mastery.

There was a crudely constructed thatched cottage at the dock, and this was the place where Chen Ping’an rested and recuperated.

Li Er felt like his punches were already very reserved, not forcing Chen Ping’an to recuperate for several days at a time. Even though Chen Ping’an would recover from his wounds each day, he would still accumulate lingering pain and suffer wounds on top of wounds during the subsequent sparring session. However, Li Er told Chen Ping’an to stabilize his fist intent, and this was equivalent to a martial artist being able to maintain their peak fist intent even as their physique became increasingly wounded and damaged.

Li Er didn’t say anything about the consequences if Chen Ping’an failed.

In any case, Chen Ping’an was able to satisfy his demands.

There didn’t exist so many complicated matters in the world.

As for whether someone else could endure sparring sessions like this? Li Er never thought about these types of questions.

Firstly, he couldn’t be bothered teaching other people. Secondly, Chen Ping’an could withstand his punches without much issue and continue to do so, while ordinary people would die in no time. That being the case, how could he teach them?

Li Er didn’t comment on whether Chen Ping’an was doing well or not.

In any case, how many punches Chen Ping’an could withstand was completely up to his own ability.

When Li Er rowed the boat to the dock, Chen Ping’an had already managed to stand up with much struggle.

This concluded today’s sparring session. Pursuing speed would be counterproductive, and there was also no need to relentlessly pursue volume and intensity. Chen Ping’an could rest for two or three days first.

In any case, Li Er needed to leave the mountains to check on his fabric store.

Chen Ping’an asked whether he could stay at the foot of the mountain for one or two days after he finished resting and recuperating.

Li Er smiled and replied that there was no problem. Chen Ping’an could treat this place like home.

Li Er left the mountains first.

Chen Ping’an squatted down beside the dock and endured the pain not only from his physical wounds, but also from his violently quivering soul. He gently smacked the bow of the small boat with his palm, causing it to suddenly sink into the water before quickly floating back up with a pop. This cycle immediately cleaned up the blood in the boat.

Only after doing this did Chen Ping’an make his way to the thatched cottage, bringing with him a bucket of water to boil. Each step caused him excruciating pain.

The next morning arrived, and Chen Ping’an changed into a set of clean clothes before also descending Lion Peak.

The fabric shop had just opened for the day, so Chen Ping’an ate some breakfast before helping Aunt Liu attract customers.

This was an eye-opening experience for Aunt Liu, and she surprisingly learned some business tactics from the young junior.

Some neighbors and residents who had argued with Aunt Liu before were unexpectedly showing hints of smiles when they saw her on the streets now.

Aunt Liu felt both happy and gloomy.

Chen Ping’an was such an impressive young man, so why wasn’t he her son-in-law?

And thus, when Li Liu finally returned home, she saw the young man who was busily selling fabric to customers.

Li Liu faltered upon seeing this.

She had only just stepped inside the fabric shop when her mother secretly extended two fingers and pinched her slender waist. However, Aunt Liu didn’t use much strength, seeing that the target was her daughter instead of her husband.

“You useless little thing,” Aunt Liu grumbled.

Li Liu smiled sweetly, appearing frail and gentle. When she arrived home, she was always the older sister of Li Huai and would accept whatever punishment came her way.

With Chen Ping’an helping to attract customers and Li Liu looking after the shop, Aunt Liu felt at ease as she went to the kitchen in the backyard to cook dinner. Li Er sat on a stool and blew air through a bamboo tube to control the flames.

There weren’t any customers in the fabric shop at the moment, so Chen Ping’an seized this opportunity to walk over to the counter where Li Liu was working an abacus, saying in a quiet voice, “It appears like I’ve caused Aunt Liu to misunderstand something. Sorry about this. However, Uncle Li has already helped me clear up the misunderstanding.”

Li Liu looked up and replied with a smile, “It’s okay.”

Chen Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief.

He then hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice and asking with a smile, “Can I ask you about something?”

Li Liu gently flicked the abacus beads, looking at her mother’s accounting book, which appeared like a ghost-drawn talisman as she calculated the expenditure and income of the fabric shop for the past while.

She looked up and replied with a faint smile, “I don’t like either Lin Shouyi or Dong Shuijing.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly astonished. He had initially thought that Li Liu would definitely like at least one of the two people.

However, there was genuinely no principle or reason behind liking people or disliking people.

Li Liu smiled and asked, “Did you not stay at Lion Peak because you feel like this mortal town, where you aren’t familiar with anyone, is more similar to the small town of your childhood? Meanwhile, you feel like your hometown is becoming increasingly unfamiliar?”

Chen Ping’an leaned against the counter and gazed at the street outside as he nodded in response.

Li Liu didn’t say anything else.

There was a short moment of silence before Li Liu closed the accounting book and announced with a smile, “We earned an extra three taels of silver.”

Chen Ping’an continued to lean against the counter as he held his hands inside his opposite sleeves and said with a faint smile, “I’m more talented at doing business than making pottery.”

“Have you heard about the events regarding the Refreshing Sect?” Li Liu asked.

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “I read about them in the immortal newspapers while I was traveling to Lion Peak on an immortal ship.”

After having dinner together, Chen Ping’an bade farewell and took his leave, choosing not to stay the night in Li Huai’s room.

Aunt Liu sighed in a melancholy manner, and when she turned around and saw no movement from Li Liu, she poked her daughter’s forehead and chided, “Why are you standing here in a daze? Go and see him off!”

Li Liu looked toward Li Er.

Li Er remained unmoving like a mountain.

Aunt Liu sighed in grief, mumbling that she would let this be. After all, something done by force wouldn’t be sweet.

Li Liu smiled beautifully, and Li Er also cracked a grin.

Aunt Liu shot a glare at Li Liu and remarked, “Li Huai takes after me, and you take after your dad.”

Chen Ping’an arrived at the mountain top of Lion Peak and walked through the restriction, entering the thatched cottage to sit quietly and rest his mind with his eyes closed for a short while. He then walked to the dock, picking up the bamboo pole and rowing the small boat to the huge mirror in the lake. He took off his shoes and left them in the small boat, after which he rolled up his sleeves and trousers and started to practice Zhang Shanfeng’s fist stance.