Unsheathed

The Flax Robe Sect intercontinental ship was dragged along by an armor of heroic spirit laborers, racing above the sea of clouds.

The ship began to slow as it approached the Ox Horn Mountain ferry station before finally drawing to a halt.

As Chen Ping’an and Cui Dongshan disembarked from the ship, they were greeted by the waiting Wei Bo. At the moment, Zhu Lian was situated in Old Dragon City, while Zheng Dafeng claimed that he had rolled his ankle, an injury that would keep him bedridden for months, so he had requested that Cen Yuanji take his place as gatekeeper.

“Please send us to the foot of Downtrodden Mountain,” Chen Ping’an requested with a smile.

Wei Bo gave a relieved nod, and the three of them instantly vanished before appearing at the entrance of the mountain.

Upon spotting the trio, Cen Yuanji was just about to stand up, but the three of them had already begun scaling the mountain. Chen Ping’an gave her a nod of acknowledgement, then gestured for her to remain seated and continue with her cultivation. Cen Yuanji wasn’t good at making small talk, and her impression of Chen Ping’an was also rather lackluster, so she remained seated and closed her eyes as she continued to circulate her True Qi throughout her body.

“I’m assuming you already know everything?” Wei Bo asked.

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

Cui Cheng had left behind a posthumous note in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, not on the second floor, but on the desk on the first floor, and the envelope read “To be opened by Nuanshu.”

According to Cui Cheng’s final wishes, he didn’t want to be buried. Instead, he wanted his own ashes to be scattered anywhere in the Lotus Root Blessed Land without delay. Furthermore, everyone was instructed to disregard any demands made by the ancestral hall of the Cui Clan. The note explicitly stated that if anyone from the Cui Clan’s ancestral hall dared to set foot on Downtrodden Mountain, then they would be driven away by force.

“Pei Qian has chosen to stay in the Lotus Root Blessed Land this entire time, and she told us to inform her when you come back,” Wei Bo explained. “Zhou Mili also went to the Lotus Root Blessed Land to keep Pei Qian company.

“Chen Lingjun has left Downtrodden Mountain to help Shi Rou look after the pastry shop on Dragon Riding Alley, so the only one left on Downtrodden Mountain right now is Chen Ruchu, but she’s most likely out doing some shopping at the prefectural city right now. Outside of her, there are only Lu Baixiang’s two disciples, Yuan Bao and Yuan Lai.”

“Congratulations on your breakthrough,” Chen Ping’an said.

A self-deprecating look appeared on Wei Bo’s face as he said, “The imperial court of the Great Li Empire is beginning to make some moves, all of which have grandiose justifications attached to them. Even I can’t help but agree with their reasoning.”

“You were a little too heavy-handed in your handling of Jin Qing,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “Even if the emperor of the Great Li Empire knows that you don’t have any ill intentions, the fact that two of the great mountain gods have become so closely associated with each other is still going to be a slight cause for concern.”

“I had to intervene,” Wei Bo said. “Jin Qing is the only one that I somewhat like the look of. If any mountain god takes over the Central Mountain, then life will only become more difficult for our Northern Mountain. Throughout history, all of the five great mountain gods of any nation or empire have always been forced to go against one another, thereby forming a tense and tenuous balance.

“As opposed to going with the flow, I may as well be a little more shameless. In any case, at this point, the emperor has no choice but to accept what’s happening. Jin Qing is even more shameless than I am. He’s been constantly praising me and my Cloud Drape Mountain to the emperor.”

Upon reaching the bamboo building, Chen Ping’an sighed, “I didn’t think I would be returning to the Southern Garden Nation so soon.”

“I already went there, so I’ll stay behind,” Cui Dongshan suddenly said.

Wei Bo pulled out the parasol leaf umbrella that had been temporarily placed in his possession, then opened it as he said, “The Lotus Root Blessed Land has only recently been elevated into a mid-grade blessed land, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to make frequent visits. I’ll send you to the capital of the Southern Garden Nation instead.”

“Thank you,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile and a nod, then instantly vanished from the spot.

Wei Bo heaved a faint sigh, while Cui Dongshan was already on the walkway of the second floor, resting on the railing as he stared off into the distance.

Wei Bo closed the parasol leaf umbrella before sitting down at the stone table.

“You don’t have to be concerned, Wei Bo,” Cui Dongshan suddenly said.

“I’m not concerned,” Wei Bo denied with a shake of his head. “When will you be leaving Downtrodden Mountain?”

Cui Dongshan thought about it for a moment, then replied, “I’ll leave soon after Teacher and Pei Qian return. I’ve already racked up a ton of debt. That old bastard loves holding grudges.”

There was not much to talk about between the two, so the conversation quickly petered out into silence.

“Is Senior Cui that concerned for Chen Ping’an?” Wei Bo asked. “Not only did he intentionally avoid seeing Chen Ping’an one final time, but he even asked for his ashes to be spread in the Lotus Root Blessed Land without display instead of returning to Downtrodden Mountain for a proper burial.”

“My grandfather had extremely high hopes for Teacher, so he wanted Teacher to miss him as little as possible,” Cui Dongshan explained. “That way, the memory of my grandfather won’t tarnish the purity of his fists.”

***

On a familiar street in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation, Chen Ping’an slowly made his way into a small alley with his bamboo bookcase on his back and his hiking pole in his hand.

He stopped at the entrance of a small courtyard, then took a brief glance at the couplets before knocking on the gate.

Pei Qian was the one to open the door, while Zhou Mili was seated on a little stool, carrying a bamboo hiking pole.

Pei Qian’s face instantly puckered up as she struggled to hold back her tears.

Chen Ping’an patted her on the head as he said, “I know what happened. Don’t overthink things. Just know that you did nothing wrong.”

Pei Qian’s hands balled up into tight fists, and she began trembling as she lowered her head.

Chen Ping’an gave the top of her head a gentle rub as he asked, “Why are you holding back your tears when you’re so sad? Are you no longer my disciple just because you began practicing martial arts?”

Chen Ping’an crouched down, and Pei Qian threw her arms around him as she burst into tears, her strangled sobs much more painful and heart-wrenching than if she had simply begun bawling her eyes out.

Zhou Mili also began to weep.

Only after Pei Qian’s tears had completely run dry did Chen Ping’an pat her on the head before standing up again. He removed the bamboo bookcase from his back, and Pei Qian wiped the remaining tears from her face before hurriedly taking the bamboo bookcase, while Zhou Mili rushed over to take his hiking pole.

Chen Ping’an looked around to discover that the courtyard was still exactly as he remembered it, as if it had been frozen in time.

Zhou Mili was holding onto two hiking poles as she nudged her bamboo chair toward Chen Ping’an.

“You seem to have grown a little taller,” Chen Ping’an remarked as he patted Zhou Mili on the head as well.

After sitting down on the bamboo chair, he was silent for a long while before smiling as he declared, “We’ll go back to Downtrodden Mountain together after I’ve met with Cao Qinglang, Mr. Zhong, and some other people.”

Pei Qian’s eyes were swollen and bloodshot as she sat down beside Chen Ping’an and gently tugged on his sleeve.

“Do you want to tell me about your journey with Senior Cui?” Chen Ping’an asked in a gentle voice.

Pei Qian nodded in response, then began meticulously recounting her journey, and she spoke for a very long time.

Chen Ping’an listened carefully the entire time.

Before long, Cao Qinglang returned, and he gently called out, “Mr. Chen!”

Chen Ping’an grabbed onto Pei Qian’s hand, and the two of them stood up together as he smiled and said, “I can tell just from looking at you that you’ve become a fine scholar, Qinglang.”

Chen Ping’an extended a scholarly salute.

Sure enough, he really had become a scholar.

Pei Qian got up onto the tips of her toes, and Chen Ping’an leaned down to allow her to whisper into his ear.

“Master, Cao Qinglang became a cultivator in secret. Doesn’t that mean he hasn’t been focusing on his studies? His couplets are way worse than yours, right?”

Chen Ping’an immediately replied with a knuckle to her forehead.

Tears began to well up in Pei Qian’s eyes again, while Zhou Mili clutched the pair of hiking poles to her chest in a nervous manner.

Chen Ping’an had never beaten her before, so it came as quite a shock to see how unforgiving he was with Pei Qian.

Zhou Mili furrowed her brows tightly as she cocked her head to the side, straining her little brain with all her might.

Could it be that he picked up Pei Qian from the side of some street? Could it be that she actually wasn’t a princess who got lost in the world of commoners?

Chen Ping’an gently rubbed Pei Qian’s sore forehead with his thumb, then gestured for Cao Qinglang to sit down with them.

Cao Qinglang carried over a small stool and sat down beside Chen Ping’an, while Pei Qian sat down in between them on a little bamboo chair.

Zhou Mili remained standing behind Pei Qian.

“Have you been well, Qinglang?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“I’ve been doing great,” Cao Qinglang replied with a smile and a nod. “Mr. Zhong is my teacher at school, and after Mr. Lu came to our Southern Garden Nation, he sought me out very often and gave me many books.”

“Take me to see Mr. Zhong after this,” Chen Ping’an requested. “I have some things to discuss with him.”

Cao Qinglang nodded in response.

“Actually, it’s fine,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “Mr. Zhong is already on the way here. He’ll arrive very soon, so all we have to do is wait for him.”

He then turned to Pei Qian as he asked, “Have you been slacking off with your daily transcriptions?”

Pei Qian shook her head.

“Show me,” Chen Ping’an instructed as he extended a hand.

Pei Qian immediately rushed into the room and brought out a large stack of papers. Chen Ping’an meticulously leafed through the papers one by one, then returned them to Pei Qian as he nodded and said, “Looks like you really haven’t been slacking off.”

Pei Qian flashed him a wide grin, and he helped her wipe the tears from her face.

“You guys stay here for now, I have to go talk to Mr. Zhong about some things,” Chen Ping’an said before standing up from his chair.

After Chen Ping’an departed, Pei Qian returned the stack of papers to her room, then sat down on her small bamboo chair as she rested her chin on her hands.

***

Chen Ping’an ran into Zhong Qiu right as he rounded the corner.

Much of the hair in Zhong Qiu’s sideburns had turned white since their previous meeting.

The two of them made their way down the street where they had once both fought against and alongside each other, and it felt like a walk down memory lane.

With regard to the current state of the Lotus Root Blessed Land, Zhu Lian had written about it in his letters, and both Li Liu and Cui Dongshan had also spoken at length on the subject, so Chen Ping’an was already very familiar with everything.

The territories of the Southern Garden Nation, the Pine Song Nation, the Northern Jin Nation, and the border grasslands didn’t appear to have changed, but their inhabitants had already undergone drastic changes. Out of those four places, only the Southern Garden Nation, which had been assigned to Chen Ping’an, was still home to residents with their souls intact.

Aside from the nation’s human inhabitants, all of the other living entities and landmarks hadn’t “faded,” either, so they hadn’t been reduced to the same state as the people of the White Paper Blessed Land. According to Li Liu, all of the living entities in the other three places had already “lost the essence of their being.”

This was why Zhu Lian had referred to those places as “three blank picture scrolls.” However, the likes of Lu Tai, Yu Zhenyi, and the young boy from that educated clan in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation had all vanished from this blessed land. Elsewhere in the blessed land, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu would also vanish into thin air. They were among the very few people who had caught the eye of the Observing Dao Temple’s abbot.

This was a complete overhaul of an entire small world, something that required unimaginable mystical abilities to accomplish.

“His Majesty has already decided to pursue the path of cultivation, but prior to leaving the Lotus Root Blessed Land, he wants to see the Southern Garden Nation conquer the entire world,” Zhong Qiu declared, not wasting any time with small talk.

“How do you feel about this, Mr. Zhong?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Chen Ping’an had met the emperor of the Southern Garden Nation once in a nearby restaurant. Outside of Chen Ping’an himself, there had been six other people in attendance, one of whom was Huang Ting. From Fan Wan’er and Tong Qingqing of the past, all it had taken was a glance in the mirror for her to transform into Huang Ting of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, a cultivator who possessed such immense aptitude and fortune that even He Xiaoliang was her junior.

Huang Ting had once engaged Qi Jinglong in a battle of life and death on Temper Mountain, and in the end, she had been defeated by a thin margin. Chen Ping’an didn’t get a chance to meet her during his journey across the Northern Complete Reed Continent, but according to Qi Jinglong, the two of them had been evenly matched.

Near the end of their battle, they were no longer interested in taking each other’s lives. Apparently, the only reason that Huang Ting had lost was that she wanted to maintain her dignity as a woman by ensuring that her Dao robe remained completely intact, and that slight distraction ultimately proved to be a downfall, allowing Qi Jinglong to get up from the summit of Temper Mountain just a little earlier than she did.

At the time, the emperor, Wei Liang, had been in his prime, and he had been accompanied by the empress, Zhou Shuzhen, the eldest prince, Wei Yan, the ambitious yet ultimately unsuccessful second prince, Wei Yun, and the youngest princess, Wei Zhen.

Chen Ping’an had an exceptional memory, and he could clearly recall not just everyone’s appearance, demeanor, and the words they had spoken, but also even what wine they had drunk and what dishes they had eaten.

The old monk from the Heart Manifestation Temple, not far away from the small alley, the local delicacies sold in the White River Temple night market, the scripture library in that official’s residence, and the story of the impoverished scholar from Champion Scholar Alley and the pipa woman… All of these memories remained clear as day in his heart.

Zhong Qiu was silent for a moment, then replied in a dejected manner, “I feel a little disillusioned.”

He had worked tirelessly to strengthen the Southern Garden Nation with the ultimate goal of conquering what he had previously thought was the entire world, but now that he had come to realize how laughably wrong he had been, he was feeling a little weary and lost.

He would even wonder to himself if he had perhaps truly been wrong, and that perhaps Yu Zhenyi had been right.

“From this point onward, countless cultivators, spirits, mountain and river deities, and all manners of other unprecedented beings will begin to appear in this world,” Chen Ping’an said. “You shouldn’t be feeling disheartened, Mr. Zhong. Even though I am technically the owner of this Lotus Root Blessed Land, I won’t impose my own will upon this place.

“The Lotus Root Blessed Land was never my backyard, somewhere that I can curate as I see fit, and I fully intend for it to remain that way. If some of its residents are able to embark on the path of cultivation, then I’ll simply leave them to cultivate and develop in peace. As for the mortal world, I do not plan to interfere there, either.

“Whether it be peace or war, prosperity or destruction, everyone is free to do as they please. However, there must be rules in place when it comes to the appointment and regulation of mountain and river deities. Otherwise, the entire world will slowly descend into chaos, becoming a place where the boundaries between humans, ghosts, and deities become too blurred.”

“Are you planning to use an entire world to observe the Great Dao?” Zhong Qiu asked with a smile.

Chen Ping’an faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied, “I didn’t think about it that way before, but now that you mention it, I suppose that does seem to be what I’m doing.”

“What is the Majestic World like?” Zhong Qiu asked.

Chen Ping’an considered the question for a moment, then replied, “The hearts of the people remain the same, but the Majestic World is far more vast than the Southern Garden Nation, and there is much to be explored and seen. Furthermore, there’s not just one world. Instead, there are multiple worlds outside of the Majestic World. You should go out there and take a look for yourself, Mr. Zhong. Better late than never.”

“Before I came to see you, His Majesty had already abdicated the throne, and the eldest prince, Wei Yan, has taken his place,” Zhong Qiu said. “The second prince, Wei Yun, has already been detained by the former emperor for quite some time. I also recently resigned from my position as imperial preceptor, but I’m not going to leave right away. Instead, I plan to explore the entirety of this world first.

“Chen Ping’an, I hope you can keep your promise and refrain from reducing the people of this world to your puppets and playthings. However, I’m not some inflexible pedant who refuses to welcome any form of change. As long as I agree with the rules that you put into place, then I’m happy to act within the boundaries of those rules. Even if it pains me to do so, I won’t complain or make a fuss.”

“I actually have an idea for how you can be put even more at ease,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

“You want me to become a guest elder?” Zhong Qiu asked.

Chen Ping’an didn’t deny this at all as he tucked his hands up their opposite sleeves and said, “You are an extraordinary talent who excels simultaneously as an intellectual and a martial artist. It would be a travesty for me to pass up on you, so I have to at least give it a try.”

“Don’t you already have Zhu Lian at your side?” Zhong Qiu asked with a smile. “Among the few people that I admire the most, Zhu Lian, who played the role of savior, is one, and Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian is another. When I met Zhu Lian in the flesh, it was such a bizarre feeling, as if I were reading a book, only for the character in the story to emerge from the pages.”

“You just have to mark down your name in the ancestral hall of my Downtrodden Mountain, Mr. Zhong,” Chen Ping’an said. “I won’t restrict your freedom in any way, and you can go wherever you please.”

“Downtrodden Mountain?” Zhong Qiu asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“That’s a fine name,” Zhong Qiu praised. “In that case, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

***

After meeting with the former emperor of the Southern Garden Nation, Chen Ping’an bade farewell to Cao Qinglang, then departed from the Lotus Root Blessed Land with Pei Qian and Zhou Mili.

Upon their return to Downtrodden Mountain, Chen Ping’an appeared largely unaffected by Cui Cheng’s passing. He lived on the first floor of the bamboo building, continuing to cultivate and practice his fist techniques as usual, and only occasionally would he go up to the second floor, where he would stand in the walkway and stare off into the distance.

One day, late at night, Pei Qian was sitting by herself on the top step.

Cui Dongshan scaled the mountain to join her.

Pei Qian stared intently at him for a while, then asked, “Are you not sad that Grandpa Cui is gone?”

“You’ll only be able to see my mental state if I let you,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile. “If I want to hide it from you, then you’ll never be able to see it.”

Pei Qian punched the palm of her hand in frustration as she grumbled, “I knew it! My cultivation is still lacking!”

Cui Dongshan shook his head as he said, “That’s not it. I daresay I’m unmatched in this regard, unless you count in some of the old deities from the ancient past.”

Pei Qian nodded in understanding.

She knew that the big white goose sitting beside her was actually very impressive in many regards.

Cui Dongshan smiled as he continued, “A young boy who hasn’t experienced the ups and downs of life will often bawl their eyes out at the passing of a senior. They wear their heart on their sleeve, and their grief is expressed abundantly clearly through their tears.

“However, the boy’s father and other seniors will mostly be much more self-contained in their emotions, able to speak and interact normally with others at the funeral and even smile from time to time. Such is life. At different points in one’s life, the type of grief that they experience is different. You don’t understand right now because you haven’t truly grown up yet.”

“I’ll admit that I don’t understand,” Pei Qian conceded with a nod. “I may not be able to understand it in the future, either, nor do I want to.”

She had never felt like the Southern Garden Nation was her home. Back when her parents passed away, she hadn’t actually felt much grief. In her mind, they had simply crossed over to the other side slightly ahead of her, and she would quickly follow. Perhaps she would starve to death, perhaps she would freeze to death, perhaps someone would beat her to death.

Even if she caught up to them in the afterlife, what good would that do her? She would still be despised and regarded as a hindrance. Hence, after leaving the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, she couldn’t even bring herself to pretend to be sad.

However, Cui Cheng was different. He was the only other senior that she had truly been fond of outside of her master.

He had tormented her extensively with his daily beatings, and in the beginning, when she still dared to threaten to quit martial arts altogether, the beatings would only become more severe. On top of that, he had said many harsh things to her that were even more hurtful than the beatings.

However, Pei Qian now knew what was truly good for her, and she didn’t even have to use her eyes to look into the hearts of others anymore.

Cui Dongshan raised his head to look up at the night sky. The Mid-Autumn Festival was fast approaching, and the moon was bright and round.

“This is why Teacher never wanted you to grow up,” Cui Dongshan said in a quiet voice. “At least not in a hurry. After you grow up, you’ll begin to want to bear certain burdens. When that time comes, your master won’t be able to stop you, nor will he try. Do you still remember when you and your master parted ways with Li Baoping back at the Great Sui Academy?”

Pei Qian nodded vigorously as a smile appeared on her face, and she replied loudly, “Of course I do! I was really happy, and Big Sister Baoping was even happier!”

Cui Dongshan also smiled as he mused, “Why is it that Teacher gathered all of us to make it such a big occasion? It’s because he knew that he would never be able to see the same little girl in the red coat again, the short and spritely girl with the rosy cheeks, round eyes, and the tender voice, constantly and affectionately calling him her junior uncle with her bookcase on her back, the one that fits her just right.

“That little girl will only exist in his memories in their next meeting, and that is the sorrow of adults. They can store those precious memories away in the fondest recesses of their hearts.”

Cui Dongshan gently swept his sleeve through the air as his voice trailed off, as if he were trying to swat away some sorrow.

“These are supposed to be things that you only figure out on your own after you grow up, but I want to tell you about them so that at the very least, you’ll know what to expect. Teacher isn’t any less heartbroken than I am about Grandpa’s passing, but he’ll never let others know just how grief-stricken he feels.

“Have you ever wondered why your master likes to collect useless objects like the brushes that he’s used in the past, straw sandals that he previously wore, and worthless jars and vials? It’s because ever since he was a child, he was accustomed to separation.

“He was constantly watching people depart to the afterlife, and he’s desperate to cling onto any memory that he has of them, so he habitually keeps all of these seemingly useless trinkets. All of us will experience all types of separations, not just Teacher, but for many people, these feelings pass quite quickly. In contrast, Teacher is someone who is extremely sentimental, and he carefully bottles up these feelings without anyone else knowing.”

“Then what should Master do?” Pei Qian asked with a sympathetic expression.

“Nothing,” Cui Dongshan replied with a smile. “He’s already used to it.”

“That’s not good!” Pei Qian yelled as she sprang to her feet. “It’s not right!”

Cui Dongshan remained silent as he leaned back to lie down, while Pei Qian rushed her way down the mountain to the bamboo building.

There, she discovered Chen Ping’an seated at the stone table with two flagons of wine before him, but not a single sip had been taken from either of them.

He was sitting bolt upright, while his hands were clenched into loose fists that were resting on his knees, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

“Master, you’re not allowed to be sad!” Pei Qian yelled.

Chen Ping’an turned to face her, then smiled as he replied, “Alright, I won’t be sad.”

Pei Qian stared up at her master, just as her master had once stared up at A’Liang.

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet, then dragged over a pair of bamboo chairs before sitting down alongside Pei Qian.

“I’m going to be leaving again soon, Pei Qian,” Chen Ping’an declared in a quiet voice. “Make sure to look after yourself.”

“You have to look after yourself as well, Master!” Pei Qian replied with a nod.

“I don’t mean to brag, but when it comes to one’s prowess in looking after oneself, there are few under the heavens who can match me,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

Pei Qian picked up her little bamboo chair and scooted a little closer to her master, and the two of them gazed into the distance together.

Chen Ping’an was at the Vajra Body Tier, while Pei Qian was about to become the strongest fourth tier martial artist under the heavens.

Their sitting posture and expressions were spitting images of each other.