Unsheathed

Cui Dongshan soon came to join them, and the three of them sat down at the table together.

Cui Dongshan dug up the flagon of immortal wine that had been buried behind the bamboo building, while Chen Ping’an also picked up one of the flagons of wine on the table before him, and the two of them downed both flagons of wine in one go.

Chen Ping’an wiped his lips with the back of his hand, then asked, “When are you leaving?”

“I’ve never actually left,” Cui Dongshan replied with a smile. “Wherever you are, my thoughts follow.”

Even in the darkness of the night, his smile was as bright and vibrant as ever.

“Don’t try to talk like him in the future,” Chen Ping’an warned as he turned to Pei Qian.

“I never have, Master,” Pei Qian said with a perplexed expression.

Cui Dongshan gave her a thumbs-up, and she crossed her arms in a stern manner, trying to come across as an authoritative senior sister.

“Make sure to keep an eye on Chen Ruchu,” Chen Ping’an said. “She’s not in any immediate danger, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and keeping a constant eye on her is going to require immense patience and willpower.”

There was some distance between Downtrodden Mountain and the Dragon Spring Prefectural City. Even though Chen Ruchu had a sword talisman from the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, allowing her to fly without restriction, she always liked to meticulously compare different shops when making purchases, and there were also certain things that couldn’t be immediately purchased as soon as she reached the prefectural city.

For some items, the wait could be up to a day or two, so she used her own money to purchase a house in the prefectural city. The prefectural overseer’s office had played the role of the middleman in the sale, so she had gotten a very good price for a house in a prime location. All of her neighbors were affluent clans from the capital of the Great Li Empire, and the middleman at the time had been a fairly unknown secretary of Wu Yuan’s. However, he had since taken over from Wu Yuan as prefectural overseer, and as it turned out, he was also from one of the prominent clans of the capital.

On this particular day, Chen Ruchu had chosen to stay at her house in the prefectural city, and she would only return to Downtrodden Mountain once she had completed all of her purchases the next day.

Generally speaking, she would leave behind her keys to Zhou Mili or Cen Yuanji each time before she left Downtrodden Mountain.

“You can count on me, Teacher,” Cui Dongshan assured. “If nothing else, the spies of the Great Li Empire all possess patience and willpower in spades. Wei Bo has also requested the northernmost mountain god to keep an eye on the prefectural city in private. Besides, Nuanshu is currently wearing a Dao robe with an illusion cast onto it, and it was once in my possession. Even if something happens suddenly, and the spies of the Great Li Empire and the mountain god aren’t able to intervene in time, that Dao robe alone will be enough to save her from one or two attacks from a Nascent Tier swordsman. By then, Wei Bo will have been made aware of the situation, and it’ll be a monumental achievement for the perpetrator to even kill themselves on Wei Bo’s watch.”

“Is this a form of corruption?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

In order to ensure the safety of certain people on Downtrodden Mountain, sacrifices had to be made by others.

If Chen Ruchu wanted to be able to frequently leave Downtrodden Mountain and remain safe, then Chen Ping’an, Cui Dongshan, and Wei Bo would have to plan meticulously to ensure that she remained out of harm’s way.

Having said that, it was all well worth it. Regardless of how much peril Chen Ping’an and Cui Dongshan found themselves in during their travels, they could always take solace in the thought of Downtrodden Mountain, and they had Chen Ruchu to thank for that.

There was a time when Chen Ping’an had been quite conflicted about his own calculating nature. He felt like he was a conniving and pedantic accountant who was constantly calculating everything to maximize self-interest, even the minute changes in the hearts of others.

However, looking back now, he realized that he had simply been holding himself to unnecessarily high standards. These calculations on things beyond money were very important and valuable. There was no need to hide them, and there was certainly no need to feel any internal conflict over the matter.

Ultimately, his goal was to prevent any and all preventable tragedies that resulted from too little thought and consideration on his part.

Once such a tragedy took place, there was no way for him to make amends. He could tear the perpetrators to shreds, but what purpose would that serve? Would it assuage his remorse or reverse time to before the tragedy took place?

Right now, Downtrodden Mountain was his responsibility, and the same applied to the Lotus Root Blessed Land going forward.

He had to ensure a clear conscience first before thinking about earning money.

Money had to be earned in order to support cultivation, but the pursuit of monetary gain could not come at the cost of moral compromises.

“Even if we discount you, Senior Sister Pei, Zhu Lian, Lu Baixiang, and Wei Xian, the amount of additional martial fortune that our Downtrodden Mountain provides to the Great Li Empire alone would make me fully justified in requesting a Nascent Tier guest elder to be constantly stationed in the Dragon Spring Prefectural City!” Cui Dongshan said. “Even the old bastard wouldn’t raise any objections. How could you possibly expect people to make contributions for you without providing them with ample compensation? I constantly have to deal with so much crap in the south, helping that old bastard keep everything under control! Even blood brothers have to do things the right way whenever finances are concerned. I’m already doing the old bastard a huge favor by not asking him for a salary!”

Chen Ping’an offered no response. He didn’t see it fit to comment on Cui Dongshan and Cui Chan’s internal affairs.

Only now did Pei Qian come to realize just how complicated the circumstances surrounding Chen Ruchu were, and she immediately became a little concerned.

“Should I accompany Nuanshu from now on when she goes on her shopping trips?”

“Accompany her and do what?” Cui Dongshan scoffed in amusement. “You’re just a fourth tier martial artist! You’d be offering up your head on a silver platter!”

Pei Qian groaned in frustration as her head dropped down onto the table with a loud thump, and she sighed. “What can I do? My progress is just too slow. Grandpa Cui said that my progression is like a crawling tortoise; it frustrated him to no end!”

A peculiar look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face.

“You’re already getting frustrated?” Cui Dongshan asked with a chuckle. “Your progress is only going to slow down even further once you reach the fifth and sixth tiers. In particular, the breakthrough to the Martial Courage Tier is not something that can be hurried.”

“Do you have to be so annoying?” Pei Qian snapped in frustration as she raised her head from the table. “Can’t you give me some words of encouragement?”

“Can words of encouragement feed you or something?” Cui Dongshan countered.

“Yes! It feeds my morale!” Pei Qian argued in a justified manner. “Whenever I’m eating with Mili, I can always eat an extra bowl of rice, but when I see you, I don’t even have an appetite anymore!”

“There’s no use in trying to rush things, so just be content with what you have and make slow and steady progress,” Chen Ping’an consoled.

“Wise words as ever, Master!” Pei Qian praised loudly.

“You see, Teacher? I told you the rampant flattery on Downtrodden Mountain has nothing to do with me!” Cui Dongshan declared.

Chen Ping’an ignored him as he changed the subject and said, “I’ve already spoken with the former emperor of the Southern Garden Nation, Wei Liang. However, the new emperor, Wei Yan, is a man who harbors very lofty ambitions, so you may have to have a word with Wei Xian.”

Wei Xian was the founding emperor of the Southern Garden Nation and also the first ruler in the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to roam the blessed land in search of immortals.

“Wei Xian is extremely fortunate to have been brought out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land by you, Teacher,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile. “He is forever indebted to you for that, and he has no grounds to turn down any instruction that you have for him.”

“As long as the rules are followed, everyone on Downtrodden Mountain is to be granted full freedom and autonomy,” Chen Ping’an said with a shake of his head. “This is not a place for me to impose my will and lord over everyone as some almighty sage. If I were to do that, everyone would eventually leave. Today, it’ll be Lu Baixiang, tomorrow, it’ll be Wei Xian, and the day after tomorrow, Mr. Zhong will also be gone.”

“Wise words as ever, Teacher!” Cui Dongshan praised.

“Hey! Don’t copy me!” Pei Qian yelled with a furious expression.

Cui Dongshan shook his head from side to side while flapping his sleeves up and down as he provoked, “What’re you gonna do about it? Come hit me! If I dodge even once, I’ll take after the old bastard’s surname!”

Pei Qian clutched her hands to her head, feeling the onset of a headache. She would’ve already lashed out by now if her master weren’t here.

To her surprise, her master smiled as he asked, “He’s asking you to hit him, so why not grant him his wish? It can never hurt to be a people-pleaser.”

Pei Qian’s eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

Cui Dongshan raised a hand as he joined his index and middle fingers and warned, “I have immortal techniques up my sleeve, Senior Sister! If someone with a full stomach falls prey to my immobilizing spell… Tsk, tsk, tsk, that truly would be a horrific fate!”

“On second thoughts, I think we should uphold peace and harmony above all else, Master,” Pei Qian said in a serious manner.

“That’s also reasonable,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile and a nod. “Go to bed early today. I’ll spar with you tomorrow.”

“Hah?”

Pei Qian’s eyes instantly widened in shock.

She wasn’t afraid of enduring hardship. Instead, she was worried that she would make a fool of herself in front of her master once the limits of her pitiful fourth tier cultivation base were revealed.

“Just because you shouldn’t rush things doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue to work hard,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “Once you reach your fifth tier bottleneck, you can leave the mountain to travel on your own. When the time comes, it’ll be up to you to decide whether you want to bring Li Huai with you. Of course, you’ll be receiving the little donkey that I promised you as well.”

“It’s already after midnight, so it’s technically already the next day! You can begin teaching me fist techniques right now!” Pei Qian urged in an eager manner.

Chen Ping’an pressed down onto her head, then gave it a gentle shove as he said, “I have some serious matters to discuss with Cui Dongshan.”

“I can understand discussing serious matters with Mr. Zhong, but what could you possibly have to discuss with the big white goose?” Pei Qian protested in a pitiable manner. “I’m not sleepy, Master. You two can talk, and I’ll just listen.”

“You’re already openly defying your master as a mere fourth tier martial artist; you’re going to be ordering your master around by the time you reach the fifth and sixth tiers!” Cui Dongshan scoffed.

Pei Qian refused to budge, crossing her arms as she sneered, “How deplorable of you to be trying to drive a wedge between Master and me!”

“She’s not going to listen to me, Teacher,” Cui Dongshan said in a resigned manner.

Chen Ping’an bent his middle finger and thumb, threatening a flick to the forehead, and only then did Pei Qian depart in a huff.

A moment later, Chen Ping’an didn’t even turn his head as he asked, “Did you find some money in the tall grass over there?”

Pei Qian had been hiding behind a thicket of tall grass, and she stood up with a sheepish expression as she explained, “I heard a grasshopper chirping as I was passing by, so I tried to catch it, but it got away. Alright, I’m really going to bed now.”

After Pei Qian was far away, a hint of concern appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he mused, “I know that some concerns are unnecessary, and that there’s no point in thinking about certain things, but it’s always easier to advise others on such matters than take one’s own advice.”

“Pei Qian’s breakthroughs have been coming a little too quickly, and after taking in so much martial fortune, she’s only going to draw more attention to herself,” Cui Dongshan said. “Thankfully, Wei Bo is hiding her from prying eyes, and the Jewel Small World is renowned for strange people and events, so she’s not going to arouse any suspicion anytime soon. However, there might be some trouble once she goes out to travel the world on her own.”

“Even so, I’m a little happy about how she was able to think of the principle of ‘pulling punches’ on her own during this trip to the Lotus Root Blessed Land,” Chen Ping’an said with a sigh. “I’m just worried that she’ll take it too far and try to take after me too much. If that happens, then her world might become much duller and less exciting than it otherwise would’ve been.”

“What’s wrong with taking good qualities from others before learning to be oneself?” Cui Dongshan argued. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing for all these years, Teacher? Would it be a good thing if all of the children under the heavens focused solely on self-expression without learning any rules? The formative years of a child’s development are the most important time for them to learn rules and discipline, yet seniors insist on mollycoddling their children during those important years, unwilling to be stern and harsh when necessary. I think that’s a very bad thing.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“You’re also worried for Cao Qinglang’s future, aren’t you?” Cui Dongshan asked.

“Of course. I don’t want to tell Cao Qinglang how to live his life, but at the same time, I don’t want him to squander his life and fall behind in his cultivation and studies.”

“Why don’t you get Zhong Qiu to bring Cao Qinglang with him when he decides to leave the Lotus Root Blessed Land?” Cui Dongshan suggested with a smile. “That way, Cao Qinglang can explore this new world with Zhong Qiu by his side. He can start his journey from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and decide his future path from there. Cao Qinglang is a boy who possesses great aptitude.

“Zhong Qiu has taught him the importance of developing a rich and well-rounded foundation, while that friend of yours by the name of Lu Tai taught him to stay far away from rigidity and pedantry. The two of them have worked together splendidly in conjunction with each other. Zhong Qiu is a just and righteous man with a very pure and focused base of knowledge, while Lu Tai’s base of knowledge is broader, but not chaotic. Furthermore, he harbors an earnest respect for Zhong Qiu, and that’s why they were able to work together so seamlessly to develop and nurture Cao Qinglang together. Otherwise, if they opposed each other and used Cao Qinglang as a figurative rope in a tug-of-war, then he would eventually be torn into two. Ultimately, it’s still all thanks to you, Teacher.”

“Would it be selfish of me to say that I really want to see Cao Qinglang’s name on the ancestral hall genealogical records of our Downtrodden Mountain?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Did you ever bring up this topic to Cao Qinglang when you met with him?” Cui Dongshan asked with a smile.

“Of course, I asked him for his thoughts and input on the matter,” Chen Ping’an replied in a resigned manner. “After I brought it up, he began grinning and nodding like an eager child. It almost felt like how Pei Qian always looks when she’s trying to appease me, and instead of helping me make up my mind, it’s only made me feel more hesitant.”

Cui Dongshan chuckled. “What’s the problem then? You want to welcome him into our Downtrodden Mountain’s embrace, and he clearly wants the same thing! If you’re feeling guilty about it, then why not think about how much effort and energy it’s going to take for you to nurture him in the future? Doesn’t that make you feel better?”

Chen Ping’an considered this notion, and it did indeed put his mind at ease.

He then thought of another child, namely Zhao Shuxia, and wondered how the boy’s fist technique practice was coming along.

Zhao Shuxia was also someone that Chen Ping’an held in high regard, but he had different hopes and expectations for each child.

Zhao Shuxia’s approach to fist techniques was one that most closely resembled his own.

It was an approach that relied solely on diligent effort and nothing else.

Chen Ping’an was very fond of Zhao Shuxia for his purity of mind and his sincerity and resolve when it came to pursuing martial arts.

Thus, Chen Ping’an mentioned Zhao Shuxia to Cui Dongshan for the first time. Of course, he also brought up Zhao Yuan, the girl who was a fine cultivation prospect, as well as Wu Shuowen, the fisherman for whom he had a great deal of respect.

Chen Ping’an felt much more at ease about Zhao Shuxia now that he knew that Cui Dongshan would be checking in on him every once in a while.

He was confident that Cui Dongshan wouldn’t do anything unnecessary unless it would have a positive impact in one’s time of need.

An example was the modifications that he had suggested to enhance the power of the Flax Robe Sect’s mountain-protection formation by 20%.

Of course, he had held back somewhat and hadn’t suggested all of the modifications that he could’ve.

Zhu Quan was well aware of this, but even though there was so much at stake, she hadn’t tried to coax more out of Cui Dongshan through her connection to Chen Ping’an. In fact, she hadn’t even made any implicit remarks on the subject, and she certainly hadn’t nagged Chen Ping’an at all.

She knew that the Flax Robe Sect wouldn’t be able to offer equal compensation for such a massive favor, so she didn’t try to ask for the favor to begin with.