Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an patted Chen Lingjun on the shoulder as he said, “Cui Dongshan has a sharp tongue and can be very harsh, that much I’ll admit. However, that doesn’t mean that you should ignore everything that he says. Aside from unwarranted criticisms and insults, whenever we hear something that we feel to be unpleasant, it’s most likely because it resonated with us in some way and forced us to confront some type of uncomfortable reality.

“We can pretend to be unbothered, but deep down, we have to think about such things, however uncomfortable they may be. A bitter pill can be hard to swallow, but the best medicines and remedies are often bitter and unsavory. I’m not going to bore you with any more of my principles. In any case, once we part ways, you won’t be able to hear my lectures for quite some time, even if you wanted to.”

“Where are you going this time?” Chen Lingjun asked.

“To Stalactite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

“Aren’t you being a far too irresponsible mountain master?” Chen Lingjun complained. “There’s so much stuff to be done on the mountain, yet you’re constantly away!”

He wanted to ask Chen Ping’an why he hadn’t returned to Downtrodden Mountain earlier, but he ultimately held his tongue because he knew that he was the least worthy one to raise such a question.

“I accept the criticism, but I’m not going to change my ways for now,” Chen Ping’an said with a nod, and Chen Lingjun flashed an amused grin.

From there, Chen Lingjun held his brush aloft as he began listening carefully to Chen Ping’an’s breakdown.

After writing down a certain detail, Chen Lingjun suddenly raised his head and asked, “Master, are you still going to be like this in the future?”

“What do you mean?” Chen Ping’an asked with a puzzled expression.

“Surely there will come a day when there are many people on Downtrodden Mountain. Are you going to treat everyone like this?” Chen Lingjun asked.

Chen Ping’an considered the question for a moment, then shook his head as he smiled and replied, “It’ll be very difficult. I’m inevitably going to be more attached to some people than others, and there will also be more things that I’ll have to consider. It’s not necessarily the case that doing everything myself will always lead to the best outcomes.

“The more people there are on Downtrodden Mountain, the more complex things are going to become, and it’ll become impossible for me to attend to everything and everyone myself. I can only do my best to try to ensure that there’s a positive atmosphere and culture on the mountain.

“For example, just because Cui Dongshan possesses the greatest cultivation base and powers of everyone doesn’t mean that he’s always right, and that everyone should always listen to him. If you think he’s wrong, but are too afraid to confront him, then you can come to me to tell your version of events, and I’ll be sure to listen carefully.”

Chen Lingjun nodded in response, while Cui Dongshan complained from outside, “What do you mean, Teacher? I would never use my power to force my will upon others!”

Chen Lingjun rolled his eyes, and Chen Ping’an continued explaining the details.

Sure enough, it was bright and early the next morning by the time Chen Ping’an was finished, and by then, Chen Lingjun had written down several dozen important points in less-than-stellar handwriting.

“I have to say, your handwriting is far worse than Pei Qian’s,” Chen Ping’an remarked.

Chen Lingjun became flushed with embarrassment as he protested, “It’s not like I make transcriptions every day like her! If I’ve been making daily transcriptions like her, then a piece of calligraphy from me would be able to fetch at least a few lesser heat coins… or maybe snowflake coins…”

“Do you believe that yourself?” Chen Ping’an asked with an amused smile.

Chen Lingjun immediately fell into a deflated silence.

Chen Ping’an tucked his hands up their opposite sleeves as he sat in his chair and closed his eyes, pondering meticulously to see if he had missed anything. He couldn’t think of anything for the moment, and if he thought of something at a later date, then he would just have to write a letter to Chen Lingjun.

After reopening his eyes, Chen Ping’an asked, “How is the Imperial River God doing nowadays?”

“He’s doing alright,” Chen Lingjun replied in an ambiguous fashion.

“You can go pay him a visit and bid him farewell before you travel to the Northern Complete Reed Continent,” Chen Ping’an encouraged. “Have a parting meal with him, but don’t tell him that you’re going to embark on your river journey. Instead, just tell him that you’re going on a long journey. Treating others with sincerity doesn’t entail being an open book and revealing everything to them.

“Instead, what you should focus on is not causing trouble for them, and if possible, resolve some troubles for them, but not because you expect any form of gratitude or reciprocation from them.”

Chen Lingjun stowed away his writing supplies, then rested his chin on the table as he sighed in a dejected manner. “I didn’t have to think about any of that in the past. All we did was feast and make merry to our hearts’ content.”

“The world won’t allow us to constantly coast along and not think about anything,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “It can’t hurt to think more and be more thoughtful.”

A hesitant look appeared on Chen Lingjun’s face, and he didn’t even dare to look at Chen Ping’an as he said in a timid manner, “What if I told you that I don’t actually want to go on my river journey. In fact, I don’t even want to go to the Northern Complete Reed Continent at all. Instead, I just want to stay on Downtrodden Mountain and live out the rest of my life here. Would you be angry if I said that?”

Chen Ping’an remained silent as a smile appeared on his face, and it seemed that he had already anticipated this.

Chen Lingjun also fell silent, and he still didn’t dare to look at Chen Ping’an.

“I won’t be angry,” Chen Ping’an replied.

“Really?” Chen Lingjun exclaimed with a bewildered expression as he instantly sat bolt upright.

“I never felt like you had to go on your river journey right away just because there’s a massive payoff at the end,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “In fact, I’m of the opinion that if you don’t have a strong desire in your own heart to embark on this journey, then there’s no hurry for you to do so at all. It’s not like Plenty River is going anywhere.

“Someday, when you truly understand yourself and sincerely wish to go on this journey, your chances of success will be much higher than if you go right now with no clear direction and merely treat it like some type of obligatory chore. Having said that, this is a journey that you’ll inevitably have to make at some point, so it can’t hurt to make some preparations in advance.

“This might sound a little harsh to you, but I feel obligated to tell you my true thoughts. Just as Cui Dongshan said, there are many flood dragons in the world, but not all of them have the opportunity to go on a river journey on a major river. Hence, I would be very angry with you if you clearly knew that this journey can’t be delayed, but simply don’t want to go because you’ve grown accustomed to a lazy lifestyle and don’t want to have to endure any hardships.

“However, if you are instead of the opinion that this is a largely inconsequential matter, and that you can pursue your own Great Dao even without embarking on a river journey, then that’s an entirely different story. Alternatively, perhaps you simply like to stay on Downtrodden Mountain and are content to spend the rest of your life here. In either of those cases, I wouldn’t be angry at all, whether it be as your master or as the master of Downtrodden Mountain.”

“I see,” Chen Lingjun said with a smile.

“I’m very pleased that you always follow Chen Ruchu in secret to protect her whenever she goes on her shopping trips to the prefectural city. That shows that you have a sense of responsibility,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

“I’m not protecting her! I’m just going out for strolls!” Chen Lingjun denied in an embarrassed fashion. “Who told you that? I’ll slap the crap out…”

“It was me,” Cui Dongshan interjected lazily from outside.

Chen Lingjun instantly stiffened, then rushed over to open the door before carefully approaching Cui Dongshan to massage his shoulders.

“You must be sore and tired from sitting the entire night, Brother Cui. How can I alleviate your discomfort? Just give the word, and your wish is my command! Don’t be shy! We’re all one big, loving family, so feel free to order me around a bit. How’s the massage? Is it to your liking?”

Chen Ping’an stepped out of the side room, then kicked Chen Lingjun in the backside as he scoffed in amusement, “Our Downtrodden Mountain doesn’t need any more insincere suck-ups!”

***

The neighboring Burclover shop on Dragon Riding Alley was also open, and inside was the girl with the nickname of Jiu’er.

Chen Ping’an greeted her with a smile, then asked, “Where are your master and senior brother, Jiu’er?”

Jiu’er hurriedly extended a curtsy with a look of surprise and elation as she returned Chen Ping’an’s greeting, then replied in a slightly embarrassed manner, “Master has been looking after the business all this time, and he’s getting up there in age, so he’ll only be waking up a little later.

“I’ve been tasked with opening the shop today, but it wasn’t like this in the past. As for my senior brother, he’s been out gathering medicinal herbs for quite a few days now, so he should be back soon.”

Jiu’er prepared to depart to wake her master. After all, this was a personal visit from the mountain master, so even if she were scolded or reprimanded by her master, she felt obligated to notify him.

However, she was stopped by Chen Ping’an, who smiled and said, “There’s no need to disturb your master’s rest. I was just passing by, so I decided to pay you all a visit.”

“Business hasn’t been great for the shop, Mountain Master Chen,” Jiu’er admitted in an anxious manner.

“It’s fine,” Chen Ping’an reassured. “Business is actually not bad at all in the Burclover shop, so keep it up. If you need anything, feel free to come to Downtrodden Mountain. Don’t be shy or embarrassed, and make sure to pass this message on to your master as well.

“He’s a very considerate man, and he likes to keep all his troubles to himself, which is not a good thing because it only creates distance between us. I have some other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

Jiu’er wrung her hands nervously behind her back as she asked in a shy voice, “You’re really not going to come in for some tea, Mountain Master Chen?”

“I’ll pass,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile and a wave of his hand. “You can save the tea for my next visit.”

Jiu’er smiled in response, and Chen Ping’an nodded as he remarked, “Your complexion is looking much better than before, Jiu’er. Looks like my hometown is quite a nurturing place. I was worried that you would struggle to acclimate to the conditions, but it seems that my concerns were unnecessary.”

Jiu’er blushed slightly, and Chen Ping’an waved her farewell.

From there, he and Cui Dongshan made their way along the steps of Dragon Riding Alley to visit the ancestral residence on Clay Vase Alley.

They inevitably passed by the Gu Clan’s ancestral residence on the way there, and Chen Ping’an stopped in his tracks as he asked, “How is Uncle Gu doing?”

“The family situation is still rather complicated, but right now, Gu Tao has already become a mountain god of one of the Great Li Empire’s old mountains, so I’d say he’s doing quite well for himself,” Cui Dongshan replied. “His wife is in a position of power in the prefectural city, able to get pretty much whatever she asks for, and Gu Can is also doing pretty well in Bamboo Scroll Lake.

“With both her son and her husband doing so well, she’s able to lead a much more content life, and many of her flaws are naturally concealed as a result.”

“What about the house with the Beautiful Water Noble Wind plaque?” Chen Ping’an asked as he continued onward.

“You’re asking about the ghost bride? She’s a pitiable ghost who fell in love with a pitiable man,” Cui Dongshan said with a sigh. “She ended up as a deplorable and hated entity, while the latter is the one that we should truly feel pity for. He was screwed over badly by the academy scholars of both the Lu Empire and the Great Sui Nation, ultimately choosing to end his own life by jumping into a lake.

“He was just a naïve scholar who wanted to earn himself a virtuous scholar title through the weight of his merits, hoping that he would receive the acknowledgment of the imperial court, thereby allowing him to marry a female ghost in a proper and recognized marriage. Unfortunately, he was born too early in the Great Li Empire of old, rather than the Great Li Empire of the present day.

“Otherwise, his story would’ve had a completely different outcome. As a ghostly entity, the female ghost couldn’t even enter the academy, but she insisted on barging her way in and almost met her demise as a result. Ultimately, she wasn’t a complete fool, and she used up the last of her goodwill with the Great Li Empire’s imperial court to take the remains of the scholar with her.

“On top of that, she also learned about the long-concealed truth. As it turned out, the scholar never betrayed her love, and it was his love for her that ultimately led to his death. After finding out the truth, she went completely insane.

“After Gu Tao left her residence, she took off her bridal gown in exchange for mourning clothes, and she stumbled back to her residence with a coffin, spending every day in a heartbroken daze, telling anyone that would listen that she was waiting for someone.”

“Who’s wrong and who’s right in all of this?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Cui Dongshan raised a hand, then made several downward chopping motions in the air as he smiled and replied, “That depends on where you mark the beginning and the end of this story. If we start from when the female ghost and the scholar first met and fell in love, and then conclude with all of the scholars that the female ghost killed, then it becomes a very simple judgment call. The female ghost should be killed, and she doesn’t even want to live on anyway, so you’d be doing her a favor by putting her out of her misery.

“However, if we go back further and consider all of her past good deeds and the fact that she has a good and kind nature, then it becomes very complicated. If you then also consider things from the perspective of all of the scholars who suffered unjust deaths, then it becomes almost impossible to judge the situation. Which section of the story do you want to isolate, Teacher?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t offer a response.

As Chen Ping’an pulled out his keys to open the yard gate of the ancestral residence, Cui Dongshan smiled and asked, “Have you considered another question, Teacher? Certain events are incredibly complicated, but what do they have to do with you?”

Chen Ping’an opened the gate, then smiled as he replied, “I’ll just have to think about it a bit more.”

After entering the house, Chen Ping’an pulled out two little stools.

Cui Dongshan sat down, then smiled as he said, “There’s a very ambiguous saying in the cultivation world that goes, ‘All those who embark on the path of cultivation do so because they are made for it.’”

“I’ve heard that before,” Chen Ping’an replied.

“The average person who hears this saying immediately feels a sense of indignation, and that the world has been far too harsh and unfair to them,” Cui Dongshan said. “Those who think this way are already not cut out for cultivation. Instead of anger and indignation at the world, what they should be feeling is a sense of pity for themselves.”

Chen Ping’an was silent as he drew a circle onto the dirt ground of the courtyard with the tip of his foot, one that had a tiny opening. He then drew a larger circle outside of that incomplete circle as he said, “There must be paths that can be followed in order for everyone to have the power of choice.”

Cui Dongshan was silent for a moment, then said, “Aside from the first time, you haven’t actually experienced true despair.”

Chen Ping’an tucked his hands up their opposite sleeves as he leaned down slightly and directed his gaze out at Clay Vase Alley through the open yard gate.

“For example, if Liu Xianyang had died all those years ago,” Cui Dongshan continued. “Or if Qi Jingchun actually turned out to be the one pulling the strings behind everything and the one plotting against you the most. Or, alternatively, if Gu Can made you think that he had learned the errors of his ways and was taking measures to remedy his past mistakes, only for you to discover at a later date that it had all been a complete lie.

“Another possible scenario would be if Pei Qian had killed Cao Qinglang on her first trip to the Lotus Root Blessed Land, then chose to await the consequences, gambling on the hope that you wouldn’t kill her.”

Chen Ping’an finally broke his silence as he instructed, “Set up a small world. There are some things that I have to get off my chest.”

Cui Dongshan duly obliged, conjuring up a golden lightning pond using a flying sword.

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet with his hands tucked up their opposite sleeves, then began walking in circles in the yard as he said, “Mr. Qi has continued to protect me even after his death because there is a battle of the Three Teachings that Mr. Qi intentionally connected to me. I am aware of this.”

Cui Dongshan stood up, his complexion paling slightly as he exclaimed, “You shouldn’t have found out the truth so soon, Teacher!”

Chen Ping’an turned to Cui Dongshan in an expressionless manner as he said, “Rest assured, I’m very smart, and also very composed, so Mr. Qi isn’t going to lose, and nor will I.”