Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an released Ning Yao, then took a step back to take a good look at her.

She was still wearing her usual dark green robe and had grown taller, though not by much. He had outgrown her since their last meeting.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and in her eyes, which were more gorgeous than all of the finest scenery in the entire Majestic World combined, Chen Ping’an could see his own reflection.

“Seems like you’ve been busy,” she remarked.

“I haven’t even dared to think about you too much these past few years,” Chen Ping’an said in a gentle voice.

Ning Yao was just about to say something when a sharp wolf whistle rang out from nearby. It was a fatso squatting on the ground, and sticking out from behind him were several other heads like the spread canopy of a peacock, all of whom were gawking at Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao.

Ning Yao was just about to push Chen Ping’an away when he grabbed her hand firmly and said, “I’m going to stay for a long time this time. I’m not leaving even if you try to kick me out.”

“Look at Big Sister Ning! Even her ears have turned red!” a girl whispered.

Ning Yao abruptly dragged Chen Ping’an toward herself, then struck him with an elbow to the chest to free herself from his grasp, following which she turned and walked away as she scoffed, “I never agreed to let you stay.”

Chen Ping’an was left wincing at the blow, and he massaged his own chest as he hurriedly set off after Ning Yao. An elderly servant with a pair of murky eyes gave him a smile and a nod before closing the door behind him.

Everyone watching from around the corner had already risen to their feet, and Chen Ping’an walked alongside Ning Yao as he greeted them one by one.

“Yan Zhuo, Dong Huafu, Die Zhang, Chen Sanqiu, long time no see.”

The fatso’s name was Yan Zhuo, and he was the heir of the Yan Clan, which played a role equivalent to that of a mortal empire’s Ministry of Revenue for the Sword Qi Great Wall. Outside of all of the private avenues of the major clans, the Yan Clan oversaw close to half of all of the resources circulating on the Sword Qi Great Wall. To put it in very simple terms, the Yan Clan was extremely wealthy.

When it came to Dong Huafu, his surname was enough to tell the whole story. He was a thin and dark-skinned young man with scars all over his face, which was rather wooden and inexpressive. He didn’t like to speak, and he much preferred to drink. His sword had the very effeminate name of Elaborate Makeup, and he had an older sister with an even stranger name, Dong Bude.[1]

She was one of the top sword prodigies on the entire Sword Qi Great Wall, and despite her gentle and frail appearance, she was a deranged killing machine on the battlefield. It was said that during one battle, she had entered such a frenzy of bloodlust that she had to be knocked unconscious and dragged back to the Sword Qi Great Wall by Lord Hidden Official.

Then there was a thin girl with only one arm, carrying the broadsword by the name of Mountain Suppressing on her back. Her name was Die Zhang, and A’Liang ran into her when she was just a child. From there, she was often called upon to buy wine for him, and over time, they gradually became familiar with one another.

Later, she acquainted herself with Ning Yao and these other friends, and at the moment, she was paying off a bunch of wine debt that A’Liang had left behind.

The final person in the group was an extremely handsome young man by the name of Chen Sanqiu. He also came from a prominent clan, and ever since he was a child, he had always been infatuated with Dong Huafu’s sister, Dong Bude.

Chen Sanqiu had two swords, one strapped to each side of his waist, except one had no scabbard and had the characters for “Cloud Pattern” engraved onto its blade in archaic text, while the sword with the scabbard was called Scripture.

Yan Zhuo put on a high-pitched voice to match Ning Yao’s as he imitated, “Who’re you?”

Ning Yao stopped in her tracks and glared at Yan Zhuo in silence.

“Is he a Golden Core Tier swordsman?” Chen Ping’an asked, his question directed at Ning Yao.

Before she had a chance to reply, Chen Sanqiu grinned as he answered, “Whatever he is, he’s definitely not a fourth tier Qi refiner, nor is he a foolish pure martial artist.”

“I don’t care if you look down on me, but I’m not going to let you make fun of Ning Yao’s eye for men,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

Yan Zhuo bumped Dong Huafu with his backside as he jibed, “Did you hear that? Our big shot fourth tier Qi refiner doesn’t sound very happy with us!”

“That’s enough!” Ning Yao snapped with tightly furrowed brows.

Yan Zhuo raised his hands in surrender as he took a swift glance at Chen Ping’an’s sleeves, then said in a pitiable manner, “Chen Sanqiu put me up to this! I have nothing against Chen Ping’an. How many pure martial artists at his age can fight Cao Ci thrice in succession? I have nothing but admiration for him!

“Having said that, I have to tell him that cultivators of the talismanic branch are looked down on more than anyone else here, even more so than pure martial artists, so don’t go out with so many talismans hidden up your sleeve, Chen Ping’an. No one’s interested in buying any talismans from you. Our Sword Qi Great Wall is a poor, rural place, and barely anyone here will even be able to recognize the value of your talismans!”

Ning Yao was beginning to get angry, and Yan Zhuo immediately took an uneasy step back at the sight of her disgruntled expression.

All of them had a rather neutral impression of Chen Ping’an, so under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have felt inclined to pick on him, but Ning Yao held a very special place in their hearts, and there was a natural barrier of sorts between the Sword Qi Great Wall and the Majestic World.

They all knew that Chen Ping’an hadn’t done anything wrong, nor did he possess any particularly egregious traits, but all of their peers on the Sword Qi Great Wall, as well as the seniors who were very close with the Ning and Yao Clans, were rather averse to the idea of Ning Yao entering a romantic entanglement with an outsider.

They didn’t think that the two of them had any realistic future together, and their skepticism was only bolstered by the fact that Chen Ping’an’s most notable feat thus far was the three consecutive defeats that he had suffered at the hands of Cao Ci. Furthermore, the cultivators in the Majestic World lived far safer and more complacent lives than those on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Ning Yao’s rate of development was extremely fast, and traditionally speaking, the only socially accepted couples on the Sword Qi Great Wall were those consisting of two individuals who possessed comparable cultivation bases and combat prowess.

“How about a sparring match?” Chen Ping’an proposed with a smile.

Yan Zhuo took a glance at Ning Yao, then shook his head frantically as he refused, “I’ll pass.”

“Just ignore them,” Ning Yao urged in a quiet voice. “You’re only at the sixth tier right now. Come back and teach them a lesson next time.”

Chen Ping’an had to suppress a smile as he mused, “Pretending to be a Far Roaming Tier martial artist is a bit difficult, but pretending to be a sixth martial artist is a simple feat.”

For his candid admission, he received another elbow to the chest from Ning Yao, who snapped, “Is it fun to deceive me like this?”

She was truly angry this time, and Yan Zhuo and the others immediately fell into a fearful silence.

Chen Ping’an latched onto her hand as he explained in a gentle voice, “I’ve grown accustomed to concealing my true cultivation base during my travels. If I were in the Majestic World right now, I would be posing as a fifth tier martial artist, and even the average Far Roaming Tier martial artist wouldn’t be able to see through my ruse.

“For our ten-year agreement, I promised that I would only come and see you once I reached the Vajra Body Tier. Did you think I broke our agreement? That makes me very angry!”

Ning Yao was incredulous.

Very angry? Then why are you grinning like a fool right now? And what gives you the right to be angry after deceiving me?

She stared in a daze at this version of Chen Ping’an, who was both familiar and alien to her at the same time. They had been apart for ten years, and he was now wearing a Confucian robe with a jade hairpin in his hair. Furthermore, she now had to look up at him slightly. In the past, she had traveled across most of the nine continents on her own, and she was very familiar with the culture of the Majestic World.

She knew that even a decently handsome man could easily encounter a lover or two on a journey, and Chen Ping’an was sure to be quite popular, given that Vajra Body Tier martial artists at his age were quite rare in the Majestic World. Sure, he had an extremely stubborn personality, but perhaps that was exactly what some shameless women were into!

Chen Ping’an didn’t know what Ning Yao was thinking, but his instincts told him that if he didn’t say or do something soon, then he would be in for more physical torment.

However, as he looked into her eyes, he couldn’t think of anything to do or say except to rest his forehead against hers and gently call out her name over and over again.

In this moment, Ning Yao was the only thing in his world.

Ning Yao turned her head to the side, then shoved Chen Ping’an’s head away as she snapped, “What the hell’s gotten into you?”

Chen Ping’an was also a little embarrassed.

“That’s it! I’m done! I can’t take any more of this!” Yan Zhuo wailed with a sullen expression.

Chen Sanqiu was rolling his eyes so hard that it looked as if they would spin back into his head, and he grumbled, “Why do I feel like that shameless bastard, A’Liang, is back all of a sudden?”

“Love is love, what does it have to do with cultivation base?” Dong Huafu scoffed, finally breaking his silence.

“I agree,” Die Zhang seconded with a nod. “I think Chen Ping’an and Big Sister Ning are a remarkably good match for each other, but how are they going to go out together? Right now, there’s no battle to be fought, so a bunch of people are really bored and looking for trouble. Will Big Sister Ning have to hide him here all the time? Or will they only be able to sneak out together at night? Surely that won’t do.”

“Thank you all for staying by Ning Yao’s side all this time,” Chen Ping’an suddenly said in an earnest manner as he cupped his fist in a grateful salute. “I should’ve said this to you back when we parted ways last time. It’s come ten years too late, but better late than never.”

Die Zhang smiled and didn’t say anything, while Chen Sanqiu harrumphed, “It’s a shame Ning Yao never took a liking to me. Otherwise, you’d have no chance!”

Yan Zhuo crossed his arms in satisfaction as he grinned. “So you’re not a heartless shrew, after all!”

“Can you drink?” Dong Huafu asked.

“No!” Ning Yao snapped, answering in Chen Ping’an’s stead.

“If he’s not going to drink, then I’ll drink on my own,” Dong Huafu shrugged.

Ning Yao took Chen Ping’an to a plaza, where they had a good view of the Dragon Slaying Platform cliff, the size of a house.

There was a staircase personally carved out by a sword immortal, and everyone ascended the staircase to reach a slightly rugged pergola at the top.

Ning Yao took a glance at Die Zhang, and the latter immediately comprehended the subtle signal. She had only just sat down when she suddenly “remembered” that she had something to do and departed.

Chen Sanqiu and Yan Zhuo also made up their own excuses to vacate the premises, leaving only the oblivious Dong Huafu behind, who declared that he didn’t have anything to do.

In the end, Chen Sanqiu had to sling an arm across his shoulder and drag him away.

Before long, all that remained were Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao.

Chen Ping’an’s hands were resting on his knees in loose fists.

With Yan Zhuo and the others gone, Ning Yao was finally feeling a bit more relaxed.

“Have there been any girls who’ve taken a liking to you over the years?” she asked.

“Yes,” Chen Ping’an replied. “But I’ve never reciprocated their feelings, nor will I ever do so.”

“How many?” Ning Yao asked.

Chen Ping’an was completely stupefied.

“What’re their names?” Ning Yao asked.

Chen Ping’an remained dumbfounded.

“Forget it, I don’t really care,” Ning Yao dismissed.

Chen Ping’an was speechless.

Ning Yao turned to the foot of the Dragon Slaying Platform, then asked, “Is he really a Vajra Body Tier martial artist, Granny Bai?”

Aside from the old servant who had closed the door behind Chen Ping’an earlier, there was also a tall old woman down below, and the latter nodded with a smile as she confirmed, “Young Master Chen is indeed a seventh tier martial artist, and he possesses an incredibly sound foundation.”

“See? I wasn’t lying to you, was I?” Chen Ping’an asked, feeling vindicated.

Ning Yao ignored him as she turned to the two elderly individuals and said, “You two can go now, Granny Bai, Grandpa Nalan.”

The old woman hesitated momentarily, looking back at Ning Yao with an inquisitive smile, and only after Ning Yao shook her head did the old woman depart with the old man.

“Is Granny Bai a Mountain Summit Tier martial artist?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Ning Yao nodded in confirmation, then revealed, “She used to be an End Tier martial artist, but she fell down a tier for me.”

“Is there anyone here of a similar age to you who’s already a Nascent Tier swordsman?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

“What do you think?” Ning Yao scoffed. “Even I’m not a Nascent Tier swordsman yet, who do you think could surpass me?”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

This was an answer that was very true to Ning Yao’s character.

“Why did you ask me that?” Ning Yao asked with slightly furrowed brows.

“No reason,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

“The swordsmen on the Sword Qi Great Wall aren’t comparable with those in the Majestic World,” Ning Yao cautioned.

“I’m aware,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod. “In the past, you told me that the Northern Complete Reed Continent is worth a visit. I just went there prior to coming here, and I’ve gotten a decent grasp on the power of the swordsmen there.”

Ning Yao nodded in response as her brows unfurrowed, and in Chen Ping’an’s eyes, that was a more wonderful sight than even the finest scenery this world had to offer.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to him, and he pulled out a thick, handmade book that he had personally fashioned, then rose to his feet, intending to move over so that he could sit next to Ning Yao.

“You sit over there,” Ning Yao ordered, refusing to play along.

Chen Ping’an scratched his head sheepishly as he gently tossed her the book and said, “Back when I traveled to the Parasol Leaf Continent with the old great sword immortal’s sword, he advised me to restrain myself and refrain from sending letters to the Sword Qi Great Wall as that could serve as a distraction to you, so instead of writing individual letters to you, I’ve written down all of my experiences over the years in this journal.

“You can read through it to get a rough idea of what I’ve been up to during our time apart. I’ve recorded just about everything in the journal, although to varying degrees of detail.”

Ning Yao picked up Chen Ping’an’s self-authored travel journal, then began to read through it.

Soon, she became engrossed in her reading, and after watching her for a while, Chen Ping’an lay down and closed his eyes.

The only sound in the pergola was that of the rustling pages.

Initially, Chen Ping’an was thinking about some things, but before he knew it, he had actually fallen asleep.

Occasionally, Ning Yao would take a glance up at him from her reading. After finishing the travel journal, she set it down onto the bench as a pillow, then lay down onto it, but her eyes remained open as she lay on her side and stared at him in the night.

She raised her head slightly, then joined his palms together and tucked them between her cheek and the travel journal as she said in a quiet voice, “After you left last time, I went to Grandpa Chen and asked him to sever the karmic ties that had been artificially woven between us. Grandpa Chen asked me if that was what I really wanted.

“What if we both lost our feelings for each other? What would I do then? I told him that it was fine. If I don’t like someone, no one can convince me to have a change of heart, and likewise, no one can sway me from liking someone. Grandpa Chen then asked me what I would do if you never came back.

“You were far away from the Sword Qi Great Wall, so what if you never returned once the karmic ties between us were severed? I answered in your stead, telling Grandpa Chen that there was no way that you wouldn’t come back, that even if you lost your feelings for me, you would definitely return to tell me in person.

“However, I was actually just putting up a brave front when deep down, I was really scared, scared that I would like you even more, but you would no longer like me.”

Ning Yao’s voice trailed off here as she dozed off, while Chen Ping’an opened his eyes and quietly stood up before sitting down beside her.

Up above was the breathtaking moon, while down below was an even more stunning piece of scenery.

1. Bude (不得) literally translates to “must not” or “can not obtain.” ☜