Unsheathed

After practicing his walking meditation for a while, Chen Ping’an hesitated momentarily, then ultimately decided to leave his residence and return to the pergola on the Dragon Slaying Cliff. There, he stood with his fist cupped, intentionally releasing his fist intent.

Soon, the old woman came hobbling her way up the mountain with a smile as she asked, “Can I help you with something, Young Master Chen?”

“Sorry to disturb your rest, Granny Bai, but there are some questions that I wanted to ask you, and I couldn’t wait,” Chen Ping’an said with a guilty expression.

“There’s no need to be so formal and uptight, Young Master Chen,” the old woman said with a smile. “We’re family, so don’t be so distant. Otherwise, you’re going to make me upset.”

After the old woman sat down, Chen Ping’an said with a solemn expression. “I can see that the Ning Manor has become almost completely deserted after the passing of the two seniors. May I ask what’s become of the Yao Manor?”

The old woman was silent for a moment, then replied, “To answer that question, I’ll have to tell you a bit of a long story. Back when Mistress Yao first decided to marry into the Ning Clan, everyone in the Yao Clan disapproved because the Ning Clan had fallen from grace. At the time, Master Ning’s cultivation base wasn’t anything special, nor was he displaying the potential to become a sword immortal.

“If that were the extent of his shortcomings, then it wouldn’t have been a huge problem. The Yao Clan wasn’t so materialistic that it would get in the way of true love just because Master Ning wasn’t necessarily destined for great things. The problem was that the Yao Clan had requested the Daoist sage presiding over the city to examine the eight characters of the two to see if they were a good fit for each other, and the outcome had been less than stellar.

“Hence, the Yao Clan staunchly refused to support this marriage, even when the Ning Clan offered up this Dragon Slaying Cliff as a marriage gift. As a result, Mistress Yao married into the Ning Clan without any fanfare or approval from her seniors. Master Ning was never one to bring up the matter, but it was clear that he had always felt guilty toward Mistress Yao, feeling as if he were indirectly at fault for her estrangement from her clan.

“Even after Master Ning reached the Upper Five Tiers, the Yao Clan remained cold and distant, and there wasn’t anything that Master Ning could do about it. The damage had simply already been done. Over the years, he was unable to shake this feeling of guilt, but no matter how much he tried to persuade her, Mistress Yao refused to return to her clan unless absolutely necessary, and on the future occasions that she did go back, it was only to discuss business and official matters.

“They were only separated by two streets, but interactions between the two clans were rarer than those between a pair of sworn enemies. Only after Young Mistress Ning Yao was born did the relationship between the two clans begin to improve. After Master Ning and Mistress Yao’s departure, the Yao Clan harbored very mixed feelings toward Young Mistress Ning, particularly her maternal grandparents.

“They felt a great deal of sympathy for her, and when they could see her, they were concerned for her, but whenever they did see her, they felt a sense of pain and grief. Young Mistress Ning doesn’t bear much of a resemblance to her mother, but their eyes may as well have been cast out of the exact same mold.

“Truth be told, even though I’m just a lowly servant, even I can’t help but feel disgruntled whenever I think of the circumstances surrounding the marriage between Master Ning and Mistress Yao, but when it comes to Young Mistress Ning, it would be unfair to levy too much criticism against the Yao Clan.

“They had already done everything they could for her; the only thing that was missing was the usual care and affection that one would expect to receive from their seniors. There are many past stories between the Ning Clan and the Yao Clan that are both worth telling, but also rather inconsequential.

“What I’ve said so far may have put the Yao Clan in a bad light in your eyes, but in reality, they’re all good and kind people. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to raise an extraordinary woman like Mistress Yao.”

Chen Ping’an silently committed all of this to memory.

“Back when Young Mistress Ning was first born, Master Ning almost named her Yao Ning, claiming that it was a more auspicious name than Ning Yao, one with better connotations,” the old woman continued. “Mistress Yao opposed the idea, and the two of them had never fought before that, but they got into an argument over the matter.

“Afterward, it was decided that Young Mistress Ning would draw lots to decide her name. Two items were placed down in front of her: a beautiful skirt, a dagger, and a small piece of Dragon Slaying Platform. The skirt dagger was an item in Mistress Yao’s dowry. Master Ning proposed that if their daughter grabbed the skirt dagger first, then she would have the Yao surname, and she would be given the Ning surname if she grabbed the Dragon Slaying Platform first instead.

“After some deliberation, Young Mistress Ning ended up grabbing the piece of Dragon Slaying Platform first. That’s the same piece of Dragon Slaying Platform that was eventually given to you, Young Master Chen. At the time, Mistress Yao had been very pleased. Mistress Yao very rarely smiled, even as a child.

“For her, a slight upturn of the corner of her lips could be considered a smile, but on that occasion, she was smiling from ear to ear when Young Mistress Ning chose the Dragon Slaying Platform. Master Ning grew up under far more difficult circumstances than Mistress Yao, forced to shoulder the burden of the already downtrodden Ning Clan from a very young age.

“On top of that, he had to defend that Dragon Slaying Cliff alongside the rest of the Ning Clan’s sizable estate. As a young man, his cultivation base was still lacking, so he had begged many favors from others to help him protect the Ning Clan’s wealth, and he suffered extensively as a result.

“Despite that, he was always very polite and respectful to everyone and perpetually wore a warm smile. Hence, you can say that Young Mistress Ning resembles both of her parents in different regards.”

“I met Senior Ning and Mistress Yao on Stalactite Mountain once last time,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

“Only once?” the old woman asked with a meaningful smile.

Chen Ping’an was perplexed, but the old woman didn’t elaborate.

Instead, she changed the subject as she self-reprimanded, “Please pardon me for going off on such a long tangent, Young Master Chen. You mentioned that you had something to ask me? Go ahead.”

“Ning Yao has always been perfectly capable of looking after herself, whether it be here or back when she was traveling the Majestic World,” Chen Ping’an began. “Hence, I’m worried that by being here, not only will I not be of any help to her, but I could also serve as a distraction and place her in danger. Hence, I can only implore you and Grandpa Nalan to be extra vigilant.”

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet, then cupped his fist in an apologetic salute as he said in an earnest manner, “If we encounter another assassin of the same caliber as the one who was able to inflict these injuries upon you, I would gladly lay down my life to protect Ning Yao, but I’m worried that even if I do, my efforts will ultimately prove to be futile.”

The old woman seemed to have been rather taken aback, and she was silent for a moment before smiling as she said, “It’s very good to see you being so straightforward with me. This is how family should be, and it’s also very admirable that you’re willing to openly admit your own shortcomings for the sake of Young Mistress Yao. You’re very much like Master Ning was in this regard.”

The old woman lowered her head and dabbed at her eyes as she spoke.

Chen Ping’an’s hands balled up into tight fists that he pressed forcefully against his legs as he said in a trembling voice, “I haven’t been able to do anything for Ning Yao in all these years that we’ve been apart.”

“Shut your mouth before I beat some sense into you!” someone suddenly scolded from outside the pergola.

It was none other than Nalan Yexing, the old steward of the Yao Manor.

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze to the old man in silence.

The old man made his way into the pergola, then sat down as he asked, “Did you not hold up your end of the ten-year agreement? From this day forth, for as long as you live, are you not willing to stand up for Young Mistress Ning and protect her with your life? If you can sincerely say yes to both of those questions, then what do you have to feel guilty about?

“Do you think it’s only true love if two people are constantly together, thinking about nothing but affection and romance? Back when you were last here, I told Master Ning that we should keep you here on the Sword Qi Great Wall to put you through some hard training. At the very least, we should’ve only allowed you to leave after you attained a bonded flying sword. How are you going to become a sword immortal if you’re not even a swordsman?”

Before the old man had a chance to continue, the old woman punched him in the shoulder as she hissed in a furious voice, “Be quiet! You’re going to wake up Young Mistress Ning if you don’t shut up! Do you think being loud gives you more authority and credibility? Guess what? It doesn’t work like that on the Sword Qi Great Wall!

“If you’ve got so much to say, why don’t you go out and yell on the city walls? Do you remember how pathetic you were at Young Master Chen’s age? That punch from me just now would’ve been enough to send you flying and have you howling in pain! Shut the hell up!”

The old man’s aura and flair instantly faded, reverting him back into the same quiet and hobbled old man as before, and he could only raise a hand to massage his sore shoulder in silent indignation.

It wasn’t that he lacked conviction in what he was saying. Instead, he simply knew that trying to reason with an angry woman was only going to be an exercise in futility. Even if he had a hundred bonded flying swords in his possession, none of them would be helping his cause here in the slightest.

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath, then smiled as he said, “There’s one more question that I want to ask you, Granny Bai.”

“Go ahead,” the old woman prompted as her enraged expression instantly turned to a benevolent smile. “Ask all the questions that you want, Young Master Chen. For old farts like us, we have nothing but time on our hands, especially for a crippled swordsman like Nalan Yexing. If you didn’t know any better, you’d wonder if he was allergic to cultivation!”

The old man was clearly already accustomed to Bai Lianshang’s scathing insults, as evidenced by the fact that not only was he not disgruntled in the slightest, but he couldn’t even be bothered to put on an indignant display.

“If, in the worst-case scenario, the Sword Qi Great Wall falls, what will become of the Ning Manor?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The two elderly individuals exchanged a glance with each other.

“Of course, that’s definitely not something that I wish to see, but it’s not a possibility that we can ignore,” Chen Ping’an continued. “Hence, I plan to take part in the next battle when the demon tribe attacks next, so I can personally get a grasp on the power of the enemy that we’re dealing with.

“Rest assured, I may not be able to slay many enemies, but I’m decently confident in my ability to look after myself, and I definitely won’t be a burden to anyone. I only wish to remain by Ning Yao’s side during the battle as an added layer of security.”

A concerned look appeared on the old woman’s face as she sighed, “It’s not that we don’t have faith in your abilities, Young Master Chen, but we’ve seen far too many mishaps take place on the battlefield south of the Sword Qi Great Wall. The battles here are completely different from anything you would’ve experienced in the Majestic World.

“I understand that you’ve faced many formidable foes in the past, but have you ever experienced what it’s like to be on a battlefield all on your own, surrounded by enemies in all directions? As soon as you set foot on the battlefield south of the city, you could end up surrounded by hundreds, even thousands of enemies at a moment’s notice.”

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet as he smiled and said, “You were too considerate of me earlier, Granny Bai. This time, please enlighten me in a true sparring match in which you keep your cultivation base at the pinnacle of the Far Roaming Tier the entire time. “

The old man couldn’t help but chuckle at Chen Ping’an’s assertion that the old woman had been “too considerate” of him.

The old woman threw a punch at him without even turning around, and the old man ducked his head to the side to evade her fist.

“Please pardon me then, Young Master Chen,” the old woman apologized in advance as she also rose to her feet. “Even if Young Mistress Ning isn’t going to be happy about it, I’m going to have to take this a bit more seriously.”

Chen Ping’an nodded as he sprang out of the pergola, and by the time he landed on the ground, he had already rolled up his sleeves and adopted a fist stance.

“I’m also going to be going all-out this time, Granny Bai.”

“I certainly wouldn’t expect anything less, Young Master Chen,” the old woman chuckled, but she was in no hurry to emerge from the pergola.

The old man stood up as he turned to Chen Ping’an and gave an internal nod of approval. Pure martial artists were a very rare sight on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

He could immediately tell that Chen Ping’an was a young martial artist who possessed a tremendous foundation, as opposed to someone who was all style and no substance.

For many young prodigies, their cultivation base alone would be enough to intimidate many people, but it depended on whether this cultivation base was built upon a strong foundation. Throughout the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall, there had been countless prodigious swordsmen who had come here with immense pride and lofty aspirations, only to be utterly humiliated, and the majority of them came from the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

All of them had been stuck-up troublemakers looking to make a name for themselves, only to be beaten into submission before they even made it onto the Sword Qi Great Wall. However, that didn’t mean that the people of the Sword Qi Great Wall intentionally picked on outsiders. In fact, there was an unspoken rule, which was that challenges issued to outsiders could only be issued by those of the same cultivation base.

If an outsider could win one battle, then that was already a decent achievement, but perhaps there could have been some element of luck involved. If they could win two battles, then it would be clear that they could put their money where their mouth was, and only after three battles had been won would those on the Sword Qi Great Wall acknowledge them as a true prodigy.

Cao Ci had been given the same treatment during his visit to the Sword Qi Great Wall, but he was able to win three battles in a row using just a single hand.

However, the unspoken rules in place were detrimental to the young prodigies of the Sword Qi Great Wall, as only those at or below the Abode Tier were able to challenge Cao Ci. The first two challengers hadn’t even taken part in any battles outside of the Sword Qi Great Wall, so they fought in a very barbaric and unskilled fashion, using their bonded flying swords like glorified battering rams.

Only Cao Ci’s third opponent was a true prodigy, and even at a young age, he was already a veteran on the battlefield south of the city, but that still didn’t spare him the fate of being defeated by a single-handed Cao Ci.

However, the outcome of those three battles hadn’t created much of a stir on the Sword Qi Great Wall at the time. After all, Cao Ci’s cultivation base was still nothing special back then.

What truly brought Cao Ci to the attention of the sword immortals on the Sword Qi Great Wall was the fist intent that he had displayed while practicing his fist techniques daily atop the city walls.

In contrast with the Cao Ci of old, Chen Ping’an had come to the Sword Qi Great Wall as a Vajra Body Tier martial artist, and he had openly walked into the Ning Manor without making any effort at concealment. This was naturally a fantastic thing, but it could also lead to a lot of trouble.

Furthermore, he was staying at the Ning Manor, essentially making an open declaration of his relationship with Ning Yao to everyone, and that had Nalan Yexing feeling very concerned.

There were bound to be many disgruntled young men out there itching to teach him a lesson, so as soon as he left the manor, conflicts would be sure to arise. Chen Ping’an could choose to cower, but in doing so, he would be seen as an embarrassment and reduced to a laughingstock of the entire Sword Qi Great Wall.

If he chose to rise to the occasion, then even if he could endure the first two trials, his third opponent was undoubtedly going to be very formidable. At the very least, they would be on the same level as the likes of Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu, perhaps even a young Golden Core Tier swordsman superior to them.

Furthermore, they were undoubtedly going to be under thirty years of age. That person was definitely going to be an exceptional prodigy who possessed power and battlefield experience in equal measure, such as the arrogant little runt from the Qi Clan who had always thought himself to be above everyone else.

Nalan Yexing took a glance at the old woman.

Bai Lianshuang was someone who was blessed with tremendous martial fortune. However, she had a very stubborn personality, and she chose to be loyal to her mistress and the Yao Clan her entire life. Otherwise, given her aptitude and cultivation base, she could’ve easily earned herself a much higher status in any other prominent clan.

As a result of her choice, she had turned from a vibrant young woman into a stodgy middle-aged maid who constantly wore a stern expression, then a grumpy old woman with a full head of white hair.

Nalan Yexing was older than her and also higher in seniority, and he had personally witnessed her transformation over the years.

He felt some pity for her, and that was why he was willing to concede in many of their minor arguments.

Otherwise, there was no way that they would’ve been able to keep this Dragon Slaying Cliff before Ning Yao’s father grew up to take the reins.

With a gentle tap of her foot, the old woman drifted out of the pergola, seemingly as light and innocuous as a feather, only to abruptly crash down to the ground in an instant. The earth shuddered beneath her feet, and in the blink of an eye, it was as if she had turned into a tendril of mist.

The old man closely observed the battle through narrowed eyes.

He had witnessed countless sparring matches between swordsmen, but a battle between martial artists was quite a rare sight, particularly one involving Bai Lianshuang.

An exchange of blows took place, and Chen Ping’an slid back until his back struck the wall behind him, following which he calmly stepped forward.

As for Bai Lianshuang, she had been struck by a kick from Chen Ping’an. It was far from a heavy blow, and she was able to easily ward off its residual force with her aura alone, but the fact that she had been struck at all was a point of great significance.

The most intriguing part about this wasn’t that Chen Ping’an had just displayed speed on par with that of a martial artist at the pinnacle of the Far Roaming Tier. Instead, it was the fact that he had managed to perfectly anticipate the speed and trajectory of Bai Lianshuang’s attack, thereby allowing him to land a counter.

The old man chuckled. “You weren’t kidding about not holding back, kid.”