Unsheathed

Pang Yuanji slowly emerged from the bottom of the crater, making no effort to shake off the dust and debris clinging to his body and his clothes.

He and Chen Ping’an exchanged a glance with each other, and he gave Chen Ping’an a nod before passing him on his way back to the wine shop where he had been drinking earlier.

All of a sudden, he seemed to have recalled something, and he loudly declared, “My apologies to everyone who bet money on me. In order to make amends, I would like to tell you all… that your losses have nothing to do with me! You made the bets of your own volition, so you’ll have to handle the consequences of your decision yourselves.”

After his voice trailed off, Pang Yuanji clasped a hand over his own mouth, then shook it aside to send some blood splattering down onto the ground.

Upon his return to the wine shop, he was handed a bowl of wine by Sword Immortal Gao Kui, while Sword Immortal Yuan Qingshu of the Southern Whirl Continent merely smiled at him in silence.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Pang Yuanji said in a resigned manner.

“It’s fine,” Gao Kui replied. “It’s just a loss. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”

“You did much better than Qi Shou at least,” Yuan Qingshu chimed in with a nod of approval.

As Pang Yuanji turned his gaze back to the street, he discovered that Chen Ping’an and the others were already long gone. Yan Zhuo had pulled out a small trinket that had transformed into a luxurious, full-sized carriage, and he and his friends had departed in the carriage.

Inside the spacious carriage, Chen Ping’an was seated with his legs crossed, with Ning Yao sitting next to him.

Sword Immortal had already flown back to the Ning Manor on its own.

Yan Zhuo took up a lot of room, and he was sitting across from Chen Sanqiu, Dong Huafu, and Die Zhang.

The silence was a little awkward, but no one seemed to know what to say.

“There’s medicine in the Ning Manor that can regrow flesh and skin, right?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Ning Yao nodded in response.

Yan Zhuo took a glance at Chen Ping’an’s unsightly arm as he asked, “Does that not hurt?”

No one in the carriage was a stranger to injuries. In fact, Die Zhang had had an arm cleanly chopped off by a demon. However, they had never seen anyone look so composed and unbothered after suffering injuries as horrific as Chen Ping’an’s.

“It doesn’t hurt too bad,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile. “Having said that, it’s going to be a bit of a pain getting rid of the residual sword qi from Time and Jumping Spider in my body.”

“Don’t talk!” Ning Yao instructed.

Chen Ping’an did as he was told, closing his eyes to rest.

Upon their return to the Ning Manor, Bai Lianshuang and Nalan Yexing were already waiting at the entrance. Even for a Mountain Summit Tier martial artist like Bai Lianshuang, who had regularly subjected herself to immense physical torment in her past training, the sight of Chen Ping’an’s terrible injuries had her wincing in sympathy.

Nalan Yexing told Chen Ping’an that he wouldn’t help him expel the residual sword qi from Qi Shou and Pang Yuanji’s flying swords, as he would stand to benefit from expelling the sword qi himself. This naturally suited Chen Ping’an just fine.

Bai Lianshuang took Chen Ping’an to the Ning Manor’s medicine room, while Ning Yao and her four friends sat down in the pergola on the Dragon Slaying Cliff.

Aside from Dong Huafu, who was still as airheaded as ever, staring off into space in a daze, Yan Zhuo and the others were all staring at each other, unsure of what to say.

“In a pure sparring match, Qi Shou would’ve come out on top had he gone all-out from the very beginning instead of trying to show off and embarrass Chen Ping’an,” Ning Yao began. “In particular, if he had put more effort into bolstering his Jumping Spider sword formation to prevent Chen Ping’an from getting close, his Heartstring flying sword would’ve eventually been able to close in on Chen Ping’an and put an end to the battle.

“In a long and drawn-out, Qi Shou definitely holds the advantage as Chen Ping’an’s True Qi will run out long before the spiritual energy in Qi Shou’s acupoints is exhausted. In a battle of life and death, both Chen Ping’an and Pang Yuanji would’ve died. However, Chen Ping’an was ultimately able to win those two hard-fought battles, not because he was lucky, but because he outsmarted Qi Shou and Pang Yuanji.

“He thought more extensively about his strategies and how he could use different factors to his advantage, so his plan was more complete and comprehensive. As a result, he was able to win as long as he could strike fast enough with his fists and his swords. Having said that, there’s a big prerequisite to all of this, and that’s that he’s able to ward off their flying swords.

“If any of you had been in his place, you wouldn’t have been able to win, no matter how extensively you planned in advance, because the gap in power between you and Pang Yuanji and Qi Shou is too much to overcome with strategy alone. If any of you were to face either of those two in battle, it would solely be a struggle for survival for you.

“On the southern battlefields, you’re able to go into battle against the demon tribe without any fear or hesitation, so you’re often able to overperform compared with your usual standards. That’s a very good quality, but if your opponent were instead one of Pang Yuanji or Qi Shou, you would be weighed down by fear and timidity. Why? Among pure martial artists, there is a concept known as martial courage.

“In their words, they would say that your martial courage is lacking. The turning point in Chen Ping’an’s battle against Qi Shou was when Qi Shou first released Heartstring. In that instant, Chen Ping’an sold him an illusion. He intentionally held himself back, refraining from displaying his full speed to make it appear as if he were struggling to outrun Heartstring, yet he still made sure to be just a bit faster than Flying Kite.

“Hence, after taking that first punch from Chen Ping’an, Qi Shou immediately realized that Flying Kite was going to be largely useless for the rest of the battle. Even if it could speed up a little, it still wouldn’t be able to catch up to Chen Ping’an. On the surface, Qi Shou appeared very relaxed and graceful in battle, but the cost of putting on such an arrogant show was that he was squandering his own advantage bit by bit.

“Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an continued to hold back until the very last moment, when he broke through the Jumping Spider sword formation with one punch before unleashing a second punch named the Deity Drumming Technique. It’s an all-out attack that aims to strike the opponent at all cost, even if it means incurring grievous injury to oneself, and it’s the type of attack that Chen Ping’an resorts to the most in battle.”

Yan Zhuo and the others remained silent for the entire duration of Ning Yao’s analysis, as if they were students listening to a lecture from their teacher.

“At this point, I’m sure it’s become clear to all of you that from the very beginning of his battle against Qi Shou, Chen Ping’an had been setting up for his battle against Pang Yuanji,” Ning Yao continued. “Yan Zhuo, you’ve seen Chen Ping’an use an Inch Movement Talisman.

“During his two battles against Qi Shou and Pang Yuanji, he used Inch Movement Talismans on four different occasions, so why is it that the effectiveness of the Inch Movement Talismans varied so drastically from one battle to another? The reason for this is very simple: even for the exact same talisman, their power and effectiveness can vary drastically depending on the material of the talisman paper used.

“This is common knowledge, and it certainly wouldn’t have been something that Pang Yuanji failed to take into consideration. Everyone on the entire Sword Qi Great Wall knows how smart Pang Yuanji is. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been given the nickname of Hundred Schools Pang.

“However, he was still tricked by Chen Ping’an, and ultimately, it was the very same Inch Movement Talisman that had played a pivotal role in deciding the outcome of the battle, allowing Chen Ping’an to close the distance between them in one fell swoop before landing the finishing blow. Do you know why that is?

“It’s because the two ordinary yellow paper Inch Movement Talismans that Chen Ping’an used in his battle against Qi Shou were specifically meant to be shown to Pang Yuanji. The most brilliant part of all of this is that during the first battle, the Inch Movement Talismans were largely useless, having no bearing on the outcome of the battle.

“All of us instinctively tend to believe what we see with our eyes, and thus, Pang Yuanji was unwittingly lulled into a false sense of complacency. If this were the only trap that Chen Ping’an had set, then Pang Yuanji would’ve likely been vigilant enough to see through his ruse.

“However, Chen Ping’an made sure to distract him with other red herrings, ones that seemed much more significant than the matter of the Inch Movement Talismans, and as a result, Pang Yuanji’s attention was immediately diverted elsewhere.

“For example, he noticed that Chen Ping’an hadn’t thrown any punches with his left hand throughout the entirety of his battle against Qi Shou, and he was also led to wonder if Chen Ping’an still had additional flying swords up his sleeve.”

Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu exchanged a wry smile with each other, while Die Zhang was beginning to feel the onset of a headache.

Only after hearing Ning Yao’s analysis did she come to realize just how much thought that Chen Ping’an had put into those two battles, how many traps he had set, and how much consideration had gone into every single one of his punches. Initially, the four of them had been rather concerned at the prospect of Chen Ping’an joining them in the next battle south of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Over time, they had become a very cohesive and tight-knit unit, able to work together like a well-oiled machine, so they were worried that not only would the addition of Chen Ping’an not prove to be an asset, but it would also disrupt their teamwork and have a detrimental effect. Clearly, they had severely underestimated Chen Ping’an’s tactical acumen.

Meanwhile, Dong Huafu was already fretting over how he was going to deal with his sister and mother once he returned home.

Ning Yao was silent for a moment, then smiled as she continued, “From the very beginning, Chen Ping’an knew why Die Zhang and Dong Huafu staged a sparring match for him to see, and why Yan Zhuo had openly provoked him. He knew that you were doing all of this out of concern for him, but clearly, none of you believed that he could win three battles in a row, and nothing that he said could’ve convinced you otherwise, so he could only let his fists do the talking.

“However, I know he appreciates what all of you have done for him. He’s always been someone who treats kindness with gratitude. I bet you’re all feeling both relieved and a little afraid of Chen Ping’an, right? If someone as cunning and calculating as him decides to plot against any of you, then you must be screwed, right?”

“I’m a little afraid, yeah,” Chen Sanqiu conceded with a nod.

“You have nothing to fear,” Ning Yao reassured with a shake of her head. “Unless you somehow get on his bad side, Chen Ping’an treats everyone with respect. If you’re a mighty sword immortal, he will regard you with earnest admiration and reverence, but even if you’re just a mortal with no cultivation base to speak of, he’ll still treat you with a baseline level of respect.

“When it comes to Granny Bai and Grandpa Nalan, their status as senior figures of the Ning Manor is far more important to Chen Ping’an than the fact that they were once a tenth tier martial artist and an Immortal Tier sword immortal, respectively. What’s most important to him is that they’re my seniors, and that they’ve been protecting me from the day I was born.

“This means that even if Granny Bai and Grandpa Nalan were just a pair of ordinary old people, he would still treat them with the same level of respect and gratitude. Similarly, he regards all of you as close friends of mine and comrades who’ve had my back through life and death.

“Only after that does he consider other things about you, such as how Yan Zuo and Chen Sanqiu are the young masters and likely heirs of the Yan Clan and the Chen Clan, how Die Zhang is a strong and independent girl who runs her own general goods shop, how Dong Huafu is a well-intentioned airhead who doesn’t like to talk much.”

Right at this moment, Ning Yao’s voice trailed off as Chen Ping’an approached the group from afar.

He had changed into a clean Dao robe that Granny Bai had found for him, and both of his hands were concealed up his sleeves as he made his way onto the Dragon Slaying Cliff.

His complexion was a little pale, but he appeared energetic and in high spirits as he sat down beside Ning Yao before smiling as he asked, “You weren’t talking about me just now, were you?”

Dong Huafu nodded in response, and he was just about to say something when Ning Yao shot him a warning glare and interrupted, “Didn’t I just say that you don’t like to talk much?”

Dong Huafu immediately closed his mouth again.

Chen Ping’an raised his left hand to reveal two Land-Shortening Talismans, one yellow and one golden.

Yan Zhuo’s eyes widened in shock, but not at the talismans. Instead, it was the fact that Chen Ping’an was able to easily raise his left arm, when back on the street earlier, it had hung limply by his side like a wet rag.

After stowing away the pair of talismans, Chen Ping’an smiled as he revealed, “I didn’t go all-out with my final punch, so the injuries I sustained to my left arm weren’t actually all that severe. Funnily enough, Pang Yuanji also intentionally stayed at the bottom of the crater for a bit longer than he actually had to before coming out. Both of us were putting on a show at the end.

“I didn’t want to truly fight Pang Yuanji to the death because I’m certain that he also had some powerful trump cards that he hadn’t revealed, so I only came out with the win because Pang Yuanji conceded the victory to me. My power and raw combat prowess on their own wouldn’t have been enough to secure the victory against Qi Shou and Pang Yuanji.

“Instead, I also had to rely heavily on strategy and the rules of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and only then was I fortunate enough to be able to come out on top. All of the spectating sword immortals are aware of this, and they could tell that just because I had defeated Qi Shou and Pang Yuanji didn’t necessarily mean that I was superior to them.

“Thus, even though I won, my victories haven’t truly damaged the reputations of the Qi Clan and the Hidden Official, and that’s how I can ensure that I’ll be safe from retaliation.”

His fists and swords had to be fast and precise, but also measured and thoughtful.

“You don’t have to reveal all of your secrets to us,” Chen Sanqiu said with a smile.

“This isn’t something that I have to keep secret from all of you,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head. “If I had told you all of this before I left the Ning Manor, none of you would’ve believed me, and you would’ve likely thought that I was spouting a bunch of nonsense to make myself look good.

“Personally, I don’t really care how you see me, but your opinion of me will also affect how you see Ning Yao, so I chose not to say anything. As for why I’m willing to reveal all of this to you, it’s simple: because all of you are Ning Yao’s friends. I trust Ning Yao, so I trust all of you as well. That may be a bit upsetting for you to hear, but it’s the truth.”

“That’s not upsetting to hear at all!” Yan Zhuo argued. “I don’t know about anyone else, but your sincerity warms the cockles of my heart, like having some wine on a cold winter day!”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to drink anytime soon,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “My injuries are pretty severe, so I’ll have to focus on rest and recovery for at least half a month or so.”

“You look pretty energetic and talkative right now,” Ning Yao scoffed. “Are you planning to fight Gao Yehou as well?”

“I don’t mean to brag, but if Gao Yehou had shown up, then I’m confident I would’ve been able to handle him,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “He’s the easiest of the three to deal with, and I would’ve had no trouble against him, whether it be in a sparring match or a battle to the death.

“Honestly, Qi Shou, Pang Yuanji, and Gao Yehou would’ve been the ideal order for me to win three battles in a row, so it’s actually a real shame that Gao Yehou didn’t make an appearance.”

Yan Zhuo was feeling a little weak in the knees, while Chen Sanqiu had no idea what to say.

Dong Huafu felt like only a man like Chen Ping’an was worthy of Ning Yao, and Die Zhang was also very happy for her.