Unsheathed

Die Zhang glanced outside the shop and felt slightly puzzled. There were very few scholars at the Sword Qi Great Wall, especially since there were no private schools and no teachers. For example, those born into impoverished households like Die Zhang could only rely on those crooked stone tablets of varying sizes that were casually placed around the streets and alleys to learn how to read and write. They would learn a few characters a day, and after a long time, they would eventually be able to read books if they were truly studious enough in their studies. However, their education wouldn’t extend much further than this.

Even though Ning Yao hadn’t met the Scholarly Sage before, she was still able to roughly guess the old man’s identity. She didn’t feel much about this, and her only thought at this moment was that during her travels through the Majestic World, when some books were yet to be banned, the portraits of the Scholarly Sage in those books truly weren’t accurate at all. Those portraits were very similar, and regardless of whether they were half-portraits or full portraits, they all depicted the Scholarly Sage as a dignified and magnificent person. By the looks of it, however, he was actually just a skinny old man.

Die Zhang was slightly confused, but Ning Yao said, “We’ll chat by ourselves. There’s no need to mind them.”

There was an unexpected reunion outside.

There was a smile on Chen Ping’an’s face, but he didn’t say anything else.

The old scholar turned around and looked at the two young women inside the shop, asking in a quiet voice, “Which one is it?”

“The better-looking one,” Chen Ping’an replied quietly.

The old scholar was extremely pleased, and he held his hand over his chest and raised his thumb.

Chen Ping’an asked the old scholar to wait for a moment first, heading inside the shop and giving Die Zhang a heads up as he carried a chair outside. Hearing Die Zhang say that there were no snacks in the shop, Chen Ping’an asked Ning Yao whether she could help buy some snacks from outside. Ning Yao nodded and quickly visited a nearby wine shop, returning a short while later with some snacks and even some cups and bowls. Chen Ping’an and the Scholarly Sage were sitting on their stools already, and it appeared quite comical as they used the chair as a wine table.

Chen Ping’an stood up, wanting to accept the box of snacks and open it himself. However, Ning Yao shot a glare at him and put a plate down, also setting down the wine bowls as well as the box of snacks. She then turned to the old scholar and told him to enjoy the food and wine. The old scholar had already stood up alongside Chen Ping’an, with the smile on his face growing even wider at this moment. He was over the moon.

Ning Yao called Die Zhang over, leaving the shop together to go for a stroll.

The old scholar smacked his lips and took a large swig of wine, shuddering and taking a deep breath as he remarked, “After exhausting myself so much, I can finally relax and enjoy myself for a bit now.”

Chen Ping’an drank slowly as he smiled and looked at the old scholar who seemingly hadn’t changed at all.

The old scholar grabbed some snacks with his chopsticks, and upon seeing no movement from Chen Ping’an, he raised his chopsticks and said in a muffled voice, “Get yourself some food. Just learning to drink isn’t good enough, and drinking without eating is boring and stifling. I was poor back then, so I could only treat the sagely scriptures as snacks to go with my wine. Cui Chan, that little bastard, was stubborn and blockheaded to begin with, and he mistakenly thought that reading while drinking was some kind of refined and elegant behavior, even going as far as to emulate this afterward. Little did he know that if I had money at the time, the table would already be filled with snacks to accompany my wine. Gone would be those bloody scholarly scriptures.”

Only those who scolded themselves the hardest could come up with the most reasonable criticisms.

Chen Ping’an grabbed some food with his chopsticks and chewed slowly, following which he took a small sip of wine, appearing as adept as could be.

He wasn’t speechless, but rather, he had absolutely no clue where to begin. He didn’t know what could be said and what couldn’t be said.

The chopsticks of the old scholar became a blur as he continued to eat and drink. Thankfully, Ning Yao had purchased more than enough snacks.

Chen Ping’an would lean over and pour wine whenever the old scholar’s wine bowl became empty.

After eating and drinking, Chen Ping’an placed the wine bowls and snack plates back inside the food box. Meanwhile, the old scholar used his sleeves to wipe away the splattered wine and sauce on the chair.

It was at this moment that Zuo You instantly arrived at the entrance of the shop.

“What brings you here?” the old scholar asked.

“This disciple wants to see more of you, Master,” Zuo You replied.

The old scholar pointed at the vacant chair and chuckled in anger. “Your sword skills are the highest, so why don’t you sit here?”

Zuo You glanced at Chen Ping’an, who had no option but to give up his small stool. Chen Ping’an walked around the chair and stood beside the old scholar.

This being the case, the old scholar had no option but to sit on the chair so that Chen Ping’an could sit on his stool.

“Have the two of you acknowledged each other as junior brother and senior brother yet?” the old scholar asked.

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Zuo You replied.

“I feel the same way,” Chen Ping’an concurred.

Now sitting on the chair, the old scholar naturally favored his closing disciple more, so he immediately smacked Zuo You’s head and scolded, “Just what kind of senior brother are you? You simply became my disciple earlier, so what are you feeling so arrogant about? How many years have you been single for? Disregarding everything else and just focusing on this important matter, the entire scholarly lineage is being held up by your junior brother now! Carrying your sword and running around here and there… Can your sword warm your bed, or can it help you make tea?”

“Senior Zuo was planning to teach me sword techniques on the parapet before. However, he was feeling slightly worried because my cultivation base is too low,” Chen Ping’an said.

This naturally earned Zuo You another smack on the back of the head. Zuo You’s expression was dark, and he thought to himself that he definitely wouldn’t feel worried at all after their master left the Sword Qi Great Wall.

“Of course, Senior Zuo also stood up for me when I first met Mr. Yao,” Chen Ping’an added.

The old scholar nodded and turned around, saying in a nonchalant manner, “I was wrong to hit you just then. Why didn’t you explain things clearly, Zuo You? You’ve been like this since you were little, and you need to change this habit. You won’t hold a grudge against me for hitting you wrongly, will you? Remember to speak out if you feel aggrieved. Being able to resolutely correct one’s mistakes is a great virtue. It was relying on this saying that I was able to forcefully produce a great number of profound principles back then, baffling even those talented Buddhist disciples, no?”

Master was naturally always correct. Thus, Zuo You remained silent the entire time. However, he decided to give that little brat two sword technique training sessions. One session definitely wouldn’t be enough.

“Mountain Cliff Academy’s assistant mountain master has really missed you… Master,” Chen Ping’an suddenly said.

This was Chen Ping’an’s first time referring to the Scholarly Sage as simply his master.

The old scholar burped and pricked up his ears, purposely acting puzzled as he asked, “Who? What? Can you repeat that again?”

Zuo You rolled his eyes.

“Senior Brother Mao really misses you, Master,” Chen Ping’an repeated with a smile.

The old scholar turned around and leaned on the armrest, looking at Chen Ping’an as he chuckled, “Little Dong is incredibly patient and is the most willing to use the simplest and dumbest methods to teach people, just like me. However, he’s similar to Zuo You in the sense that he’s unbelievably stubborn at times and can’t show any flexibility at all. Back then, I was on the verge of tying Mao Xiaodong up and stuffing him into a sack before tossing him into the School of Rites. I already abandoned my face and privately forged some relationships for him, but he refused to go to the School of Rites no matter what. I was left powerless as his master.”

“Why were you unwilling to acknowledge Master as your master back then, but you’re doing so now that your cultivation base is higher?” Zuo You suddenly asked.

“I was yet to read and study back then, so what right did I have to acknowledge the Scholarly Sage as my master? Simple because Master is the Scholarly Sage?” Chen Ping’an replied. “If that’s the case, then what if the Paramount Sage, the Etiquette Sage, or the Second Sage appeared before me and were willing to take me as their disciple? Should I accept their offer as well? A master being willing to take a disciple is one thing, but a disciple should also assess their master before accepting!

“Reading the books and scriptures of the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools of Thought is like comparing the products of various different vendors, and I concluded that Master’s knowledge is indeed the best. It’s because of this that I’ve acknowledged the Scholarly Sage as my master. Even if Master regrets this decision and goes back on it in the future, I’ll still continue to study and learn from him. Only by doing this can I display an upright mind and sincere intentions.”

Zuo You faltered for a long time.

He had seen shameless people before, but he had never seen such a shameless person. Did this brat, Chen Ping’an, run a business selling principles and reason?

Three training sessions!

The old scholar kicked Zuo You and scolded, “Why are you sitting there like a statue? Bring some wine over!”

“Master, I don’t like drinking wine, and in any case, Chen Ping’an has a whole heap of wine on him,” Zuo You replied in frustration.

“You’re single, Zuo You, so it doesn’t matter if you owe money or whatnot,” the old scholar said in a meaningful and heartfelt manner.

He continued to persuade his disciple with reason. “However, things are different for your junior brother. He has his own mountains, and he’s also about to get married soon. Just how much spending does this entail? You were the one helping me look after money in the past, so are you not aware of how difficult it is to maintain a home and raise a family? You should act like a senior brother and avoid attracting ridicule and contempt to the scholarly lineage. So be it if you don’t treat your master to wine. Go to the city wall and shout that you’re Chen Ping’an’s senior brother, lest your junior brother be picked on when I’m not around in the future.”

Zuo You played deaf and mute.

When they traveled around the world in the past to seek knowledge, this would represent Zuo You’s greatest protest against his master.

Chen Ping’an retrieved two pots of wine from his minimization treasure and handed both to the old scholar.

Both pots were rice wine from the Dragon Spring Prefecture, seeing that he had given all of his immortal wine to the sword-hugging middle-aged man guarding the gates of Stalactite Mountain.

The old scholar handed one pot to Zuo You.

Zuo You didn’t turn it down.

Chen Ping’an grabbed a pot for himself.

The old scholar smiled with squinted eyes and asked, “How does it taste, Zuo You?”

Zuo You could only do his best to maintain his conscience as he replied, “It’s okay.”

The old scholar shook his head and clicked his tongue, saying, “Only someone who doesn’t understand how to drink wine will say something like this.”

He then turned around to look at Chen Ping’an. Sure enough, he didn’t disappoint the old scholar.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Free wine is always the most delicious.”

The Scholarly Sage laughed heartily in response.

After waiting for a long time, he discovered that Chen Ping’an was looking right at him.

The old scholar cleared his throat and said, “Rest assured, you can ask your senior brother to treat you to wine in the future. As long as you’re drinking at the Sword Qi Great Wall, whether it’s by yourself or with friends, remember to put the tab on Zuo You’s name. Zuo You…”

“I understand,” Zuo You said with a sigh.

However, the old scholar called Zuo You’s name again.

Zuo You was already one step ahead, and he added, “I don’t feel aggrieved at all.”

Only after hearing this did the old scholar feel satisfied.

Chen Ping’an continued to drink wine, thinking that the more this was the case, the more difficult his life would be in the near future.

However, the old scholar was very understanding, and he said, “Your Senior Brother Zuo You’s sword skills are quite okay, but there’s no need for you to learn them if you don’t want to. If you want to learn them, then just tell your senior brother how exactly you want to learn them. Your senior brother won’t take things too far.”

“We can start the lessons now,” Zuo You said.

“There’s no hurry,” Chen Ping’an immediately said.

Zuo You leaned forward and fixed his gaze on Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an looked toward the old scholar.

The old scholar understood Chen Ping’an’s intention and immediately placed a hand on Zuo You’s head, pushing it back and scolding, “Go easier on your junior brother.”

Zuo You started to drink large swigs of wine.

This was very strange. The Scholarly Sage seemingly treated Zuo You the worst out of all his direct disciples, but this disciple was always the one who stuck by his master the most.

Even an unofficial disciple like Mao Xiaodong was completely unable to understand this, no matter how hard he racked his brains.

However, Senior Brother Zuo You’s disposition was far too cold and reclusive, so Mao Xiaodong, Ma Zhan, and the others didn’t really dare to approach Zuo You to speak to him.

Cui Chan was yet to betray his master at that time, and he was still the brilliant first disciple of the Scholarly Sage, shadowing all of the noble scholars and virtuous scholars in the Confucian schools and academies of the Middle Earth Divine Continent. His knowledge was lofty, his cultivation base was high, and his Go skills were even more top-notch. Even so, he was often scolded by Zuo You and was unable to speak back. Whether this was because Cui Chan was unwilling to or didn’t dare to, Mao Xiaodong and the others no longer had an opportunity to receive an answer to this question.

As for the level of Zuo You’s knowledge, the direct disciples of the Scholarly Sage were enough to explain everything.

However, it was a shame that his knowledge was overshadowed by his sword skills.

Thus, whenever people in the world mentioned Sword Immortal Zuo You, a late bloomer, they would only say that his sword skills were lofty, profound, or at the pinnacle of the world.

In fact, many people would forget his status as the Scholarly Sage’s disciple.

One person suppressing all of the innate sword talents in the world — this was Zuo You.

In the eyes of the old scholar, however, the Zuo You who was sitting on the small stool in front of the shop today was still that tall young boy who had a limpid look in his eyes when knocking on the door and saying that he had no money, but that he wanted to read sagely scriptures and learn some principles. If he owed money, he would return it to his master in the future. However, if he studied and became a champion scholar or whatnot, helping his master recruit more disciples, then he wouldn’t return this debt in the future.

The young boy had been very earnest when saying this at the time.

The impoverished scholar hadn’t been very old at that time, not having become an old scholar and much less the Scholarly Sage. He simply had some spare money after releasing a book, meaning that he wasn’t so poor that he couldn’t even afford wine. This being the case, he had agreed to the young Zuo You’s request, thinking that it wasn’t right for Cui Chan not to have a junior brother.

In any case, the impoverished scholar had thought at the time that his biggest desire was to have successful disciples all over the world. As such, it was good to start with the first disciple and then the second disciple. One couldn’t walk a thousand miles without accumulating small steps, after all, and this was an outstanding saying that he had come up with himself.

At that time, the impoverished scholar was only a talented scholar who had passed the county-level imperial exam, and he truly hadn’t thought about too much or thought too far into the future. In fact, he had even thought that recruiting many disciples and having them spread throughout the world was nothing more than a distant and unachievable dream. This was similar to daydreaming about pots upon pots of beautiful wine from those large restaurants when drinking a small amount of low-quality wine in an impoverished alley.

Many years later, he still had vague recollections of the restaurant owner’s young daughter being incredibly beautiful.

Looking at her from a distance was like drinking fine wine. One couldn’t look too much, lest they become drunk.

Thus, the old scholar was extremely angry about future generations of Confucian sages framing him as a proper and pedantic person when interpreting one of his works, changing the original meaning of his text far too much. However, it was completely normal and justified for people to have romantic feelings, especially since people were emotional creatures, unlike plants and trees. In any case, even plants and trees could transform into spirits and show human emotions.

At the same time, humans weren’t sages, so how could they be free from mistakes? Indeed, even sages would make mistakes, so it would be most inappropriate to pedantically hold mortal humans to the standards of sages. If this were the ask, and if this philosophy became the dominant stream, then scholars wouldn’t be dragged closer to the level of sages, but rather, they would be pushed further and further away.

And thus, the old scholar had run to the scholarly temple to speak reason with them, yet the latter had also been very firm, listening to whatever the old scholar said and refusing to argue with him no matter what. In fact, the sage had refused to say a single word.

However, it was also this same sage, who could have potentially been accused of being cold and difficult, who had sacrificed his cultivation base as the price for forcefully keeping open that barrier for the Majestic World. Only when the old scholar and the sword-wielding scholar appeared before him had he finally put down the heavy burden and silently passed away, smiling at the old scholar and departing from the world. His soul had dispersed completely, with no hope of entering reincarnation.

Life was only fleeting.

They had exchanged a smile of mutual understanding and emotional harmony.

The old scholar was in no hurry to stand up from his chair after finishing the pot of wine, and he instead held the empty pot in his hands as he basked in the sun of another world.

“Master, you should leave now,” Zuo You said in a quiet voice. “Otherwise, the Ascension Tier great demons of this world might step forward together to prevent Master from leaving.”

Chen Ping’an was just about to stand up to say something.

The old scholar raised a hand and lightly pushed down, saying, “There’s no need to say anything. Master already knows. Master has many things to say, but now is not the right time.”

He leaned back against the chair, appearing relaxed and comfortable as he murmured, “I’ll sit here for a little longer. It’s already been many years since I’ve had two disciples sitting next to me at the same time.”

There was a disciple to the left and a disciple to the right, with the master sitting in the middle.

Zuo You finally wasn’t the only disciple accompanying the old scholar.