Unsheathed

The New Year was around the corner, and Ning Yao asked Chen Ping’an why he wasn’t preparing any couplets and door gods. She had wandered around the small town in the Jewel Small World back then, and she had found the New Year’s atmosphere quite festive and enjoyable, a feeling that she missed.

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked if the Sword Qi Great Wall even sold these goods, to which Ning Yao replied that he could write and draw his own.

However, Chen Ping’an stated that he needed to adhere to local traditions and customs and shouldn’t go out of his way to put up couplets and door gods.

Ning Yao was slightly angry, not understanding why they needed to care about other people’s opinions.

Chen Ping’an once again stressed that they did need to care.

Ning Yao truly became a little angry, so Chen Ping’an explained in detail the reasons behind his decision and, in the end, told Ning Yao to be patient regarding this matter. He was going to stay at the Sword Qi Great Wall for a very long time, so perhaps he would still have opportunities to do business pertaining to couplets and door gods in the future, just like how the restaurants and wine shops in the city all put up couplets and horizontal scrolls now.

Only after hearing this did Ning Yao relent.

Chen Ping’an visited the city wall again after recovering from his wounds, looking for Senior Brother Zuo You to continue his sword training.

He learned his lesson this time, and he directly took a bottle of ointment with him, intending to treat his wounds on the city wall before returning. That way, no one else would need to see his scary-looking wounds, especially so close to the New Year. However, plans would often go awry, and Ning Yao made her way to the city wall at midnight after completing her cultivation at the Dragon Slaying Platform and not seeing Chen Ping’an return for a long time.

When Ning Yao arrived, she saw Chen Ping’an lying on the ground ten paces away from Zuo You and bandaging his own wounds. He had most likely suffered serious wounds during the training session, or else, with his habit of tempering his physique until he was half dead, he would have already summoned his talismanic boat and returned to the Ning Residence as if nothing had happened at all.

Ning Yao sat beside Chen Ping’an before turning around to glare at Zuo You and grumble, “It’s almost New Year!”

Zuo You tried to find the right words for half a day before finally nodding and saying, “I’ll be careful in the future.”

Chen Ping’an was secretly amused by this.

In the end, Zuo You said, “A sage in the past once stood on a riverbank and posed questions to the heavens, eventually leaving one hundred and seventy-three questions for the later generations. Afterward, a scholar of some future generation composed a heavenly response to the one hundred and seventy-three questions. You can look into this matter if you want.[1]”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response. He could ask Chen Sanqiu to help him purchase the relevant books, since he also enjoyed reading and collecting books.

He retrieved his talismanic boat, which Ning Yao steered as they returned to the Ning Residence.

There was no tradition of having a New Year’s Eve family dinner at the Sword Qi Great Wall, but at the Ning Residence, Chen Ping’an personally went to the kitchen to cook up a sumptuous dinner, letting Grandma Bai rest for the day.

Their friends would also have their own friends.

Apart from Dong Huafu being relatively unsociable and not having many friends, Yan Zhuo had his own friendship groups, while Chen Sanqiu had even more friends.

The New Year arrived, and Chen Sanqiu visited Die Zhang’s wine shop with three of his good friends to enjoy a drink.

The four of them shared one table, and Fan Dache, a descendant of a large clan, was so inebriated that tears and snot were flowing down his face. Chen Sanqiu was helpless about this, and the young man and young woman who had similar backgrounds to Fan Dache were also at a loss. Moreover, the two of them were Dao partners, so they were in even less of a position to say anything.

This was because Fan Dache liked a young woman with a mismatched social status, but even though the Fan Clan was very well off, the young woman had surprisingly turned her back on him and found herself a descendant of another large clan. Not only that, but they were even starting to discuss marriage now. Chen Sanqiu and Fan Dache’s other friends were caught off guard as well, unable to comprehend why Yu Qia, the Sea Observation Tier young woman, had abandoned Fan Dache for someone else.

Fan Dache was even more confused, so he drank until he became drunk and muttered absolute nonsense.

Upon seeing Chen Ping’an, Fan Dache yelled, “Oh my, if it isn’t the second shopkeeper! It’s rare for you to show up, so why don’t you come over for a drink? Yes, a drink!”

Chen Ping’an had coincidentally come here by himself to check the accounts book with Die Zhang, yet Chen Sanqiu gestured to him with his eyes, calling Chen Ping’an over to help them deal with the situation. Chen Ping’an felt slightly exasperated. He had only seen Fan Dache and Yu Qia twice, and he had seldom interacted with them, so what could they possibly talk about?

Thus, he only brought two pots of wine over and sat beside Chen Sanqiu, opening one pot to quietly drink by himself. Fan Dache was completely wasted and wallowing in sorrow, with his eyes hazy and his tears glistening, making him appear as heartbroken as could be.

The most pitiful thing was that he still maintained some cognition despite drinking so much, unable to forget his pains and sorrows.

This couldn’t be helped. Drinking wine wouldn’t always wash away one’s sorrows, and it might instead cause one’s wounds to burn even more painfully. If one felt increasingly heartbroken and more craving for wine, yearning to dull the pain in one’s heart, then one could simply drink oneself to death and piss off.

Chen Sanqiu didn’t truly want Chen Ping’an to do anything, and he simply wanted an extra person to drink with.

Chen Ping’an listened to their conversation, allowing him to roughly gauge the situation. Even so, their relationship was very shallow, so Chen Ping’an wasn’t willing to offer his opinion.

Despite becoming drunk and extremely heartbroken, Fan Dache was still unwilling to criticize Yu Qia. Chen Ping’an had paid a small amount of attention to Yu Qia before. She was a young woman who would never drink until she was drunk, and who possessed a very good disposition. Even though she came from humble beginnings, she exuded a bookish aura, which was very rare among women at the Sword Qi Great Wall. At the same time, she also had a sense of boldness.

As for why Chen Ping’an had paid attention to Yu Qia, this was due to a small action from her that had stuck in his mind. Back then, Chen Sanqiu, Fan Dache, and a few others had been sitting together and drinking wine, and they had coincidentally met a sword immortal with whom Yu Qia was familiar.

Yu Qia had stood up to respectfully raise a toast to the sword immortal, and while doing so, she had very naturally reached over to touch the sword immortal’s arm, a very brief and normal motion that even Chen Ping’an didn’t find disrespectful. The male sword immortal hadn’t thought anything of the contact either.

However, Chen Ping’an remembered this interaction very clearly for some reason, most likely because of his experiences in the Majestic World, where young women with elegant dispositions and eloquent speech were greatly appreciated by men as they sat on wine tables of varying sizes. This definitely wasn’t to say that Yu Qia was some kind of promiscuous person, and quite the contrary, Chen Ping’an felt like she struck a very good balance when it came to dealing with these social interactions.

Disregarding whether Chen Ping’an accepted this or not, he could ultimately understand it. The path of cultivation encompassed all aspects of life, and each person had their own method of establishing themself and finding purpose.

Many words and actions, and a lot of hard work that others couldn’t see, would become a multitude of life-saving shields that some people quietly earned for themselves.

However, Fan Dache clearly didn’t understand this, and perhaps he had never given this proper thought either. In his eyes, perhaps the girl whom he liked had always been this sensible and mindful.

At the end of the day, Fan Dache was undoubtedly head over heels for Yu Qia, but he didn’t necessarily understand what she liked, nor did he understand her challenges in life.

Listening to Fan Dache’s drunken words, he had been utterly confused when hearing that Yu Qia wanted to break up with him. He had asked her what he had done wrong, promising that he could change in the future.

Yu Qia hadn’t budged, adamantly stating that the two of them weren’t suitable for each other. Thus, of Fan Dache’s many drunken words today, one line was repeated again and again: How are we not suitable for each other? Why have you only discovered today that we’re not suitable for each other?

“Chen Ping’an, you’re not allowed to think that Yu Qia is a bad person. You’re definitely not allowed to think that!” Fan Dache suddenly shouted.

“Alright,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

Fan Dache raised his wine bowl and downed half of its contents in a single gulp, with the other half spilling out of the bowl. His eyes appeared lifeless as he looked at Chen Ping’an, who was sitting beside Chen Sanqiu, and he asked in a shaky voice, “Tell me, what did I do wrong? Why has Yu Qia decided to marry someone else so quickly? Are nice people truly destined to suffer when it comes to love and relationships? Is it simply because that bastard is better at flattering her and pleasing her?

“I treated her with absolute sincerity, completely opening my heart up to her, so how was I any worse? My clan is stricter and relatively poorer, but every time she took a fancy to something, did I not buy it for her even if I needed to borrow money from Sanqiu?”

Fan Dache paused for a moment before asking, “Chen Ping’an, you’re an outsider, and those unrelated to the situation can see things more clearly. Where in the world did I go wrong?”

“Was she aware of you borrowing money from Chen Sanqiu?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Fan Dache faltered for a moment before fuming, “How the fuck would I know whether she was aware of this or not?! If I knew, then Yu Qia should still be sitting beside me right now. Anyway, what difference does it make whether I knew this or not? Yu Qia should be sitting beside me and drinking together with me… She should be drinking together with me…”

His voice grew weaker and weaker, carrying nothing but grief and sorrow in the end.

Chen Ping’an took a sip of wine and put down his wine bowl, asking in a quiet voice, “Does it truly not make a difference whether she knew about this or not?”

Fan Dache suddenly raised his voice and snapped, “Stop rubbing it in, Chen Ping’an! It’s easy for you to sit there and judge me. You like Ning Yao, and Ning Yao also likes you, so immortal couples like you are completely oblivious to the challenges of normal relationships!”

Chen Sanqiu was just about to warn Fan Dache against speaking in such an uncouth manner, but Chen Ping’an lightly placed a hand on his elbow and shook his head, signaling to Chen Sanqiu that it was okay.

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything else as he continued to drink in silence.

However, as if finally finding a way to ease his anguish, Fan Dache started to target Chen Ping’an with his nonsensical insults. Thankfully, he only focused on matters relating to love and relationships.

Chen Sanqiu’s expression was livid, and even Die Zhang’s brows were knitted in a deep frown, with the latter considering whether she should knock Fan Dache unconscious with a single punch and be done with it.

Chen Ping’an remained calm and unfazed the entire time. Fan Dache finally finished blabbering the insults that even he knew were unreasonable, after which he started to loudly bawl his eyes out.

Only at this moment did Chen Ping’an say, “It was your own fault that she left, so stop finding excuses for yourself, blaming yourself for being too nice, lamenting that it’s wrong to be deeply in love, and complaining that being gentle and kind is inferior to having a glib tongue or whatnot. Just admit it if your judgment was poor.

“When it comes to liking other people, many people also like themselves at the same time, drunk with narcissism and shedding tears for their own sake. These people are oblivious to their own blindness, having no clue what their lovers are thinking and not even knowing whether these lovers are worthy of their time and sacrifice. Indeed, these people are so blind that they would rather move themselves to tears first.”

Fan Dache slammed his palm onto the table and roared, “Shut the fuck up!”

“And after these people get hurt, they start to drink wine and find excuses for themselves, saying that the sincerity of good people isn’t worth a single copper coin,” Chen Ping’an continued in a calm voice. “Unfortunately for you, Fan Dache, your clan and powerful background still exist, so you’re unable to make more excuses and appear more pitiful, making it appear as if she left you due to your lack of money.

“As for whether you can take responsibility for yourself in the relationship, with this being the cornerstone of you being able to take responsibility for your lover, is there any need to think about this? I reckon not. You’re completely heartbroken, so how can you move yourself to tears if you stop to consider whether you did something wrong?”

Fan Dache shakily stood up, with his face contorted and his eyes bloodshot as he shouted, “Do you want to fight, Chen Ping’an?!”

Chen Ping’an waved a hand and replied, “No, I’ll pass. I’m only speaking these unpleasant truths because you’re Chen Sanqiu’s friend.”

He then downed the contents of his wine bowl before filling it up, downing it once again, and saying, “If I’ve said too much, then you can just treat it as the musings of a drunk person. You have my apologies if that’s the case.”

Fan Dache laughed loudly and said, “I’m surely not worthy of an apology from you, Chen Ping’an!”

His two other friends were also extremely displeased with Chen Ping’an’s behavior.

Was this any way to persuade someone? Was he not adding fuel to the fire?

Fan Dache glowered intently at Chen Ping’an and interrogated, “Just how many things have you experienced? Do you have the right to talk about these grand principles?”

“That’s enough! Stop with your drunken antics!” Chen Sanqiu snapped at Fan Dache.

There was a tragic expression on Fan Dache’s face as he stumbled forward and steadied himself with much difficulty, and he sobbed, “Sanqiu.”

Chen Sanqiu sighed and stood up, saying, “Let’s leave it at this. I’ll grab the bill.”

Chen Ping’an shot an apologetic look at Chen Sanqiu, to which Chen Sanqiu smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

Chen Ping’an left the table and walked toward Die Zhang.

Fan Dache suddenly raised his wine bowl and swung it at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an slowed down but didn’t turn around, and Chen Sanqiu immediately made his way around the table and wrapped his arms around Fan Dache, exclaiming in anger, “Fan Dache! Has the wine washed away your brain?!”

Die Zhang was just about to make a move, but Chen Ping’an, who had his back to the table, shook his head at her.

Regardless of whether a person’s feeling of grief was reasonable or not, their feeling of grief would remain real and painful when they were in a despondent state.

Fan Dache struggled to break free with all his might, not forgetting to scream at the back of that young man in azure, “Chen Ping’an, just who do you think you are? You don’t understand Yu Qia at all! I’ll never forgive you if you dare to slander her like this!”

Chen Ping’an turned around and replied, “We can discuss this when you’re sober.”

Fan Dache accidentally elbowed Chen Sanqiu’s chest, allowing him to break free from the latter’s arms. He clenched his hands into fists, and his eyes were bloodshot as he panted loudly and shouted, “You can criticize me, but you’re not allowed to criticize Yu Qia, not one bit!”

Chen Ping’an looked at him and said, “I’m speaking to you in a calm and composed manner not because you’re correct, but because I have manners.”

Die Zhang gazed at Chen Ping’an’s figure.

She felt a hint of respect and fear at this moment, similar to what she felt when looking at those lofty sword immortals.

A’Liang had said before that they didn’t need to be afraid of those senior sword cultivators who appeared imposing on the surface. Rather, they needed to respect and fear those sword cultivators who appeared very calm and easy-going during normal times.

This was because the so-called rough edges of a person’s personality weren’t like the small stones that slipped into people’s shoes and made every step painful, but they were instead like the pebbles in the streams, seemingly smooth and easily manipulated, but able to chip people’s teeth when bitten.

Chen Sanqiu was furious at this moment, and he pushed Fan Dache’s shoulder and sent him stumbling forward. “Go on, hit him. Hit him as hard as you can! I’ll count it as my bad luck and accept you back as a good friend if you render yourself crippled and half-dead. I’ll still carry you home!”

Fan Dache suddenly stood still, regaining his sense of clarity as if a gust of wind had blown away the effects of the alcohol. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

However, Chen Ping’an unexpectedly smiled and said, “There’s no need to take this too seriously. After all, who hasn’t experienced a drunken fit before? Just remember to pay the bill.”

Chen Sanqiu felt immense regret. If he had known this earlier, he shouldn’t have allowed Fan Dache to invite Chen Ping’an over to their table. Right now, he still needed to drag Fan Dache home.

He would be done for if Ning Yao learned about this, and it would be anyone’s guess whether he could still enter the Ning Residence as a guest in the future.

Die Zhang walked over to Chen Ping’an and asked, “Are you not angry?”

Chen Ping’an squatted down and picked up the shards of the shattered wine bowl, replying with a smile, “Do I need to do something if I’m angry? If that’s the case every time, then…”

Die Zhang also squatted down to clean up the mess with Chen Ping’an, and she looked over in slight curiosity when she realized that he wasn’t saying anything else.

Chen Ping’an smiled and continued, “If the person speaking doesn’t have ill intentions, then there won’t exist any unpleasant remarks in the world. If there does, then that points to a shortcoming in one’s cultivation of the heart.”

Die Zhang held back a smile and asked, “Then what about the person you punched to death before?”

“To say nothing of that person’s ill intentions, did I ever claim that my cultivation of the heart is sufficient?” Chen Ping’an replied as a matter of fact.

After cleaning the shards on the ground, Chen Ping’an stood up to clean up the mess on the wine table. Apart from half a pot of unfinished wine, there was also the other pot of unopened wine that Chen Ping’an had brought over earlier. However, Chen Sanqiu and the others were very generous, paying for this pot of wine as well.

Chen Ping’an’s mood improved greatly, and he poured himself a bowl of wine. As for the unopened pot, he planned to bring it back to the Ning Residence and give it to Senior Nalan.

Shopkeeper Die Zhang turned a blind eye to this.

Chen Ping’an sat at the table and drank wine by himself. One year had passed, and another year had arrived.

The old year out, the new year in, peace and prosperity, year after year.

1. This references the Heavenly Questions (天问), a poem composed by Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and aristocrat in the State of Chu during the Warring States period. It also references the Heavenly Response (天对), composed by Liu Zongyuan to respond to the Heavenly Questions. Liu Zongyuan was a Chinese philosopher, prose writer, poet, and politician who lived during the Tang dynasty. ☜