Unsheathed

It was Minor Fullness, the eighth solar term, and the radiant sun hung high in the sky.

Chen Ping’an didn’t stay in the wine shop to drink, so he was oblivious to how much criticism and abuse he had already received. He carried a small stool to the corner of the alley and explained the origin of the twenty-four solar terms to the growing number of children who were gradually returning.

He pulled out some phrases from his hometown, such as: If Minor Fullness isn’t full, there’ll be no water to wash your stools. At the same time, he didn’t forget to occasionally use a mish-mash of phrases together, for example: Wheat ears growing in Minor Fullness and swaying like children, dreaming of its fragrance as I sleep at night.

However, it was a pity that the children were largely uninterested in learning characters and the twenty-four solar terms, or whatever, today, and they had zero understanding of the dry, grating phrases that Chen Ping’an was reciting. Like little birds chirping around him, they were all asking about Celestial Maiden Ning Yao, making an exception today and drawing her sword on Ink Stick Street, curious about what that looked like.

Chen Ping’an raised his bamboo stick and brandished it around, giving a lavish and exaggerated recount of Ning Yao’s battle against Lin Junbi. The father of the little boy, Kangle, was now working as a noodle chef at the wine shop, which gave him newfound courage, and he even dared to talk back to his wife when he returned home.

Kangle was still the same as always, finding great joy in challenging Chen Ping’an and messing around with him. After hearing Chen Ping’an’s recount, he asked how many Chen Ping’ans it would take to defeat Big Sister Ning now. This was a difficult question, and Chen Ping’an was rendered speechless. The children rolled their eyes upon seeing this.

Feng Kangle shook his head and patted Chen Ping’an’s knee, saying with an air of maturity, “Chen Ping’an, you always come here to wander around aimlessly, not focusing on practicing martial arts or training sword techniques. If this continues, I say that Big Sister Ning will eventually complain about you being weak. So what if you defeated Pang Yuanji? Just look at how cocky you’ve become, always liking to act like some impressive grandmaster in front of us. You’re slacking off all the time, and this definitely won’t serve you well in the long term.”

The children standing around him nodded in agreement.

Chen Ping’an placed the bamboo stick horizontally across his knees, then reached over to squeeze Kangle’s cheeks as he said, with a wide smile, “Shut your trap.”

The little boy reached over in an attempt to hit Chen Ping’an, but it was a shame that his arm was too short and couldn’t reach Chen Ping’an.

A young boy squatting furthest away from Chen Ping’an recalled the commotion from before, and he said with a grin, “Speak up, Kangle. I, Chen Ping’an, am the esteemed closing disciple of the Scholarly Sage, and I can’t hear you properly!”

Loud laughter immediately rippled through the group of children.

There was an abundance of news and rumors about the second shopkeeper now.

Chen Ping’an smiled and remarked, “You children are still young, or else I would strike one with my fist, hit two with my kick, and scare you all away with my sword.”

Feng Kangle massaged his cheeks before raising his bum and craning his neck. Crap, that little girl from Yanchi Alley, who was the most beautiful in the world, was indeed standing nearby and looking at him.

What should he do now?!

Relying on the fantastical stories from Chen Ping’an, he had succeeded in having her agree to play the role of his wife when playing house one time. Afterward, he had spoken with her again when regurgitating Chen Ping’an’s explanation of Yanchi Alley’s name.

She still didn’t speak with him much when they came across each other on the streets and alleys, but were her large and blinking eyes not a form of greeting? This was what Chen Ping’an had told him after listening to his troubles. After hearing this, he now giddily rolled around in bed before going to sleep every night.

And thus, Feng Kangle immediately sat up straight and secretly gestured to Chen Ping’an using his eyes, after which he grumbled in a quiet voice, “It’s all your fault, Chen Ping’an. I’ll scold you to death if she starts ignoring me in the future.”

Chen Ping’an chuckled and replied, “Thanks to the yangchun noodles cooked by Kangle’s dad, I’ve decided to tell everyone an additional story about ghosts and gods today! I promise it will be spectacular!”

A young boy appeared unimpressed as he said, “Chen Ping’an, you need to first tell us the cultivation base of the main character who slew demons and upheld justice for the heavens. Don’t get to the end and tell us that he’s only a crappy Lower Five Tier cultivator again. Otherwise, according to your stories, all of the sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall will be like grandmasters and lofty immortals if they go to your hometown. How is that possible?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly right,” another child concurred. “You purposely make the ghosts and spirits sound so terrifying when they appear, making me feel like they’re similar to the great demons from the Savage World.”

Chen Ping’an cleared his throat, recalling something and turning his head, extending a palm to a young girl squatting nearby. The young girl hurriedly placed a handful of roasted seeds in his palm, after which Chen Ping’an smiled and returned half of the roasted seeds to her.

As he snacked on roasted seeds, Chen Ping’an started to say, “The young sword immortal whom I’m talking about today definitely has a sufficient cultivation base. He travels across the martial world with his sword, and his appearance is the definition of elegance and carefree.

“Countless gallant female martial artists in the martial world and innumerable celestial maidens in the mountains admire him and feel affection for him, yet this young sword immortal who goes by the name of Qi Jinglong is stubbornly unmoved by their feelings.

“Qi Jinglong has yet to meet a young woman whom he truly likes, and the water ghost that he’s destined to face off against in the end is most definitely frightening enough. How is it frightening? Well, please allow me to slowly explain. Imagine that you come across a body of water — for example, any random puddle forming in the alleys due to the rain, a bowl of water at home, or when you flip open the lid of your water vat.

“You look over, and without any warning… Boo! To say nothing of you guys, even that sword immortal called Qi Jinglong became pale with fright when he saw that deathly pale face suddenly poke out from a clump of water grass while cupping his hands and drinking water on the bank of the river.”

One of the children was already given a huge fright, exclaiming with an aggrieved expression, “Boo you, Chen Ping’an!”

“Who is this Qi Jinglong?” someone suddenly asked.

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “A young sword immortal who loves to drink wine, but likes to pretend that he doesn’t enjoy wine. He loves to speak reason, and he’s as annoying as can be.”

“How old is this sword immortal?” Feng Kangle asked.

“Yet to reach one hundred years old,” Chen Ping’an replied.

Feng Kangle clicked his tongue in wonder and commented, “And you still have the gall to call him a young sword immortal? Hurry up and change the description to old geezer sword immortal.”

Chen Ping’an twisted the little boy’s cheek and replied, “He’s my good friend, yet you dare to speak of him in such an impudent manner?”

Feng Kangle grimaced and stood up, with his bum raised as he hammered Chen Ping’an’s shoulder and scolded, “I don’t even hold back against you, so why would I hold back against your friend?”

Standing in the distance, the mouth of the fair-skinned little girl became slightly agape. She hadn’t imagined that Kangle would be so daring in front of Chen Ping’an. By the looks of it, he genuinely hadn’t been making things up in front of her.

Chen Ping’an tossed a glance at Feng Kangle, and the little boy lightly nodded in response, signifying that he understood.

An observant young boy standing nearby couldn’t help but roll his eyes. This second shopkeeper truly had nothing better to do. Did he truly not need to cultivate? He was mucking around with them every day, and he was even playing the role of a matchmaker now?

Chen Ping’an picked up his small stool and finished up for the day after relentlessly startling the children with his story.

It was always better when Chen Sanqiu was at the wine shop, as this would guarantee him a spot at the wine table.

The young boy, Zhang Jiazhen, was busily working in the wine shop, serving wine and yangchun noodles to the sword cultivators. The young boy didn’t like speaking, but the smile on his face was already enough.

Chen Ping’an sat down at a wine table today but didn’t drink, only asking Zhang Jiazhen for a bowl of yangchun noodles and a dish of pickled vegetables. At the end of the day, this could be blamed on Chen Sanqiu and Fatty Yan for lacking the necessary skills when it came to encouraging others to drink.

Before returning to the Ning Residence, Chen Ping’an turned around and said in warning, “Hey, Dache…”

Fan Dache, who was currently slurping down his bowl of yangchun noodles, immediately felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy. In fact, he would feel anxious whenever he heard Chen Ping’an addressing him in this manner now. He hurriedly replied, “I’ve already purchased a pot of wine for five snowflake coins! You decided not to drink it, and that’s not my fault.”

Chen Ping’an put down his chopsticks and said with a huff, “You said before that you would visit often, so don’t go back on your words and treat this as a passing remark. Don’t make me squat outside your residence every day, begging you to spar with me. At that time, I might accidentally go over the top and send you crawling back home immediately after you step out. Yet, even your parents won’t recognize you, and they’ll kick you straight back out.”

Fan Dache nodded in understanding.

Chen Ping’an smiled and looked at Fan Dache.

There was a puzzled expression on Fan Dache’s face.

Chen Ping’an turned around, looking toward the young boy who was constantly keeping an eye on the customers in the wine shop. “Zhang Jiazhen, bring me a pot of the cheapest wine!” he shouted. “I’ll pay, but put the tab under Fan Dache’s name. The next time I visit to drink, remember to ask me whether Fan Dache has repaid the money yet.”

Zhang Jiazhen nodded earnestly, hurriedly walking inside the wine shop to grab a pot of Bamboo Sea Small World Wine.

To this young boy from an impoverished alley, Mr. Chen was like an immortal from the heavens.

Chen Sanqiu, the young master from Taixiang Street, also appeared like a lofty immortal.

If it weren’t for working a part-time job in the wine shop, perhaps Zhang Jiazhen would have never gotten the opportunity to speak with Chen Sanqiu in his lifetime, much less have his name remembered by this young master.

After all these years, Zhang Jiazhen had never once visited Taixiang Street or Ink Stick Street, not a single time.

No one stopped him from visiting, but like all of the other children from Spirit Rhino Alley, Yanchi Alley, and the other alleys with nice names that belied their impoverished nature, he had never even thought about visiting these wealthy streets. Even if these impoverished children occasionally thought about visiting, they would ultimately fail to muster the courage to truly walk over.

Chen Ping’an smiled at Zhang Jiazhen, after which he pointed at Fan Dache before standing up and leaving with a pot of wine.

Fan Dache continued to eat his yangchun noodles with his head lowered.

Truth be told, without Chen Ping’an’s final remark, Fan Dache genuinely didn’t know how he should visit the Ning Residence.

After all, what if Chen Ping’an had simply been speaking politely before? He had said to visit often to spar, but how often was often? Once every three days? Once a month?

Was it that easy to enter the gates of the Ning Residence?

Fan Dache looked up at the young man in azure who was disappearing down the street. That young man cocked his head and looked at the horizontal scrolls plastered above the entrances of the restaurants and wine shops, shaking his head from time to time.

Nalan Yexing opened the door for Chen Ping’an when he arrived back at the Ning Residence.

They walked to the training ground together, and Nalan Yexing raised the pot of wine in his hand and asked with a smile, “Did you pay for this yourself?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “I’m taking a leaf from Dong Huafu’s book — it’s foolish to pay for wine.”

Nalan Yexing laughed heartily and said, “Let me take a few swigs of wine before I draw my sword in a moment. That way, I’ll be able to unleash more power when helping you Examine the Dragon.”

The smile disappeared from Chen Ping’an’s face.

Ning Yao had said she was returning home first to cultivate, but in reality she was chatting with Grandma Bai the entire time at the pavilion atop Dragon Slaying Cliff. Upon noticing that Chen Ping’an had come back so soon, Grandma Bai chuckled and left the pavilion without needing any warning from the young mistress. Afterward, Ning Yao finally began cultivating.

On the training ground in the Minute Small World, Nalan Yexing put away the remaining half a pot of wine and started to unleash ferocious sword strikes at Chen Ping’an.

In the end, a small slip-up from Nalan Yexing — despite his taking extreme care already — was enough to leave Chen Ping’an bedridden for ten days to half a month.

Grandma Bai hurriedly made her way to the training ground, and Nalan Yexing almost ran away from home in fright.

Fortunately, Chen Ping’an explained to Grandma Bai that he had gained a lot from this lesson and that this cultivation path was the correct one. Moreover, there was no need to brew any medicines, and allowing his body to heal on its own was also a form of cultivation.

Nalan Yexing didn’t dare to make things up, and he said honestly, “This is indeed the case.”

Ning Yao helped Chen Ping’an back to the wing room.

Nalan Yexing was filled with apprehension as he waited for a severe scolding, but Bai Lianshuang unexpectedly remained silent as she gazed at the disappearing figures of the two people for a long time.

Nalan Yexing felt like this wouldn’t do, and he was better off facing the music sooner rather than later. He was just about to ask Bai Lianshuang for a scolding, but the old woman didn’t look like she was intending to scold him and call him an old dog. Instead, she sighed with emotion and asked in a soft voice, “Say, do you think Chen Ping’an and Young Mistress resemble Master and Mistress when they were young?”

Nalan Yexing retrieved his remaining half a pot of wine before nodding and saying, “Yes, of course.”

“You’ve worked hard for the past while,” Bai Lianshuang said with a stern expression.

“What?!” Nalan Yexing exclaimed, baffled.

“Old Dog, piss off and guard the entrance!” the old woman fumed.

Nalan Yexing nodded in satisfaction. This was more like it. He turned around and walked to the entrance, feeling much more reassured than before.

————

Chen Ping’an sat on his bed and began cultivating, his mind completely immersed in the small world of his body.

Ning Yao sat beside him, resting her arms and head on the table as she looked at Chen Ping’an. He seemingly met some person he wanted to meet in his heart, and a smile subconsciously tugged at the corners of his lips.

She knew who this person was. This was because Chen Ping’an had faced many challenges and bumps in the process of refining his fourth bonded item, and after successfully refining it with much difficulty, he had immediately embraced Ning Yao in front of Grandpa Nalan after walking out of the secret room and seeing her.

Ning Yao had never seen Chen Ping’an appear so relieved before, and Grandpa Nalan had tactfully taken his leave straight away. Feeling a little pained for him, Ning Yao had reciprocated Chen Ping’an’s embrace.

Chen Ping’an had glowed with excitement and vigor when he revealed to Ning Yao that the young boy still existed. As it turned out, the young boy had become a baldy and taken refuge in his heart. After reuniting and traveling along a certain path in his heart, the baldy had ridden on the fiery dragon and scolded Chen Ping’an the entire time.

Ning Yao had rarely seen Chen Ping’an express his delight so openly, especially after he matured and grew up. In fact, Ning Yao also felt a little worried about Chen Ping’an’s interactions with others, given that his mental state was like that of a withered old monk who had lived for many, many years and had witnessed far too many joys, sorrows, reunions, and partings.

Ning Yao didn’t want Chen Ping’an to be like this, so she was very happy upon seeing his exuberance, and it was as if they had returned to the time when he was a young boy, and she was a young girl.

A friend had come from afar, a small baldy in his heart.

The small baldy wasn’t wearing Buddhist robes, and he was still wearing Confucian robes as before. However, apart from the sword hanging by his waist, there was now an additional Buddhist scripture in his sleeve.

This was a reunion that Chen Ping’an hadn’t even dared to dream of. Before this reunion, he could only be consumed by guilt in his dreams, unable to let go even after he woke up. Yet, he was unable to confide his regret and guilt to anyone else.

Far too many people in his life had left without saying goodbye, disappearing once and for all.

Ning Yao lay on the table and gazed at Chen Ping’an, smiling to herself as she recalled what had happened on Ink Stick Street earlier. Chen Ping’an had hesitated for a long time before holding her hand and secretly asking, “When I was the same age as Lin Junbi, was I more handsome, or is he more handsome?”

At the time, Ning Yao had asked, “What do you think?”

Chen Ping’an had started to scratch his head, feeling like the answer would truly be a worrisome one.

And thus, Ning Yao had sincerely revealed the answer in her heart, not keeping it a secret as she told Chen Ping’an, “You were much more handsome!”

Chen Ping’an had raised his hands and gently brushed them along her brows, exclaiming, “Oh, my scatter-brained Ning Yao, you truly have the most amazing judgement!”