Unsheathed

After leaving the crowded Catch and Release Pavilion, Jin Su routinely asked Qi Jinglong if there was any particular inn where he would like to stay. She told him that the Ganoderma Inn had the best scenery, but it was quite expensive. As a result, many of the Osmanthus Island’s regular passengers, including Chen Ping’an, generally preferred to stay in the Stork Inn.

However, the inn wasn’t very big, and it was tucked away deep in a small alley. It wasn’t a particularly great inn, but it certainly had the advantage of low prices. Qi Jinglong smiled and politely requested that Jin Su take them to the Stork Inn, but that was immediately met with opposition from Bai Shou.

He was just about to complain when Qi Jinglong turned and gave him a warning glance, so he could only swallow his gripes and sulk in silence.

The group made its way to the Stork Inn, and sure enough, it really was tucked away deep in a small alley, just as Jin Su described. Looking at the vibrant smile on the young innkeeper’s face, Bai Shou couldn’t help but feel as if they were clueless pigs being taken to the slaughter.

As soon as they sat down in their room, Bai Shou immediately began to complain.

“Don’t all of the swordsmen of our Northern Complete Reed Continent stay in the Spring Banner Inn when they come to Stalactite Mountain? Why are we staying in this shoddy little inn instead? Are you lusting after those osmanthus girls or something?”

Qi Jinglong poured two cups of tea, and Bai Shou took his cup before downing its contents in one go, then continued, “Let’s have a heart-to-heart here, Liu Jinglong. Jin Su is the prettiest one out of those osmanthus girls, but even she loses to Celestial Maiden Lu in the looks department, does she not?

“Apparently, the owner of the Spring Banner Inn almost became Dao partners with Celestial Maiden Lu’s grandmaster in the past, so did you choose not to stay in the Spring Banner Inn because you were afraid that someone there would tip off Celestial Maiden Lu, and she would come all the way here to find you? I’m sure she wouldn’t do that; it’s not like she’s Sun Qing of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence.

“Out of all of the women who like you, I’d say Celestial Maiden Lu is inarguably the most beautiful. Personality-wise, I like Sun Qing the most. She’s really confident and straightforward, but also just a little bit shy. The one at the Three Official Attendant Temple is a little bit too passionate. She looks at you like a parched alcoholic looking at a flagon of fine wine, and I could immediately tell as soon as I saw her that the two of you weren’t meant to be.”

“How about we make another trip to Downtrodden Mountain once we return to the Great Emblem Sword Sect?” Qi Jinglong proposed with a smile.

Bai Shou immediately shut his mouth and pretended not to have heard Qi Jinglong. He then felt like it wasn’t good enough just to ignore Qi Jinglong’s suggestion, so he even respectfully poured the latter a cup of tea.

On the subject of Downtrodden Mountain, it was always much better to be safe than sorry. Just the mere thought of having to deal with Pei Qian was enough to give him a splitting headache.

To think that I, the great Sword Immortal Bai Shou, would already have my reputation swept to the ground on my first-ever journey, before I’ve even made a name for myself! I’m never going to Downtrodden Mountain ever again!

Downtrodden Mountain was clearly a place that went against his eight characters, meaning that misfortune was sure to befall him whenever he went there. Furthermore, it was clear just from its name that it was an inauspicious place, so he was determined never to go there again.

Meanwhile, Qi Jinglong was feeling a little sad as he thought about some personal matters.

One of the reasons why he had left the Northern Complete Reed Continent on this occasion was that he didn’t have anything to do for now. He had successfully weathered the challenges from the three sword immortals in the wake of his breakthrough, so he decided to go on a journey to the other eight continents of the Majestic World.

In addition, he had also been secretly informed by Huang Shi that the sect leader had ordered him to make an immediate trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Qi Jinglong was well aware of the sect leader’s intentions. Clearly, he wanted Qi Jinglong to capitalize on this period of relative peace to visit the Sword Qi Great Wall right away, and once there, perhaps he would even pass down his position of sect leader to him.

If that were to happen, then Qi Jinglong wouldn’t have to take part in the battles to defend the Sword Qi Great Wall as a new sword immortal of the Northern Complete Reed Continent for at least the next century.

All of the Great Emblem Sword Sect’s other affairs could simply be left to Han Huaizi to manage.

Bai Shou didn’t dare to comment on Qi Jinglong’s romantic affairs anymore, so he changed the subject and asked, “Can we really not go stay in the Spring Banner Inn? I really wanted to see that gourd vine. Back in the sect, I promised a bunch of my junior brothers and junior nephews that I would go and see the future Sword Nurturing Gourds on their behalf.

“It would be really embarrassing for me if I had to go back and tell them that I couldn’t follow through on my promise. What am I supposed to do? Hide on the Graceful Peak after I get back to avoid them? Think about it. If I’m being embarrassed, then you’re also going to be embarrassed by association!”

The Spring Banner Inn was one of the top four private residences of Stalactite Mountain.

The most renowned one of the four was naturally the Ape Rub Residence, which belonged to the so-called god of riches of the Pure White Continent. The entire residence might as well have been constructed from immortal coins, and the past differences between the residence’s owner in his younger days and the Daoist Great Heavenly Lord made for a popular story that was still enjoyed by many.

Then there was the Plum Blossom Garden constructed by cultivators of the Middle Earth Divine Continent. It was said that the garden was home to an Upper Five Tiers spirit that had lived for countless years. The owner of the garden had booked out an entire intercontinental ship to ensure that the ancestral plum tree was transported smoothly from his hometown to Stalactite Mountain, and that had undoubtedly been an extremely costly maneuver.

The Spring Banner Inn had been constructed by a disillusioned sword immortal of the Northern Complete Reed Continent. It was very popular with other swordsmen from the Northern Complete Reed Continent, but its owner never showed himself in public.

The final one of the four residences was the Water Essence Residence, which had been constructed by an immortal sect that was situated out at sea. Apparently, it was able to gather up the remnants of the Flood Dragon Trench thanks to its close proximity, and the sect was enhanced significantly as a result.

People like Sect Leader Han Huaizi and Disciplinary Elder Huang Tong of the Great Emblem Sword Sect, as well as Sect Leader Li Cai of Duckweed Sword Lake, had all previously stayed in the Spring Banner Inn when visiting Stalactite Mountain.

Planted in the Spring Banner Inn was a gourd vine that had been nurtured by generations of unfathomable immortals, and after it came into the possession of the owner of the Spring Banner Inn, it had continued to be nurtured with spiritual energy for over a thousand years. At this point, it had already produced fourteen gourds of different sizes that had hopes of being crafted into Sword Nurturing Gourds.

As long as the refinement process was successful, each gourd would at least start off as an immortal treasure, and it was said that if the finest of the fourteen gourds were ever refined into a Sword Nurturing Gourd, it would become a pseudo-celestial tool right away.

In the immortal world, there existed immense disparities in value even among treasures of the same caliber.

A pseudo-celestial Sword Nurturing Gourd was almost comparable to a Sword Nurturing Gourd left behind by the Dao Ancestor, and as a result, they were regarded as celestial tools.

That sword immortal from the Northern Complete Reed Continent had made an extremely wise decision to bring the gourd vine all the way here. The Spring Banner Inn was under the protection of Stalactite Mountain, and by extension, the gourd vine was also able to benefit from Stalactite Mountain’s protection.

However, out of the fourteen gourds that were still yet to completely ripen, it would already be a very impressive return if even half of them could ultimately be successfully refined into Sword Nurturing Gourds.

Not only would the Spring Banner Inn be able to gain a tremendous reputation and enormous wealth from those seven Sword Nurturing Gourds, but even more importantly, they would also be able to establish close ties with seven sword immortals. Perhaps those connections alone would be enough for the owner of the Spring Banner Inn to establish a sect on whichever continent in the Majestic World that he pleased.

This was why Bai Shou was so keen to visit the Spring Banner Inn.

He had been extremely envious after finding out that Chen Ping’an’s red wine gourd was actually a legendary Sword Nurturing Gourd, and he was very much looking forward to the day when he could get his own Sword Nurturing Gourd.

How cool would it be if he could travel the world while using a Sword Nurturing Gourd as a container for wine, just as Chen Ping’an did?

He had suggested that Chen Ping’an engrave the words “Sword Nurturing Gourd” onto his wine gourd, but Chen Ping’an had turned down the shameless suggestion.

“We’ll go there after we’ve visited the seven other attractions first,” Qi Jinglong said. “Right now, it’s extremely difficult for outsiders to travel from Stalactite Mountain to the Sword Qi Great Wall, so we’re going to need the Spring Banner Inn to vouch for us.”

Bai Shou’s eyes instantly lit up with excitement, and he asked, “Can you reserve a Spring Banner Inn Sword Nurturing Gourd for me? Even the worst one of the bunch is fine! That can serve as your disciple-recruiting gift to me. The Great Emblem Sword Sect is such a massive and reputable sect, and you’re now an Unpolished Jade Tier swordsman; you’d be bringing shame to both yourself and your sect if you give me too shoddy a disciple-recruiting gift!

“You should take a leaf out of Brother Chen’s book. He gave out so many gifts after the Downtrodden Mountain Ancestral Hall was established, and all of them were extremely valuable!”

In truth, Bai Shou was only running his mouth, and he had no realistic expectations that Liu Jinglong would accept his request. Sword Nurturing Gourds were priceless treasures that even some sword immortals didn’t possess. This was because, compared with things like pocket treasures and minimization treasures, Sword Nurturing Gourds were rather awkward.

If the caliber of a Sword Nurturing Gourd couldn’t match up to a swordsman’s cultivation base, then it would only hamper the nurturing of the swordsman’s bonded flying sword. However, Sword Nurturing Gourds of a sufficient caliber to catch a sword immortal’s eye were exceedingly rare.

However, to Bai Shou’s surprise, Qi Jinglong nodded as he replied, “I’ll make a request for you, but I can’t make any promises on whether it’ll work out or not.”

Bai Shou was ecstatic to hear this, and he exclaimed, “Really? You’re really willing to put in a request for me?”

In his eyes, Liu Jinglong had a whole host of terrible qualities, but if there was one good thing about him, then it was that he always kept his word.

“You accepted me as your master in the ancestral hall, so it’s only right that I give you a disciple-recruiting gift,” Qi Jinglong said. “Right now, you are a direct disciple of our Great Emblem Sword Sect’s ancestral hall, and it would benefit you immensely to own a Sword Nurturing Gourd of a high caliber.

“It would allow you to nurture your sword faster, and that way, you’ll have more time to spend on mental cultivation, so why would I not be willing to make the request for you? It’s not like I’m going to barge my way into the Spring Banner Inn and force them to sell me a Sword Nurturing Gourd.”

“I just didn’t expect you to be so generous, seeing as you never even bring money with you wherever you go,” Bai Shou murmured.

“A person’s generosity isn’t solely reflected in how they handle money,” Qi Jinglong said with a smile. “It’s never a good thing to go to extremes or to be too narrow-minded in any regard. I’m not saying this to make excuses for myself. Instead, I’m telling you this because I want you to always think more when you meet people outside of me. Otherwise, you run the risk of passing up worthy friends and making friends with those who are unworthy.”

“Hold on a second! Could it be that you know that the Spring Banner Inn isn’t going to sell you a Sword Nurturing Gourd, so you’re just using this as an opportunity to preach to me?” Bai Shou asked with a skeptical expression.

“Cultivators like you and I can live far longer than the average person, so as long as you’re willing to look, the truth will always come out eventually. Do you need to ask my true intentions? Even if I tell you what my true intentions are, would you believe me?” Qi Jinglong countered with a smile.

“Stop! My head hurts!” Bai Shou wailed as he frantically clasped his hands over his ears to keep out Qi Jinglong’s insufferable preaching.

Qi Jinglong was unbothered, and his smile remained unchanged as he continued to sip on his tea.

“Are we going to have to keep traveling with Jin Su and the others?” Bai Shou suddenly asked. “They’re even more hard-working in their shopping than we are in our cultivation! It’s exhausting having to travel with them!”

“The immortal ship of Old Dragon City’s Fu Clan just so happens to be harbored at Stalactite Mountain as well, so I’m assuming Lady Gui is worried that they could run into trouble while sightseeing on Stalactite Mountain,” Qi Jinglong explained. “The people of the Fu Clan tend to be very reckless and self-centered, thinking that they can get away with anything. We saw that ourselves back in Old Dragon City. The Fan Clan didn’t charge us even a single snowflake coin on this journey, so we have to reciprocate their goodwill.”

Bai Shou crossed his arms and replied, “In that case, I suppose we’ll just have to keep them company for a while longer. If the people from the Fu Clan try to get up to some shady business, then I’m gonna have to do something about it.”

“Oh? What exactly are you going to do about it? I’m intrigued now,” Qi Jinglong said with a chuckle.

Bai Shou had been brimming with confidence just like this before the Flax Robe Sect’s immortal ship harbored at the Ox Horn Mountain ferry station. He had still been full of confidence after spotting the three children on top of the stone steps on Downtrodden Mountain, convinced that he could easily beat them in a fight.

Bai Shou could tell what Qi Jinglong was alluding to, and he immediately flew into a rage. “Stop making fun of me, Liu Jinglong! Am I your disciple or not?!”

However, a hint of dejection then appeared on his face.

Pei Qian was Chen Ping’an’s first-ever disciple, while he was technically Liu Jinglong’s only direct disciple.

Chen Ping’an’s cultivation base as a Qi refiner was still far below Liu Jinglong’s, yet Bai Shou had been utterly embarrassed by Pei Qian on Downtrodden Mountain.

Liu Jinglong had never blamed him for this, but Bai Shou still felt he had put Liu Jinglong to shame with his inept display.

“I’ve never felt like my disciple is inferior to others,” Qi Jinglong reassured.

Bai Shou’s cheeks instantly became flushed as he snapped, “Who’re you calling your disciple?! I’ve never truly thought of you as my master!”

“If you compete with others, there will always be people better than you, but if you compete with yourself, then you’ll always win; it’s just a matter of your margin of victory. Which one do you think is the superior path to take, Bai Shou?” Qi Jinglong asked with a serious expression.

Bai Shou lay down on the table in a dramatic fashion as he let loose an almighty groan. He felt extremely envious of Pei Qian because her master was always absent, so she barely ever had anyone preaching to her.

What was most concerning to Bai Shou was that as they parted ways last time, Pei Qian told him that she was perhaps also going to make a trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall to visit her master, and that the timing of her trip was only dependent on when Zhong Qiu planned to embark on his journey.

She had decided that the next time they met, they would only engage in a verbal battle rather than a physical contest. Of course, Bai Shou had no say in the matter, and it wasn’t like she cared about his opinion anyway.

Whenever Bai Shou thought of this, he would immediately be overcome with a sense of frustration.

***

Ning Yao was still in seclusion.

Whenever Chen Ping’an took a break from his Qi refinement, he would spar with Nalan Yexing on the training grounds.

Without Fan Dache and the others present, Chen Ping’an was able to go all-out, and he seemed like an entirely different person in the Minute Small World.

Granny Bai would always watch their sparring matches from the pergola, and the more she saw, the more convinced she became that Chen Ping’an was the most handsome and talented young man on the entire Sword Qi Great Wall. In her eyes, his martial arts aptitude was unmatched, and she wasn’t concerned at all about his relatively lacking cultivation base as a Qi refiner.

Clearly, he was the type to build a solid foundation before making rapid progress, and sure enough, he had already made a breakthrough to the fifth tier. In fact, she was so confident in Chen Ping’an that she deemed his aptitude for cultivation to be almost on par with that of Ning Yao.

On this day, Chen Ping’an was sitting on a little stool not far away from the wine shop, eating some sunflower seeds. He had finally finished telling the story of the wine-loving Sword Immortal Qi.

Feng Kangle was still eager to hear more, so he asked Chen Ping’an if there were any other noteworthy stories about Sword Immortal Qi. Chen Ping’an thought about it and decided that he could make up a few more, so he continued his storytelling. The next story began as the young sword immortal arrived at an ancient monastery in the wilderness while out on a journey.

He lit a campfire and was just about to begin drinking when several beautiful women drifted into the monastery, leaving a trail of alluring fragrance and tinkling laughter in their wake. The young sword immortal’s brows instantly furrowed slightly at the sight of the women because, as a cultivator, he was able to see fox tails trailing along behind them. Thus, the young sword immortal rose to his feet after downing a flagon of wine.

Right as Feng Kangle was being drawn into the story, Chen Ping’an left things on a cliffhanger, declaring that he would tell the rest of the story next time.

Even after making his way to the wine shop, Chen Ping’an didn’t ask for a drink. Fan Dache and the others weren’t around, and the remaining gamblers were all glowering at him with rather hostile expressions, so it was going to be difficult for him to get a free bowl of wine or two. He squatted down by the side of the street and had a bowl of yangchun noodles.

As he did so, he suddenly felt a pang of guilt toward Qi Jinglong. He felt like his stories weren’t spectacular enough to do Qi Jinglong justice, but there was nothing more that he could do. After all, he wasn’t a true storyteller, and he had already done his best.