Unsheathed

It was unclear which sword immortal alerted everyone to her imminent arrival, but by the time she entered the city, business was already booming at all of the betting stations that had been set up on the streets and alleys, and everyone was extremely excited. Compared with the gamblers at the Mirage Market, who went to the arena in order to earn money to nurture their flying swords, there was less money being put into these betting stations, but there was a palpable air of joy, as if the Spring Festival had come around.

The entire city had become extremely lively and bustling as a result, and some of the more shady betting stations were even putting out odds on things like whether Chen Ping’an and Yu Juanfu would fall for each other over the course of the battle, and if they did, whether Ning Yao would beat Chen Ping’an in a fit of jealous rage.

All of the gambling addicts of the Sword Qi Great Wall had nothing better to do, so they had already dug up a ton of information on Yu Juanfu. Judging from what they had found out, they deemed her to be quite a troublesome opponent, especially for Chen Ping’an. The normally sly and underhanded second shopkeeper was going to have to face her in a pure and fair contest of martial arts, so he wouldn’t be able to use many of the snide tricks and tactics that he normally had at his disposal.

Hence, even though the vast majority of people were still betting on Chen Ping’an to secure the victory, the real point of contention was how many blows it would take for him to come out on top. However, there were also some seasoned gamblers who were alert to the possibility that Chen Ping’an could bet on himself to lose. By intentionally losing the battle, he could make an absolute killing and screw over just about everyone else! At this point, no one had any doubt in their mind that Chen Ping’an would be capable of stooping to something like this.

After entering the city, Yu Juanfu gradually began to slow down as she approached the Ning Manor.

Upon arriving on the street where the Ning Manor was situated, she discovered that the street was lined with people, all of whom were looking at her with eager expressions.

This had her feeling rather perplexed. Why had so many swordsmen gathered to watch a sparring match between a pair of martial artists?

Earlier, Ku Xia had told her some things. Mostly, he had described to her Chen Ping’an’s performance during his four battles on the street, as well as divulged to her some rumors that he had heard about Chen Ping’an.

Ku Xia was a man of few words to begin with, and whenever he spoke to Yu Juanfu, he tried to be as concise as possible. Hence, a lot of the unsubstantiated rumors about Chen Ping’an had been told to Yu Juanfu by a young swordswoman by the name of Zhu Mei.

Yu Juanfu arrived at the entrance of the Ning Manor, and she was just about to speak when a burst of raucous laughter suddenly rang out from nearby.

Yu Juanfu’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked around, and she noticed that almost everyone was looking at a group of figures squatting atop a wall that she had just passed by. The group consisted of a fatso, a thin young man, a woman with only one arm, a handsome young man, and another young man in a Confucian robe.

The young man in the Confucian robe stood up with a smile and declared, “I am Chen Ping’an, the one you wish to challenge.”

A sense of fury instantly welled up in Yu Juanfu’s heart.

How dare he play me for a fool like this?! And why were all of those swordsmen willing to cooperate with his ruse? They were intentionally not looking at him earlier!

Chen Ping’an made his way out onto the street, situating himself around twenty steps away from Yu Juanfu. He clasped one hand behind his back, then extended his other hand toward Yu Juanfu with his palm laid open.

Yu Juanfu’s focus instantly became razor-sharp, and all of her emotions faded away as her fist intent flowed throughout her entire body like a mighty river. She gave a nod of approval as she observed the young martial artist standing before her.

In spite of his previous cowardly and underhanded tricks, he did possess the poise and flair of a martial artist.

“How do you want to do this?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“For this first battle, let’s go all out for one punch each and alternate. What do you say?” Yu Juanfu proposed.

“You can go first,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “If I manage to withstand your punch, I’ll return the favor, and if I fail, then it’ll naturally be my loss. We’ll keep going back and forth until one of us is unable to continue.”

“Sounds good!” Yu Juanfu replied. “Our second battle can be half a month from now, provided that you’ve recovered from your injuries by then.”

It was a rather cocky display for Chen Ping’an to allow Yu Juanfu to have the first punch, and all of the bystanders were eagerly waiting to see whether this decision would come back to bite him.

Clearly, Yu Juanfu was not very pleased at the fact that Chen Ping’an had made her wait for half a month.

All of a sudden, a little girl raced onto the scene, hopping frantically from one rooftop to another while pounding vigorously on a gong to make an almighty racket.

“I snuck out to come and cheer you on, future master! This gong is super loud! My father’s probably going to come and grab me soon, but before that, I’ll cheer you on for as long as I can!”

Yan Zhuo leaned back and slammed the back of his head into the wall behind him in exasperation.

Can you at least stop striking that gong while you’re speaking? No one can even hear what you’re saying over all that noise!

Chen Ping’an turned to Guo Zhujiu and gave her a smile and a nod.

Right at this moment, a burst of almighty fist aura erupted out of Yu Juanfu’s body.

Sword Immortal Tao Wen was running one of the betting stations, and at this moment, he was sitting atop a wall, drinking some Bamboo Sea Small World wine while observing the two opposing martial artists on the street. Guo Zhujiu was charging at him at full speed while still striking her gong, and he ducked down slightly to allow the little girl to leap over him.

After the first punch was thrown, concerned looks appeared on the faces of many of the swordsmen present who had previously been looking down on Yu Juanfu.

Her punch had been extremely heavy.

Chen Ping’an had been struck square in the chest, and he was sent flying before tumbling to the ground at the end of the street.

A burst of almighty rumbling rang out, and all of the swordsmen on the street at or below the Golden Core Tier had to draw upon their sword qi to ward off the ferocious fist intent that was sweeping through the air in all directions.

Chen Ping’an lay on the ground for a moment, then sat up and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. He was clearly a little unsteady, but he still rose to his feet.

Some of the bystanders had already written Chen Ping’an off, convinced that his cockiness had led to his downfall, and were distraught by the outcome.

Those people had clearly bet on Chen Ping’an to easily come out on top against Yu Juanfu. They were regulars at his wine shop, and they had a great deal of faith in his character and abilities.

However, to the surprise of everyone, including Chen Ping’an, Yu Juanfu turned to leave as she declared, “I surrender this first battle. We’ll have our second battle in half a month, and it’ll be one where we’re free to exchange blows without any sequential order put in place.”

Never one to make a loss, Chen Ping’an didn’t want to have taken a punch for nothing, so he hurriedly proposed, “How about we have our second battle right now?”

Yu Juanfu stopped in her tracks, then turned back and asked, “Is this what you think a battle between martial artists should be like?”

Chen Ping’an turned to the side to spit out a mouthful of blood, then nodded and proposed in a serious manner, “In that case, let’s go to the top of the city wall right now.”

The fact that Yu Juanfu had raised such a question meant that she was worthy of some respect, and the only way for a pure martial artist to display respect to an opponent was through their fists.

The look in Chen Ping’an’s eyes and the restrained fist intent in his body, particularly the fleeting pure aura that he displayed, felt very familiar to Yu Juanfu, but also a little alien. Back on that ancient battlefield on the Golden Armor Continent, she had thrown countless punches at Cao Ci, and in this moment, she felt as if she were standing before Cao Ci once again. In her eyes, the two of them were extremely similar, but also vastly different.

“I don’t care if you believe me or not, Chen Ping’an, but I harbor no personal resentment toward you,” Yu Juanfu declared. “However, you and I are both aware that a sparring match will be completely pointless for us. Only a battle to the death can truly help us make meaningful strides in our martial arts cultivation.

“Hence, I want to propose that we disregard the rules of the Sword Qi Great Wall in our second battle. We’ll stop just short of a battle to the death, but anything else goes, even if it means one or both of us have our futures as martial artists completely destroyed! What do you say?”

Chen Ping’an slowly rolled up his sleeves, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he replied, “Once we go to the top of the city walls, you can ask Sword Immortal Ku Xia if he would dare to agree to those terms on behalf of the Yu Clan’s patriarch and Zhou Shenzhi. We may be pure martial artists, but that doesn’t mean that we can focus solely on our fists and disregard everyone and everything else.

“Perhaps there will come a day when you can do that, but that’s definitely not something that the current Yu Juanfu is capable of. If you want complete freedom unfettered by anyone else, then you must have the power to match.”

Yu Juanfu fell silent.

Chen Ping’an extended his arms to his sides, and his rolled-up sleeves unfurled on their own, following which he smiled and declared, “That leaves one final battle. I’m happy to fight you anytime.”

Guo Zhujiu was standing atop a nearby wall, and she was enthralled by what she was seeing that she had already forgotten to strike her gong.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, then swung down the mallet in her hand forcefully and exclaimed, “My master’s power is truly unmatched! He’s able to ward off the enemy and disrupt their Dao Heart just through his words without even having to throw a single punch! This must be the true pinnacle of martial arts and the Great Dao! I have truly found an extraordinary master for myself!”

She was then promptly dragged back home by the ear by Sword Immortal Guo Jia.

“It’s too early to be talking about the third battle when we haven’t even had the second one yet,” Yu Juanfu said.

Chen Ping’an was just about to object, but all of the bookmakers and gamblers present had already agreed in his stead. If the original three battles were inexplicably reduced to just two, then all of them would be missing out on a ton of money!

Inside the Dragon Slaying Cliff pergola, Ning Yao’s brows were tightly furrowed as she grumbled, “Why does my man have to agree to do everything on her terms? One battle is already enough, is it not?”

Bai Lianshuang was sitting in the pergola with her, and she latched onto Ning Yao’s hand before giving it a gentle pat, then smiled and asked, “What does it matter? Young Master Chen has only ever had eyes for you and no one else.”

Ning Yao pouted in embarrassment and frustration as she grumbled, “That bastard asked you in advance to put in a good word for him, didn’t he?”

“Of course not!” Bai Lianshuang immediately denied it, but there was no telling whether she was telling the truth.

Ning Yao stood up and returned to her seclusion.

It seemed she could casually go in and out of seclusion at will, but Bai Lianshuang knew she had an extremely grand goal for this stint of seclusion.

Her aspirations were loftier than everyone else’s because she was the only Ning Yao in the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

On this day, Chen Sanqiu and the others wisely chose not to follow Chen Ping’an into the Ning Manor.

After the gates swung shut, Chen Ping’an clasped a hand over his mouth, and after bringing his hand away from his face, his brow furrowed slightly at what he saw.

It seemed that for the second battle atop the city walls, unless he used his Deity Drumming Technique right away to put an end to the battle, he would have to try to secure victory within a hundred exchanges. Otherwise, the longer the battle wore on, the slimmer his chances of victory would become.

“That girl’s fist techniques already pose a potent threat, so she’s certainly not to be looked upon lightly,” Nalan Yexing remarked.

“Even so, she’s still going to lose, even if she’s extremely fast, even if I have to resort to using Land-Shortening Talismans,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

After reaching the Vajra Body Tier and withstanding that grueling gauntlet of four consecutive battles on the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping’an had never had a chance to go all-out. Hence, even he was rather curious about exactly what he would be capable of if he were to completely let loose.

“Even if I win the next two battles, everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall is going to be telling stories about how I was sent flying and struck down by a single punch,” Chen Ping’an sighed in a resigned manner.

Nalan Yexing shook his head.

“Are you saying that’s not going to happen?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“What I’m saying is that the story is only going to be further embellished to make it more and more embarrassing for you.” Nalan Yexing chuckled.

Chen Ping’an immediately turned and rushed toward the gates, and he requested, “If Ning Yao asks where I’ve gone, tell her that I’ve been dragged away to go drinking.”

He had to go to the wine shop right away to set the story straight.

After returning to the top of the city wall, Yu Juanfu sat down with her legs crossed, and her brows were tightly knitted as she fell into deep thought.

“Are you going to lose the second battle as well?” Ku Xia asked.

Yu Juanfu nodded and replied, “The battle will be decided as soon as he uses the same fist technique that he used on Qi Shou against me. I’m trying to think of a counter, but I can’t think of anything. Right now, I’m simply still too slow in both my body and my fists.”

Ku Xia didn’t say anything further.

“You heard what he said to me, right, Senior Ku?” Yu Juanfu asked.

Ku Xia nodded in response. Of course, he had. However, he hadn’t heard Chen Ping’an by observing the battle from afar using an observation technique. Instead, he had personally made a trip to the city, but simply hadn’t revealed his presence.

“I’ve already lost the second battle,” Yu Juanfu concluded.

“How so?” Ku Xia asked.

Yu Juanfu cast her gaze toward the city in the distance and explained, “Even though Chen Ping’an’s senior brother, Zuo You, is on the Sword Qi Great Wall, he’s still able to take responsibility for his own words without asking Zuo You for approval. I daresay that Zuo You won’t even show up to watch our battle, yet the same doesn’t apply to me. For example, you’re going to be worried about me, and no matter what I say, you’re definitely going to come and watch over me during the second battle.

“Similarly, regardless of what I say, the patriarch of my clan and Sword Immortal Zhou will be sure to go after Chen Ping’an for vengeance if something happens to me. At the very least, they’ll harbor resentment toward him, and even if they don’t take action right away, they’ll eventually do something in the way of retaliation.

“That’s because in their eyes, I’m still just a junior, a child, whereas for Chen Ping’an, even in the eyes of Sword Immortal Zuo You and everyone around him, he is considered worthy of making his own decisions.”

Ku Xia was even more perplexed upon hearing this, and he countered, “That may be the case, but in a battle between pure martial artists, shouldn’t it be left to the fists to do the talking?”

“It’s not so simple,” Yu Juanfu replied with a shake of her head. “Cao Ci once told me that if a martial artist is able to reach the tenth tier, the foundation that they’ve built at the first Thriving Qi Tier will often be able to decide whether they’ll have any chance of reaching the legendary eleventh tier in their lifetime.

“Reaching the Simplification Tier too early is definitely not a good thing. Over the years, Cao Ci has constantly been pondering how to best establish a foundation at the Thriving Qi Tier, and in order to accomplish this objective, he chose a very interesting option.”

Ku Xia was normally quite a detached and aloof man, yet he couldn’t help but have his interest piqued, and he asked, “What’s so interesting about Cao Ci’s choice?”

Yu Juanfu rested her fists on her knees, then replied, “Right now, Cao Ci is studying every single one of the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools of Thought. That’s why he went to that ancient battlefield to study the true intent of all of those deity statues before incorporating it into his own fist techniques.”

“He’s insane,” Ku Xia sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

“Chen Ping’an is also a very strange man,” Yu Juanfu continued. “It may just be a false impression of mine, but even though he didn’t throw a single punch today, I was struck by the feeling that he’s simultaneously extremely similar to, yet also vastly different from Cao Ci. It appears that both of them are on the same path, but they’re walking in completely opposite directions, with each of them pursuing a different extreme.”

“Could it be that you’re overthinking things?” Ku Xia asked.

“I hope so, but at the same time, I hope not,” Yu Juanfu replied with a look of mixed emotions on her face.

Over in the city, Chen Ping’an had just arrived at the wine shop when he spotted Qi Jinglong and Bai Shou sharing a table with two women. Among them, Qi Jinglong was the only one eating yangchun noodles, and he didn’t appear to be in a particularly good mood.

“Thank you for establishing a reputation for me, Second Shopkeeper,” Qi Jinglong said.

Chen Ping’an merely smiled and turned his gaze to Lu Sui.