Unsheathed

In the end, Pei Qian picked out two gifts, one of which was for Chen Ping’an. It was an exquisite writing brush that was said to have come from the Middle Earth Divine Continent, and it had cost Pei Qian a single snowflake coin. The brush had been just one of many in a beautiful porcelain container, and Pei Qian had gotten up onto the tips of her toes and meticulously looked through every single brush in the container for fifteen minutes before finally settling on this one.

The entire time, Cui Dongshan had stood beside her, giving her advice. However, it seemed that his advice wasn’t welcome, and Pei Qian completely ignored him as she sifted through the cluster of brushes on her own. The old shopkeeper was very amused by their interactions, and he wasn’t annoyed at all by how much time Pei Qian had taken to select a brush.

The vast majority of outsiders who came to travel on Stalactite Mountain had plenty of money to spend, so it was quite a breath of fresh air for the shopkeeper to see such a stingy and meticulously selective girl like Pei Qian.

The other gift was one that Pei Qian had prepared for her master’s future wife, and it had cost her as many as three snowflake coins. It was a piece of letter paper with iridescent clouds flowing over its surface, and occasionally a bright moon would peek through, presenting a wondrous and mesmerizing sight.

Pei Qian’s little scented pouch was mostly filled with scrap silver and copper coins, so even after spending those four snowflake coins on the two gifts, the pouch didn’t appear to have been physically depleted by much. However, it was now missing its core pillars, and that was a rather sobering thought for Pei Qian. She heaved a forlorn sigh as she carefully tucked the scented pouch back up her sleeve.

She was certainly saddened to have to part ways with these precious companions, but separations were always bound to happen, and at the very least, they would continue to be with her in her memories. Unbeknownst to her, Cui Dongshan had also bought a bunch of miscellaneous items from the two shops, and while receiving change from the two shopkeepers, he had secretly asked them to return the four snowflake coins that Pei Qian had spent.

Cultivators were able to cleanse their bodies over the course of their cultivation, and it was often the case that the higher one’s cultivation base, the more stunning their physical appearance would become.

However, even among cultivators, it was an extremely rare sight to see someone as spectacularly handsome as Cui Dongshan.

Thus, he attracted a great deal of attention from passersby, and many people were openly staring at him as most immortals saw no need to abide by the same common etiquette as mortals did. There was one particular female cultivator who was surrounded by a throng of guards, and Cui Dongshan immediately caught her attention as he passed her by.

After walking a few steps, she couldn’t help but turn back to look at him again, and the more she looked, the more drawn in she felt. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she quickly began approaching Cui Dongshan, intending to pinch his cheek before running away, but before she could do so, she was abruptly erased from existence by a sweep of Cui Dongshan’s sleeve.

The woman’s entourage was naturally very alarmed by this, and they immediately converged toward Cui Dongshan, intending to confront him, but they were held back by their leader, who was a Nascent Tier cultivator. The Nascent Tier cultivator personally approached Cui Dongshan to offer his apologies, but Cui Dongshan merely remained silent with a grin on his face.

Only after Pei Qian asked him to release the woman did he finally relent, and with another sweep of his sleeve, the woman reappeared out of thin air before falling to the ground. Cui Dongshan paid no heed to the old Nascent Tier cultivator as he leaned down to pat the woman’s cheek, then departed without a word and continued strolling down the street with Pei Qian.

However, he had only walked a few steps when he suddenly began to sway unsteadily on his feet, and he had to lean on Pei Qian for support as he said, ”This is bad, Senior Sister! The immortal technique that I just used was too taxing on my spiritual energy, and I’m now feeling really faint and weak... What do we do?”

Pei Qian immediately began sweating profusely upon hearing this terrible news, and she hurriedly offered Cui Dongshan her hiking pole, saying, ”Here, use this to support yourself.”

At the same time, she slowed down slightly to keep pace with Cui Dongshan, preparing to catch him should he fall.

However, as soon as she slowed down, Cui Dongshan did the same, so she could only speed up again to try and leave the group of people behind as quickly as possible.

Cui Dongshan pretended to lean on the hiking pole as a crutch while secretly turning back with a bright smile to give the woman a parting wave.

The woman’s complexion was deathly pale, and her head was aching so badly that she felt as if it were about to split open. She felt dizzy and disoriented, and she wasn’t able to utter a single word. Internally, her mind’s lake was completely still and lifeless, as if it were being crushed under a mountain.

The old Nascent Tier cultivator took a moment to inspect the woman’s mind’s lake, and he was instantly astonished by what he saw. Earlier, he had been considering confronting Cui Dongshan over what he had done, but after witnessing the condition of the woman’s mind’s lake, he was extremely relieved that he hadn’t been so reckless.

”Please forgive our young mistress for her transgressions, Senior,” he hurriedly apologized through his mind’s lake.

”It’s fine,” Cui Dongshan replied through his mind’s lake without even bothering to turn around to face the Nascent Tier cultivator. ”She’s a little rude and brazen, but she has good taste, so I’ll let her off the hook just this once. Looking at your approach to cultivation, I presume that you come from the Middle Earth Divine Continent’s Mountain River Sect. Go back and tell your matriarch, Qin Zhilan, to come out of seclusion and quit playing dead.

“She thinks she can just shamelessly hide from me after losing those three consecutive trials of self-reflection to me? Tell her that I haven’t forgotten about her. Once I have some spare time on my hands, I’m going to pay her a visit and slap that pretty little face of hers until she begs me for mercy!”

Cui Dongshan gently tapped the ground with Pei Qian’s hiking pole, and the mountain in the woman’s mind’s lake instantly vanished. It was as if a deity had moved the mountain away, and clarity was instantly restored to her mind’s lake.

The old Nascent Tier cultivator was sorely lamenting his ill fortune. Never had he imagined that such a seemingly minor run-in on Stalactite Mountain would cause so much trouble for their sect leader all the way on the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

What’s his cultivation base? The Immortal Tier? The Ascension Tier?

The old Nascent Tier cultivator was distraught. Once a vendetta took shape between cultivators, particularly between those who were truly on the mountain summit, it was not just a small matter of a few years or a few decades. Instead, it was often the case that grudges were held for centuries, even millennia.

Cui Dongshan turned to take a glance at Pei Qian to find that she was still sweating profusely. Additionally, her entire body was tensed up, there was also a look of guilt on her face.

”Don’t worry about me, Senior Sister,” Cui Dongshan consoled through his mind’s lake.

”My teacher and I are constantly traveling from place to place, and we know how to look after ourselves. Even if the heavens fall and the earth splits open, you don’t need to focus on anything else other than your transcriptions and your martial arts training.”

Pei Qian was in rather low spirits, and she condensed her voice into a line as she replied, ”But I’m my master’s first-ever disciple! As the senior sister, it’s only right that I look after Nuanshu and Little Mili. Otherwise, what am I even training martial arts for? Just to show off?”

”What’s wrong with showing off?” Cui Dongshan asked with a smile.

”But I’ve traveled to so many places with Master, and he’s never shown off,” Pei Qian argued.

”Master wants you to walk your own path, one that has more joy and flair,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile. ”As long as you don’t do anything morally reprehensible, why not be free and true to yourself? Go and show off and amaze people! Have all of the bystanders cheering at the top of their lungs and saying things like ’my goodness! I’ve never seen such incredible fist and sword techniques! This young heroine was clearly taught by an exceptional master!’”

Pei Qian’s mood was instantly lifted by this encouraging thought.

However, she then thought of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and a concerned look appeared on her face as she sighed, ”I’ve heard that there are countless swordsmen on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Aren’t swordsmen supposed to be the most powerful Qi refiners under the heavens? What if they pick on an outsider like Master? Master’s fist and sword techniques are unmatched, but he’s all on his own. What if all of the swordsmen gang up on him by the thousands with a few dozen sword immortals hidden among them? Even Master won’t be able to beat them all!”

Cui Dongshan didn’t know how to respond.

He couldn’t think of anyone capable of taking on thousands of swordsmen and dozens of sword immortals at once.

However, it was a good habit for her to always first consider the worst possible situation under all circumstances, and it was likely a habit that she had picked up from her master.

After that minor ordeal at the foot of the Milu Cliff, Pei Qian made up an excuse and insisted on returning to the Stork Inn with Cui Dongshan. She told him that she had grown weary of walking. She claimed that the mountain paths on Stalactite Mountain were too difficult to traverse and that she was in need of rest.

Cui Dongshan couldn’t just reveal to her that he was actually at the Unpolished Jade Tier, as opposed to the Sea Observation Tier or the Abode Tier, nor could he tell her that at his current cultivation base, he was even more powerful than the Nascent Tier swordsman Li Tuanjing at his peak.

Even if he did reveal this to her, she wouldn’t believe him anyway.

She would only believe it if her master told her that it was true, and even then, she would merely respond by telling Cui Dongshan to keep it up and to not get proud and complacent.

In her eyes, no one else’s cultivation base counted for anything aside from her master’s.

On the way back to the Stork Inn, Cui Dongshan suddenly exclaimed, ”Senior Sister, there’s money on the ground!”

Pei Qian immediately looked down, then quickly stepped onto the snowflake coin before anyone else could get to it. She then crouched down and picked up the snowflake coin in a sequence of movements that was even smoother than her fist techniques.

After giving the snowflake coin a closer inspection, she exclaimed in elation, ”It’s one of the ones I just spent!”

Cui Dongshan feigned a look of astonishment as he yelled, ”How is that possible?! It must be fate!”

On the rest of the way back to the Stork Inn, Pei Qian’s eyes were glued to the ground, and she really did spot another stray snowflake coin at the entrance of the alley where the Stork Inn was situated. To her utter astonishment and jubilation, it was the snowflake coin that she had named.

Grinning from ear to ear, Pei Qian turned to Cui Dongshan with a meaningful look and said, ”Perhaps all three of them will be reunited before we even make it back to the inn.”

”Can there really be such a miraculous coincidence?” Cui Dongshan exclaimed.

”Why not?” Pei Qian countered. ”I’ve already gotten two of them back, haven’t I?”

Unfortunately, there was no third coin to be found in the alley.

Unwilling to settle for this outcome, Pei Qian insisted on walking back and forth through the alley with Cui Dongshan over and over again. Initially, Cui Dongshan had planned to use the remaining snowflake coin to scam Pei Qian out of fried fish, but it was clear that they weren’t going to enter the inn until the third coin had been recovered. Thus, he finally relented, tossing the coin onto the ground when Pei Qian wasn’t looking.

After recovering the third snowflake coin, Pei Qian raised it high, then pulled out her scented pouch and greeted with a beaming smile, ”Welcome home!”

Back at the inn, Pei Qian rested her chin on the table with the three snowflake coins laid out before her. She told Cui Dongshan to get some fried fish out of his minimization treasure, declaring that they were going to feast in celebration of the miraculous return to the three copper coins.

Cui Dongshan eagerly obliged, and he began feasting on the fried fish, but Pei Qian didn’t eat any.

”Why’re you not eating, Senior Sister?” Cui Dongshan asked in a muffled voice through a mouthful of fried fish.

”I’m not hungry,” Pei Qian replied with a smile as she rested her cheek on her folded arms and looked out the window with a smile on her face.

Cui Dongshan immediately slowed down his eating pace and began savoring the fried fish one by one.

”Do you know who the people are that I’m most grateful to aside from my master?” Pei Qian suddenly asked in a quiet voice.

Cui Dongshan knew the answer to that question, but shook his head and told her that he didn’t.

”They’re Big Sister Baoping and Master’s future wife, who we’re about to meet,” Pei Qian revealed.

”Why?” Cui Dongshan asked with a smile.

”Everyone thinks that Master protected Big Sister Baoping and the others on their journey to the Great Sui Nation, but I think it was more of a case of Big Sister Baoping keeping Master company on that journey,” Pei Qian explained. ”At the time, Big Sister Baoping was still just a little girl with her little bamboo bookcase. She kept Master company over the course of such a long journey, and that’s why I really like her. Then there’s Master’s future wife.

“Even if it wasn’t for her, Master would still be able to go on long journeys, and he would still be the best master under the heavens, but he definitely wouldn’t have been so happy traveling on his own for so many years, and the journey would’ve been much more tiring for him. He still had to complete the journey and overcome the hardships on his own, but I’m sure the thought of a girl waiting for him far, far away would’ve been very encouraging. It would be like having copper coins to pick up from the ground along every step of his journey; isn’t that a really great feeling?”

”I see,” Cui Dongshan mused with an enlightened expression. ”If you hadn’t explained it to me, I could’ve easily gone my entire life without realizing this.”

”It’s fine,” Pei Qian consoled. ”There’s no need to feel inferior or stupid. Aside from Master, I’m the smartest person on our Downtrodden Mountain. Do you know why that is?”

”Please enlighten me, Senior Sister,” Cui Dongshan implored, doing his best to suppress his amusement and put on a sincere facade.

Pei Qian beckoned for him to come closer, and Cui Dongshan leaned in close, only to receive a knock on the head.

”You know why now?” Pei Qian asked with a serious expression.

Cui Dongshan took a glance down at the remaining pieces of fried fish on the table, and Pei Qian encouraged, ”Go on, eat up. Just know that the more that you eat, the less there will be for Master. If your conscience will allow it, then eat as much as you like.”

***

In the Savage World, in a vast region similar to the Middle Earth Divine Continent, there stood a grand and majestic mountain taller than all others.

There were no Daoist temples or Buddhist monasteries on the mountain. In fact, there wasn’t even a single demon cultivating on the mountain because it had always been a restricted area since ancient times. For the past ten thousand years, only cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers had been entitled to climb to the mountain summit to pay their respects.

On this day, an emaciated, gray-robed old man who resembled a bag of skin and bones was scaling the mountain with a new disciple of his to meet ”himself.”

As they scaled the mountain together, the old man held the child’s tender hand with one of his own, while his other sleeve was flapping in an unbridled fashion amid the strong wind.

The gray-robed man turned his gaze in a certain direction, and there, in the extremely far distance, was a blind old man who was still using puppets clad in golden armor to move mountains.

”Is there about to be another war?” the child asked.

The old man nodded and replied, ”I haven’t been around, so there’s only been a bunch of playfights for the past ten thousand years. I’m sure Chen Qingdu has been laughing at me all this time.”

***

On the Sword Qi Great Wall, business was thriving for all of the betting stations in the lead-up to the second sparring match between a certain pair of young Vajra Body Tier martial artists.

To everyone, the outcome of the sparring match was already a foregone conclusion.

While Chen Ping’an’s character was rather dubious, his fist techniques were very much passable.

On this day, Yu Juanfu was standing atop the city walls, her fist intent flowing throughout her body like a coursing river.

Standing several dozen meters away from her was Chen Ping’an. Not only had he taken off his boots for this sparring match, he had even rolled up his sleeves and tightened his pant sleeves.

Many spectators had already gathered, the majority of whom were compulsive gamblers, and upon witnessing this scene, they immediately bet on Chen Ping’an to secure victory within three punches, five punches, and at most, ten punches.

This shameless bastard is trying to screw us out of our money again with those ambiguous rumors and underhanded little tricks, but he’s not gonna get us this time! Ultimately, he’s still too young and naive!