Unsheathed

As the trio continued onward, they encountered the swordsmen of the Great Emblem Sword Sect, practicing their swordsmanship atop the city walls. Liu Jinglong was among them, but Bai Shou was absent, much to Pei Qian’s relief.

With no one else nearby, she joyfully showed off her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques, while Cao Qinglang made sure to stay far away for fear of being struck by her wild swings.

Cui Dongshan was not so smart, and he was struck several times.

After that, they encountered a rather strange female sword immortal.

She was sitting on a swing atop the city walls. Pei Qian’s eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the swing. The swing consisted of a wooden board attached to two ropes that extended high into the clouds, seemingly dangling down directly from the heavens.

Cui Dongshan approached her with a fawning smile, then asked, ”Do you need a little push?”

The woman’s name was Zhou Cheng, and she paid no heed to Cui Dongshan, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

According to those on the Sword Qi Great Wall, she had gone insane long ago. Whenever the city was under attack, she never ventured out to slay enemies. Instead, she dedicated herself solely to defending this swing, and any demon who ventured within a ten-thousand-feet radius of the swing would instantly be slain. As for the people of the Sword Qi Great Wall, she never paid any heed to them as long as they didn’t come to pester her.

Unwilling to give up, Cui Dongshan called out, ”Don’t you remember me, Big Sister Zhou? I’m Dongshan!”

She was such a fair and beautiful maiden that any time spent talking to her was surely a good time.

Someone seemed to have finally captured Zhou Cheng’s attention, but instead of Cui Dongshan, it was Pei Qian.

She turned to Pei Qian with a smile and offered, ”Would you like to sit on the swing with me?”

Pei Qian shook her head with a timid expression and replied, ”It’s alright, Big Sister Zhou, I don’t want to bother you.”

”I can accept you as a disciple on behalf of my master, and you can become my junior sister,” Zhou Cheng offered with a smile. ”It’s fine even if you already have a master; you can just be an unofficial disciple. I’ll teach you a set of sword techniques that isn’t inferior to your current set. I don’t have the aptitude to reach the pinnacle of the sword techniques, but I can see immense potential in you.”

Even Cui Dongshan was very much taken aback. This was what he intended, but he didn’t think that things would go so smoothly.

However, Pei Qian was so terrified that tears were welling up in her eyes.

Zhou Cheng was very amused by her fearful display, and she smiled and consoled, ”It’s alright, there’s no need to be scared. Come visit me sometime; it’s nice to have some company every once in a while.”

Pei Qian returned the smile, but it was even more hideous than a grimace.

After some thought, Zhou Cheng tugged on one of the lengths of rope, then flipped her hand over to produce a ball of golden thread, which she gently tossed at Pei Qian and said, ”Keep it. Don’t return it to me, but don’t throw it away, either. If you don’t want to learn it, then just keep it around.”

The sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall always did things in a mysterious and enigmatic fashion.

”Hurry up and thank Big Sister Zhou,” Cui Dongshan encouraged with a smile.

Pei Qian didn’t dare to cup her fist in a salute, so she could only extend a grateful bow.

Only after they were far away from Zhou Cheng and that strange swing did Pei Qian dare to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and she asked in an uneasy manner, ”Is it really all right for me to keep this?”

”If Teacher asks you about it, just tell him you picked it up from the ground,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile. ”If he doesn’t believe you, then I’ll convince him.”

Pei Qian was still skeptical, while Cao Qinglang was having to fight back the urge to chuckle.

That night, Pei Qian suddenly looked up into the sky. Cao Qinglang followed the direction of her gaze, and he spotted a resplendent sea of clouds up above.

Apparently, that sea of clouds served as a bed for a certain sword immortal.

Cui Dongshan only took a passing glance at the sea of clouds before averting his gaze with a disdainful expression. The owner of the bed was a sword immortal by the name of Mi Yu, someone who had only managed to reach the Unpolished Jade Tier after eating through a mountain of immortal coins. He had a much more exceptional brother named Mi Hu, who had made many sacrifices to elevate Mi Yu to greater heights. Otherwise, Mu Hu would’ve already been at the Immortal Tier.

Mi Hu was extremely fierce in battle, and he often ended up with severe injuries after his clashes against the demon tribe. On one occasion, the injuries that he suffered were so horrific that both his body and soul were on the verge of destruction, but not only did he not suffer a drop in cultivation base, he was able to hold his ground, and he still had hopes of reaching even greater heights.

As for the pretentious and mediocre Mi Yu, he was quite popular among the women of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and he had also gotten into many romantic entanglements with women from outside of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Cui Dongshan had no plans of stopping here. Instead, he was going to meet another sword immortal by the name of Yue Qing.

Yue Qing possessed two bonded flying swords, namely Thousand Feet Spring and Soaring Cloud Sparrow, which were extremely powerful both in one-on-one battles and on large-scale battlefields.

Of course, Cui Dongshan was no match for Yue Qing at the moment, but he had his teacher to fall back on, and his teacher had the backing of his senior brother.

However, on this occasion, Cui Dongshan wasn’t looking for trouble, yet trouble had come looking for him, and he was ecstatic.

Sword Immortal Mi Yu sat up atop the sea of clouds, then parted the clouds with his hands before asking with a smile, ”Are you Chen Ping’an’s disciples and students?”

Cui Dongshan reached out to stop Pei Qian and Cao Qinglang, then asked, ”Do you need something from us, Senior?”

”No, I’m just very happy to see that the Scholarly Sage’s branch seems to be thriving again,” Mi Yu replied with a smile. ”Chen Ping’an has done very well to revive the Scholarly Sage’s branch. He’s certainly worthy of being the Scholarly Sage’s final disciple.”

”If you’re going to be so facetious, then I’m going to have to be facetious in return as well,” Cui Dongshan said.

Mi Yu erupted into laughter as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world, and he prompted, ”Go ahead then, say what you like. Rest assured, I won’t get angry at children like you.”

”Here I go then!” Cui Dongshan said in a fearful manner. ”Yue Qing is your father!”

”Oh? Why do you say that?” Mi Yu asked with a smile.

”If we’re just facetious, then surely I can say whatever I want without needing a reason!” Cui Dongshan protested.

Pei Qian was already sweating profusely, and she was ready to yell for her senior uncle at a moment’s notice. She didn’t care if he could hear her, just as long as she could scare the sword immortal above into retreat.

”I agree,” Cao Qinglang chimed in with a smile.

Pei Qian couldn’t help but be impressed. In the past, she had always felt like he was even more of a coward than Zhou Mili, yet here he was, siding with Cui Dongshan against a sword immortal.

A thoughtful look appeared on Mi Yu’s face, and it seemed that he was contemplating how he was going to teach Cui Dongshan’s trio a lesson.

”Alright, I’m sorry!” Cui Dongshan suddenly conceded. ”Yue Qing is not your father! I’ve already sincerely apologized to you, and you said that you weren’t going to get angry at us, so please keep to your word!”

Mi Yu merely smiled and didn’t say anything.

He had both Mi Hu and Yue Qing on his side, and Yue Qing had plenty of friends, while Cui Dongshan’s trio only had Zuo You to bank on.

As for Chen Ping’an, he was nothing more than a Vajra Body Tier martial artist, so he posed hardly any threat.

With that in mind, Mi Yu rose to his feet as he tried to think of an excuse that he could use to teach these three little ants a lesson.

Pei Qian took a step forward, then condensed her voice into a line and said to Cui Dongshan in an urgent manner, ”Go and find Senior Uncle! Don’t worry about us; Cao Qinglang and I are too low in cultivation base, so he definitely won’t kill us!”

She then turned to Cao Qinglang and said, ”No matter what happens next, don’t say anything, and don’t retaliate! Don’t give him a reason to beat you up!”

Cui Dongshan was rather amused.

Clearly, Pei Qian had no idea what kind of person Zuo You was.

Back in the day, even Cui Chan and Qi Jingchun had suffered many brutal beatings at Zuo You’s hands, and they were all disciples of the Scholarly Sage, so he certainly wasn’t going to show any mercy to Mi Yu.

All of a sudden, a burst of rumbling akin to thunder rang out in the sky.

Mi Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he summoned his flying sword, but he didn’t dare to provoke his assailant, so he adopted a defensive stance, hoping to weather the storm.

A streak of sword qi sped onto the scene, tearing through Mi Yu’s sword formation and a large section of the sea of clouds with ease.

In the next instant, Zuo You appeared with his longsword still sheathed.

Mi Yu didn’t dare to move even a single inch.

He had witnessed Zuo You in battle against great demons from afar, but only now did he come to realize that seeing Zuo You from afar and facing him as up close as an enemy were two completely different experiences.

Zuo You was standing beside Mi Yu, but he didn’t even bother to look at the latter as he scoffed, ”What right does a useless piece of trash like you have to comment on the Scholarly Sage’s branch?”

”Cao Qinglang of Downtrodden Mountain pays his respects to his senior uncle,” Cao Qinglang greeted as he extended a respectful bow.

Pei Qian hurriedly bowed even deeper as she also greeted, ”Pei Qian of Downtrodden Mountain pays the sincerest respects to her senior uncle!”

Cao Qinglang had beaten her to the punch, so she had to bow deeper and display more sincerity to make up for her belated greeting.

She then got up onto the tips of her toes and yelled up at Zuo You, ”Be careful, Senior Uncle! That guy’s a real nasty piece of work!”

It was a rather awkward feeling for Zuo You to suddenly have a junior niece and a junior nephew, but he still gave them a nod of acknowledgment.

”Do you want to call for Yue Qing and Mi Hu, or should I call them out for you?” Zuo You asked.

Mi Yu’s complexion had turned deathly pale.

He had found himself trapped in a small world, and he could feel countless streaks of lethal sword qi suspended in the air around him, ready to tear him to shreds at the slightest movement.

Zuo You had never displayed his full power on the battlefield against the demon of the Savage World.

A benevolent smile appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face. It was always nice to see Zuo You in action, as long as he wasn’t on the receiving end.

Pei Qian tucked her hiking pole under her arm, then began gently applauding for Zuo You.

Zuo You turned his gaze to the distance with a cold expression, then challenged, ”Mi Hu, Yue Qing, come out of the city with me for a battle. If you don’t want to die, then I suggest you surrender.”

”I surrender, and I apologize,” Mi Hu immediately said through his mind’s lake.

Yue Qing offered no response, so Zuo You turned to confront him.

Cui Dongshan summoned the talismanic boat, then smiled and said, ”Alright, nothing to see here, let’s go back home. Your senior uncle’s battles are always really brutal and graphic, and it’s not something that you want to see.”

Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian sat down on either side of the boat, using their hiking poles as oars. He promised her that this would make the boat fly a bit faster.

Pei Qian was joyfully swishing her hiking pole back and forth, while Cao Qinglang looked on with a combination of amusement and exasperation. He didn’t know if she actually believed Cui Dongshan or simply found enjoyment in this activity.

Cui Dongshan was also in high spirits, and he was bent over the side of the boat with his bottom high up in the air, swinging his hiking pole vigorously with both hands.

They returned to the Ning Manor very late at night, and Pei Qian was a little disappointed as she wasn’t able to see Ning Yao, who had returned to seclusion.

Chen Ping’an and Cui Dongshan went to the pergola on the Dragon Slaying Cliff for a chat, while Cao Qinglang returned to his residence to cultivate.

News of the battle between two great sword immortals spread across the entire Sword Qi Great Wall like wildfire.

Apparently, Yue Qing was struck down by Zuo You, and if it weren’t for the intervention of several sword immortals who begged for mercy on Yue Qing’s behalf, he would’ve been slain right there and then.

The next day, business at Die Zhang’s shop was particularly good.

Recently, Nalan Yexing suddenly noticed that the way Bai Lianshuang had been looking at him felt very unsettling.

After some reflection, he realized that she had been hurling far fewer insults at him than usual, and her attitude toward him had also become a lot softer.

A chill instantly ran down Nalan Yexing’s spine.

After catching sight of Cui Dongshan, Nalan Yexing began walking alongside him, and he asked, ”Did you say something to Granny Bai recently, Dongshan?”

”I’ve spoken to her,” Cui Dongshan replied with a nod. ”She’s a senior of the Ning Manor, so of course I have to greet her whenever I see her.”

”Have you said anything else to her aside from just extending greetings?” Nalan Yexing asked.

”Oh, I did! How could I have forgotten?” Cui Dongshan exclaimed as he slapped a hand to his forehead. ”I’m not one to hold grudges, and I’m also really forgetful. Please forgive me.”

Nalan Yexing stopped in his tracks with a look of despair on his face, while Cui Dongshan continued skipping onward without so much as a single backward glance.

That morning, Pei Qian called upon Cui Dongshan to serve as her bodyguard, then went out with her hiking pole and bamboo bookcase to swagger down the peaceful street outside the Guo Manor.

What insolence! She calls herself half a disciple of Master’s, yet she hasn’t even come out to greet her senior sister after all this time! So be it; it looks like fate simply hasn’t smiled down upon her. I gave her a chance, but she didn’t take it, so she has no one to blame but herself for missing out on a spot on Downtrodden Mountain.

Right as Pei Qian was about to leave, a head suddenly popped up from behind the tall walls around the Guo Manor.

”Hey, who’re you? Your hiking pole and bamboo bookcase are really pretty, but they make your skin look a little dark in comparison.”

Pei Qian turned to look at Guo Zhujiu in silence.

Guo Zhujiu stared back at her for a moment, then asked tentatively, ”Are you supposed to be my senior sister? You look nothing like I imagined! I thought you’d be really tall, fair, and beautiful!”

Pei Qian turned to Cui Dongshan with a distraught expression, but he simply turned a blind eye.

After returning to the Ning Manor, Pei Qian rested her chin on her master’s table with a glum look on her face.

Chen Ping’an set down the seal that he was engraving, then smiled and asked, ”Didn’t you go to see Lü Duan? You don’t seem very happy.”

”I’m not badmouthing her to you, Master, but I don’t really like her,” Pei Qian said.

”There’s no rule in our Downtrodden Mountain ancestral hall that everyone has to like each other,” Chen Ping’an chuckled. ”As long as everyone follows the rules, everything will be fine.”

”Good!” Pei Qian said as she gave a firm nod. ”Otherwise, it’d be really difficult for me if I had to pretend to like her.”

”There’s no need to put up any pretenses, but also remember not to look at others with preconceived biases,” Chen Ping’an said. ”Leave it up to fate whether you’ll become friends with her or not.”

A bright smile quickly spread across Pei Qian’s face.

Even if Guo Zhujiu were to become a disciple of Downtrodden Mountain, she would still have to refer to her as her senior sister.

After a brief hesitation, a serious look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, and he said, ”What I’m about to say next is very important. You can choose not to answer me now, but if you think of something later, then you can come and tell me at any time. This is perhaps going to make you a little sad, but just know that I’m discussing these serious topics with you now because I think you can handle it.

“You are my founding disciple, so I must have some hard conversations with you from time to time. Also, keep in mind that I’m aware of who you were in the past, yet even with this knowledge, I was still willing to accept you as my disciple. This means that I’ve not just seen the good in you, but also the process in which you became a better person, isn’t that right?”

Pei Qian’s complexion paled slightly as she sat up in an anxious fashion, but there was a resolute look in her eyes as she gently nodded in response.

”I’m going to be bringing up something from the past, which may seem a bit petty. You may ask why I can’t just let bygones be bygones, but one of the core principles that I believe in is that right and wrong are eternal, and the passage of time does nothing to change that,” Chen Ping’an prefaced. ”I don’t want you to think that you can forget your past misdeeds just because you’ve become a better person since then.

“At the same time, I genuinely believe that the improvements that you’ve made are to be cherished, and I’m certainly not going to condemn your present self because of your past mistakes. I see all of the positive strides that you’ve made over time, both big and small, and I hold these changes near and dear to my heart.”

Tears began to well up in Pei Qian’s eyes, but she remained firm in her resolve as she prompted, ”Go ahead, Master. I am listening.”

Chen Ping’an wore a serious expression as he continued, ”I asked Cao Qinglang in private if he ever picked fights with you back in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and he told me that he had. I then asked him if you had ever told him about what you said being carried in the hand of Ding Ying’s companion on the street, and he said no without any hesitation. I told him to tell me the truth and assured him that I wouldn’t get angry, but he still said no.”

Pei Qian’s lips began quivering, and she was unable to fight back her tears as she admitted, ”I did, Master. I did tell him. After I told him, he was extremely hurt and distraught, and it was like he had gone insane. He immediately picked a fight with me, and I beat him with a stool.”

”What you decide to do about this is up to you, but let me tell you this: not all of the mistakes that we make in life can be remedied,” Chen Ping’an said. ”In fact, it’s often the case that once we realize our mistakes, it’s already too late to make amends. Also, I want you to understand that Cao Qinglang isn’t someone who doesn’t hold grudges and simply forgets about these things.

“Instead, he’s simply willing to forgive you. However, the forgiveness of others doesn’t absolve us of our mistakes. Even if we go on to do many good things, many of our past mistakes still linger, and even if everyone else forgets, we still remember.”

At this point, Pei Qian was bawling her eyes out.

Chen Ping’an stood up, then made his way around the table to sit down on the bench beside her and offer a comforting presence.

Pei Qian tentatively reached out to grab his sleeve as she sniffled, ”Are you going to abandon me, Master?”

”Of course not,” Chen Ping’an reassured with a shake of his head. ”How can I abandon you now when you’ve already made so many strides and become a significantly better version of yourself?”

Pei Qian erupted into tears again.

She thought of her deceased parents and the difficult times that she had spent in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation. She thought of Grandpa Cui, who had departed from this world without even bidding her farewell.

Everything that she didn’t want or didn’t dare to recall flooded into her mind all at once.

In the walkway outside was a tiny small world, within which sat Cao Qinglang.

Cui Dongshan was sitting beside him, and he continued to maintain the small world as he departed with Cao Qinglang.

”I feel much better now. Thank you, Junior Brother,” Cao Qinglang said.

”Both of us are very fortunate to have met our teacher, and it’s important to remember not to take him for granted,” Cui Dongshan said.

Cao Qinglang took a step back before extending a deep bow of gratitude.

All of a sudden, a disgruntled look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face as he yelled, ”I’ve had a terrible time ever since I came here! First, I get beaten up by Senior Uncle. Then, I get bullied by Grandpa Nalan! I have to go find someone to play Go against to recapture my mojo! Just you wait, you’re going to be hearing stories of my glorious feats very soon!”

After making that bold declaration, Cui Dongshan set off to search for Lin Junbi.

On the way there, he even thought of what he was going to say when he met Lin Junbi.

”Fancy meeting you here, Young Master Lin! Reading the Iridescent Cloud Go Manual again? Funnily enough, I’m a bit of a Go player myself. You’re clearly far better than me, so surely I wouldn’t be asking too much for you to give me a three-stone handicap, right? Who am I? I’m Dongshan!”