Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an picked up his Hidden Official jade tablet before strapping it to his waist, and he was planning to approach the seniors to discuss some matters about the Stalactite Mountain intercontinental ship. This was a conversation that had to be had in person, and it wasn’t something that could be discussed through exchanges of flying sword messages.

Mi Yu looked on with mixed emotions as he watched Chen Ping’an depart into the distance.

Previously, when Chen Ping’an had presided over the Hidden Official’s branch with only his yin soul, everything that he said and did had come across as very calculating. All of his words and actions seemed to have some type of deeper purpose, designed to prop up his authority as Hidden Official. In contrast, the current Chen Ping’an was much more direct and straightforward, and it was difficult to say which version of him was better.

Heck, as far as Mi Yu was concerned, neither version was great.

He was an Unpolished Jade Tier sword immortal, yet somehow, he had become nothing more than a glorified lackey of the Hidden Official’s branch, and the thought of his past run-in with the Scholarly Sage’s branch only made him feel even worse about his current situation.

”Am I really just not that bright?” Mi Yu murmured to himself.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an turned back and yelled, ”Come with me, Sword Immortal Mi. You’re likely going to be busy very soon.”

Mi Yu could only muster up some courage and set off after Chen Ping’an, but he was quite relieved after hearing what Chen Ping’an wanted him to do. It was not an undesirable task, and it would give him an opportunity to go and get some fresh air on Stalactite Mountain. Not only that, but Chen Ping’an even asked Mi Yu for his opinion on some thoughts and ideas, and Mi Yu replied truthfully, telling Chen Ping’an that he disapproved of all of the thoughts and ideas that he proposed. Despite this, Chen Ping’an didn’t seem disheartened at all.

The owner of the Spring Banner Inn, Shao Yunyan, was renowned on Stalactite Mountain for his reclusive nature. On this day, Shao Yunyan visited the Ape Havoc Estate, the Water Essence Palace, and the Plum Blossom Garden out of the four major private estates, but he merely passed by all of them and took a few glances at them from afar.

Due to his reclusive nature, barely anyone knew what he looked like, and on top of that, he had cast an illusion onto himself, so there weren’t many people capable of identifying him.

In the end, he made his way to a wine shop, then knocked on the door using an immortal technique. Ripples spread over the surface of the door, following which it swung open, and Shao Yunyan stepped into the shop. As usual, business was very bleak, and there wasn’t even a single customer inside aside from him.

Drinking a cup of Forgetting Sorrow Wine in the remnants of the Golden Millet Blessed Land was something that was on the to-do list of almost every unfathomable cultivator who came to visit Stalactite Mountain.

An old man was sitting behind the counter, taking a nap, and there was an ornate birdcage sitting on the counter. Inside the birdcage was a little oriole, and just like the old man, it was also taking a nap.

The young man by the name of Xu Jia was very happy to see Shao Yunyan, mostly because he was very interested in Shao Yunyan’s gourd vine. Normally, he was renowned among the regular patrons of the wine shop for his laziness on the job, but on this day, he was particularly diligent and energetic, quickly carrying a jar of wine and setting it down on the table.

Xu Jia had never actually spoken to Shao Yunyan before, but he heard that back when Shao Yunyan first came to Stalactite Mountain, he had come to the wine shop for its stellar reputation. However, he didn’t have money to buy wine, so he asked for a jar of wine in exchange for a certain Sword Nurturing Gourd on his gourd vine, and in the end, he drank himself into a stupor.

After that, he earned some money and began to regret his decision, so he tried to pay for the wine using grain rain coins in accordance with the market price. However, the shopkeeper refused, and Shao Yunyan never returned to drink at the wine shop again, seemingly holding a grudge against the shopkeeper.

Shao Yunyan stood in front of the wall and examined it briefly, then smiled and mused, ”It’s only been seven or eight hundred years since I last came, yet the wall is almost entirely full. It seems like business has been booming.”

”That’s nothing,” Xu Jia sighed. ”I heard that there’s a wine shop in the city that sells wine of a terrible quality. They’ve only been open for just over a year, yet they’ve already accumulated enough safety tablets to fill almost three walls!”

Shao Yunyan apologized to Xu Jia, then picked up the jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine and sat down at the same table as when he first visited the wine shop all those years ago.

He poured himself a bowl of wine, then turned to the counter with a smile and said, ”The gourd vine has already been taken to Water Scripture Mountain on the Northern Complete Reed Continent by a little girl. In about a dozen more years, the Sword Nurturing Gourd will reach full maturity and fall from the vine, at which point you’ll need to send someone to retrieve it. I’ve already informed Water Scripture Mountain of my deal with you, so you should be able to pick up the gourd without any trouble.”

The old man nodded in response, then opened his eyes and turned to Xu Jia. ”Do you wanna go?”

”What if the young mistress returns while I’m away from the shop?” Xu Jia asked.

”I just don’t get it!” the old man chuckled in exasperation. ”Why are you so infatuated with her? That daughter of mine has nothing in the looks department, nor does she have much going on upstairs, and on top of that, she’s already in love with someone else! How is she worthy of your devotion?”

”I’ve been here ever since I was a kid; how many women have I even seen throughout my life?” Xu Jia snapped. ”Who am I supposed to like if not the young mistress?! Should I fall in love with an old geezer like you instead?”

The old man was unbothered by Xu Jia’s snarky remarks. His daughter had already been gone for many years, leaving only Xu Jia to keep him company, so he couldn’t bear to get angry at him. If he were too hard on Xu Jia, only for the latter to abandon him like his daughter, then the shop would be in shambles.

”That’s even more reason for you to leave then,” the old man chuckled. ”Go out there and see what truly beautiful women are like. Before you know it, you’ll have already forgotten all about my daughter.”

”I do miss Cao Ci a little,” Xu Jia mused with a nod. ”I’ll go to the Middle Earth Divine Continent to find him after I’ve picked up the Sword Nurturing Gourd from the Northern Complete Reed Continent.”

He then strode over to the counter and picked up the birdcage before giving it a violent shake as he snapped, ”What do we even keep you around for? Why weren’t you able to identify Chen Ping’an’s martial arts aptitude when he came to visit? You were too busy pretending to be sick, is that it?”

The oriole was the same species as the one owned by Branch Master Lu Chen, except that one identified scholarly fortune, while the other identified martial fortune.

”Any stories to tell, Shopkeeper?” Shao Yunyan asked with a smile.

”Just shut up and drink,” the old man scoffed. ”What a massive waste it is that you’re drinking Forgetting Sorrow Wine like it’s just ordinary wine. If it wasn’t for that Sword Nurturing Gourd, I wouldn’t even sell you any wine.”

Shao Yunyan took a sip of wine, then said, ”The Water Essence Palace is still solely fixated on making money. I suppose some things never change. In contrast, the Ape Havoc Estate has already been completely emptied out, but none of that is important. All I want to know is where you’ll be relocating your shop in the future. I’ve drunk almost all of the immortal wines under the heavens, but the only ones that have truly made a lasting impression on me are your Forgetting Sorrow Wine and the Bamboo Sea Small World’s Azure Divine Mountain Wine.”

The old man took a glance at Xu Jia, who was still glowering angrily at the oriole in the cage, and he stepped around the counter, then grabbed a jar of wine for himself before sitting down at the same table with Shao Yunyan. He poured himself a bowl of wine as well, and the two of them began sharing a drink together.

”You are completely detached from all of this, so why are you trying to get involved?” the old man asked. ”If you’re going to get involved, then what does it matter to you where I plan to relocate my shop? Even if you know the location, it’s not like you’ll get to drink there anyway.”

”Can I tell you something straight from the heart?” Shao Yunyan asked with a smile.

The old man nodded and replied, ”You know the rules of the shop; what’s said in here stays in here.”

Shao Yunyan cast his gaze toward the white mist at the entrance of the wine shop and revealed, ”I made a promise to the Sword Qi Great Wall some time ago, and it’s a promise that I must follow through on.”

”You can’t just run away?” the old man asked.

”That’s likely going to be difficult,” the old man mused, quickly answering his own question.

”I don’t have to run away,” Shao Yunyan asked with a smile. ”As long as I don’t blatantly leave Stalactite Mountain without making any effort at concealing myself, I can leave at any time.”

”If that’s the case, then why are you still here?” the old man asked. ”With your paltry cultivation base and shoddy swordsmanship, you’re most definitely not going to survive for long here. I suppose death by inebriation is always preferable to death by stupidity, so I’ll do you a favor and give you a free jar of wine.”

”The Hidden Official has already defected from the Sword Qi Great Wall and turned to the Savage World,” Shao Yunyan said.

”I didn’t realize Xiao Xun harbored that much resentment toward the Majestic World,” the old man mused as he raised an eyebrow.

”I heard that a new Hidden Official has been selected to take her place,” Shao Yunyan continued with a smile. ”If you can guess who it is, then I won’t make you treat me to a free jar of wine. You can have three guesses.”

The old man thought about it, then asked, ”Is it Chou Miao, the boy who picked up the most money with A’Liang, or is it Ning Yao? Surely it can’t be the boy that Xiao Xun took a liking to. What’s his name again?”

”I think it was Pang Yuanji,” Xu Jia said.

”Looks like I’ll be getting a free jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine!” Shao Yunyan chortled with glee.

After downing two jars of Forgetting Sorrow Wine, Shao Yunyan stumbled out of the wine shop in a drunken manner, feeling like he had just made a very worthwhile trip.

Shao Yunyan strolled back to his own residence, which was in a similar state to the Ape Havoc Estate, and everywhere he stepped, there was killing intent all around because it was all on Stalactite Mountain.

Bian Jing hadn’t remained on the city walls to fight, nor had he traveled to the Southern Whirl Continent with Jiang Guancheng and his other young compatriots.

Instead, Bian Jing had chosen to stay in the Plum Blossom Garden, playing Go against Lady Tuo Yan, and it was as if the war raging on the Sword Qi Great Wall had nothing to do with him.

However, on this day, he left the Plum Blossom Garden and paid a visit to the Catch and Release Pavilion to see the intercontinental ships come and go.

The Catch and Release Pavilion was regarded as the least impressive tourist attraction on Stalactite Mountain, yet it was still absolutely packed every day. Aside from when it was late at night, the tiny pavilion was always packed to the rafters.

Bian Jing didn’t step into the overcrowded pavilion. Instead, he sat on the railing of the observation deck on the cliff outside the Catch and Release Pavilion, speaking to himself through his mind’s lake.

”Aren’t you always bragging about how you’re acquaintances with the old deaf guy? There are no sword immortals stationed at his prison at all; is there really no chance that we can’t do anything there?” Bian Jing asked.

”There’s no chance. Don’t even think about it.”

”See, this is what I don’t get about you people from the Savage World,” Bian Jing sighed in exasperation. ”Your cultivation base is so high, yet you’re still so dogmatic and inflexible.”

”Do you consider constantly scheming and plotting a part of your cultivation?”

”Is the Daoist second disciple who reduced you to this state really invincible?” Bian Jing asked, intentionally bringing up a sore spot.

”Unless you’ve faced him in battle, it’ll be impossible for you to understand just how terrifying that old bastard is.”

”It’s a real shame that Lady Gui of Old Dragon City didn’t accept Lady Tuo Yan’s invitation,” Bian Jing sighed in a forlorn manner.

”That is indeed quite a shame. Her true form is the most authentic seed of the Moon Palace. If she were willing to work with us, then that would significantly boost our chances of success.”

”Our chances of success?” Bian Jing scoffed. ”Don’t lump me in with you; I’m just a completely insignificant pawn who was forced into all of this.”

”You may have been forced into this, but it’s not like you’re morally against this, so stop trying to make yourself sound like some type of valiant martyr.”

”According to the latest news from Lady Tuo Yan, there are quite a few sword immortals who are tempted, and they’re in a very awkward situation right now,” Bian Jing said. ”I bet all of them would like nothing more than to hack that second shopkeeper to death!”

This time, Bian Jing’s assertion was met with no response.

Bian Jing looked out at the intercontinental ships, and there were looks of unbridled joy on everyone’s faces.

He smiled and mused to himself, ”When I see so many people so eager to leave, I no longer feel guilty at all about what I’m doing.”

People came to Stalactite Mountain to do business with the Sword Qi Great Wall, and it was always extremely lucrative. They came with large quantities of goods that they exchanged for other goods here, and once they returned to their home continent, they would be able to sell those goods at astonishing profit margins.

Just one trip to Stalactite Mountain would earn them several years’ worth of profits, and this business was particularly lucrative in times of war as the Sword Qi Great Wall was desperate for resources, so they had all of the bargaining power in the world.

”There’s no right or wrong, only different standpoints,” Bian Jing mused.

”Is that meant to be an ironic statement?”

”No, I genuinely subscribe to this idea,” Bian Jing replied with a smile and a shake of his head. ”Just like how I support the idea that one’s fists are the most convincing principles under the heavens.”

Bian Jing began looking around, inspecting his surroundings.

Very soon, everything was going to be completely different.