Unsheathed

If, for some reason, an immortal were to set off from Reed Flower Island by sea and make a beeline for the Parasol Leaf Continent, then they would arrive ashore somewhere near the Planchette Writing Sect.

The Planchette Writing Sect’s ancestral mountain was called Hanging Garment Mountain, and it was enshrouded in a sea of clouds all year round.

In the past, it was once ranked alongside Peace and Tranquility Mountain in the central region of the Parasol Leaf Sect, and the two were situated one in the west and one in the east, creating a balance with the Parasol Leaf Sect in the north and the Jade Tablet Sect in the south.

Even though the Planchette Writing Sect was a Daoist sect, it didn’t fall under the three branches of the White Jade Capital in the Heavenly World. In that regard, it was similar to Mount Longhu on the Middle Earth Divine Continent and the Mystery Capital Temple of the Heavenly World.

Prior to the major crisis that befell the Parasol Leaf Sect, the Planchette Writing Sect had been slightly superior to Peace and Tranquility Mountain in terms of reputation. The two had been at odds with each other for a very long time, and out of the two great demons that had wreaked havoc on the continent, one had dealt a heavy blow to the Planchette Writing Sect, while the other had done the same to Peace and Tranquility Mountain.

In light of their shared misfortune, the two sects had set aside their past differences and become allies. Cultivators from both sects had been fighting alongside one another for many years, and the relationship between the two was much improved.

One night, a young man and a young woman made their way to the Planchette Writing Sect, which had already sealed itself off from the outside world for many years.

Prior to this, the Planchette Writing Sect had moved Sky Calling Street, which had been situated halfway up the mountain, to the foot of the mountain. Since then, the bustling street had become a constant source of sorrow for Sect Leader Ji Hai, as whenever he laid eyes upon it, he was reminded of his Dao partner, who had personally created this street.

On Sky Calling Street, the young man wearing a Confucian robe purchased some small trinkets, refusing to buy anything that was priced in excess of ten snowflake coins.

He was accompanied by an extremely beautiful woman carrying a sword on her back, but no one dared to make a pass at her for a very simple reason: the sword on her back indicated that she had come from Peace and Tranquility Mountain, and there was only a single Daoist nun on Peace and Tranquility Mountain who was this stunningly beautiful.

Indeed, it was none other than the Nascent Tier sword immortal, Huang Ting.

Back in the day, even He Xiaoliang of the Divine Edict Sect, now the leader of the Northern Complete Reed Continent’s Refreshing Sect, had been ranked second below Huang Ting in terms of fortune.

The young man by Huang Ting’s side was Zhong Kui, the former Confucian noble scholar, and the one who served as Chen Ping’an’s inspiration to become an accountant.

”Even though I’m no longer a Confucian disciple, I’m ultimately still not a direct disciple of the Planchette Writing Sect, and I can’t just expect Sect Leader Ji to teach me that secret technique just on the basis of my teacher,” Zhong Kui said with a smile. ”I’m a very close friend of Chen Ping’an’s, and you’re on good terms with Chen Ping’an as well, so that makes us friends too. Seeing as that’s the case, I think you’re obligated to put in a good word for me.”

Huang Ting had only recently returned from her journey to the Northern Complete Reed Continent, where she was unable to overcome her Nascent Tier bottleneck. After returning to Peace and Tranquility Mountain, she proclaimed that she was going into seclusion, but the reality was that she simply couldn’t be bothered to see anyone.

On the way back, while passing through the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, she had visited the Great Li Empire, intending to check on Pei Qian to see how her sword and saber techniques were coming along. However, Pei Qian wasn’t on Downtrodden Mountain at the time.

Instead, she was greeted by a pair of rather sleazy individuals who were very hospitable to her. The older one of the two tried to swindle her into becoming a guest elder on the mountain, while the other one was practically drooling as he ogled her like a starving man staring at a delectable meal.

Huang Ting was not in the mood to be joking around with Zhong Kui. She had only accompanied him on this trip because the mountain master had practically forced her to do so.

Thus, she replied with a serious expression, ”I have a letter from our mountain master that should be able to help you out, but I’m not going to do anything for you beyond that. If Ji Hai refuses, then there’s nothing I can do except wish you luck.”

A concerned look appeared on Zhong Kui’s face upon hearing this.

Huang Ting couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated. This was a very important matter, so he should’ve taken it seriously earlier. Why was it that he was only taking it seriously now that he was on Hanging Garment Mountain? Back on Sky Calling Street at the foot of the mountain, Zhong Kui had shown himself to be extremely shameless when bartering with the street vendors.

Huang Ting was very well-traveled herself, but even she had to concede her inferiority to Zhong Kui in this regard. However, even though Huang Ting had no interest in going out of her way to help Zhong Kui, she actually had quite a positive impression of him.

During the battle on Peace and Tranquility Mountain, Zhong Kui was the one who had predicted the enemy’s next move and saved the mountain from certain catastrophe. Huang Ting already felt very guilty for her failure to defend Peace and Tranquility Mountain, and if Zhong Kui hadn’t limited the damage, then her guilt would’ve been even further compounded.

On the way here, Zhong Kui had made many stops. He stopped at the banks of rivers and lakes to chat extensively with the water ghosts inside, and he made casual conversation with the ghosts roaming through graveyards. Huang Ting allowed him to do as he pleased. If he was in no hurry, then as an outsider, she was naturally in no hurry, either.

As the two of them scaled the mountain, Ji Hai was still yet to make an appearance, and that was not a good sign.

The two of them weren’t exactly exceptionally important figures on the Parasol Leaf Continent, but Ji Hai had always been known to be quite hospitable and approachable for someone of his status. Even if Huang Ting were only visiting the Planchette Writing Sect herself, Ji Hai would’ve either gone to the entrance of the mountain to greet her, or at the very latest, he should’ve certainly already appeared at this point at the top of the steps leading up to the mountain summit.

However, Zhong Kui remained unbothered, and he was still making casual conversation with Huang Ting. ”I heard that you once fought Liu Jinglong on Temper Mountain on the Northern Complete Reed Continent. Since then, he’s become a sword immortal, and I’ve heard that his three opening battles as sword immortal were very spectacular.”

”It’s no real surprise that he became a sword immortal,” Huang Ting replied with a nod. ”My Nascent Tier bottleneck is larger and steeper than his, so I’ve fallen behind him a little, but for cultivators like us, a delay of a few years is nothing to be concerned about. Compared with Lin Su and Xu Xuan, who are ranked above him, I think he’s actually going to rise to greater heights than both of them. Of course, that’s just my personal opinion.”

”Did anyone fall in love with you at first sight on your journey to the Northern Complete Reed Continent?” Zhong Kui asked with an intrigued expression.

”There were quite a few, in fact,” Huang Ting replied, seeing no reason to hide this information. ”There was a cultivator from the Flax Robe Sect. He was a really good guy, and I was considering introducing my junior sister to him.”

”Is there anything more devastating for a man to hear than for the woman of their heart to call them a ’good guy’?!” Zhong Kui wailed, feeling utterly distraught for the Flax Robe Sect cultivator that he had never even met. ”Please don’t say anything like that ever again, Celestial Maiden Huang! Surely he would’ve rather you ignored him than hear something so soul-crushing!”

Huang Ting couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Zhong Kui cast his gaze out toward the sea in the west and murmured to himself, ”I really want to go and see the Sword Qi Great Wall, but my teacher won’t let me.”

Huang Ting took a glance at him, and he continued with a wry smile, ”I’m not a swordsman like you; I can’t just do as I please. We scholars always have to follow a bunch of rules.”

”You’ve lost your noble scholar title, and you’re not even a Confucian disciple anymore, yet you still cling stubbornly to your status as a scholar,” Huang Ting remarked with an amused smile.

The one good thing about Zhong Kui was that he could take a joke, and he wasn’t ever bothered, even if someone poured salt over his wounds.

”If a scholar can still maintain a steady heart even after their interests are harmed, then that scholar can be said to have achieved a decent level of mental cultivation,” Zhong Kui said. ”I have gone even beyond that level, and Chen Ping’an was drawn to me precisely for my righteous aura. In fact, he admired me so much that he begged me to agree to become sworn brothers with him, but I refused because he’s too uneducated and can’t even write any good poems.”

”I don’t see it,” Huang Ting said flatly, and Zhong Kui turned his gaze up toward the mountain summit with a slightly forlorn look on his face.

He was thinking about Jiu Niang’s inn. Now that he was gone, who was going to be writing all of the spring couplets in his absence?

All of a sudden, Zhong Kui turned to Huang Ting and said, ”Now that I think about it, Peace and Tranquility Mountain has everything but peace and tranquility. Shouldn’t your mountain be partially to blame for all of the unrest on the continent, given its terribly ironic name?”

”Are you looking for a beating?” Huang Ting asked with a smile.

”If you can beat me back to life from the dead, then go right ahead.” Zhong Kui grinned.

”Do you not resent your fate at all?” Huang Ting asked as the smile faded from her face.

”No,” Zhong Kui replied with a shake of his head. ”What’s meant to be mine will always end up becoming mine, and what’s destined to be out of my grasp will always remain out of my grasp. The same applies to life and death.”

***

Ever since the rise of Du Mao, the Parasol Leaf Sect had never been in such a terrible position.

Their sect leader had used certain unorthodox techniques to overcome his bottleneck and become an Immortal Tier sword immortal, but at the cost of never being able to make any further progress in his cultivation. That, in addition to the fact that the sect’s mountain-protection formation was still standing, certainly made things a little easier. Otherwise, the next few years were going to be even more difficult to endure for the Parasol Leaf Sect.

The sect’s disciplinary elder had defected with one of the sect’s most prized treasures, dealing an additional heavy blow to morale, which was already at an all-time low.

The Parasol Leaf Sect wasn’t lacking in talent. On the contrary, it had many exceptional prodigies, but the majority of them were yet to grow to their full potential.

Over the past several thousand years, the Parasol Leaf Sect had always been very overbearing and domineering in everything that they did, and all of the other immortal powers were already accustomed to this. In fact, they would even actively help the Parasol Leaf Sect in order to curry favor. However, now that the Parasol Leaf Sect had fallen from grace, all of the transgressions that they had gotten away with in the past were coming back to bite them.

Not only was the Parasol Leaf Sect receiving criticism from all directions, but some of the sects who were a bit further away and possessed a decent amount of power had also begun actively working against the Parasol Leaf Sect. At this point, many of the sect’s lower-end guest elders had already defected to other sects under the promise of brighter futures and heightened status.

Hence, even though the leader of the Parasol Leaf Sect had reached the Immortal Tier, he still felt constantly exhausted by everything that he had to deal with.

Even the mountain and water deities that had previously been completely obedient to the Parasol Leaf Sect had secretly forged an alliance with one another, and they had worked up the courage to begin bartering with the Parasol Leaf Sect.

In the past, many mortal empires would offer up their brightest cultivation prodigies to the Parasol Leaf Sect, but many of them had since begun taking those prodigies to the Planchette Writing Sect or Peace and Tranquility Mountain, even if those two sects were further away.

Parasol Leaf Sect had committed many transgressions in the past, but they had also done many good things to benefit the entire continent, so it was certainly not fair to say that they solely exploited everyone around them without any reciprocation.

Unfortunately, in this social climate, none of the cultivators on the Parasol Leaf Continent were willing to bring up any of the Parasol Leaf Sect’s past good deeds.

A purple-robed man was standing on the bank of a river within the territory of the Parasol Leaf Sect. This was a place where Sword Immortal Zuo You had previously lingered briefly.

In the beginning, the man harbored nothing but intense fury and resentment toward Zuo You, but as time passed, he began to realize that the Parasol Leaf Sect had already been accumulating bad karma for far too long, leading up to its catastrophic fall from grace.

In the past, the Parasol Leaf Sect was far too reliant on Du Mao’s power to maintain their status, and Du Mao was far too domineering and conceited for his own good.

Emboldened by the power of Du Mao and the Parasol Leaf Sect as a whole, the disciples of the sect constantly went around doing whatever they pleased. If they encountered any conflict outside the sect, then they would simply kill the opposition, regardless of who was at fault. If they couldn’t do that, then they would bring up the Parasol Leaf Sect as an intimidation tactic to force those who had wronged them to submit to their will.

If that still didn’t work, then they would return to the sect and implore their masters and seniors to stand up for them. Ultimately, the outcome was always the same, and the disciples of the Parasol Leaf Sect always got their way.

As aforementioned, the Parasol Leaf Continent had done many good things over the past several thousand years, but the bad heavily outweighed the good, and the sect’s selfish nature had been perfectly reflected by Du Mao in his final moments.

In order to survive, Du Mao had destroyed a small world, putting himself above the interests of the entire sect. Not only were all of the sect’s disciples and guest elders completely disheartened by this incredibly selfish final act, but even the sect leader was also sorely disappointed. Having said that, if he had been in the same position as Du Mao, then he was certain that he would’ve made the same choice.

A timid-looking young woman arrived by the man’s side, and he turned to her with a smile and asked, ”Is his sword heart recovering well?”

The man was referring to the bright prodigy of the sect who had the makings of a sword immortal and had been personally given a longsword by Du Mao, but all it had taken were a few scathing remarks from Zuo You to almost completely shatter his sword heart.

”My senior brother’s sword heart is recovering very well, Sect Leader,” the young woman happily reported. ”Once he fully mends his sword heart, he should be able to immediately make a breakthrough.”

The man was utterly exhausted, and he had sacrificed any chance of further progression in his cultivation for the greater good of the sect, but whenever he gazed upon the faces of these young men and women who were going to serve as future pillars of the Parasol Leaf Sect, he felt a little less disheartened and a little more hopeful for a brighter future.

”I know things have been really hard on all of you for the past few years,” the man sighed. ”Many of the responsibilities that should’ve been shouldered by your seniors have fallen upon your shoulders instead.”

The young woman had been collectively appraised by the ancestral hall as someone who was too timid for her own good. During times of peace and prosperity for the sect, she had always been lacking in resolve, and her personality had been as soft and mellow as her voice. However, these difficult times seemed to have awakened the grit and gumption within her, and while many others had become disheartened and defeated, her resolve and Dao Heart had been strengthened instead.

The young woman shook her head vigorously as she mustered up her courage, then raised her voice and replied loudly, ”I don’t feel like things have been hard on me at all, Sect Leader! Both my cultivation and mental cultivation have become much improved over the past few years, so you don’t need to worry about me at all!”

The purple-robed sword immortal was very pleased. The timid young woman who had previously been too afraid to even make eye contact with others now possessed the courage to speak loudly even in the face of the sect leader.

Prior to his departure, he said, ”There is hope for our Parasol Leaf Sect, yet. I believe in all of you, and all of you must also believe in yourselves.”

With that, he flew away atop his flying sword, leaving the young woman on her own.

Only after he was long gone did she sit down on the riverbank, where she began staring off blankly into the distance.

She couldn’t help but wonder if that unreasonable sword immortal was still just as unreasonable in the face of the Savage World on the Sword Qi Great Wall.