Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an spoke to the sword cultivators of the Hidden Official’s branch about the topic of subjugation. They all understood the basic concepts, but Chen Ping’an raised an example that was very intriguing and thought-provoking even for Sword Immortal Chou Miao.

Branch Master Lu Chen of the Heavenly World’s White Jade Capital had once paid a visit to Chen Ping’an’s hometown. In the Jewel Small World, he had concealed his identity, posing as a fortuneteller for over ten years.

He had been subjugated by the Great Dao of the Majestic World the entire time, restricting his cultivation base to the Ascension Tier.

Wang Xinshui immediately began complaining that Chen Ping’an hadn’t told them this astonishing story sooner. If he had known this sooner, then his admiration for Chen Ping’an would’ve already risen to the Ascension Tier, rather than where it currently was, languishing down at the Nascent Tier.

Among the six-man clique that was closest to Chen Ping’an, Guo Zhujiu had proclaimed herself to be the one with the loftiest cultivation base, and thus, she was entitled to appraising the learning ability and accomplishments of others. Some of the words of flattery that Gu Jianlong offered up were very refreshing and unique, even to her, so she had deemed his cultivation base to be at the Immortal Tier, second only to her.

Xuan Can had an advantage over the others thanks to his Go skills, much like a cultivation prodigy who had stumbled upon an unmatched cultivation art, so he was elevated straight to the Upper Five Tiers, sitting at the Unpolished Jade Tier with a bright future ahead.

Cao Gun was too late to begin pursuing this path of cultivation, and he was also not very diligent, so he was only at the Golden Core Tier. Wang Xinshui was at the Nascent Tier bottleneck, and as for Mi Yu, he was lacking in both aptitude and sincerity, so he wasn’t even an earth immortal.

On this day, Chen Ping’an went out on a stroll again. Guo Zhujiu completed her quota of duties, then patted the head of the little snowman on her desk before putting on her little bamboo bookcase and rushing out the door.

She had named the snowman Guo Zhujiu Junior, and it served as both a figure of encouragement and authority. Whoever it chose to gaze upon was the recipient of its approval and encouragement, while whoever its bamboo branch was pointed at was the subject of its disapproval. In her words, the bamboo branch was a flying sword, and anyone who dared to slack off risked being decapitated on the spot!

Chen Ping’an was walking along very slowly as usual, so it didn’t take Guo Zhujiu long to catch up to him.

”Why have you been walking so slowly lately, Master? Is this a form of cultivation?” Guo Zhujiu asked.

”Yes, it’s mental cultivation,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Guo Zhujiu began to circle around Chen Ping’an while making sure to face him the entire time as she asked, ”This is something super complex that I won’t have to learn, right? Even if I tried, I wouldn’t be able to, right?”

”Anyone can learn this, but it’s not something that has to be learned,” Chen Ping’an replied, leaving Guo Zhujiu feeling both happy and concerned.

Chen Ping’an pulled out a Vast Flowing River Talisman and an Earth Pinch Talisman in a peaceful courtyard, then said, ”Let me draw you a map of the Majestic World.”

With each continent that he drew on the ground, he spoke briefly to Guo Zhujiu of the local culture, and some of the things that he spoke of were things that he had seen with his own eyes, while the rest were things that he had heard about from others and read from books.

There was the Parasol Leaf Continent that was home to the Observing Dao Temple, the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that was his home, the Northern Complete Reed Continent, which was teeming with swordsmen, the Pure White Continent, which produced all of the snowflake coins of the world, the Flowing Dawn Continent, where Buddhism thrived, the Golden Armor Continent that was home to an ancient battlefield, the chaotic and tumultuous Circling Ascension Continent, and the Southern Whirl Continent, where the Pure Confucian Chen Clan was situated.

Then, there was the largest continent of them all, the Middle Earth Divine Continent, which was where Lin Junbi came from.

Guo Zhujiu crouched down on the ground, looking at the map as she wondered, ”The sky is round, so why isn’t the earth round? If the earth were round, then it would be a much shorter journey from your home on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to the Golden Armor Continent.”

”Because the Majestic World doesn’t encompass the entire earth,” Chen Ping’an explained with a smile. ”If we put all of the small worlds and blessed lands under the heavens together, then combine that with the five new worlds discovered by the Confucian sages, then all of that will come together to form a sphere. The sky would be the bigger sphere, while the earth would be a smaller sphere inside, so it’ll be a sphere within a sphere.”

Li Baoping had once raised the same question on the journey to Mountain Cliff Academy in the Great Sui Nation, but on that occasion, she had been answered by the virtually all-knowing Cui Dongshan.

After that, Cui Dongshan had pulled out a bowl of water, then climbed up onto a tree to snap a green branch before picking up a random rock on the ground. After collecting those three things, he had put on a mysterious expression, asking everyone what they thought of the heavens and the earth.

However, at the time, the rice had just finished cooking, and the fragrant smell of braised fish was also wafting through the air, so no one paid him any attention.

Thus, Cui Dongshan discarded the rock, tucked the branch down the back of his collar, and tipped out the water in the bowl before asking Chen Ping’an for a bowl of rice.

Chen Ping’an told Guo Zhujiu that he was going to see what Pang Yuanji was up to, and she immediately took that as her cue to leave, jumping up and rushing back to the main hall.

Upon her arrival, she discovered that the atmosphere in the main hall was still rather heavy.

It was better when her master was around, but whenever he was absent, the atmosphere would be so heavy that it felt asphyxiating.

Guo Zhujiu removed her bamboo bookcase from her back before setting it down beside her feet.

After learning about what had happened on the Clay Pot, Lin Junbi had asked Chen Ping’an whether he could inform all of the sword cultivators on the Sword Qi Great Wall that the Ascension Tier great demon had been slain outside of Stalactite Mountain. Otherwise, with that threat constantly looming over everyone like a dark shadow, their performance in battle could be negatively impacted.

However, Chen Ping’an told him that there was no need for that, and that the news could be broken later.

At the moment, all of the heated discussion was aimed only at him, as opposed to all of the sword cultivators of the Hidden Official’s branch, so it was not a pressing concern for the moment.

Pang Yuanji was sitting on a railing in a walkway, staring off into the distance in silence, clearly with a lot on his mind. Upon hearing Chen Ping’an’s footsteps, he turned to take a glance at him, then nodded as a greeting. However, he had to wait for what felt like an eternity before Chen Ping’an finally sat down next to him.

It seemed like recently, whenever Chen Ping’an left the main hall, he went on extremely slow strolls, moving along at a snail’s pace.

After sitting down beside Pang Yuanji, Chen Ping’an offered him a flagon of wine. ”This is immortal wine from the Spring Banner Inn. It’s very expensive, and it tastes just as good as Bamboo Sea Small World wine.”

”I’ll pass.” Pang Yuanji refused with a shake of his head. ”I haven’t drunk in a very long time.”

Chen Ping’an looked at his haggard and unkempt face and encouraged, ”Say something that’ll make you feel better. You don’t have to worry about how I feel; just focus solely on yourself. I know that you harbor some resentment toward me, but you feel like those feelings are irrational, so you can only suppress them. There’s no need to do that. Negative emotions are no fine wine; they won’t get better the longer you let them age.”

”You’ve already explored every single corner of the summer palace and the winter palace at this point, right?” Pang Yuanji asked.

”Of course,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod. ”Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any hidden mechanisms, nor did I come across any concealed stashes of wealth.”

”You definitely don’t feel the same way that I do,” Pang Yuanji said in a quiet voice. ”This isn’t something that I’m only realizing now; it’s something that I already realized not long after I entered the Hidden Official’s branch.”

”So how do you feel?” Chen Ping’an asked. ”Tell me about it. All I’m here to do is drink and listen to you complain. There’s no need to be rational or reasonable; venting in itself is important to getting back to a rational state of mind.”

”In the two palaces, was there even a single piece of extra paraphernalia?” Pang Yuanji asked with a sullen expression. ”Were there any ornaments or decorations? There was nothing. After my mistress left the Sword Qi Great Wall, all she left behind were the Hidden Official jade tablet and all of the secret files. Whenever I’m here on my own, it feels to me like my mistress was never even here in this summer palace.

“Recently, I’ve been wondering to myself what my mistress thinks and does when she’s alone. I wonder if there are times when she felt sad or disappointed, but couldn’t tell anyone about it. Everyone has always seen my mistress as this invincible juggernaut born to kill demons, but I’ve never felt that way.”

Pang Yuanji cast his gaze toward the top of the city walls as he spoke. He had involuntarily thought of the old great sword immortal as he spoke of Xiao Xun.

The old great sword immortal’s thatched cottage had to be just as barren and devoid of personality as the two palaces of the Hidden Official, and as was the case with Xiao Xun, it seemed like very few people on the Sword Qi Great Wall ever really stopped to wonder how the old great sword immortal felt and what he thought.

”Now that you mention it, this place does seem really empty,” Chen Ping’an observed with a nod as he inspected his surroundings. ”That tells me that Xiao Xun is a very impressive person. Only someone with immense mental fortitude and ultimate confidence in themselves can have zero regard for external possessions. That’s not something you can accomplish, and of course, I can’t, either.”

Tears began to well up in Pang Yuanji’s eyes, and he raised his head to suppress them.

He took a deep breath, and a bleak smile appeared on his face as he continued, ”I thought you would’ve erupted into a furious tirade against my mistress. At the very least, I thought I was going to be on the receiving end of a lot of abuse from you.”

This was not an unreasonable expectation. After all, Xiao Xun had almost killed Zuo You on the battlefield, and she had done so in just about the most unscrupulous fashion possible through a sneak attack.

Chen Ping’an shook his head as he took a sip of wine, then said, ”If I wanted to claim the moral high ground and preach, then I could go on and on for days on end, and I could certainly take out my anger and frustration on you and Xiao Xun, but what purpose would that serve? I have to accept the fact that everyone looks out for themselves to different degrees. Otherwise, I will only be placing a heavier mental burden on myself, and that’s not conducive to anything.

“Setting aside her betrayal, you and I are both aware of how much Xiao Xun has done for the Sword Qi Great Wall. As for why she turned traitor, perhaps I understand her reasons better than you because I’m a less biased observer. However, from now on, many of the sword immortals and sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall will begin to forget her past contributions, some intentionally, some inadvertently, and I think that’s what you feel most indignant about. Would I be correct in saying that?”

Pang Yuanji offered no response.

Chen Ping’an took a large swig of wine, then smiled as he continued, ”Even though you’re also selfish and look out for yourself just like everyone else, you’re not doing a worse job than anyone else in the Hidden Official’s branch. You don’t owe the Sword Qi Great Wall anything, and you certainly don’t owe anything to your mistress, so why be so hard on yourself? What else could you possibly expect to do better?”

”Even after hearing you say all of that, I still don’t feel any better at all,” Pang Yuanji said with a wry smile.

”I have one final question for you,” Chen Ping’an said. ”You can choose not to answer if you don’t want to.”

Pang Yuanji didn’t even want to hear the question because he knew it would be an uncomfortable one.

”If you possessed the ability to kill Xiao Xun right after she attacked Zuo You, what would you have done?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Pang Yuanji tucked his hands up their opposite sleeves as he lowered his head, and he offered no response.

”You’re going to feel terrible anyway, so I may as well make you feel a little more terrible,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

Pang Yuanji was really hoping that Chen Ping’an would leave, but to his dismay, the latter continued, ”How about I ask you another question?”

”You’re just going to keep asking me questions until I give you an answer, is that it?” Pang Yuanji asked.

Chen Ping’an ignored him, taking a sip of wine before continuing, ”Did it make you feel a little better to learn that Lin Junbi’s senior brother, Bian Jing, turned out to be an Ascension Tier great demon? Did that, in turn, make you feel even worse because you’re friends with Lin Junbi? Do you feel guilty because it’s almost like you’re taking comfort from his suffering?”

A bitter look appeared on Pang Yuanji’s face.

Chen Ping’an patted him on the shoulder and sighed. ”There’s no escaping these feelings, so you’re just going to have to tough it out. You can keep to yourself and refuse to see anyone, but there are certain things that you must face.”

Everyone knew all of the principles, but the easiest person to deceive under the heavens was oneself.

Chen Ping’an didn’t press Pang Yuanji any further. After taking another large swig of wine, he prepared to leave and give Pang Yuanji his peace and quiet.

”Why do I feel like you’re taking pleasure in my suffering, Chen Ping’an?” Pang Yuanji suddenly asked.

”You could tell?” Chen Ping’an exclaimed. ”I’m not good at much else, but I’m very good at hiding my emotions, so it’s very impressive that you were able to see right through me, Brother Pang.”

”So you really are taking pleasure in seeing me suffer?” Pang Yuanji asked with a puzzled expression.

”We’re both in the same boat here,” Chen Ping’an replied. ”Otherwise, why do you think I came to drink with you? By making you feel worse, I feel better.”

”Please get out of my sight.” Pang Yuanji sighed in a feeble voice.

”That’s the only time I’ll allow you to speak to the Hidden Official like this, but don’t let it happen again,” Chen Ping’an warned with a smile as he jumped down from the railing. ”Don’t make insubordination a habit just because you think I’ll tolerate it.”

”I won’t skip the city walls to do battle, Chen Ping’an,” Pang Yuanji suddenly said.

”As long as you’re not worried about further worsening your reputation and coming under even more criticism, you don’t have to worry about anything on my side,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. ”There is no rule in the new Hidden Official’s branch stating that its sword cultivators have to go out to do battle.”

”Thanks, I guess,” Pang Yuanji said with a bleak expression.

”You should take a leaf out of Lin Junbi’s book and learn to see the silver lining in times of suffering,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. ”Once you learn to do that, you’ll have progressed in your mental cultivation.”

Pang Yuanji remained seated where he was, staring off into the distance in a daze. All the while, the battle between the Savage World and the Sword Qi Great Wall continued.

During this time, Yang Zhi, the female great demon wearing the imperial robe, returned to the battlefield, hovering high up in the sky with a half-dead person in her clutches. It was one of the sword immortals who had ventured deep into the Savage World to impede the demonic army in its northbound march.

Yang Zhi and Huang Luan had both claimed some scalps, but the two sword immortals that Huang Luan had intercepted were both dead. Not only that, but even their souls and remains had been completely erased from existence. In contrast, Yang Zhi had managed to capture a sword immortal alive.

On that day, Yang Zhi held the half-dead sword immortal by the head as she stood in the sky not far away from the two clashing torrents of sword qi, and the first thing that she did was reveal to everyone the sword immortal’s origins, as well as what they had done in the Savage World. After that, she stripped away their blood and flesh in an agonizingly slow process, first removing the flesh, then snapping the tendons and breaking the bones.

After that, she extracted their golden core and slowly ground it away inch by inch, then did the same with their nascent soul. Only at the very end did she extract their soul before dashing it into nothingness, finally ending their suffering.

Following this event, the Hidden Official’s branch sent out its messenger flying swords to all parts of the Sword Qi Great Wall, strictly forbidding all sword immortals and sword cultivators from going after Yang Zhi without express approval.

Several sword immortals had secretly sent a messenger flying sword to the summer palace, asking if they could lash out collectively to stop what Yang Zhi was doing while ensuring that the sword formations would continue to operate smoothly, but their request was denied.

Clearly, all of the great demons were waiting for an opportunity to strike, and there was a very good chance that this clear act of provocation from Yang Zhi was harboring an ambush even more lethal than the great demons previously concealed in those five mountains.

Yang Zhi had taken up a very strategic position that was only just slightly closer to the demonic army than the Sword Qi Great Wall, and that tiny margin was very likely going to be enough to claim the lives of one or two sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall if any of them were to take the bait.

If the most powerful cultivators from both sides were to storm onto the battlefield, then regardless of how many casualties each side suffered, the state of the battle would undoubtedly be massively accelerated.