Unsheathed

After parting ways with Li Baoping at Mountain Cliff Academy, Pei Qian left the capital of the Great Sui Nation with Cui Dongshan.

They traveled on foot to the border of the Yellow Court Nation, which had once been a subsidiary nation of the Great Sui Nation, and along the way, the two things that Pei Qian made sure to keep up with every single day were making transcriptions and practicing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques. Up to this point, she had yet to suffer even a single defeat to Cui Dongshan.

Outside of that, she also spent a lot of time staring blankly at the ball of golden threads that had been given to her by the female sword immortal, Zhou Cheng.

She had confirmed with Cui Dongshan many times that these golden threads couldn’t be eaten. In the novels that Li Baoping and Li Huai liked to read, the protagonists were always receiving treasures from their seniors that they could eat to elevate their cultivation bases.

Each time, Cui Dongshan confirmed to her that these threads couldn’t be eaten, and that if she tried it, then she would have to get ready for her stomach to split open and for all of her internal organs to spill out.

On this day, the two of them were hanging out by a river. Cui Dongshan was fishing, while Pei Qian was sitting on the ground beside him, making transcriptions while using her little bookcase as a desk.

It was a green bamboo bookcase that Cui Dongshan had made, and Pei Qian had begrudgingly accepted it. She didn’t like its color, but she didn’t directly articulate her gripes. Instead, she simply asked Cui Dongshan if he knew what it meant for something to be an ”exuberant green” color.

Of course, Cui Dongshan understood the implication behind her question, but he pretended to remain oblivious.

While fishing, Cui Dongshan began divulging random pieces of knowledge that only ever went in Pei Qian’s left ear before slipping out the right.

Pei Qian was very focused on her transcriptions, and even when she paused to rest, she didn’t like listening to Cui Dongshan’s errant ramblings.

Cui Dongshan smiled as he turned to take a glance at the look of concentration on Pei Qian’s face.

After finishing her transcriptions, Pei Qian converted her little bamboo bookcase from a desk into a backrest as she sat and waited for the fish to bite. She was confident that she had fully inherited her master’s skills when it came to braising fish.

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan asked her if she wanted to travel the world alone and return to Downtrodden Mountain on her own.

Of course, Pei Qian didn’t dare to entertain such a possibility, and she asked Cui Dongshan if his head had been kicked by a mule. Otherwise, why would he ask such a preposterous question?

She told him that she could leave the mountain only after securing her master’s approval, and even then, she had to have a little donkey to keep her company on her travels.

According to Cui Dongshan, if they were to continue onward, then they would reach the Imperial River, which was once Chen Lingjun’s home, and there was also the Zhilan Cao Clan’s scripture library, which was once Chen Nuanshu’s home. However, Pei Qian had no interest in making any detours.

She put on her bamboo bookcase, then stood up and began strolling along the riverbank beside Cui Dongshan as she said, ”We don’t have time for that! We have to get home as soon as possible! Without me there to keep an eye on him, the old chef’s cooking skills will completely go to waste! And I also need to return to the pastry shop. Big Sister Shi Rou really likes to buy makeup in secret; what if she takes money from the shop to make her own purchases while I’m not around?”

”Shi Rou likes to buy makeup? For what?” Cui Dongshan scoffed. ”Does she want to scare someone to death, then scare their ghost to death as well?”

”Don’t say that about Big Sister Shi Rou!” Pei Qian reprimanded. ”She had to buy her makeup in secret, and she also made sure to hide it really carefully in case I saw it and teased her for it.”

”So did you tease her for it?” Cui Dongshan asked.

Pei Qian had to put on a solemn expression to suppress her amusement.

”Let it out,” Cui Dongshan encouraged. ”My teacher isn’t around.”

Pei Qian immediately burst into laughter.

”I was really young and immature back then, and I almost laughed myself to death! I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt, and I was pounding the counter so hard I almost broke it! But I can promise you that I only laughed and didn’t say anything mean to her. I’m being honest! Hand to heart!”

”I bet the only reason you didn’t say anything is that you were too busy laughing,” Cui Dongshan chuckled.

Pei Qian slapped Cui Dongshan on the head as she chortled, ”You know me too well! Alright, focus on fishing now. We still have to keep going after we have a meal of braised fish.”

A hint of sorrow then appeared on her face as she continued, ”You should stop picking on Big Sister Shi Rou; she already has quite a hard time as it is. Why not be like my master, be civilized, and talk to her? She’s not dumb, so I’m sure she can understand what you tell her. Of course, I’m just saying that as a suggestion. Both you and my master are people who think a lot before you do anything, whereas I don’t have to think about anything other than my transcriptions.”

Cui Dongshan looked out at the surface of the river as he mused, ”Back when my teacher was even younger than you are now, he already dared to leave the Great Sui Nation and return home on his own.”

”And?” Pei Qian asked with a puzzled expression. ”Isn’t it normal for the master to be better than the disciple?”

”According to the teachings of the sages, the disciple should strive to surpass the master,” Cui Dongshan countered.

”I don’t care; I listen only to my master,” Pei Qian replied with a displeased pout.

”I seriously have something urgent to take care of,” Cui Dongshan said in an exasperated manner. ”I have to go to the capital of the Great Li Empire right away, and even traveling by intercontinental ship would be too slow. If I keep stalling, then I don’t know when I’ll get to see you again.”

Pei Qian thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said, ”Fine. If you had begged me like this from the beginning, then I would’ve already agreed. You can go. I’ll return to Downtrodden Mountain on my own. It’s no big deal!”

She pulled a yellow paper talisman out of her sleeve, but instead of plastering it to her forehead, she carefully tucked it back up her sleeve again.

This talisman had been with her over the course of her entire journey with her master, so as long as she had it, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

”Are you sure about this?” Cui Dongshan asked with a smile.

”Just hurry up and go!” Pei Qian snapped in a disgruntled manner. ”You think I can’t defend myself with my Deranged Demon Sword Techniques?”

”Forget it.” Cui Dongshan sighed. ”I’ll accompany you for a bit longer. Otherwise, my teacher is going to blame me once he finds out.”

”Just go,” Pei Qian said. ”There’s no need to worry about me. I wasn’t even afraid on the Sword Qi Great Wall with so many sword cultivators around; I’m not going to be afraid of the Yellow Court Nation.”

Cui Dongshan picked up his fishing rod, then said, ”I’ll accompany you for just a tiny bit longer. See that cliff over there? That’s where we’ll part ways.”

The two of them were walking along the riverbank when Pei Qian suddenly asked, ”Can I ask you something?”

”Sure.”

”I can understand that my master is worried that I’ll grow up into someone lacking in principle, but I can’t understand why he’s worried that I’ll grow up to become like him. What’s so bad about being like Master?”

”Why not ask your master that instead of me?”

”Master is already worried to begin with; he’ll probably be even more worried if I ask him something like this. If Master becomes more worried, then I’ll become even more worried, and when Master sees that I’m even more worried, he’ll become even even more worried, and I’ll become even even even more worried...”

”Maybe deep down, you already know the answer,” Cui Dongshan replied with a smile as he cast his gaze toward a mountain in the distance.

”Are you making fun of me?” Pei Qian asked with a displeased expression.

”Not at all.”

”Hand to heart?”

”Hand to heart!”

Finally, Pei Qian stopped in her tracks, then said in a solemn voice, ”Look after yourself, Junior Brother!”

Cui Dongshan smiled and nodded in response, then sprang up into the air like a white cloud.

However, instead of immediately leaving, he cast an illusion onto himself and continued to observe Pei Qian from afar.

Pei Qian remained rooted to the spot for a long while, and when she finally began to move, she tried to cover a huge distance with every single step. However, that was far too slow, and at that rate, it would take her an eternity to reach Go Table Mountain.

Cui Dongshan massaged his own glabella in exasperation.

It took quite some time, but eventually, Pei Qian seemed to have finally realized what had to be done, and she took a deep breath, then stomped a foot forcefully down onto the ground, instantly launching herself forward like a speeding arrow.

However, that only made Cui Dongshan even more concerned.

Given how much of a coward Pei Qian was, if she were to run into a ghost or spirit in the mountains, they would likely scare each other to death!

Cui Dongshan took a moment to inspect his surroundings, then flew over to a larger river before stomping a foot down onto the ground, forcing the river god to reveal himself.

He grabbed onto the river god’s head, then turned him so that he was facing Pei Qian in the distance and said, ”See that girl over there? She’s my senior sister. I want you to escort her to Red Candle Town. Make sure no harm befalls her, and also make sure not to reveal yourself to her at any time, or let her catch on that you’re nearby. Once you’ve escorted her to Red Candle Town, you can return here, and in exchange for your efforts, you’ll receive a Peace and Safety Tablet from the Great Li Empire.

“The tablet will be delivered to you by the Great Li Empire’s Ministry of Rites; all you have to do is stay home and wait. However, if anything goes even slightly wrong, then I’m going to smash your godly body to bits.”

Cui Dongshan exerted a bit more force through his fingers as he spoke, and countless cracks instantly appeared over the surface of the river god’s godly body.

”Just in case you’re not taking me seriously, I’ve shattered your godly body halfway. Once you’ve successfully escorted my senior sister to Red Candle Town, you can go to River God Yang Hua of the Iron Talisman River and get her to help you mend your godly body, then go claim your Peace and Safety Tablet.

“Now that I think about it, you’re not going to get any funny ideas with your godly body halfway shattered, but your already pathetic powers are going to be even further compromised. Can I even entrust you with such an important task in this state?”

The river god was in a state of utter despair.

What do you want from me?! I haven’t even said or done a single thing up to this point!

Cui Dongshan released the river god, then gently patted him on the head, and all of the countless cracks on his godly body were instantly sealed, restoring it to its original condition.

Looking at the dazed river god, Cui Dongshan snapped, ”What’re you still standing here for? You want me to smash your godly body for real this time?”

The river god swallowed anxiously, and he was just about to set off in pursuit of Pei Qian when he was slapped into the river by Cui Dongshan, who snapped, ”You’re gonna go after her like this? Didn’t I tell you not to reveal yourself or let her know that you’re with her? You know what? Forget it, it’s my fault; I should be seeking out a mountain god instead. My apologies, you can go back to where you came from.”

The river god rose up to the surface of the river, then knelt down and kowtowed to Cui Dongshan as he greeted, ”This humble river god pays his respects to the exalted immortal.”

”You know what? You seem to be quite a smart little guy,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile. ”You may stand. Even though you’re a river god, I’m sure you’ll do just fine even in the mountains. However, as a safety precaution, I’m going to give you a River God Mountain Roaming Talisman.”

Cui Dongshan brought his middle and index fingers together, and a golden talisman appeared out of thin air between them.

He gently tossed the talisman at the river god, who caught it with both hands, and by the time he looked up again, Cui Dongshan was already nowhere to be seen.

The river god had never heard of this River God Mountain Roaming Talisman before, and upon injecting his spiritual energy into the talisman, it immediately fused as one with his godly body.

After tentatively stepping onto the shore, he discovered that he was able to move around even more freely than in the river that he presided over.

If it weren’t for this talisman, the river god would’ve seriously suspected that that entire sequence of events had been nothing more than a bizarre dream.

He immediately concealed his aura before setting off in pursuit of Pei Qian, but he had only moved a few steps when his mind’s lake began to churn violently, forcing him to come to a halt and frantically try to quell the disturbance.

Cui Dongshan’s voice rang out in his mind’s lake, warning, ”Make sure to stay at least a thousand feet away from my senior sister at all times. Otherwise, even with that talisman, you’re still going to be discovered, and if that happens, then you’re going to have to bear the consequences.”

The river god immediately bowed and cupped his fist in a respectful salute.

From there, he began to follow Pei Qian from afar.

Whenever she got hungry, she would remove the little bamboo bookcase from her back as she ran, then pull out some dried rations to wolf down before putting the bamboo bookcase on her back again, all while still running.

In the beginning, the river god thought that she had to have been running away from something, but despite his best efforts, he couldn’t find anything amiss.

At the same time, he felt rather puzzled. Why was it that the senior sister of such an almighty immortal had become a martial artist?

Along her journey, Pei Qian didn’t stop at any interesting landmarks. On the rare occasions when she decided to take a rest, she always made sure that it was during the day.

She would draw a big circle with her hiking pole, then mumble something to herself before taking a nap. The naps would always be very short, and after waking up, she would immediately resume her journey.

One time, she sprang up onto a branch of a tall tree, where she spotted the outline of a city from afar, and her face began to pucker up as if she were about to cry.

The river god was just about to feel sorry for her when she dropped back down to the ground, then began swaggering around while swinging her hiking pole everywhere and singing a song about eating stinky tofu.

Unbeknownst to the river god, Cui Dongshan was standing on another branch in the distance, watching Pei Qian from afar with a gentle expression.

He knew why Pei Qian was behaving like this. Whenever her master wasn’t by her side, and she wasn’t on Downtrodden Mountain, then everywhere that she went to alone felt like the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to her, and all of the people that she encountered alone were also no different from the people that she had met in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

Cui Dongshan looked around to see nothing but lush mountains stretching as far as the eyes could see in all directions.

It was a place where even a murmur would be echoed by all the mountains.

He heaved a faint sigh.

He really did have to leave now. He had to go and see someone important on behalf of the old bastard.

He sprang up into the air, plowing straight through the sea of clouds above with a resounding boom, as if he were firing off a farewell salvo.

Pei Qian was swaggering her way through the forest when she abruptly froze, then hurriedly turned around and began jumping up and down as she waved vigorously after Cui Dongshan, bidding him farewell.

The river god noticed that even when Pei Qian arrived at a town or county, she never stayed in any inns.

At the very most, she would only buy some snacks, some to put in her pockets, while most of it was tucked away in her little bamboo bookcase.

Aside from that, she would also go and pay her respects to mountain and river god temples, as well as Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries.

She barely ever spoke to anyone, and the only difference was that she would travel much slower through these places than she did racing through the wilderness.

The only occasion where she stayed somewhere for an extended period of time was when she squatted on a short earthen wall to look at a group of traveling horseback heroes in the distance, seemingly with a hint of longing in her eyes.

However, her attention wasn’t on the traveling heroes. Instead, she was looking at their steeds.

Pei Qian had taken a glance at the Imperial River in the Yellow Court Nation before running away, and she did the same thing at the Zhilan Cao Clan, sneaking a few furtive glances at the clan’s scripture library before also running away.

Finally, they reached Red Candle Town.

The river god felt very relieved, but also a little exasperated. Pei Qian had been so careful this entire journey that she really didn’t need anyone to escort her for her protection.

It seemed that he had just received an extremely precious talisman and a Peace and Safety Tablet from the Great Li Empire for doing nothing!

It seemed too good to be true, but the river god didn’t care. He had completed his assignment, and it was time for him to return home.

All of a sudden, he turned around to see Pei Qian rushing toward him from afar, and she stopped a moderate distance away, then plunged her hiking pole into the ground before bowing and cupping her fist in a salute.

The river god returned her salute, but didn’t see the need to bow in return.

”My master is the mountain master of Downtrodden Mountain,” Pei Qian declared. ”You’re welcome to come and visit anytime!”

The river god faltered momentarily upon hearing this, then nodded in response, while Pei Qian pulled her hiking pole out of the ground before skipping away.