Unsheathed

An unkempt man with a sturdy figure and a hunched back made his way to the wine shop in the small town first, touching some delicate hands and earning some playful scolding. He then wandered to the street where the Yang Family’s medicine shop was located.

Shi Lingshan was both a shop attendant and a disciple of Old Man Yang, and the young boy was currently sitting behind the counter and using the Wading in Water cultivation technique to refine his soul. He was completely immersed in cultivation, so much so that he was semi-conscious and had forgotten his sense of self.

Su Dian was even more diligent in cultivation than her junior brother, but she surprisingly wasn’t practicing her strange fist technique today. Instead, she was sitting at the entrance of the medicine shop and basking in the sun. She stood up when she saw Senior Brother Zheng Dafeng wander over, and the latter waved and said, ”Little Su, how are you even more beautiful than before? If you continue to become more beautiful, your senior brother will feel dispirited whenever I think about the fact that you’ll eventually get married in the future.”

Zheng Dafeng thumped his chest as he walked over to Su Dian, with his heart aching in pain.

”Is Senior Brother looking for Master?” Su Dian asked.

”No, I’m not looking for Master. It’s just that the mountains are cold, and I don’t feel warm no matter how I cocoon myself in blankets at night. It’s absolutely freezing. Which is to say, I’ve walked down the mountains to move my arms and legs around,” Zheng Dafeng explained helplessly. ”Little Su, what can I say about you? You’re only a few steps away from my place, but you never think about visiting me. Can my large residence not house Little Su, someone who’s as slender as a willow?”

Su Dian shook her head and replied, ”I wouldn’t dare to stay the night there. I’m afraid of rats scurrying outside my walls for the entire night.”

”Little Su, I’m not relying on my seniority to criticize you, but those who practice martial arts need to cultivate a Hero’s Gall,” Zheng Dafeng said with a serious expression. ”How can a martial artist be so cowardly? Alright, it’s decided then. You can stay at my place tonight to train your courage.”

”Senior Brother, please be direct if you have something to say,” Su Dian said in exasperation.

If it weren’t for Su Dian knowing that her scoundrel of a senior brother was only good at running his mouth and never got physical, she would have already lost her temper at him.

Zheng Dafeng clasped his hands behind his back, and he immediately tried to sit down when he saw the small stool. It was most likely still warm. However, Su Dian flicked the stool up with her foot and caught it in her hand.

Zheng Dafeng stepped into the medicine shop and saw Shi Lingshan, after which he shook his head and said, ”It’s always said that those in favorable positions enjoy the most benefits, but it looks like this doesn’t hold true for you, young lad. You’re not even able to win over your senior sister, whom you interact with every single day. Just you wait. There’ll eventually come a day when you feel regret and grief. Didn’t that novel talk about those senior sisters and junior sisters having their hearts and bodies stolen by handsome and wealthy young masters? Wake up, Shi Lingshan! Your senior sister is about to marry someone else!”

Shi Lingshan was furious, and he stopped cultivating and glowered at the hunchbacked man, exclaiming, ”Stop fanning the flames and spouting utter nonsense, Zheng Dafeng!”

Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes and remarked, ”You don’t even know how to scold people. In fact, what do you know?”

Shi Lingshan was just about to say something.

Unexpectedly, however, his senior sister said, ”Senior Brother, you said before that I need to pick an ancient battlefield ruin if I want to break through the barrier of the fourth tier and advance to the fifth tier. Does Senior Brother have a location in mind? I want to travel outside for a bit.”

Shi Lingshan was dumbstruck.

Zheng Dafeng shot a sideways glance at the young boy and said with a chuckle, ”I didn’t eat my fill before venturing down the mountain, so I don’t need to go to the toilet. There’s nothing for you to eat.”

Shi Lingshan felt both aggrieved and indignant, with the combination of the two emotions almost spurring him to challenge Zheng Dafeng to a sparring match. However, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness upon looking at his senior brother’s hunched back, so he decided to let things be.

Zheng Dafeng smiled and turned to Su Dian, replying, ”I do have some locations in mind, but Master has his own plans regarding these major matters. It’s not for me to worry about.”

”Senior Brother also feels like I can leave home by myself now?” Su Dian asked.

Zheng Dafeng shook his head and replied, ”It’s best that you bring that dead weight along with you. That way, the two of you will at least be able to help each other. Your cultivation bases are too low, and you’re not exactly clever either. The dangers in the outside world don’t necessarily come from those with high cultivation bases, but rather, those with ill intentions.

”Shi Lingshan is okay in this regard, and he’s able to act decisively at critical moments despite being soft-hearted most of the time. As for you, Little Su, things are troublesome because you’re already stone-hearted to begin with. How about this? While traveling outside, Little Su can tell others that Shi Lingshan is your son, and that way, those shameless single men won’t try to bother you. Just thinking about those single men bothering you hurts my heart and keeps me awake at night.

Su Dian didn’t know how to respond.

Shi Lingshan looked as if he had been struck by divine lightning.

Zheng Dafeng took a glance at the bamboo curtains before turning around and leaving the Yang Family’s medicine shop.

He made his way to the archway, where the four plaques had already lost their mystical nature, walking around it a single time. The plaques still existed, and the phrases on them were well worth ruminating on.

Zheng Dafeng then made his way to the Iron Lock Well, which was already a restricted area belonging to some immortal force. The immortal force had spent a fortune to purchase this area, yet they hadn’t managed to obtain even the slightest of benefits. This was the very definition of fools and their money being easily parted.

Zheng Dafeng grimaced upon thinking of the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan, and upon seeing no one in the surroundings, he reached down and scratched his crotch. He felt apologetic for his little brother, with no place to wield his power despite Zheng Dafeng reading so many books and learning so many skills.

He left the small town and visited the immortal tomb, which was no longer called that. Whether intentionally or not, the Great Li Empire had reduced the popularity of this old saying, and all of the damaged deity statues in the area had already been repaired to their original state and stood back up. The imperial court had paid a fair bit of attention to this matter.

Zheng Dafeng didn’t go to the brand-new martial sage temple that covered an extremely large area. There was no one to chat with, and staring at the people there wouldn’t make them more attractive.

He took a detour and arrived at the waterfall located at the intersection of the Iron Talisman River and the Dragon Whisker River.

He squatted down and threw stones into the rivers.

The poplar leaves were like duckweed as they fluttered down and were carried away by the currents.

Zheng Dafeng walked to an area where the water was deeper, and the flow was slower. Staring at the surface of the water, he murmured to himself, ”There’s actually such a handsome man in the world? The more people look at him, the more it looks like he deserves a beating.”

In the end, Zheng Dafeng passed by Ruan Qiong’s earliest swordsmithing workshop.

He walked onto the stone arch bridge, where the corridor above had already been demolished a long time ago, revealing the true appearance of the bridge.

Zheng Dafeng sat by himself on the stone bridge.

He turned around and glanced at the north of the small town, where the mountain of porcelain and the many dragon kilns were located.

He then retracted his gaze.

A sword immortal had rapidly risen to fame three thousand years ago, yet he had also disappeared just as quickly. Perhaps something was wrong with his brain, and he had especially focused on killing flood dragons after rising to fame, leaving violence and bloodshed in his wake. It was said that he had yearned to become the first sword immortal to advance past the Ascension Tier.

The proudest scholar in the Middle Earth Divine Continent wasn’t a sword cultivator, after all, and he was genuinely just a scholar. Otherwise, the situation in the Majestic World might be completely different.

The old geezer definitely knew more about this secret matter, but he didn’t offer any explanations to his disciple. Zheng Dafeng had pleaded with Li Er in a roundabout manner in the beginning, hoping that his senior brother could ask their master about this. Li Er had agreed, but Zheng Dafeng hadn’t heard anything else after that.

There was nothing he could do about this. Things were already better now, and he would at least be scolded by Old Man Yang. In the past, however, it would be like celebrating the New Year for Zheng Dafeng if his master were willing to speak close to ten words to him.

Thus, Zheng Dafeng only knew that the last True Dragon in the world didn’t attempt to make its way to those secret forbidden lands at the bottom of the sea, places with extremely long histories. Instead, the True Dragon had come ashore at Old Dragon City, boring out an underground dragon channel and eventually meeting its demise in the Great Li Empire.

The True Dragon’s purpose had been to seek protection, attempting to have a certain primordial being reopen the ascension altar such that it could soar into the unknown land that even sages had difficulty finding.

However, the old man hadn’t granted this wish, instead choosing to watch on as a bystander.

In the end, the Jewel Small World, one of the thirty-six small worlds, was created.

The four sages from the Three Teachings and One Sect established a set of rules and built the archway with the four plaques, which the residents of the Jewel Small World jokingly called the crab archway.

Why had the Imperial Song Clan of the Great Li Empire constructed the covered bridge on top of the stone arch bridge back then? This was to extend the rule of the Great Li Empire, giving it the might to fight for the great trend of the world.

Before leaving with Song Jixin and his maidservant, Zhi Gui, Song Changjing had especially instructed Prince Song Jixin to offer incense at the foot of the covered bridge.

He was paying respects to the royal descendants of the Imperial Song Clan who had suffered tragic and wrongful deaths.

Kiln Supervision Official Song Yuzhang had been responsible for this matter, so he had essentially overseen this bloody chapter of the Imperial Song Clan.

In the end, the concubine who had given birth to a good son had commanded Wang Yifu, a general from the fallen Lu Empire, to behead Song Yuzhang and place his head inside a box, which was then delivered to the capital of the Great Li Empire.

Following Song Yuzhang’s death, his heroic spirit became the mountain god of Downtrodden Mountain, and it was difficult to say whether this was the emperor’s compensation to a meritorious official, or whether it was another method of punishing him after death. Indeed, Song Yuzhang had crossed the late emperor’s bottom line in one regard, actually daring to show fatherly love toward Song Jixin.

At the same time, Song Jixin had indeed felt complicated and indescribable emotions toward Song Yuzhang as well, passing himself off as the illegitimate son of the kiln supervision official while living a carefree life in Clay Vase Alley. During those years, Song Jixin had truly treated Song Yuzhang as his father, feeling both resentment and admiration in the depths of his heart.

Zheng Dafeng was involuntarily reminded of Old Dragon City’s Dust Medicinal Shop.

He actually missed that medicine shop a little.

People didn’t think about genuinely happy matters much, with bygones being bygones. However, people would often think about those sorrowful matters that weren’t all bad.

Zheng Dafeng leaned back and lay down, using his hands as pillows as he shut his eyes and murmured, ”Is it truly so difficult to avoid treating oneself as supreme and treating others as fools? What a strange world.”

————

Ruan Xiu returned to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, and she met up with Pei Qian and Zhou Mili at Dragon Riding Alley’s pastry shop.

The three of them sat at the entrance of the pastry shop and basked in the sun.

Ruan Xiu noticed that Little Mili was seemingly avoiding her, appearing less confident and fluid than before as she told fantastical stories about the Northern Complete Reed Continent. Ruan Xiu glanced at the young girl and more or less understood the situation.

It was something related to the water goddess residence of the Fine Wine River, and Ruan Xiu wasn’t curious about the details. She couldn’t be bothered asking about it either. Since Little Mili didn’t want to talk about it, why would she make life difficult for the young girl?

Ruan Xiu simply enjoyed the peach cakes that she didn’t need to pay for.

If she wanted to be pedantic, she was the first shopkeeper of these two shops.

”Big Sister Xiuxiu, I traveled very, very far during this distant trip,” Pei Qian said.

”That’s truly impressive,” Ruan Xiu replied with a smile.

Pei Qian nodded earnestly and concurred, ”Yes, very impressive indeed. Even I’m impressed by myself.”

She hesitated for a moment before asking in a quiet voice, ”Big Sister Xiuxiu, have you also embarked on very distant trips?”

Ruan Xiu thought for a moment before replying in a casual voice, ”In the skies and below the ground, through the lakes and across the seas, and atop the mountains and in the ancient valleys... There isn’t a place that I won’t go. My footsteps mark the lands illuminated by the sun; my jurisdiction spans the regions reached by fiery light.”

Zhou Mili hurriedly raised her hands, not clapping, but quickly exclaiming, ”Wow! Big Sister Xiuxiu is amazing! Big Sister Xiuxiu has definitely gone through many pairs of shoes, right?”

Ruan Xiu smiled and replied, ”It hasn’t been too bad.”

After racking her brain to finish the story, Zhou Mili ran to the neighboring Burclover shop to chat with Jiu’er.

Pei Qian had told her not to talk about the matters at Red Candle Town, and Zhou Mili had actually forgotten about these matters already. After being reminded by Pei Qian, however, she couldn’t help but think about it even when she slept. She was so anxious that even food didn’t taste as fragrant as before, and roasted seeds could no longer sate her hunger. Thus, she felt very awkward when seeing Big Sister Xiuxiu today.

Ruan Xiu stood up and said, ”Let’s go and play.”

”Don’t go to the Fine Wine River, Big Sister Xiuxiu,” Pei Qian stood up and said.

Ruan Xiu smiled widely and patted the young girl’s head, replying, ”Liking you and liking Little Mili’s stories is one matter, but how to act is a matter for myself.”

The next moment, Pei Qian could only stomp her feet and vigorously scratch her head in anxiety. What should she do?

Thankfully, Zhu Lian arrived and said to Pei Qian, ”It’s okay.”

A smile appeared on Pei Qian’s face as she said, ”Old Cook, have you become addicted to appearing and disappearing so unpredictably?”

Zhu Lian walked inside the pastry shop.

Pei Qian followed after him and said with a giggle, ”Family and friends get twenty percent off.”

Zhu Lian smiled and replied, ”I actually know how to make some desserts as well, and my golden ball jujube paste cake is quite famous. It’s something that I came up with by myself.”

Pei Qian appeared skeptical as she asked, ”The super duper expensive jujube paste cake sold in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation back then?”

Zhu Lian clasped his hands behind his back and looked over the various desserts, nodding and saying, ”You never imagined this, did you?”

”Old Cook, you’re truly destined to be a cook,” Pei Qian praised. ”However, it’s a shame that your appearance is not up to scratch. Otherwise, you won’t be single despite your old age!”

Zhu Lian nodded in acknowledgement.

There was a strange expression on Shi Rou’s face.

Elsewhere, Ruan Xiu flew to the Fine Wine River and hesitated for a moment before reluctantly channeling an illusion technique.

She shot down into the river.

The water instantly bubbled as if a sun had descended into the river.

There was majestic heavenly might.

Ruan Xiu walked into the great hall of the water goddess residence, and the water goddess, who had been relying on the water fortune to repair her godly body just then, was already kneeling on the floor. In fact, the water goddess didn’t understand why she involuntarily wanted to beg for a quick death when she saw this young woman!

Ruan Xiu walked past the so-called water goddess, who was trembling in fear as she remained prostrate on the floor. She strode onto the platform and turned around, sitting down in the main seat of the great hall. She leaned sideways and rested her cheek in her hand as she gazed into the distance.