Unsheathed

Chapter 400 (1): Returning North from the Long Journey

Chen Ping'an and the others had initially planned to stay at an inn located at the foot of the mountain, yet the inns were unexpectedly bursting with people, and it was often the case that the inns would only have one spare room at most. However, Chen Ping'an wasn't comfortable with this, and he was worried that just Shi Rou alone wouldn't be enough to protect Pei Qian. Because of this, they had no option but to take a small immortal boat back to Azure Garb, the immortal ship hovering in the sky.

Zhu Lian asked Chen Ping'an about the mountain god temple located at the peak of the Central Mountain and how many incense offerings there were, to which Chen Ping'an replied that he hadn't entered the temple to offer incense and had only wandered around the peak of the mountain for a while. He had come across a few Daoist temples and Buddhist temples, and it was clear that they were pulling no stops to fight for worshippers.

One Daoist temple had asked a high-ranking official of the Sky Holding Nation to erect a stone tablet outside the temple gates, while a Buddhist temple had asked a renowned calligrapher to create their plaque. Apart from this, the paths leading to the Daoist temples and Buddhist temples were also paved very nicely, with trees and greenery decorating the two sides.

This was the case on one peak of the Five Mountains, so it was entirely natural that the competition for worshippers and incense offerings between the Five Mountains was even more intense. It could be said that the temples and mountains were using every possible means to win over worshippers.

There was one mountain god of the Five Mountains who frequently invited Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers to build thatched cottages and cultivate on his mountain. Even if the Qi refiners didn't turn up, the mountain god would be happy as long as their thatched cottages remained. As the saying went: Mountains are renowned not for their height, but for the presence of immortals living in them[1].

At the same time, this mountain god would also cordially invite scholars and literati to his mountain to enjoy the scenery and compose some works. Following this, the mountain god would then instruct people to spread the news of these events throughout the mortal empires and so on. The mountain god used a myriad of methods to promote their mountain.

It was said that a renowned scholar and official of the Sky Holding Nation posthumously referred to as the Banana Scholar had once sheltered from rain on the Southern Mountain of the nation. While staying there, he had composed an extremely popular poem that was highly regarded by the assistant mountain master of Lake View Academy and eventually added to a poetry collection. Not only that, but it was included as the last and best poem of the collection. Because of this, the mountain god temple of the Southern Mountain was still enjoying the benefits of this event even after more than one hundred years.

Chen Ping'an didn't necessarily like these business tactics that had absolutely nothing to do with immortal characteristics. However, he didn't resent these practices either.

In fact, he might even need to emulate these practices if he genuinely created his own force in his hometown of the Dragon Spring Prefecture one day.

Before the small immortal boat rose into the sky, Zhu Lian asked in a quiet voice, "Young Master, should I reveal some of my abilities? It's inevitable that some people will covet our treasures after Pei Qian obtained such a valuable chunk of lamplight rock essence."

Chen Ping'an smiled and shook his head, replying, "Firstly, we haven't gone out to create trouble with anyone. Secondly, we're not incapable of defending ourselves against ill-intentioned individuals. Moreover, does it make sense for good people to bang on drums and gongs and guard against thieves every single night? If someone genuinely barges over with ill intentions, then it won't be too late for you to get rid of an evil for the people at that time."

Shi Rou voluntarily spoke up in a rare change, saying, "But people are only itching to make a move because we possess such valuable treasures."

Chen Ping'an remained patient and explained, "No, you're wrong. Firstly, coveting treasures and having thoughts of killing others to snatch their treasures is fundamentally wrong. Secondly, it might appear to be the case that we're guilty of the crime of possessing rare treasures, thereby inviting others to become jealous of us. However, this is untrue. Instead, what existed first was the evil inside these people's hearts. They've set their eyes on our lamplight rock essence today, and they might set their eyes on someone else's immortal treasures tomorrow. Day after day, they'll view the fortunes of others as their excuse to rush into danger and flagrantly disregard the laws."

There was a notion of sequential order, and Chen Ping'an had already broken things down and explained them carefully. Shi Rou nodded in understanding and approval.

In the end, Chen Ping'an smiled faintly and continued, "The cultivation world is already polluted enough, so let's not criticize and ask any more of the good people. The Spring and Autumn Annals often criticize virtuous individuals and have incredibly strict requirements for them, but this is a case of the Paramount Sage setting strict standards with good intentions, and it isn't something that any random person in the future generations can blindly emulate.[2]"

Zhu Lian smiled widely and asked Pei Qian, "Did you understand any of that?"

Pei Qian glared at him and retorted, "What's it matter to you?!"

Zhu Lian clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "The money loser has finally turned her luck around and managed to earn a large sum of money in a rare turn of events, and this has made her backbone even stiffer and straighter than her hiking pole!"

The small immortal boat slowly rose into the sky.

Pei Qian sat beside Chen Ping'an and tried her best to suppress her laughter.

"Why didn't you buy some more lamplight rock to... test your luck?" Zhu Lian asked. "For example, if the three snowflake coins weren't enough, you could have asked Shi Rou to sell her small piece of lamplight rock essence. That way, you could have used a small sum of money to gamble for a large sum of money. You could have earned more and more, and you could have raked in a mountain of gold and silver and become filthy rich on that street. To say nothing of a birthday present for your master this year, you might have earned enough to give him better presents for the next two years as well..."

Pei Qian raised two fingers with a smug expression.

Zhu Lian smiled faintly and said, "Go on, I'm all ears."

Pei Qian copied Chen Ping'an and said in a slow voice, "Firstly, when we were leaving the Lion Garden, Master taught me that a noble person seizes not the favored items of others. As such, I definitely won't ask Shi Rou to sell her lamplight rock essence. Secondly, one needs to show restraint in the cultivation world! It was also Master who taught me this."

Zhu Lian cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for enlightening me, Gallant Heroine Pei. When is Teacher Pei going to open a school to impart her knowledge? I'll definitely be there to support you."

Pei Qian purposely threw a fist to frighten Zhu Lian, yet upon seeing the old cook remain unfazed, she huffed and retracted her fist, asking, "Why are you so childish, Old Cook?"

Zhu Lian threw a punch.

Pei Qian instantly leaned back and dodged the punch before roaring with laughter.

Zhu Lian and Chen Ping'an exchanged a smile.

Shi Rou wasn't a pure martial artist, so she was oblivious to the mystical nature behind this exchange.

They returned to the immortal ship, and most likely due to the rumor about the young sword cultivator possessing two bonded flying swords being far more terrifying than the allure of the three grain rain coins, not a single person dared to test the true skills of Chen Ping'an the entire time. In the end, the immortal ship slowly set off from the Sky Holding Nation.

However, the immortal ship flew slowly and took many detours, and it also used all kinds of different methods to incentivize the passengers to spend. Chen Ping'an was genuinely impressed by their methods.

On this day, the immortal ship stopped above another location, with numerous immortal boats being cast out like a net and sailing toward an immortal force where the passengers could walk across a so-called single-plank bridge. Even Chen Ping'an couldn't help but chuckle and say that they had truly boarded a pirate ship.

This immortal force was only a third-rate force in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, yet they had constructed a single-plank bridge that measured more than five kilometers in length between two mountain peaks. This bridge sat above the sea of clouds all year round, and the scenic view from the bridge was indeed quite good. However, the immortal force didn't hold back when it came to charging visitors, and a single trip along the bridge would set one back three entire snowflake coins.

According to rumors, the Upper Five Tier vagrant cultivator from Wasp Tail Ferry Station had once visited and walked across the single-plank bridge, coincidentally catching sight of the sun rising from the east while he was doing so.

A flash of inspiration had hit him, allowing him to comprehend Dao and advance to the next tier. Indeed, it was on the single-plank bridge that he had become a Golden Core Tier earth immortal. Afterward, it was thanks to this fated opportunity that he had managed to climb to the peak of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent from his humble beginnings as a lowly vagrant cultivator.

Chen Ping'an obediently retrieved twelve snowflake coins.

In the beginning, Pei Qian had wanted to run back and forth along the bridge a good seven or eight times. However, a young woman who was fortunate enough to enter the mountains to cultivate smiled and reminded everyone that there was a unique rule regarding this single-plank bridge. That was, visitors weren't allowed to turn around and walk the other way.

This caused Pei Qian to stomp her foot in frustration. She was losing money again, wasn't she?!

It was called a single-plank bridge, yet in reality, the bridge wasn't narrow or difficult to navigate at all.

However, the bridge crossed by the vagrant cultivator from Wasp Tail Ferry Station had indeed been old and in bad condition.

Afterward, the immortal force had scrounged together all of its funds to rebuild the single-plank bridge to its current state. Not only was it wide and stable, but it was also incredibly detailed and beautiful.

The immortal ship set off again, taking a detour around the war-torn central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. It traveled in a truly huge arc around the warring nations.

In fact, it took such a huge detour that the land beneath them was none other than the dragon channel that Chen Ping'an had once traveled along during his southward journey on a ship.

Back then, Chen Ping'an had parted ways with Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia and continued south by himself.

This time, he was accompanied by Pei Qian, Zhu Lian, and Shi Rou.

Apart from practicing fist stances while traveling on the immortal ship, Chen Ping'an had no option but to spend half of his time meditating and looking within himself. He needed to absorb spiritual energy to nurture his so-called water palace.

The longer he cultivated, the more he understood the side effects of practicing both martial arts and Qi refinement at the same time. Chen Ping'an came to the rough conclusion that things would temporarily be smooth sailing when he reached the seventh tier of martial arts and the sixth tier of Qi refinement.

Afterward, however, the conflict between the two would become increasingly irreconcilable, especially after he finished refining his bonded items and eventually formed a golden core. This would cause his martial arts journey to become increasingly bumpy. At the same time, it would also be incredibly difficult for him to advance to the Nascent Tier.

However, this was a problem for the future.

Right now, he still needed to practice fist techniques, and he still needed to try his absolute best to absorb and refine spiritual energy.

After completing one million punches of the most elementary six-step walking meditation at the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping'an had thrown close to four hundred thousand additional punches after leaving Stalactite Mountain and traveling to the Parasol Leaf Continent, then the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, the Great Quan Empire, Old Dragon City located in the southernmost region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Azure Phoenix Nation located in the southeastern region of the continent, and now to the Great Sui Nation in the north.

Following the departure of the immortal ship...

It was Lesser Heat, the eleventh solar term, right now, and this was a period leading into the scorching summer heat. At this moment, three elders climbed the mountain and arrived in front of the single-plank bridge.

There were few visitors right now.

Apart from the young women who were responsible for collecting entrance fees at the two ends of the bridge, there were almost no visitors on the single-plank bridge at this moment.

One of the elders was a short old man dressed in coarse clothes. He looked much like a bandit, and he was the shortest but possessed the most impressive aura out of the three elders. He slapped another elder on the shoulder and said, "Old Xun, what are you standing there like a block of wood for? Hurry up and pay!"

The old man with the surname Xun was busy talking to the young woman and asking her what was unique about this place's scenery. After being slapped on the shoulder, he hurriedly retrieved nine snowflake coins in an obsequious manner, accepting this loss without a single complaint.

In fact, this old man who was paying for his companions was none other than Senior Xun, the person who had gifted Zhu Lian several steamy romance novels during their time together in Old Dragon City's Dust Medicinal Shop.

Zhu Lian deeply admired the exquisite knowledge of this senior.

Afterward, Sui Youbian had left their group and gone to the sect where Senior Xun hailed from, the Parasol Leaf Continent's Jade Tablet Sect. The Parasol Leaf Sect had suffered severe damage following Du Mao's failure to ascend, and as a result, the Jade Tablet Sect had already become the undisputed number one sect in the Parasol Leaf Continent.

The final elder was an ordinary-looking old man, and he wanted to say something yet couldn't help but hesitate. He wanted to persuade his bold and confident friend to hold back a little. Senior Xun had traveled to another continent to visit him out of the kindness of his heart, yet he had treated Senior Xun with such a poor attitude the entire time.

What was the meaning of this? Did he truly think that Senior Xun was a junior disciple in his Invincible Divine Fist Sect? Moreover, if it weren't for Senior Xun's assistance, could they have obtained the largest shard of Du Mao's shattered colored glaze golden body so smoothly and easily?

Taking ten thousand steps back, Xun Yuan was still a powerful Immortal Tier cultivator from the Parasol Leaf Continent. At the same time, he was also the elderly sect leader of the Jade Tablet Sect! That being the case, where was this old man who had fallen back down to the Nascent Tier getting his courage from? How did he dare to order this senior around every single day?

This final elder was none other than the Upper Five Tier vagrant cultivator from Wasp Tail Ferry Station. At the same time, he was also Jiang Yun's master.

In other words, this single-plank bridge was the fated opportunity that had allowed this old man to form his golden core back then.

The third tier maidservant from the immortal force was naturally unable to recognize the profound cultivation bases of the three elders. To say nothing of her, even the Sea Observation Tier mountain master wouldn't be able to see through their cultivation bases if he were present.

One was at the Immortal Tier, one was at the Unpolished Jade Tier, and one was at the Nascent Tier.

Any one of them could probably shatter this mountain with a casual stomp of their foot.

After Xun Yuan handed the young woman nine snowflake coins, the three old friends slowly walked onto the single-plank bridge together.

Xun Yuan was the oldest of the three and also possessed the highest cultivation base.

However, this old man who had the nickname Foot-Long Spear in the Parasol Leaf Continent was truly unable to act tough in front of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent's Handsome Chivalrous Young Man.

One time, they had both been observing the same event through their own enchanted picture scrolls. The Handsome Chivalrous Young Man had unexpectedly asked Foot-Long Spear whether he was able to fight, and if he could, whether he was able to travel over to render some minor assistance.

Xun Yuan had patted his chest and promised that he was able to help. Even if he couldn't fight, he definitely wouldn't perform so badly as to detrimentally affect the situation.

Afterward, the Handsome Chivalrous Young Man — the old sect leader who had named his force the Invincible Divine Fist Sect even though he was a Qi refiner — had given Foot-Long Spear Xun Yuan an address and told him to meet with him there.

Xun Yuan had directly flown over at lightning-quick speed.

As it turned out, the Daoist Heavenly Lord from the Divine Edict Sect who had just advanced to the twelfth tier had gotten into a conflict with Wasp Tail Ferry Station's Unpolished Jade Tier vagrant cultivator. Both parties had been hellbent on obtaining that shard of Du Mao's colored glaze golden body, causing them to enter a deadlock.

If things had continued like that, then the Invincible Divine Fist Sect and the Divine Edict Sect would have at least developed animosity with each other regardless of the final outcome.

However, Xun Yuan's arrival had immediately broken the deadlock.

In the end, they had just barely reached a satisfactory outcome for everyone. The Unpolished Jade Tier vagrant cultivator parted with almost all of his savings to purchase the large shard of colored glaze golden body that was a once-in-one-thousand-year treasure. Even so, it was abundantly clear that Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen, the number one cultivator of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent — at least on the surface — had made a huge concession. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Apart from helping the Divine Edict Sect receive payment from the Unpolished Jade Tier vagrant cultivator, Xun Yuan had also helped them by making contact with one of the seventy-two Confucian saints who was responsible for overseeing the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, asking the Confucian saint for the shattered small world that the colored glaze golden body had fled into.

Xun Yuan handed this ancient small world to Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen to repair and refine, and if the latter managed things well, he could transform the shattered small world into a blessed land in which the disciples of the Divine Edict Sect could achieve double the cultivation results with half the effort.

Generally speaking, cultivators at the Upper Five Tiers wouldn't enter shattered small worlds for no good reason. However, nothing in the world was absolute.

Indeed, among the Confucian sages in the Majestic World, there was a certain group of sages who especially traveled around to "expand the territories." These sages would look for ruins drifting at the bottom of the river of time, and after fishing them out, the sages would either stabilize them and transform them into new blessed lands or directly fuse them into the land of the Majestic World.

Many Confucian sages had died in the river of time because of this practice, and even more of them had ended up with damage to the foundation of their Great Dao.

However, even though they faced such perilous dangers and made such great sacrifices...

...This was something that the world was completely oblivious to.

1. An extract from one of Liu Yuxi's works. Liu Yuxi was a Chinese essayist, philosopher, and poet from the Tang dynasty. ☜

2. The Spring and Autumn Annals is an ancient Chinese chronicle that has been one of the core Chinese classics since ancient times. It is the earliest surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged in annal form and is traditionally regarded as having been compiled by Confucius. ☜