Unsheathed

Chapter 40: Returning the Courtesy

After returning onshore with the bamboo basket on his back, Chen Ping'an started to walk toward the Azure Cow Ridge. Perhaps it was a false impression, but the young boy felt like the water in the creek had lowered a little.

When he arrived near the green stone cliff, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. This was because he could clearly see several people standing there, each of their appearances as clear as could be. This wasn't because they were being illuminated by the stars in the night sky. Instead, it was because a crystal-like white deer that was radiating with rays of white light was standing on the Azure Cow Ridge beside them. The rays of light wavered like the waterweeds in the creek.

The white deer lowered its head, and a little girl wearing a bright red jacket did her best to get on her tippy-toes and stroke its antler.

Apart from her, there was also a young man and a young woman in Daoist robes. Perhaps it was because of the rays of white light coming from the white deer, but the skin of these two people appeared even whiter and more translucent than snow. If the residents of the small town were compared to clay figures made from mud, then these two Daoists from the outside world could be compared to the most exquisite pieces of art made from porcelain. The gulf between them was like the gulf between heaven and earth.

The Daoist robes that the man and woman were wearing were slightly similar to the Daoist robes that Daoist Lu had worn. However, many of the details were different, and the Daoist hats that they wore were also extremely different. Daoist Lu had worn a lotus flower hat, while these two people were wearing a fish-tail-shaped hat.

The young boy in straw sandals looked at them in a daze. He felt like the man and woman standing beside the white deer were like immortals and deities that had walked out from a painting. It was as if they might fly away and ascend to the heavens at any moment, soaring so high that they could pluck the moon and stars.

The other two people were standing slightly further away. Chen Ping'an recognized one of them, and she was none other than Master Ruan's daughter. The young girl in green didn't have a bag full of snacks this time, and she was instead only holding a small embroidered handkerchief with a few pieces of small and exquisite desserts. The young girl had an extremely hesitant expression as she looked down, unsure of which dessert to eat first. The person standing beside her was around 30 years old, with a sword strapped to his back and a strange pendant hanging on his waist.

When Chen Ping'an saw them, the group of people also noticed his sudden appearance. The young Daoist nun was a little surprised, and she bent down to rub the head of the little girl in the bright red jacket. At the same time, she pointed at Chen Ping'an and said something to the little girl. The ears of the little girl immediately pricked up to listen to what this older sister was saying. She then opened her eyes as big as she could as she looked over, and it seemed like she was able to recognize Chen Ping'an's figure. She turned around and started to explain his background to the Daoist nun, who was most likely the owner of the white deer.

At this moment, Chen Ping'an also recognized the little girl who was only eight or nine years old. The first time he had seen her was before he had gone to the dragon kilns to work. While walking down Clay Vase Alley, he had seen a little girl with twin pigtails running along at an incredible speed. She had been holding a paper bird kite, and her thin legs had been pumping as she shot down the alley like a gust of wind. This scene had stuck in Chen Ping'an's mind.

Afterward, he had encountered her a few more times. One of these times, the little girl had been leaning over the edge of the Iron Lock Well and secretly tossing stones inside. When Chen Ping'an had coincidentally come across her naughty behavior, she had been so frightened that she immediately turned around to run away. After running a dozen or so steps, however, she remembered that she had left her candied hawthorn stick on the well. She couldn't resist the temptation, so she had run back to the well to collect it.

However, she had been too hurried, so with a thud, she had tripped and fallen to the ground. When she got up, she immediately grabbed the candied hawthorn stick and ran. After a few steps, she had suddenly stopped again, opening her mouth and using two fingers to pull out a wobbly tooth. She hadn't cried or shouted, and after putting the tooth in her pocket, she had turned around and started to run away again.

That scene had caused cold sweat to form on Chen Ping'an's forehead. The last time he had seen her was in that area full of weeds and broken statues of gods. That was at dusk one day last autumn, and Chen Ping'an had been wandering around after returning to the small town from the dragon kiln. As he strolled through the streets, he had seen the little girl rolling, jumping, and leaping around in the grass, completely focused on catching crickets. After seeing Chen Ping'an, it was clear that she recognized him, and she had immediately disappeared like a gust of wind again.

Afterward, he had heard from Gu Can that even though this little girl was always covered in dirt and looked like a wild child who wasn't restrained by her guardians, she was, in fact, from Fortune Street's Li Clan. Moreover, she wasn't a servant or a maid. For some reason, however, she always liked to run around and play by herself, and her family didn't stop her either.

In the end, Gu Can had been filled with pride and contempt as he talked about her. Even though she was quick, he said that she was actually very stupid. The two of them had coincidentally gone fishing at the creek at the same time once, and that stupid little girl had failed to catch a single rock slate fish after struggling for the entire afternoon. She had only managed to catch a single crab. Moreover, the only reason that she had been able to catch that crab was because that crab had viciously pinched her finger with its claw.

When Gu Can had told Chen Ping'an about this, he had been laughing so hard that he couldn't help but clutch his stomach and kick his legs. He had said that she was truly stupid, and that she had even raised her hand and purposefully waved it around to show off to him. It was as if catching the crab had been a supremely impressive feat. Most importantly, it had been clear that she was already on the verge of tears due to the pain of being pinched by the crab.

The handsome young man in Daoist robes glanced at the white deer and said to the young Daoist nun, "Senior Sister He, I told you to be careful and not pamper it too much. We're only here for fewer than 10 days, and you only needed to use a simple camouflage technique. It wouldn't have inhibited its freedom at all. Yet, you refused to listen to me, and now we've been caught by a mere mortal. What are we going to do now?"

The stunningly beautiful Daoist nun finished listening to the little girl's introduction of Chen Ping'an, and said with a faint smile, "We'll let nature take its course."

The young man frowned. He looked up and gazed over at the young boy again, and after observing him carefully for a short moment, he decided that he couldn't see anything special about this young boy in straw sandals and with a bamboo basket on his back. Even though their sect wasn't the best in the continent when it came to observing one's aura and determining one's aptitude, they were still indeed very skilled in these areas.

Since this Daoist priest was capable enough to represent his sect to retrieve their treasure, and since he was responsible for guarding that treasure and bringing it back to the sect, it was abundantly clear that he was no ordinary person. Thus, since he saw nothing special about the young boy, he decided that there was no need to invite him to the sect. The young Daoist priest was extremely skilled in determining one's aptitude, so he didn't believe that he would make a mistake.

The sect that he and the young Daoist nun belonged to was one of the three Daoist sects in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Moreover, their sect was the leader among the three Daoist sects, allowing them to enjoy an extremely revered status. As payment for completing this task for the sect, both he and his senior sister would obtain a valuable opportunity to recruit a true disciple to the sect. At the same time, they would be able to take this person as their own disciple as well. The young Daoist priest didn't want to waste this valuable opportunity. Thus, he needed to be extremely careful.

Everyone in the sect knew that Senior Sister He viewed the cultivation of the mind with great importance. Thus, the simple remark of "let nature take its course" was a strong indication that she was having thoughts of taking someone as her disciple.

He and He Xiaoliang were referred to as the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. They were the paramount talents of the Daoist teaching in this continent. In fact, even the mortal rulers had to treat them with respect and reverence. Indeed, these rulers would have to treat them as if they were the True Lords of a large empire.

This was because they were cultivation prodigies who had the greatest chance of reaching the Upper Five Tiers in this continent.

When the young Daoist nun led the little girl down the Azure Cow Ridge, with the white deer following behind them, not only was her junior brother stunned, but even the man with a sword strapped to his back and a tiger talisman hanging by his waist was astonished.

Chen Ping'an was slightly at a loss as he saw the Daoist nun slowly walking toward him. He truly didn't want to interact with these immortals from the outside world at this moment.

This was because he knew that their eccentric emotions could easily decide his life or death.

Moreover, Chen Ping'an knew that his luck had always been bad, so he was even more afraid of provoking them by accident.

However, this didn't mean that Chen Ping'an would turn around and flee. Instead, he even took a few steps forward in a symbolic manner. That way, he would appear slightly more decent in the eyes of those on the Azure Cow Ridge.

The white deer slightly quickened its pace, jogging over and circling around the young boy once. It then lowered its head and nudged the impoverished young boy.

The white deer returned to its owner's side, and the young Daoist nun gently stroked its back. In the next instant, the white deer transformed into a horse.

Pointing to a deer and calling it a horse[1].

The young Daoist nun sighed softly as she looked at Chen Ping'an. She said something with a smile, and she then looked down at the little girl in red beside her.

The little girl translated the Daoist nun's words into the dialect of the small town, saying in a timid voice, "Sister He said that you're a person who cherishes their fortunes. However, the fate between you is shallow, so the two of you can't become fellow Daoists."

Chen Ping’an was rendered speechless. This was because he didn't know what to say to not appear disrespectful.

A bamboo basket on his back, straw sandals on his feet, his pant legs rolled up... The young boy's appearance was extremely peculiar and comical.

The Daoist nun smiled and asked, "Do you also know about the secret uses of these pebbles? Don't worry, Chen Ping'an, this is only a casual question."

The little girl translated this for Chen Ping'an, her words quick and her voice crisp.

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment before nodding and replying, "A Daoist priest gave me a clue before. He said I could come here every now and then to collect pebbles and fish."

Even though Chen Ping'an had a good impression of this young Daoist nun, he still spoke extremely carefully and didn't reveal Daoist Lu's surname. Moreover, the person who had actually told him about the value of the snake gall pebbles was Ning Yao and not Daoist Lu.

The Daoist nun smiled and asked, "You're also familiar with our Junior Uncle Lu?"

Chen Ping'an faltered upon hearing this.

The Daoist nun smiled and explained briefly, "Strictly speaking, Junior Uncle Lu isn't from the same sect as us. However, when he visited our sect a long time ago, he conversed with one of our senior uncles as an equal. He stayed at our sect for many years, so we juniors also became familiar with him. As time went on, we naturally became used to referring to him as 'Junior Uncle'."

Chen Ping'an cracked a grin. He finally felt at ease at this moment.

He was extremely grateful to Daoist Lu, and this was a sense of gratitude that he wouldn't forget for his entire life.

Chen Ping'an remembered something at this moment, and he squatted down to place the bamboo basket on the ground. He then retrieved a pebble that he had taken a liking to at first sight. It was as large as an egg and a glossy green, making the pebble appear as clear and glistening as water. This was unlike the other snake gall pebbles. He offered it to the young Daoist nun and said, "If you see Daoist Lu in the future, could you please give this pebble to him for me?"

After hearing the little girl's translation, the young Daoist nun thought about it for a brief moment before accepting the pebble and saying, "Before arriving here, I coincidentally came across Junior Uncle Lu just as he was leaving. He was heading to the Southern Stream Nation to attend an important ceremony of a Daoist sect. In terms of when we'll meet again... That's truly hard to say. However, I'll definitely give this to Junior Uncle Lu for you when I see him again."

A beaming smile spread across Chen Ping'an's face as he heard the little girl's translation. He bowed in gratitude to the young Daoist nun who he had an extremely good impression of.

When it came to the goodness or wickedness of a stranger, Chen Ping'an always believed in his instincts.

This was just like how he had quickly judged the characters of Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian, and just like how he had quickly judged the characters of Daoist Lu and Ning Yao.

Chen Ping'an retrieved another snake gall pebble and offered it to her.

The Daoist nun, who enjoyed the title of "Number One for Fated Opportunities" among the younger generation in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, didn't refuse Chen Ping'an's offer. She accepted it with a smile, not forgetting to thank him in the process.

The little girl in the bright red jacket tugged at the corners of her clothes and mumbled in a quiet voice, "I also want one."

Chen Ping'an smiled before turning around to pick a pebble for the little girl.

The little girl ran to his side and said in a careful voice, "I want a bigger one. Is that okay?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "As long as you're able to carry it, I can even give you the biggest one. However, this place is quite far away from the small town and your home. Moreover, I feel like the bigger pebbles in the basket aren't actually as good as the smaller ones."

The little girl thought about this for a moment before leaning over the side of the basket and saying, "Alright, then I'll pick a smaller one. However, it needs to look good."

After hearing this, Chen Ping'an picked a small pebble that was lotus pink in color. It was smooth and adorable, and the little girl was extremely satisfied as she held it in her hands.

She suddenly cocked her head and opened her mouth, pointing to her small teeth. She then giggled at Chen Ping'an, an expression of pride on her face.

She was most likely showing off the fact that her tooth had regrown again.

"We'll go and catch crickets together next time," Chen Ping'an said with a happy smile.

The little girl's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. However, they quickly dimmed again, and she forced herself to smile and nod.

Chen Ping'an slung the bamboo basket over his shoulders and bade farewell to the young Daoist nun. He didn't forget to also wave goodbye to the little girl as he ran back to the small town by himself.

They were both celestial maidens, yet the might and influence of this young Daoist nun was something that Cai Jinjian from Dawn Cloud Mountain could never have hoped to achieve. The gulf between them was like the gulf between immortal gold essence and ordinary mortal gold.

The young Daoist nun led the little girl and the white deer back to Azure Cow Ridge. The young Daoist priest retracted his gaze from the young boy in straw sandals, and he concluded, "A fate shallow leading to a fortune thin; it's only natural that he won't reach great heights."

There were countless Daoist sects in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and every 30 years, a new pair of "Golden Boy and Jade Girl" would be chosen. This time, he and Senior Sister He Xiaoliang had been chosen, and they were more so a match made in heaven. However, something had astonished everyone. While the Golden Boy was no less talented than the previous Golden Boys, the fortune and luck of the Jade Girl was so incredible that everyone was rendered absolutely speechless with shock.

When she was born, a white deer that symbolized auspiciousness had walked out from the mountains and taken her as its master. Afterward, it was as if she faced no challenge or obstruction in cultivation as she smoothly ascended again and again. In fact, some people even said that she would only face her first obstacle when she ascended to the Upper Five Tiers,

She didn't comment on her junior brother's dismissive and belittling attitude toward the young boy in straw sandals. She simply brushed over it with a smile.

At this moment, a short young boy walked from somewhere near the deep pool under the covered bridge to the water pit under the Azure Cow Ridge. There was a single snake gall pebble in his hands, and like the white deer from before, it was surprisingly glowing with a brilliant radiance.

Holding the pebble in his hand, the expressionless young boy stood on a rock that was exposed above the water's surface. At this moment, he looked like a mighty immortal who was holding a full moon in his hand.

The large green fish and the large red fish raised by the young Daoist priest didn't enter the water. Instead, they slowly swam above the gently flowing creek.

If Chen Ping'an saw this young boy, he would immediately recognize him as Granny Ma's grandson.

The young boy had been retarded ever since a young age, and because of this, he had also been disliked and abandoned by his parents from very early on. Thus, it was left to Granny Ma to raise this grandson by herself. The young boy was a big misfit, and he would often climb to the rooftops to gaze at the clouds by himself.

This young boy who had taken the same surname as Granny Ma had also been bullied so much that the other children eventually felt like it would soil their shoes to even step on him. In fact, this pitiful young boy had seemingly only ever smiled at the maidservant Zhi Gui before.

It was also because of this that Granny Ma detested that maidservant so much. She felt like that young girl was a shameless seductress, and she was certain that this lowly maidservant had purposefully tried to seduce her treasured grandson.

The young Daoist nun walked up to the man with the sword strapped to his back and asked, "Regarding Ma Kuxuan, is there really no wiggle room at all?"

"If your junior uncle really wanted to take this child as his opening disciple, why didn't he come here himself? So what if he's famous? We've never fought before, so why do I have to take a step back? If he can't accept this, then tell him to go to True Martial Mountain to look for me. If he wins, then I'll allow him to take this child away."

The young Daoist priest smiled and said, "That's merely delaying the inevitable. Why bother?"

There were needles hidden in his words.

"Oh?" The man with the sword strapped to his back squinted.

Meanwhile, the young Daoist nun was slightly annoyed as she listened to their conversation. She shot a glance at her junior brother, who laughed and stopped targeting the man with the sword. He looked up and remarked to himself, "The moon is so beautiful tonight."

The young Daoist nun felt exasperated.

When it came to that junior uncle, to say nothing of her and her junior brother, perhaps all of the young Daoist priests in the continent would feel a sense of shared pride.

Before the steps leading onto the covered bridge, there stood a barefoot monk with a square face and an iron-willed expression.

This ascetic monk didn't look up at the plaque with golden words, and he instead looked at the ground where Song Jixin had placed the incense sticks before. He lowered his head and recited in a compassionate voice, "Amitabha."

The short young boy climbed onshore and walked up the Azure Cow Ridge. He glanced at the two ethereal Daoists, and he glanced at the dignified man with the sword strapped to his back. In the end, he stared intently at the latter and said through gritted teeth, "I don't want to learn how to cultivate and become immortal or whatnot. Can you just teach me how to kill someone?!"

The man smiled proudly and replied, "Ever since ancient times, we Militarian swordsmen have always possessed the most ferocious ability to kill."

The young Daoist priest smiled and mused, "Oh?"

However, the young Daoist nun shook her head, knowing that everything had already been settled. She had failed to honor her junior uncle's request, so she couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.

The atmosphere on the Azure Cow Ridge suddenly became tense. It was as if a fight might break out at any moment.

The little girl from the Li Clan hurriedly hid behind her Daoist sister.

The young girl in green finished her last piece of dessert at this moment, leaving her in an extremely terrible mood. "If you two are so capable, why don't you go and challenge my father?" she snapped.

The man who was well acquainted with the young girl and her father finally relaxed his stern expression, smiling and saying, "How should we carry out the fight?"

The young Daoist priest added, "Ruan Xiu, that's picking on us. Your father is going to replace Mr. Qi and become the next Sage, so he'll essentially become the owner of this small world."

The young girl in green pursed her lips and remained silent.

The monk slowly walked over and climbed up the Azure Cow Ridge.

"The Thundering Pagoda of the Buddhist Sect, the Heavenly Master Seal of the Daoist Sect, and the Small Sword Resting Ground of the School of Military Thought... Of course, there's also the Mountain Range Jade Plate of the Confucian Sect. These are the four subjugation treasures left by the four earliest Sages. Let's not talk about the internal conflict of the Confucian Sect, and let's just focus on the three forces that we represent. Even though it's perfectly reasonable for us to retrieve our subjugation treasures, might it be inappropriate for us to do so without informing Mr. Qi first?" the young Daoist nun said.

The monk remained silent.

Meanwhile, the young Daoist priest wore a concerned expression as he said, "It will indeed be a little rude. However, it's difficult for us to go against the orders from above, so I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't make things even more complicated, Senior Sister."

The man with the sword strapped to his back sneered and said, "I'm not here to cotton up with anyone."

————

When Chen Ping'an arrived at the alley where Liu Xianyang's house was located, what he saw was Mr. Qi standing in front of the door.

The young boy quickly walked over, and before he could even say anything, Qi Jingchun had already handed two seals to him, saying with a smile, "Chen Ping'an, I'm not giving these to you for nothing; I have something to ask of you. If Mountain Cliff Academy faces any danger in the future, I hope that you can help them to the best of your ability. Of course, there's no need for you to deliberately keep an eye on Mountain Cliff Academy all the time."

The young boy replied with a single word. "Sure!"

Qi Jingchun nodded and said in a meaningful manner, "You must always remember what I said to you before — a noble person won't pointlessly risk their life to save someone. This statement comes from my heart, and it's not merely an attempt to test you."

The young boy cracked a grin and said, "Mr. Qi, I can't make any promises."

Qi Jingchun wanted to say something, yet he ultimately decided against it. He was just about to leave.

He had initially wanted to say, "Even if Mountain Cliff Academy faces a great danger in the future, and you feel a sense of regret, there's still no need for you to feel any guilt or remorse. Just pretend that you didn't see or hear anything. You don't need to force yourself to do anything."

For some reason, however, Qi Jingchun felt a lingering sense of hope deep down. Even he was perplexed by why this was.

Mulling over this, the master of Mountain Cliff Academy could only reach a single answer — everything was because of the young boy before him. It was because this young boy was called Chen Ping'an. It was as if he were different from everyone else.

If you gave this young boy a task, no matter how difficult it was, there was still one thing that you could guarantee with absolute confidence even if you knew that he would ultimately fail regardless of how hard he tried. That was, if he agreed to do something, he would definitely go and do it. If he couldn't succeed with 100% effort, then he would be willing to grit his teeth and put in 120% effort.

This was a thought that would put one's mind at ease.

This was something that Qi Jingchun had searched for but failed to find for countless years. This scholar, who had actively asked to be banished to this place, had initially thought that everywhere in the world was a foreign land.

When Qi Jingchun was about to turn around and leave, the young boy who was still carrying the bamboo basket hurriedly bowed and paid his respects in a strenuous manner.

In the alley, the Confucian Sage's movements were extremely proper as he returned the respects.

1. A Chinese idiom referring to someone deliberately misrepresenting something. However, it's used in the literal sense here. ☜