Unsheathed

Chapter 63 (2): So That's How It Is

"Master, master!"

Near the backdoor of the Yang Family's medicine shop, Zheng Dafeng was laughing and shouting as he hurriedly rushed over to deliver some good news.

Two people arrived in the backyard, with one rushing in front and one trailing behind. In the front, it was as if Zheng Dafeng were being carried by the winds as he exclaimed, "Senior Brother is back! There's great news!"

Old Man Yang looked at the solidly-built man behind Zheng Dafeng, and the man greeted him with a nod.

The man wanted to say something, but he couldn't form the right words to speak them. His mind was filled with questions, but his reserved and inarticulate nature prevented him from asking them. He didn't know where to begin.

In the end, he could only ask in a gloomy voice, "Master, why did you take Ma Kuxuan as a disciple and not that young boy? I don't like that Ma Kuxuan brat."

Old Man Yang shot a glare at him and replied, "So that's why you took matters into your own hand and caught that golden carp? And that's why you tried to sell it to Chen Ping'an?!"

Standing before the old man, the middle-aged man was far more courageous than the shirking Zheng Dafeng. He sat down on the stool that Chen Ping'an had been sitting on just then, and he retorted, "What's wrong with that? I wanted to. Master, aren't you also quite fond of that child?"

If Chen Ping'an were present, he would definitely be astonished by what he saw. This was because the middle-aged man, Li Er, was none other than the person who had been selling the carp on the street that day.

Old Man Yang laughed in anger, scolding, "And what was the result? Did the carp and fish basket end up in Chen Ping'an's hands? Hmm?!"

Li Er remained silent, a sullen look on his face.

Zheng Dafeng added fuel to the fire, lecturing, "Senior Brother, don't blame me for scolding you, but you seriously wasted that Dragon King Basket. Who couldn't you have given it to? Yet, you somehow ended up giving it to the mortal enemy of the Great Li Empire, that small prince from Great Sui Nation. Be careful of Song Changjing settling this debt with you in the future.

"In any case, one shouldn't allow their own wealth and hard work to be accrued by others. Couldn't you have given the treasures to my niece or nephew? What, you were afraid that the treasures were like hot potatoes? If you truly felt like you had no option, you could have even given them to me!"

Old Man Yang's cold gaze slowly turned to Zheng Dafeng, causing him to immediately shiver and shut up, not daring to utter another word. He put his hands up in surrender and obediently walked over to sit on the steps.

"Bring Fu Nanhua with you and go to Old Dragon City," Old Man Yang ordered.

Astonishment spread across Zheng Dafeng's face. Turning around and looking back, what he saw was the old man's expressionless face. This was a face that was filled with the vicissitudes of life.

Zheng Dafeng, the unmarried gatekeeper, slowly retracted his gaze. He dusted off his knees and smiled bitterly as he stood up, not saying a word as he walked down the stairs and toward the back door of the pharmacy.

The strict and dignified voice of his master traveled over from behind him, warning, "Remember, don't reveal your identity and background even if your life depends on it!"

Zheng Dafeng's expression became even more bitter as he nodded in understanding. He didn't turn around as he hastened his footsteps.

When he arrived under the corridor leading to the back door, he finally turned around and fell to his knees, earnestly kowtowing three times and saying in a solemn voice, "Take care, Master."

From the beginning to the end, Old Man Yang didn't say a single word.

Zheng Dafeng dejectedly left the Yang Family's medicine shop.

Sitting on the stool, Li Er was feeling slightly sympathetic toward his junior brother, Zheng Dafeng. He tried to speak up for him, saying, "Master, your treatment of Junior Brother is a little too..."

"Unreasonable?" Old Man Yang finished with a smile.

Li Er nodded and continued, "Even though Junior Brother always appears immature, he's genuinely respectful toward you and dutiful to you from the bottom of his heart. In terms of this, I can't compare to him."

Old Man Yang didn't offer a comment on this. Instead, he said, "In any case, he's nothing more than a rootless duckweed. He's even inferior to wild grass on the side of the roads, so what does it matter where he dies?"

Li Er sighed and said, "Junior Brother is definitely feeling uneasy and frustrated while making this trip out of the small town."

"Generally speaking, one needs to have three disciples if one wants to have someone carry on their teachings. One disciple needs to be 'capable of shouldering great responsibilities', meaning that they're able to bring renown and success to their master and teaching. After their master passes away, this disciple will need to shoulder all the responsibilities and keep everything under control. They'll be the face of the sect.

"One disciple needs to be 'capable of carrying the torch', and this disciple will appear inferior to the first kind of disciple in every aspect and manner. However, this disciple will be extremely resilient, so even if the heavens collapse and the first kind of disciple dies, they'll still be able to guarantee that the teachings of their master are passed down. During periods of prosperity, this kind of disciple won't appear especially useful. During periods of turmoil, however, their existence will be of utmost importance.

"The last disciple needs to be 'interesting'. Their talent will be good, their aptitude will be good, and everything about them will be good. They'll also be an extremely interesting person. In fact, there's no need for this kind of disciple to feel any strong emotion or gratitude toward their master and sect. At the same time, their master won't shackle them with too many rules and regulations either. As the proverb goes, a successful pupil will make redundant their master. This final kind of disciple plays this exact role."

"Then how do Junior Brother, Ma Kuxuan, and I correspond to these three types of disciples?" Li Er asked in curiosity.

"After so many years, who said that you three are my only disciples?" Old Man Yang replied with a smile.

Li Er faltered upon hearing this. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I forgot about that."

"What do you think about Song Changjing?" Old Man Yang chuckled and asked.

Li Er carefully mulled over this for a moment, yet his reply was only a simple, "Not bad."

Old Man Yang took another puff from his smoking pipe, inhaling and exhaling clouds of smoke as he clicked his tongue in wonder and mused, "Then he must be very powerful."

"Song Changjing agreed to..." Li Er began.

However, Old Man Yang immediately stomped his foot before his disciple could even finish, causing heaven and earth to fall silent.

Li Er smiled and asked, "Master, our actions these past few years haven't been especially secretive at all. Is there really a need to worry about this?"

"You're not even going to try and pretend? Do you want to revolt?" Old Man Yang asked slowly.

"Does it make a difference?" Li Er retorted.

Old Man Yang gazed up at the sky, his vision penetrating through three layers of heaven and earth. He didn't respond to his disciple's question.

Heavy emotions weighed on Li Er's mind as he asked, "Master, do my two children really need to go to Mountain Cliff Academy?"

"Since Qi Jingchun is willing to do this in exchange, then why not? It won't be an exaggeration to call this a one-in-100-year opportunity," Old Man Yang replied.

"Why didn't Qi Jingchun give everything to Chen Ping'an straight away?" Li Er asked.

"Do you think that's helping Chen Ping'an?" Old Man Yang replied with a chuckle. "No, that would be trying to kill that child as quickly as possible. If you successfully gave him the Dragon King Basket and golden carp at that time, do you believe me if I say that Chen Ping'an would have suddenly died somewhere in the small town within three days?"

Li Er was puzzled, and he murmured, "Chen Ping'an's father shattered his bonded porcelain before he turned six, effectively tearing up the contract related to him. Even though this stripped him of his fated opportunities, it was also a double-edged sword that came with its benefits. He's like a flickering candle in a dark room, attracting all kinds of moths and insects to his flame. During this time, wouldn't it be normal for that pitiful child to obtain a treasure?"

"As long as he remains in the small town, Chen Ping'an won't be able to enjoy any sort of good fortune," Old Man Yang explained. "If the fated opportunities are too great, that child won't be able to pick them up or keep them. In the end, he'll end up empty-handed and suffering an impoverished life. The fact that he's still alive is already quite a feat. If it were one of those supreme prodigies, they would have already died seven or eight times."

Li Er cracked a grin and remarked, "So this is why Master was willing to give him some help. Coincidentally, what Master was able to give him was also what Chen Ping'an was able to accept."

Old Man Yang hesitated a moment before exhaling a cloud of thick smoke and saying, "Then do you know that you almost killed Chen Ping'an by trying to forcefully give him those fated opportunities? The prince and eunuch from Great Sui Nation, Ning Yao, that assassin, and that strange Daoist... Chen Ping'an almost died amid these intertwining events."

Li Er furrowed his brows.

Old Man Yang changed the topic, saying, "When the previous Sages began their role of overlooking this small world, the first thing that they usually did was to examine the four subjugation treasures left here by the ancestors of the different teachings. The second thing that they did was to come here and visit me. However, even though they're Sages, most of them only understood that they needed to do this, but they didn't understand why they needed to do this.

"In addition to them, there are also two types of people who won't visit me. The first type of people were mainly concentrated in the earlier years. At that time, Buddhism was flourishing in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, with bald monks all over the place. These people didn't dare to visit me because they were afraid that they would attract unwanted karmic fate.

"The second type of people are those like Qi Jingchun. The higher powers purposely don't tell them the truth, and they're eager to see these Sages end up in a conflict with me, to the extent that we throw hands. Qi Jingchun most likely came today because he managed to figure out some of the truth by himself. Or perhaps..."

Old Man Yang's expression became solemn, and he continued, "No, the probability of this happening is far too minuscule. The consequences are also far too great. It's simply unimaginable. I hope that this isn't the case. It also... shouldn't be the case."

Inside this small world, there was seemingly another unique land.

Qi Jingchun overlooked the small world, while Old Man Yang ruled a small plot of the land by himself. Moreover, he wasn't subject to the Sage's control at all.

Old Man Yang sighed with emotion, continuing, "The Confucian Sage above Qi Jingchun's master said this — 'Sages have exhausted their vision to create the compass, rulers, and guidelines, giving us an abundant supply of such tools'. What does this mean?

"To put it simply, it means that the commoners need to be grateful to the paramount Sage Confucius for his benevolence and good deeds. It was his great efforts and exhaustive work that created the scaffold for the rules and regulations today. At the same time, it's also these rules and regulations that allow the future generations to walk on the correct path and avoid calamity and disaster, thereby allowing them to reincarnate as humans again in their next life."

Li Er scratched his head and grumbled, "Master, why are you telling me this? It's not like I can understand it anyway. Only Zheng Dafeng can discuss these matters with you."

"That's exactly why I'm telling you this," Old Man Yang chuckled. "If you were able to discuss this with me, I would have decided not to say anything instead. Having one person speaking and one person listening, one person asking and one person answering... This is how it should be."

He stood up and gazed into the distance, continuing, "If there comes a day when that child is able to walk out of the small town alive and travel around the outside world for a few decades, he'll definitely be astonished to discover that his hometown, the small town he came from, is actually so profound and large."

Since his master had stood up, Li Er had no option but to stand up as well. He didn't know how to flatter others, but he did know how to follow the rules.

"You shouldn't stay here either," Old Man Yang suggested. "Bring your vixen wife with you and go to that place. If you stay in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, you won't have any hope of breaking through in your lifetime. Song Changjing is a petty person, so even if you're not disgusted by being suppressed by him, your master, I, will feel absolutely disgusted. Oh, that's right. If you're reluctant to part with both your children, you can bring one of them with you. That will simply mean that you receive a little less benefit from Qi Jingchun."

"Master, what if my wife wants to bring both of our children with us? What should I do?" Li Er asked.

"Who's the decision-maker in your household?!" Old Man Yang scolded angrily.

"My wife!" Li Er replied in a righteous manner.

Old Man Yang took a deep breath before waving his hand and shooing his disciple away, snapping, "Alright, alright, piss off now. Your entire family of four can piss right off. Do whatever you want!"

As he walked down the steps, Li Er suddenly turned around and asked, "Then what about you, Master?"

Old Man Yang sat back down and reached into his pocket to grab some loose tobacco. However, he found that his pocket was already empty, so he retreated his hand and replied with a calm expression, "What else can I do? I'll simply wait for death."

When Li Er arrived under the corridor eaves, he suddenly turned around and said with a smile, "I feel like Ma Kuxuan can't take that thing away."

Old Man Yang's expression was ashen, and he said with a self-deprecating smile, "If he can't take it away, then there's truly no one who can take it away."

————

The Four Families and Ten Clans suddenly received news that all outsiders had to leave the small town within three days. During this period of time, people would only be able to exit the Jewel Small World, not enter.

Even though there was boiling frustration and resentment, there was ultimately no one who dared to question this decision.

As a group of outsiders headed eastward, the patriarch of the Li Clan didn't hesitate to personally head over, secretly guarding the little girl from Sun Scorch Mountain as she left the small town.

The next day, deafening rumbles traveled over from somewhere far west of the small town. There was an earth-shattering commotion, and it was as if the earth were tossing and turning underground.

As it turned out, the Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain had genuinely picked up a gigantic mountain.

After unleashing his true form, Bai Yuan was just about to toss the mountain onto his back.

However, his shoulders suddenly leaned forward, and it was as if something heavy were weighing on his back. Bai Yuan looked up with squinted eyes.

There was a "speck" of a person standing atop the gigantic mountain.

Qi Jingchun.

Bai Yuan roared with laughter and warned, "Qi Jingchun, don't delay and mess up the important matters because of your stinginess!"

"Put the Cloud Drape Mountain back down," Qi Jingchun ordered gravely.

Bai Yuan straightened his back a little and roared with anger and wantonness, "What if I don't?!"

The next instant, the hands of the Mountain-moving Ape suddenly retracted from underneath the gigantic mountain. At the same time, his colossal body rolled sideways, crushing a large swathe of nearby trees.

Another instant later, the 3000-meter-tall Bai Yuan was crushed into the earth by a single foot.

It was that person who was genuinely mighty and indomitable. In comparison, it seemed as if the Mountain-moving Ape had become a measly ant that could be crushed underfoot.

With another stomp, the struggling Bai Yuan was sent even deeper into the earth.

And another stomp...

The 3000-meter-tall Mountain-moving Ape lay limp in the giant pit, with his body covered in blood and his breathing shallow and labored.

Qi Jingchun stood with his back slightly bent, and it was as if he were using his head to hold up the heavens. He peered down at Bai Yuan and sneered, "If it were me from 60 years ago, the first thing I would do after leaving this place would be to flatten Sun Scorch Mountain with a single foot!"

Johnchen and Flying Dumpling's Thoughts

Woah...