Unsheathed

Chapter 24: Present

Somewhere along Peach Leaf Alley, there was a kindly and amiable old man sitting in a cane chair under the corridor of his residence. Beside him was a clever-looking and adorable maidservant in a jade-colored dress and long yellow-patterned pants. She slowly waved a fan as she listened to the old man telling his stories.

The old man suddenly asked, "Tao Ya, where's the wind? Are you nodding off again? I'm not trying to frighten you, but if you slack off like this in the large clans outside this small town, you'll definitely receive punishment."

There was no response. The old man who was always lenient and kind toward his servants was just about to tease her again when his expression suddenly changed. He looked up toward the distance, with his expression becoming solemn. As it turned out, it wasn't only the maidservant in the courtyard and her fan which had become still. Instead, even the formless wind had become still.

The old man hurriedly held his breath and concentrated his attention, silently reciting a mantra and entering a state of meditation. This was to prevent his cultivation from flowing away in this temporary countercurrent in the long river of time. The old man heaved a soft sigh. Even Qi Jingchun, the person who most respected the rules and etiquette, had finally broken the rules and become involved. It was clear that a storm was brewing.

Near the Iron Lock Well, a sturdily-built young man from outside of town was squatting down and staring intently at the spinning spindle of the well. However, out of the corner of his eyes, he was secretly stealing glances at the side figure of a shapely village woman. She was currently bent over and hoisting a bucket of water from the well, perfectly showing off her voluptuous behind and her weighty breasts.

Her curves seemed slightly exaggerated, and her shapely figure was exposed for all to see. Her movements more so highlighted her slightly unruly nature that was just like the swaying plump ear of wheat. This caused the woman who only had a middling appearance to radiate with a different kind of charm.

When the young man finally noticed the eerie silence and stillness in the surroundings, he didn't choose to move either. Instead, he summoned his courage and stared straight at the wonderful figure of the woman at the well. The young man silently gulped. He then hurriedly shifted his body to squat in a different stance.

No wonder his master had told him that women in the outside world were all tigers out of the jungle, with their power greatly reduced. However, once they were brought into the mountains and into the jungles, they would once again become powerful and domineering tigers — they would even eat people alive. When his master became drunk, he would always say that all of the heroes and talented people in the world would eventually succumb to the tiger in their own backyard. There wouldn't be a single exception. However, the young man felt like tigers out of the jungle were already extremely powerful. Take, for example, the woman before him. Her looks were clearly ordinary, yet her shapely and seductive figure caused his heart to itch. If she suddenly slapped him without a word and without reason, the young man felt like he wouldn't dare to strike back at all. In fact, if the woman then smiled at him, he might even smile back.

The young man couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened and discouraged. He glanced down at his crotch and scolded, "How pathetic! As expected of something without a spine!"

————

In Clay Vase Alley, Song Jixin was currently flipping through a thick and ancient Local County Chronicle. He was able to discover many patterns, such as how this book was approximately appended to and edited once every 60 years. Thus, Song Jixin privately referred to this book as the "Sixty-Year Chronicle".

Something else he noticed was that those who were brought out of the small town by distant relatives at a young age would almost never return. It was as if they didn't like returning to their hometown — they were like flowers that bloomed inside the town, yet whose fragrance could only be enjoyed outside. Indeed, it was in this manner that many clans and families took root and grew in the outside world. In fact, some of them even grew into towering trees with deep and sturdy roots. Thus, Song Jixin also nicknamed this book "Beyond the Wall".

Right now, the young boy was on a page with someone's biography. This was a description of someone called Cao Xi's life. Few words were used to describe him — this was another distinguishing feature of the Local County Chronicle. Song Jixin had read this book at least seven or eight times, so he was naturally extremely familiar with its contents already. Thus, when he flipped through it again, like he was now, he would only choose the most bizarre and interesting stories to read. He would treat these stories as legends shared by storytellers, with their authenticity unable to be verified.

Of course, Song Jixin didn't care much for this either. He only remembered the events that had occurred late that one night. When that man in his official garb was about to return to the capital to report on his work, he had come to speak with Song Jixin in an extremely solemn manner. He had told the young boy to keep one thing firmly in mind. That was, he needed to memorize every single person who had appeared in the Local County Chronicle. In addition to this, he needed to remember the roots of these hundreds of thousands of people and their ancestors, especially those who were related to the Four Surnames and Ten Clans.

Song Jixin was unmoving at this moment, much like those broken clay statues of gods in the southeast of the small town. These were statues carelessly left lying on their sides in the grass and in the dirt. No matter if they were subject to the wind or the rain, they would remain still and unmoving. At this moment, even the rays of light that were shining in from the window and sprawled across the study table were locked in an abnormal state of stillness.

In this residence, there was only one person and one matter that could still move: Zhi Gui and the inconspicuous four-legged snake. She had noticed the abnormal situation very early on, and the first thought that had occurred to her was to go next door to look for that expressionless young girl and give her a hearty scolding. However, after remembering that sword, the maidservant gave up on this enticing thought.

She first walked into her young master's room and shot a sideways glance at the contents of the book that he was reading. She was immediately annoyed upon seeing the words "Cao Xi", so she helped her young master flip a few pages forward. Only after seeing a paragraph about "Xie Shi" did she smile in happiness. However, she quickly flipped the book back to its initial page in a begrudging and resentful manner.

This was to prevent any heavenly secrets from being revealed and also to prevent her own secrets from being exposed. During these past years, the intelligent young master had only been suspicious of her background out of curiosity. However, he had never found any solid proof or evidence. With her grand scheme almost about to succeed, she certainly didn't want to lose everything at the final step.

She often followed the young master to his private school, and there were some sayings of the scholars that she felt were extremely pretentious and disgraceful. For example, "one should sacrifice their life in pursuit of righteousness". However, there were also some sayings that she found quite acceptable. For example, "in a journey of 100 steps, 90 steps is only the halfway mark". This was truly a comprehensive and easily understandable principle.

Meanwhile, the earthen-yellow four-legged snake was lying on the doorstep and sun-basking. With the surroundings silent and still, the four-legged snake also recovered its "true body". Under the radiant illumination of the sun, it appeared dazzling and colorful, and it appeared smooth and crystal-like. Its body was like a piece of colored glaze.

In the neighboring house, Ning Yao had also entered an extremely mysterious state of fetal breathing. She didn't breathe using her mouth or nose, but was instead breathing like an infant still in their mother's womb. Her divine breath returned to its roots, while her thoughts were also paused.

Inside the snow-white scabbard, the flying sword felt as if it had been granted freedom. After slowly leaving its scabbard, it gracefully flew around its owner in a light and loving manner, appearing as gentle and caring as could be. At the same time, its movements were also as beautiful as the soft fluttering of a young girl's dress. The sword wasn't flying around in a random manner, and it was instead flying around as if it were a magical horn painting a powerful symbol. It was creating the most optimal atmosphere and Feng Shui for its owner to recuperate in.

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Sure enough, the surrounding essence suddenly rushed into the young girl who wasn't breathing at this moment. Like a whale swallowing water, she voraciously feasted on the origin spiritual energy of this heaven and earth. It was also at this moment that the small town's deathly silence and stillness became a stark juxtaposition to the lively nature of this residence.

On some creekside to the south of the small town, there stood a short man with thick brows and large eyes.

His intense aura was imposing, and his upper body was exposed as he swung the blacksmith hammer in his hand. As the hammer landed, sparks flew into the surroundings, illuminating the entire room.

Countless bright and flashing sparks chaotically shot around the spacious room, appearing dazzling and spectacular.

Each blow from his hammer would unleash a different spectacle.

Opposite the man was a young girl who had a clean and tidy ponytail. She was small and petite, and she was currently wearing an apron made from cowhide to prevent the sparks from striking her body. Under that, she was wearing ordinary cotton clothes. These were clothes that would be easily burned by the sparks.

When the hammer fell again, tens of millions of sparks abruptly froze in midair, lingering all over the room.

The young girl with a ponytail frowned and asked, "Dad?"

The man replied in a serious tone, "Let's swap and have you forge the sword instead. We can take advantage of this opportunity to temper your mind and heart."

The young girl placed down the old sword billet before sweeping away the sparks before her. The sparks were easily swept aside, and the movement of a few instantly triggered the movement of them all. The sparks that should have been frozen in time started to chaotically clash and glow, with their innumerable collisions causing the brightness in the room to fluctuate without any pattern.

Compared to the elderly seniors in the small town that were like dragons hiding in a deep pool, with their breathing paused and their attention focused, the young girl's movements truly appeared overly wild and domineering.

This was especially the case after she started to swing the hammer. Her movements were large and powerful, and her strikes were more so quick and ferocious. In fact, she appeared even wilder and more unrestrained than the experienced man.

Sparks would spray into the surroundings with each hammer strike, yet none of them would vanish thanks to the still and unmoving time. Strike after strike, the room was eventually filled with dense layers of sparks that were as glistening as the myriad stars in the night sky.

The swordsmithing room was filled with countless radiant sparks.

The man stared intently at the glowing red sword billet as he instructed in a deep voice, "Silently recite the Dragon Shaking Chapter of the Swordsmithing Scripture in your mind!"

The young girl's intensity suddenly dropped by a drastic amount, and she silently called, "Dad?"

"What?" the man asked in annoyance.

The young girl's intensity fell even further as she said timidly, "I ate too little for lunch... I'm a bit hungry now, so I don't have the energy to swing the hammer anymore."

The man became even angrier. If they weren't forging a sword, he would have almost started to scold her. "I'm only telling you to recite a scripture, yet you're acting as if I'm asking for your life! What kind of excuse is this? Bloody hell... My darling daughter, with your appetite... being hungry is indeed very normal... This really wasn't an excuse..."

The young girl secretly laughed. Even though she said she was hungry, her swinging never in fact weakened. At this moment, the girl suddenly roared, slamming the hammer down with her full strength. At the same time, she shouted, "Come out!"

An especially large number of sparks shot into the air this time, with their radiance also being especially blinding.

The man maintained his composed expression, but he said in his mind, "Success."

————

In the courtyard of Gu Can's house, the woman slowly regained consciousness, though her head still hurt like it was about to split apart. She sat back on the bench with the help of her child. The River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao was still resting with his eyes closed, but his thumb and index finger were slowly moving under his sleeves as if he were calculating something.

The woman grabbed her son to sit down next to her before asking quietly, "Immortal Elder, what's going on?"

The old man didn't open his eyes as he replied, "You have a good son, and I found myself a good disciple. Mrs. Gu, you can patiently wait to gain honor and renown thanks to your son."

The woman was delighted, so much so that tears of joy brimmed in her eyes as she embraced her child, murmuring, "My child's dad, did you hear that? Our Gu Can will definitely achieve great things..."

"Hmm?" A surprised expression suddenly appeared on Liu Zhimao's face, and he opened his eyes to look down at the patterns on his palm. It was as if a new "road" had appeared, and he said to himself, "Why is this? It shouldn't be! The young boy didn't die, and it was instead that immortal disciple who mysteriously died?"

The old man couldn't help but stand up and slowly pace around the courtyard. His fingers moved extremely quickly as he calculated something, and he eventually exclaimed, "Trash! You actually died at the hands of a poor young boy? The reputation that Dawn Cloud Mountain has worked so hard to build for the past 1000 years has been destroyed just like that."

Gu Can's mother was extremely uneasy and nervous as she asked, "Immortal Elder, since Can'er has already become your disciple, why don't we let Chen Ping'an off the hook?"

"Such foolish benevolence! If you were truly kind-hearted, you wouldn't have developed that killing intent when we first met. Yet, you're pretending to be a benevolent saint now? How shameless!"

Upon hearing the old man's scolding, the woman became as pale as a sheet, not daring to utter a single word.

However, the old man still felt angry, so he pointed at the woman and scolded, "Short-sighted village woman! When Gu Can returns to Lake Shujian with me, the two of you definitely can't see each other too often, lest his cultivation be affected by you. Do you have any complaints?"

The woman hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "I wouldn't dare."

There was a cold and menacing glint in the old man's eyes.

The woman faltered for a brief moment before quickly coming to her senses. She wore a dejected expression as she pitifully added, "I don't have any complaints! I definitely don't have any complaints!"

The old man forcefully flicked his sleeve, saying with a humph, "How infuriating!"

Seeing that the woman was still relatively charming, he had initially wanted to take her in as a personal maidservant. However, just as he had developed this thought, she had immediately acted in such a vulgar and intolerable manner. She truly deserved to lose the opportunity to set foot on the path of cultivation.

At this moment, the old man suddenly tensed as if he were facing a powerful enemy. He looked around, and sure enough, this land had been drawn into a "Halted Realm" by someone. Halted Realms were one of the many mystical realms in this world, and this was a realm that even terrestrial gods and golden arhats couldn't dream of creating.

This was a grand mystical power of the loftiest heights. Even though this was largely thanks to that large formation, it was still something that elicited a deep sense of respect and fear.

Just think about it. Regardless of whether one was an immortal, buddha, deity, demon, or ghost, they would be forced to kowtow toward that person as long as they were trapped in this realm. Just what kind of experience was this?

The River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao dreamed of reaching such paramount heights. Not using one's most powerful trump card? Get absolutely fucked! If Liu Zhimao possessed such a mystical realm, he would immediately drag the third-generation disciples of Buddha, the Dao Patriarch, and the Confucian Hierarch inside. He didn't dare to say that he could force them to bow their heads, but they could all at the very least be on an equal standing.

Without any warning at all, Liu Zhimao suddenly spat a mouthful of blood. At the same time, blood also shot from his hand. It was as if someone had slashed his hand with a sharp blade.

His white bowl also involuntarily appeared in his other hand, with disorderly ripples bouncing across the surface of the water and black lines chaotically colliding against the sides of the bowl.

The old man didn't hesitate for a second as he clasped the palm of one hand against the back of the other. Even though he was a Daoist of an unorthodox sect, he bowed in the manner of a Confucian disciple at this moment. He bowed as deeply as he could, with his voice quivering as he said in the most sincere manner, "Liu Zhimao, the island master of Lake Shujian's Cyan Gorge Island, earnestly asks Mr. Qi to have mercy on this junior's pursuit of Dao. If I've offended Mr. Qi... Sage Qi, please don't hold a grudge against this lowly person!"

After a long while, he finally received a reply.

"Make haste and leave!"

These four words were like thunder as they exploded in the True Lord's ears.

Liu Zhimao was overjoyed as he said, "Rest assured, Mr. Qi, I'll immediately leave this town with Gu Can and his mother."

The old man who was referring to himself as a junior suddenly remembered something, and he carefully asked, "Dare I ask, Mr. Qi, how should this junior deal with the two bags of gold essence copper coins?"

The mighty voice sounded once again, saying, "One person and one item makes exactly two fated opportunities. Just leave them in the courtyard. For the next 30 years, you're also prohibited from taking a single step outside Lake Shujian."

Liu Zhimao felt as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulder. Thus, he didn't try to act obsequiously and perform a Confucian bow this time, instead performing a dignified Daoist bow. "I wouldn't dare to refuse senior's bestowal. This junior will definitely remember Mr. Qi's benevolence for as long as I live!"

Qi Jingchun's voice didn't sound again. The Halted Realm also vanished soon after. Liu Zhimao didn't speak another word of nonsense, immediately ordering the woman and Gu Can to leave the small town with him. The woman was just about to speak, yet she immediately swallowed her words in fear upon seeing Liu Zhimao's viciously ferocious glare. Liu Zhimao retrieved two bags of coins. Even though this person who was intent on becoming a genuine True Lord was extremely reluctant, he still placed the two bags of coins on the long bench without any hesitation at all. However, just as they were about to leave, Liu Zhimao suddenly asked, "Do you still have any other antiques in your house?"

The woman wore a blank expression, yet the mischievous Gu Can immediately reminded her, "Didn't dad leave a Myriad Treasure Pagoda? The one collecting dust under the bed?"

Liu Zhimao's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered the woman to lead him over to investigate.

Since the Sage approved of the fact that Gu Can himself was a fated opportunity, this also implied that the child could bring away the fated opportunities that belonged to him.

As for the eventual owner of these fated opportunities... If one were in the small town, one would most likely have to listen to Qi Jingchun, even if the heavens came over. Once he returned to Lake Shujian, however, it would be a completely different story.

With the two people entering the house, there was finally no one to look after Gu Can. Grabbing a bag of coins in each hand, he quietly opened the door before sprinting down to the other end of the Clay Vase Alley.

Inside the house, the woman was kneeling on the floor and dragging the box out from under the bed. The box wasn't large, yet it was extremely heavy. Thus, it was hard work to pull out, and the woman couldn't help but pant in exertion.

Yet, it was also at this moment that her shapely behind was kicked by the River Severing True Lord. The old man jeered, "Mrs. Gu, what you're lacking is some nurturing and care. However, with just this alone, it might be a bit difficult for you to become a second-tier maidservant on the Cyan Gorge Island. However, it's more than enough for you to become a third-tier maidservant. You're a bit beneath me, but there are indeed a few guests and cultivators on the island, and you might just suit their tastes. At that time, you can put in some effort and fight for some opportunities. Don't be shy and let your good fortunes slip away."

The woman's body involuntarily became a bit stiff. However, more than half of her body was still under the bed, hiding her expression.

————

After arriving at some alley, Qi Jingchun said to Chen Ping'an, "Leave Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua to me to deal with. Now that you have this locust leaf with ancestral blessings, you more so can't show disregard for your own safety and life. This is the best way to repay your parents’ love. As for Dawn Cloud Mountain, Old Dragon City, and the River Severing True Lord, I don't dare to guarantee that they'll never seek you out to cause trouble. However, they definitely won't cause you any trouble in the next 10 years. If you're lucky, you might remain a commoner forever, and you might be able to enjoy 30 years of peace."

Qi Jingchun smiled and continued, "There's no need to fear this small town either. In the future... After a while, there most likely won't be so much scheming and plotting anymore. If you want to live in peace for 20 or 30 years, why not consider getting married with a young lady here and starting a family? If you want to travel beyond this small town to witness the true scenery of the outside world, that would also be a very good choice. Reading 10,000 scrolls and walking 10,000 li[1] is something that we scholars must do. In the future, you'll discover that in this small town, walking and traveling around is easy to do, while trying to read and study is difficult. In the outside world, however, many people find buying books, reading books, and collecting books is extremely easy. Yet, they truly detest traveling walking distances — they find it too tiring and difficult. Their so-called 'journeys with books on their back' are nothing more than excursions in a comfortable carriage."

The young boy was astonished. "Mr. Qi, walking can be considered tiring and difficult?"

Qi Jingchun laughed heartily upon hearing this. "To say nothing of the outside world, let's just have a look at your surroundings first. Have you seen children of your age from Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley running around the mountains?"

The young boy nodded in understanding. "That's indeed the case."

Qi Jingchun pondered for a moment before pulling out a green jade hairpin from his bun. He bent down and handed it to the poor young boy, saying, "Just treat this as a farewell gift. It isn't anything valuable, and it more so isn't an immortal treasure. So don't worry and accept it. In fact, I'm, just like you. I used to be a poor village youth, yet I made a determined effort to study. After experiencing many hardships and challenges, and of course many kinds of opportunities as well, I was finally able to enter the Mountain Cliff Academy.

"Those days when I was studying under my teacher after becoming his disciple were the happiest days of my life. After my teacher left the mountain, he handed this hairpin to me. This was something of an expectation and entrustment toward me. However, looking back after all these years, it's a pity that I've been unable to perform well this entire time. If my teacher were still alive, I'm sure that he would definitely be disappointed."

Chen Ping’an didn't dare to accept this present.

This jade hairpin seemingly represented the amiable master-and-disciple relationship between Mr. Qi and his teacher. Not only was this jade hairpin a representation of their deep relationship, it more so wasn't a small present either.

Regardless of how unknowledgeable the young boy was, he was still at the very least someone who had fired imperial chinaware. Thus, he was still able to appraise whether an item was valuable or not.

Qi Jingchun said in a gentle voice, "If it's left with me, the final relic of my respected master will also be neglected and stifled. Thus, I'm better off giving it to you. Moreover, it's not as if you haven't earned this. I've stayed in this small town for almost 60 years, and there had always been a knot in my heart that I couldn't resolve. However, it's a shame that my respected master has already passed away, so I initially thought that I would never receive an answer to this question. In the end, it was you who unknowingly cleared up my confusion. Thus, it's only right that I give this jade hairpin to you. Chen Ping'an, I was only able to help you obtain a single locust leaf. There's nothing more I can do for you."

Chen Ping’an accepted the jade hairpin with both hands. This was a jade hairpin made out of relatively ordinary material. He then looked up and said with sincerity, "Mr. Qi has already done a lot for me."

Qi Jingchun simply replied with a smile. Seeing Chen Ping’an accept his jade hairpin, he also managed to do away with one more worry. This jade hairpin was indeed very ordinary. In the end, however, it was still something that had been left by his respected teacher. Thus, it was truly a wonderful thing that he was able to gift it to this young boy who definitely wouldn't bring shame to the words inscribed upon it.

Qi Jingchun gave the young boy one final piece of advice, saying, "Chen Ping'an, remember this. Regardless of what you encounter in the future, you definitely can't lose hope in this world."

1. Li is a Chinese unit of measurement equivalent to about 0.5km. ☜