Unsheathed

Chapter 271: I\'m Sorry, Ning Yao

Perhaps Chen Ping\'an had done something bad behind her back? For example, maybe he had accumulated a massive debt while traveling from Jewel Small World to Stalactite Mountain, and he had recorded all of this debt under her name?

Or maybe after throwing a few thousand punches, he had felt like fist techniques were pointless, so he had abandoned the Mountain Shaking Guide long ago? And it was because of this that he was carrying a sword case now? Yet, after starting to practice the sword, he had found that both his fist technique and sword skills were unimpressive?

Or maybe Chen Ping\'an was a lucky idiot, and he had gathered himself a big group of lovers and soulmates while traveling through the cultivation world? And perhaps these lovers and soulmates were waiting for him in an inn right now?

Ning Yao\'s mind wandered all over the place.

However, she never considered the possibility that Chen Ping\'an might have lost the sword forged by Ruan Qiong.

After all, how was this possible? Regardless of how distant the journey was, and no matter what the season was, Chen Ping\'an would definitely deliver the sword to her.

After drinking a sip of wine, Chen Ping\'an suddenly stood up and walked down the steps. He turned around to face Ning Yao as she stood in front of the Sword Reverence Pagoda, a pagoda which seemed to house the tens of thousands of years of spirit and vigor of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Moreover, the swords Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove were also displayed inside the pagoda.

While squatting in the corner of that display room just then, Chen Ping\'an had thought about all kinds of random things. For example, some beautiful lines of poetry. These lines included "missing is one as each adorns their hair with dogwood[1]," "sitting alone in the bamboo groves," and so on. He also thought about A\'Liang and the character "Badass," and he thought about the characters "Thunder Pool Restricted Land" that were even more ancient and historical.

In fact, Chen Ping\'an had even daydreamed about what their reunion would be like. Indeed, it definitely wouldn\'t be like this, where he was stupidly sitting on a set of steps on Stalactite Mountain and she suddenly appeared in front of him.

Ning Yao slowly sat down on the stairs, then leaned back and lazily rested her elbows against the taller steps behind her. She squinted her eyes, making her slender eyebrows appear even more beautiful.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ping\'an was surprisingly rendered speechless. He turned around and took another sip of wine.

Just as he was finally about to say something...

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow and sat up straight, asking, "Chen Ping\'an, when did you become a drunkard?!"

The young boy had finally summoned some courage with much difficulty, and a few words had finally crept to the tip of the tongue as if finally making their way up a steep mountain. However, he couldn\'t help but swallow all of this again, and it was as if his courage and words had plummeted down a cliff and smashed into smithereens.

Chen Ping\'an sighed in grief and squatted down on the ground, not speaking a word as he scratched his head with both hands.

Ning Yao stood up and remarked with a smile, "Chen Ping\'an, it seems like you\'ve grown taller?"

Chen Ping\'an suddenly stood up and gestured for Ning Yao to stay on the set of stairs for a moment. "Ning Yao, let me say something first!"

The young boy raised his head and straightened his back, tightening his wine gourd around his waist as he gazed at the young girl dressed in a dark green robe.

Ning Yao blinked in response, and she was seemingly unable to guess what Chen Ping\'an was playing at right now.

"Miss Ning..." Chen Ping\'an started.

However, he suddenly shook his head and corrected himself, saying, "Ning Yao, I like you."

Ning Yao sat back down on the steps and replied, "If you\'re capable, then say it louder."

Chen Ping\'an raised his voice and shouted, "Ning Yao! I like you!"

"Who are you?" Ning Yao asked.

There was a radiant smile on Chen Ping\'an\'s face, and he was no longer reserved as he proudly announced, "Chen Ping\'an from the Great Li Empire\'s Dragon Spring Prefecture!"

Chen Ping\'an was aware of the safest option — he should have given the sword to Ning Yao and interacted with her for a while first, after which it was best for him to visit her hometown and become acquainted with her friends from the Sword Qi Great Wall. After doing all this, he could decide whether he still wanted to confess to her. In the worst-case scenario, his feelings would be one-sided, but they could perhaps still remain good friends in the future.

However, Chen Ping\'an wasn\'t willing to do this.

Ning Yao stood up again, and there was a strange look on her face as she asked the young boy, "Is it very impressive to like someone?"

Chen Ping\'an was at a complete loss. He didn\'t know how to answer this question.

After being confessed to, did all girls in the world ask some question like this?

Chen Ping\'an couldn\'t help but grumble in his mind. Sword Saint Song from Water Combing Nation had jinxed things for him, and the old boatman\'s master had refused to share his experience with him during their interaction on Osmanthus Island.

Ning Yao walked down the steps in a single stride, extending her hand as she arrived in front of Chen Ping\'an. "Hand it over."

Chen Ping\'an nodded in reply and untied the wooden sword case from his back. He then retrieved the sword forged by Sage Ruan Qiong and handed it to Ning Yao standing in front of him.

Ning Yao accepted the sword, but she didn\'t draw the blade from the scabbard to inspect its edge. She tied the sword to her waist and walked forward, brushing past Chen Ping\'an just like that.

When Chen Ping\'an vigorously turned his head around to look at her, he simply saw her raise an arm and lightly wave farewell.

His lips moved slightly, yet he was unable to utter a single word. This was because he had expended all of his courage on the confession just then.

He stayed like that for a long time, unwilling to turn his head back around, and unwilling to retract his gaze.

She walked further and further away, with her figure gradually vanishing into the darkness of night.

Chen Ping\'an turned around and walked toward the step that he had been sitting on just then. He started to murmur to himself, saying those words that he had been unable to say just then.

"Ning Yao, how have you been?

"Ning Yao, I experienced so many interesting things during my journey. Do you want to hear some stories?

"Ning Yao, you definitely didn\'t expect this, did you? I promised you that I would practice the fist technique one million times, and I\'m only twenty thousand punches from reaching that goal now.

"Ning Yao, do you know? When you were staying at my place in Clay Vase Alley, your smile made me feel like the richest person in the world.

"Ning Yao, I saw A\'Liang, but Mr. Qi has already left.

"Ning Yao, I visited Yellow Court Nation, Great Sui Nation, Colorful Garment Nation, Water Combing Nation, Old Dragon City, and many other places. I came across many girls, but none of them are as beautiful as you.

"Ning Yao, you asked me if I liked you before, and I told you that I didn\'t. You didn\'t seem unhappy back then. But I like you very much now, yet you seem unhappy about my confession. I\'m sorry, Ning Yao.

"Ning Yao, I\'m so happy that we met."

————

On the white jade plaza beneath Lone Peak, a young Daoist priest with a fish tail hat continued to read while sitting on his straw mat. These few days were important fasting days for Heavenly World, and Stalactite Mountain never considered itself part of Majestic World. Thus, this large gate leading to the Sword Qi Great Wall would only reopen at midnight in two days\' time. Otherwise, this plaza should have been one of the busiest areas in Stalactite Mountain.

This was because this gate only allowed people through, not cargo.

The true transit hub was located on the inside of Stalactite Mountain.

Including the docks near the Catch and Release Pavilion and the Incense Offering Tower, all of the eight docks had a path leading diagonally downward toward the inside of the mountain. In the past, the two sect brothers had argued about whether they needed to dig a tunnel through the mountain and build a new dock on the inside. They had also clashed about whether they needed to ask for instructions from that branch master in Heavenly World.

The Great Heavenly Lord in Stalactite Mountain had argued that this was the unstoppable momentum of the world, so why should Stalactite Mountain not take advantage of this potential incense money?

Apart from being a gatekeeper, the young Daoist priest was also the second-in-command in Stalactite Mountain. He had held a different opinion, arguing that any works on Stalactite Mountain that pertained to the body of the mountain seal — no matter how minor — would be an act of extreme disrespect toward their master.

At the time, the two of them had failed to reach a consensus and had even gotten into a huge fight. Afterward, they had both offered three sticks of incense at the Incense Offering Tower, catching the attention of the branch master who stayed in the heavens beyond heavens all year round.

The branch master, their teacher, had returned to the Heavenly World\'s White Jade Capital. Then, he had personally issued a decree. Only after this had the two sect brothers finally stopped their conflict. However, following the conclusion of this matter, the young Daoist priest who had possessed influence and power rivaling his senior brother in Stalactite Mountain had stopped caring about all the affairs of Stalactite Mountain in anger. He left everything to the Great Heavenly Lord, and he simply guarded his own straw mat.

The man hugging the sword in his arms had been sitting on the hitching post sleeping for the entire day, yet he was surprisingly awake and alert at night, with his eyes as bright as the radiant moon. There was an amused smile on his face as if he were watching an interesting show, and he kept glancing around the plaza as if he were waiting for someone.

After waiting for a long time, the expected person still didn\'t arrive. He became a little impatient, and he hopped down the hitching post and made his way around the mirror-like gate. He squatted down beside the young Daoist priest, and all he heard was the slow and intermittent sound of the young Daoist priest flipping pages.

The young Daoist priest had been in a terrible mood lately. Even though he belonged to the same branch as the Great Heavenly Lord, he had a very close relationship with Third Branch Master Lu Chen. Recently, however, he would feel annoyed whenever he saw that sissy with the surname Lu. The sissy\'s arrogant tone was even more annoying. His senior brother losing a fight to someone was also very annoying.

Why were there so many annoying matters in the world?

Before being tricked to Stalactite Mountain by Branch Master Lu Chen, the young Daoist priest had never experienced so many annoying matters in White Jade Capital. He would accompany Branch Master Lu Chen for a stroll around the top floor of some building every day, and he would eagerly wait for his master to return from the heavens beyond heavens to take a rest in White Jade Capital.

If he was lucky, he could even come across the Dao Ancestor who could barely be seen once a century. The Dao Ancestor was a very busy person, so he seldom ever appeared in White Jade Capital. He was either traveling around some unknown mystical realm to stabilize its fortunes and transform it into a small world suitable for living and cultivation, or he was observing the Dao in that Lotus Flower World.

There was naturally no need for the Dao Ancestor to comprehend the Dao anymore, so his act of so-called observing the Dao merely involved him observing the minor Dao of other people, according to the explanation provided by the young Daoist priest\'s master.

The young Daoist priest couldn\'t stand the sword-hugging middle-aged man beside him, so he huffed, "At the end of the day, she\'s still nothing more than a young girl. What\'s so interesting?"

"You don\'t understand," the sword-hugging middle-aged man replied with a smile. "I\'m here as a punishment, so it\'s very rare for me to find anything a little interesting."

The young Daoist priest closed his book and chuckled, "Oh? There\'s only a single gate in your way, and you\'re also a great sword immortal at the Immortal Tier here in Majestic World. A little interesting? How little?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, "It\'s truly boring to chat with someone like you."

After saying this, he added, "The pair of gatekeepers next door get along better than us. Would you look, they\'re already starting to make small bets for entertainment."

The young Daoist priest finally became a little interested, and he asked, "What are they betting on?"

"Lend me half of your straw mat to sit on?" the sword-hugging middle-aged man asked in a tentative manner.

The young Daoist priest remained unmoving, and he smiled coldly and replied, "What do you think?"

The middle-aged man didn\'t dwell on this, and he continued, "Old Yao next door is making a bet with that Daoist nun who has a saber. They\'re betting on whether the young girl will return to the Sword Qi Great Wall by herself or with someone beside her when morning comes."

"Why isn\'t there an option for neither of them returning?" the young Daoist priest asked.

The sword-hugging middle-aged man shook his head and gazed into the distance, replying, "She\'ll definitely return to the Sword Qi Great Wall."

"Due to the glory of the Ning Clan and the Yao Clan?" the young Daoist priest asked.

The middle-aged man sighed in response, a complicated expression on his face.

The eyes of the young Daoist priest lit up, and he casually flicked his sleeve and silently recited two names in his mind using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Two azure-colored talismans were casually created, and they both disappeared in a flash.

The sword-hugging middle-aged man snapped his fingers and shattered the two talismans that were even more indiscernible than slightly azure smoke. "One should not look at that which is contrary to propriety, and one should not listen to that which is contrary to propriety," he said with a huff.

The two talismans included a Heaven and Earth Echoing Talisman and a Refreshing Breeze Talisman. The former could rapidly travel around heaven and earth, and it would immediately activate when it encountered the characters silently recited by its creator. It would secretly record the contents of the conversation. Meanwhile, the latter could find the people illustrated on the talisman, after which it could record and stream the images to its creator.

Both talismans were extremely high-quality and incredibly difficult to draw. In the mountains, however, these were considered some of the more useless Daoist talismans. This was because both the Echoing Talisman and the Refreshing Breeze Talisan would rapidly lose their spiritual energy upon coming into contact with restrictions or murderous auras. For example, when they came across the images of door gods, Wenchang pavilions, martial sage temples, unmarked graveyards, and so on.

Even if high-quality talisman paper was used, these talismans would still create quite some commotion when losing their spiritual energy. This would betray their presence, and the targeted cultivators would naturally view this as an act of provocation. Following the hints and traces, it would be very easy for the targeted cultivators to find the talismans\' creator and thus start a conflict.

Because of this, such kinds of talismans were only suitable for investigative purposes in lands with no Dao.

Of course, it was naturally fine for the young Daoist priest to use the two talismans in Stalactite Mountain, his own territory.

However, it was a shame that the sword immortal beside him had destroyed them with a snap of his fingers.

"Do you want to make a bet?" the sword-hugging middle-aged man asked.

The young Daoist priest was completely uninterested, and he shook his head and replied, "No, you\'re a gambling addict with a terrible reputation. In fact, you rank in the top three shameless gamblers in Stalactite Mountain. If I lose a bet to you, I\'ll definitely pay you the wagered amount. If I win the bet against you, however, I definitely won\'t be able to receive anything. What\'s the point of making a bet? No thanks."

The middle-aged man put on a melancholy expression as he lamented, "There\'s nothing for me to look forward to anymore. As a gambling addict, I can\'t even be the number one shameless gambler."

The young Daoist priest recalled something interesting, and he chuckled, "You\'re already in a fortunate position. Just take a look at those two sword replicas in the Sword Reverence Pagoda before taking a look at yourself. Regardless of whether they\'re from the Sword Qi Great Wall or Majestic World, everyone who passes here shows you utmost respect, do they not? As a great sword immortal, even your fart is fragrant in their eyes."

The middle-aged man wasn\'t angered, and there was self-ridicule in his voice as he said, "If that\'s the case, then I indeed shouldn\'t complain about having to guard the gate here."

The young Daoist priest put his book down and placed his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky.

"To common people in the mortal world, their hometown will most likely become a past home after they leave for a hundred years," the middle-aged man murmured. "To Qi refiners, perhaps this will stretch out to a thousand years. Then what about us, convicts and refugees who have left home for more than ten thousand years?"

The young Daoist priest didn\'t answer this question.

He couldn\'t answer this question.

————

It was late at night in Stalactite Mountain, yet a scorching sun still hung high above the gate.

There were also two people guarding this gate, and they were also from the Sword Qi Great Wall and Stalactite Mountain, respectively.

An old sword cultivator in gray was openly refining his bonded flying sword, and standing beside him was a middle-aged Daoist nun with a Dao saber by her waist.

The Daoist nun furrowed her brows and said, "It\'s not right for Little Ning to secretly go to Stalactite Mountain by herself. When the Great Heavenly Lord questions us about this, I\'ll tell him the truth."

The old sword cultivator nodded and replied, "Yes, tell him the truth. I\'ll take responsibility."

A group of young boys and young girls walked over from the distance, and they were all extremely famous individuals in the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Even though they all had powerful backgrounds and were regarded as great prodigies, these children had still been deployed three times in under three years because of the recent battle. They had lost two members, with a young boy with the nickname Little Grasshopper losing his life on the battlefield to the south of the wall, and one member returning to a Confucian school after completing their training.

There was a handsome young boy with two swords by his waist. One had a scabbard, Scripture, and one was without a scabbard, Cloud Pattern.

There was a chubby young boy who always had a smile on his face. However, he also radiated the strongest killing intent. A sword named Purple Lightning hung by his waist.

There was a single-armed young girl, and she was carrying a disproportionately large sword on her back, Mountain Suppressing.

There was an ugly and tanned young boy whose face was riddled with scars, yet his sword was one called Elaborate Makeup.

The old sword cultivator didn\'t seem happy to see these young children, and he continued to focus on practicing his sword techniques.

Instead, it was the Daoist saber nun who had no historical relationship with the large clans in the Sword Qi Great Wall that offered a sincere smile and greeted the children.

She said they were still children, but they were only children in stature and age. In reality, almost everyone in the Sword Qi Great Wall could foresee their impressive future path and their lofty future achievements. This was especially the case after they crossed the city wall and traveled south to the battlefield, personally taking part in those bloody battles. Indeed, they had already won enough respect.

In the Sword Qi Great Wall, no one cared about your surname. Everyone had to prove themself on the battlefield.

Of course, there were still some minor differences, reflected in the cultivation base of the sword cultivators who guarded the young sword cultivators. When it came to young sword cultivators from poor families, they could only rely on sword cultivators organized by the Sword Qi Great Wall.

However, when descendants from the large clans first entered the battlefield, they would definitely enjoy secret protection from powerful subordinates who were temporarily without other missions. Of course, these subordinates definitely wouldn\'t interfere unless the young descendants were facing certain death.

To the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall, every inch of the land was completely infused with sword qi that had been passed down through the generations.

To the south, every inch of the land was completely soaked in the blood of their ancestors.

The youths all had unique personalities, and the chubby young boy kept pestering the Daoist saber nun, attempting to speak in an awkwardly uncouth manner like a certain someone. However, he ended up being labeled a stupid goose by the Daoist nun from Stalactite Mountain.

Meanwhile, the single-armed young girl kept staring at the sword techniques of the old sword cultivator. There was displeasure on the face of the handsome young boy, and the tanned young boy numbly looked at the large gate. He had heard that another world lay beyond this nearby gate. Moreover, there was only a single sun and moon there, and there were also beautiful mountains and limpid waters. The young boy couldn\'t fathom the concept of beautiful mountains and limpid waters.

The handsome young boy continued to smack the hilts of his swords with his palms, appearing slightly impatient as he grumbled, "If I see that person, I\'m afraid that I won\'t be able to stop myself from swinging my sword at him. You guys definitely have to stop me at that time."

The chubby young boy chuckled and replied, "Why should we stop you? It\'s best that you hack him to death. Afterward, you\'ll also be chopped into mincemeat by Ning Yao. That way, we\'ll kill two birds with one stone and eliminate two eyesores at once. Rest assured, I\'ll look after Scripture and Cloud Pattern for you."

After joking around, the chubby young boy appeared slightly helpless as he continued, "Ning Yao isn\'t willing to say anything about that person, and she keeps repeating the same reply again and again — an idiot from Jewel Small World, a foolishly kind person, and an absolute miser... Why do I feel like if we were forced to make a choice, that bookworm from the Confucian school is slightly more likable? At the very least, he\'s fought alongside us several times, and he even saved Charcoal Dong that one time. He\'s just barely worthy of Ning Yao."

The ugly young boy shot a ferocious glare at the chubby young boy.

The latter was completely unafraid, and he responded by making eyes at the ugly young boy.

"Maybe we\'re overthinking things?" the handsome young boy speculated. "With Ning Yao\'s personality, will she ever be attracted to anyone?"

The single-armed young girl carefully pondered this for a moment. She cherished her words like gold, and she concluded, "Tough!"

————

In the second half of the night in Stalactite Mountain, a gallant-looking young girl dressed in dark green and with twin swords on her waist appeared near the foot of Lone Peak. She didn\'t so much as glance at the sword-hugging middle-aged man and the young Daoist priest as she directly walked into the mirror-like gate.

In just an instant, she walked out from the mirror-like gate again, welcomed by the scorching sun in the sky. She looked up and instinctively squinted her eyes.

Inside and outside the large gate, the sword-hugging middle-aged man and the young Daoist priest, as well as the old sword cultivator in gray and the Daoist saber nun, all exchanged a glance as if in tacit understanding.

As for the group of youths who were the same age as her, friends who deeply respected and revered her, they all breathed a sigh of relief in a very heartless manner. Seeing Ning Yao return to the Sword Qi Great Wall by herself, they felt like the weather today was truly quite good.

They walked for a while, and the tanned young boy called Charcoal Dong eventually turned around and asked, "Big Sister Ning?"

Ning Yao nodded in response before picking up her pace to catch up with the others.

She then overtook them.

Initially talking and laughing, the group of four young children quickly fell silent.

————

Outside the Sword Reverence Pagoda in Stalactite Mountain, Chen Ping\'an stood up and planned to return to Stork Inn.

After he stood up, however, he discovered a couple-like pair walking over from the distance. They were middle-aged and dressed in a simple but elegant manner, and they both had smiles on their ordinary-looking faces. They only took a quick glance at him before turning their attention to the Sword Reverence Pagoda behind him.

Chen Ping\'an looked down and retied the wine gourd to his waist. In fact, he hadn\'t taken another sip after sitting down. He was just about to leave.

However, the woman smiled and asked in a gentle voice, "This is our first time visiting the Sword Reverence Pagoda, and we\'ve heard that the pagoda is very big inside. Is there anything we should keep in mind?"

Chen Ping\'an stopped and pondered for a brief moment before nodding and replying, "How about I show the two of you around?"

The man and woman exchanged a smile before nodding and saying, "Sure thing."

1. From the poem \'On Double Ninth Day Thinking of My Brothers at Home\'. ☜