Unsheathed

Chapter 358 (1): Crossing Bridges and Scaling Mountains

The campfire was providing some warmth in the rundown temple in the wake of the storm.

The little lotus spirit was sitting on Chen Ping'an's leg, and it subtly pointed at Pei Qian's eye.

Chen Ping'an immediately understood its intentions, and he instructed Pei Qian to leave the temple with him, while the little lotus spirit vanished into the earth to help Chen Ping'an patrol the area around the temple.

Chen Ping'an hadn't seen what had happened to Pei Qian in the temple earlier, but after the battle, he had noticed the blood on her sleeves and the mud all over her body. She had told him that her eyes had suddenly started hurting out of the blue, and she had rolled around in pain on the ground for a long time. After that, the little lotus figure had given Chen Ping'an a very animated recount of the events that had transpired.

After leading Pei Qian some distance out of the temple, Chen Ping'an stopped in his tracks, then turned around and crouched down to look closely into Pei Qian's eyes.

"What happened? Why did your eyes suddenly start bleeding?"

Pei Qian's complexion instantly turned as pale as a sheet as she thought back to the painful ordeal she had suffered, and tears began to well up in her eyes as she shook her head and sobbed. "I don't know. They suddenly started to really hurt, like something was about to explode inside, just like the firecrackers that rich people set off during celebrations.

“By the way, can we set off some firecrackers to celebrate the New Year once we get back home? It looks so festive, I've always wanted to give it a try!"

Chen Ping'an didn't know how to respond to Pei Qian's erratic train of thought, and he said, "Back when we left Dragon Spring Prefecture, someone forbade us from returning there in the next five years. However, we can definitely set off some firecrackers on New Year's Eve. Let's get back on track here. Did the old Daoist priest that threw us out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land do something to your eyes? Did he say anything to you?"

Pei Qian considered the question for a moment, then replied, "Back in Old Man Wei's house in the capital of Southern Garden Nation, there was a well, and I was feeling really bored, so I was staring down at the bottom of the well. When I looked up, I suddenly saw a really, really tall old man wearing a Daoist robe. He told me that he wanted to put something in my eyes, and I naturally refused, but he then told me that it was worth a lot of money, so I agreed..."

All of a sudden, Pei Qian yelped as Chen Ping'an grabbed onto her ear and scolded her, "Are you stupid? You're going to get killed someday if you keep being so greedy!"

Pei Qian immediately began to complain that her eyes were hurting, and only then did Chen Ping'an let go of her ear.

At the same time, he recalled that Zhong Kui had remarked that Pei Qian had very pretty eyes. He must've already seen something back then, but refrained from pointing it out.

Chen Ping'an then recalled something Zhong Kui said.

The sun rises from the East Sea, scattering molten gold over thousands of miles. The moon sets behind the West Mountain, when the apes start to call.

"Surely he didn't actually put the sun and moon of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land into her eyes," Chen Ping'an mused to himself.

At the very least, she was able to see the little lotus spirit even when it was underground, and she was also able to see through the concealment ability of the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain.

Following the incident where that young Daoist priest had given him that ancestral hall jade tablet, Chen Ping'an had become rather apprehensive. However, when it came to that old Daoist priest from the Observing Dao Temple, if he truly wanted to plot against Chen Ping'an, it was clear to Chen Ping'an that he would be powerless to resist, so he could only go with the flow and deal with whatever circumstances were thrown at him as they arose.

In Chen Ping'an's eyes, he didn't think that the ancestral hall jade tablet had been bestowed upon him as part of some underhanded scheme hatched by the old Daoist priest. This wasn't because he admired or respected the old Daoist priest; rather, it was because he knew that for cultivators of his caliber, such as Branch Master Lu Chen, they no longer resorted to sly and underhanded schemes. Instead, all of their plots and machinations were clearly laid out, and they aimed to comply with the Great Dao in everything that they did.

Chen Ping'an rose to his feet, then said, "I'll buy you a new oil-paper umbrella later."

"Why waste money on that?" Pei Qian asked with a surprised expression.

Chen Ping'an offered no response, merely instructing her to return to the rundown temple.

After Pei Qian had returned to the temple, Chen Ping'an turned to discover an old man who he was immediately able to identify as Duke Gao Shizhen due to his striking resemblance to Gao Shuyi. Standing behind Gao Shizhen was an old man holding an umbrella.

He appeared to be a steward, and was most likely a Qi refiner. There was also a white-robed old man holding a wooden cane, and he was looking at Chen Ping'an with a fawning smile on his face.

Gao Shizhen was staring intently at Chen Ping'an when he suddenly mused, "You're even younger than I imagined. If only the third prince hadn't tried to eliminate the Yao Clan in that clan on the border. It was his desire for further accolades that led to that disaster. If you and my son, Gao Shuyi, had met in Mirage City instead, perhaps on a rainy night just like this one... If you had met as a pair of strangers and just so happened to share a drink together in a restaurant, would the two of you have become friends?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head in response.

Gao Shizhen's face began to contort with rage.

"I already said this to Liu Cong earlier: all of us understand the principles and know what we should do, but no matter how wise and sagely those principles are, the temptation of getting something that we want can be too difficult to resist. I hope that Gao Shuyi doesn't encounter me again in his next life. Otherwise, I'll be sure to kill him again," Chen Ping'an declared.

Gao Shizhen's expression darkened even further, and he asked, "Are you trying to goad me into attacking you so that you'll have a reason to retaliate and erase my entire clan from the Great Quan Empire?"

Chen Ping'an raised a hand and waved it dismissively as he replied, "This is the problem with you and Gao Shuyi. Everything you do and say is so predictable."

This casual gesture from Chen Ping'an harbored no ill will, but the old steward's heart instantly leaped up into his throat upon hearing this, and he almost threw himself in front of Gao Shizhen, while the old man holding the wooden cane was on the verge of fleeing into the earth. This was an unfathomably powerful immortal who had just slain the great water demon of Burial River and forced a noble scholar into retreat with a single slash of his sword!

How was a mere mountain lord like him supposed to stand any chance here? In the eyes of the white-robed mountain lord, just a single sneeze from Chen Ping'an would be enough to wipe him out of existence!

Gao Shizhen turned out to be the most calm and collected of the three, and he said, "I've come here to transport the bodies of the deceased soldiers down the mountain. You're not going to stop me, are you?"

"That's the only reason I'm even willing to stand here and talk to you," Chen Ping'an replied.

Gao Shizhen was becoming more and more furious by the second.

The Gao Clan had been in power ever since the founding of the Great Quan Empire, and never had it been humiliated like this!

"Master," the steward called out in a quiet voice, urging him to rein in his temper.

Gao Shizhen took a deep breath to compose himself, then turned to the mountain lord as he snapped, "What do you have to say? Hurry up!"

The mountain lord mustered up some courage before taking a step forward, then extended a deep bow as he smiled and said, "Esteemed Immortal Chen, I will be assisting Duke Gao with transporting the bodies away, and I'll have to employ the services of some mountain spirits to do so.

“They're not exactly the brightest creatures, so I'm worried that they may cause a commotion that would disturb you. Hence, I came to give you some forewarning, and I hope that you can tolerate the disturbance in your infinite majesty and generosity."

"It's fine, just do what you need to do," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod.

"Also, may I ask what you plan to do with the body of that great demon, Esteemed immortal Chen?" the mountain lord asked in a timid manner. "Would you like me to instruct the mountain spirits to perform some menial tasks for you, such as dismembering the body and draining its blood out into containers?"

At this point, Chen Ping'an had only taken the demon core of the river demon, and he smiled as he said, "That would be great, thank you. I'll reward you and the mountain spirits for your efforts once you're done."

The mountain lord was extremely touched, and he was almost moved to the point of tears.

How could there be such a powerful immortal under the heavens who's also so approachable and generous?

Gao Shizhen gave a cold harrumph before turning to depart, while Chen Ping'an made his way back to the rundown temple.

The Burial River great demon had only been one step away from manifesting a golden core, and its demon core was a translucent green color and around the size of a date pit. Perhaps it was because the great demon had been struck by one of the Five Lightning Righteous Technique Talismans from Mount Longhu, but there were traces of lightning flashing within the demon core.

Despite how precious a great demon's body was, Chen Ping'an had definitely made a loss from this battle. In exchange for this false golden core, he had to sacrifice three dragon claw seal script talismans, the Cavalry Circling City Talismans personally inscribed by Zhong Kui, and a golden Five Dragons Holding Jewels talisman. Even now, Chen Ping'an still couldn't help but lament his losses.

As he made his way back to the rundown temple, he was praying that he wouldn't encounter any further crises that would force him to expend even more resources.

As for the two gold essence copper coins that had been used to resurrect Sui Youbian, Chen Ping'an didn't even dare to think about them.

As Chen Ping'an entered the temple, Wei Xian asked, "Should we go back to Mirage City and stage a counterattack? Right now, the Liu Clan must be terrified, so they wouldn't dare to put up any resistance, and we could extort that noble scholar for everything he’s worth in exchange for keeping his dirty deeds a secret."

Chen Ping'an considered this proposal for a moment, then shook his head as he said, "We have to set off for the immortal ferry station on the Heavenly Palace Peak right away. Once there, I'll send flying sword messages to both Great Subduing Academy and Peace and Tranquility Mountain to inform them of what happened tonight, and the rest will be up to them.

“Zhong Kui and the academy must be made aware of Wang Qi's actions. Right now, even Peace and Tranquility Mountain is in a state of turmoil, as is the entirety of Parasol Leaf Continent, so it's best for us to return to Old Dragon City as soon as possible."

Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian were responsible for night watch duties.

Zhu Lian was the one who had suffered the most severe injuries, and he went to wash up in a nearby creek, then changed into a set of clean clothes. After that, he sat down with his legs crossed by the campfire and fell asleep, much to Pei Qian's admiration.

Wei Xian had taken off his suit of Dew Armor, and even though he wasn't on night watch duty, he still made his way out of the temple, then crouched down and stared absentmindedly at all of the chaotic footprints on the ground left behind in the wake of the battle.

As for Chen Ping'an, he sat down with his back leaning against the wall, and it looked as if he had fallen asleep.

Despite her best efforts, sleep continued to elude Pei Qian, and she knew that Chen Ping'an was in a foul mood, but she didn't know exactly why. Was it because he had been forced to part with so many precious talismans during the battle against the great demon? With that in mind, she really wanted to pick up her hiking pole to beat up the little lotus spirit. Before long, a sense of drowsiness began to set in, and she fell asleep in her little tent.

Early the next morning, Wei Xian was seated on the doorstep of the temple, and standing outside the temple was the white-robed mountain lord. Standing further away behind him were some mountain spirits carrying two large bags, as well as an array of different containers.

The mountain lord had arrived outside the temple even before the break of dawn, and he remained completely silent with his group of lackeys. On top of that, he had been smiling at the temple without even a moment of rest for the past two hours, and even Wei Xian couldn't help but be a little impressed.

After waking up from his slumber, Chen Ping'an stepped out of the temple, and upon spotting the mountain lord, he hurriedly approached him and offered him a lesser heat coin for his efforts.

The mountain lord was absolutely terrified, thinking that this was some type of trap, and he desperately refused the lesser heat coin for fear of losing his life.

Hence, Chen Ping'an could only tuck the lesser heat coin away again before cupping his fist in a grateful salute toward the mountain lord. The smile immediately returned to the mountain lord's face, and he promptly departed. Only after traveling for a few kilometers did he dare to wipe the sweat from his own forehead.

A mountain spirit with a human body, but the head of a rat, immediately said in a sycophantic fashion, "To think that even such a powerful immortal treats our esteemed mountain lord with so much respect. If word of this were to spread, no one in this entire mountain range would dare to oppose you ever again!"

The mountain lord was clearly very pleased with the mountain spirit's flattery, and he put on a justified expression as he replied, "That esteemed immortal must've appreciated the stellar quality of my character."

Chen Ping'an looked at all of the bags and containers piled up at the entrance of the temple, and he thought to himself that he could finally put to good use the minimization treasure gifted to him by Zheng Dafeng back in Old Dragon City.

He had become very accustomed to using Fifteenth as a pocket treasure, but the size of its internal space was a little lackluster. The unengraved jade tablet was a minimization treasure highly sought after even among earth immortals, but Chen Ping'an had refrained from using it this entire time, and that was a massive waste.

Pocket treasures and minimization treasures were referred to by cultivators as the smallest of small worlds, and were extremely rare and precious. Cui Dongshan had once reached the lofty pinnacle of the twelfth tier, yet even he only had a single minimization treasure.

A normal pocket treasure or minimization treasure would each have a key that could allow one to open the treasure. Without the key, such a treasure was next to impossible to access except by brute force; of course, if someone resorted to such means, then at the very least, most of the items stored in the treasure would be destroyed, and there was even a chance that the treasure's internal space would be entirely destroyed.

The minimization treasure given to Chen Ping'an by Zheng Dafeng had naturally come with a key, and Zheng Dafeng had also taught him the refinement method for the minimization treasure.

The journey to the Heavenly Palace Peak proved to be smooth and uneventful.

Chen Ping'an had already severely damaged the foundation of the Great Quan Empire, so it was no longer able or willing to intercept Chen Ping'an's group.

Along the northbound journey, Chen Ping'an carried his bamboo case on his back, while Pei Qian was holding her hiking pole with her bag slung across her chest, and the same old Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman was plastered to her forehead.

Lu Baixiang had Halting Snow strapped to his waist, and several go stones in his hand were clacking together audibly.

Sui Youbian had Deep Infatuation on her back, and she often seemed lost in thought as she walked long. Compared with the pure and indifferent sword immortal who had first emerged from the picture scroll, there was now more human emotion about her.

Zhu Lian liked to read as he walked, and Pei Qian couldn't help but wonder how he still hadn't fallen to his death.

Wei Xian was feeling rather bored, and he had begun emulating Chen Ping'an's six-step walking meditation as he walked, something that Chen Ping'an noticed but made no remarks on.

The Heavenly Palace Peak was the tallest peak of Clear Realm Mountain in the northern region of the Great Quan Empire. Clear Realm Mountain had many peaks that stretched over a long distance, and it was teeming with lush greenery, making it one of the most spectacular pieces of scenery to behold in the entire Great Quan Empire.