Unsheathed

Chen Ping'an came across a very awkward situation. As it turned out, fewer than one in ten people in Stalactite Mountain understood the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Meanwhile, Chen Ping'an couldn't speak or understand the official dialect of Middle Earth Divine Continent. As a result, it was a case of a chicken trying to communicate with ducks as Chen Ping'an asked for directions and kind-hearted passers-by tried to help him out.

In the end, Chen Ping'an was forced to bite the bullet and ask over thirty people before finally coming across someone who could understand the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent a little. However, this person didn't know the location of Stork Inn...

Chen Ping'an stood on the bustling street, a lost expression on his face as he looked around. He grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and could only drink wine to wash away his gloom.

If push came to shove, he could only return to the Catch and Release Dock and ask Lady Gui for Jin Su. He would have to ask this osmanthus girl to act as his guide. As for whether Jin Su would taunt him as an act of revenge, Chen Ping'an didn't care much about this.

When it came to face, this was indeed a fairly important consideration between familiar acquaintances. However, how many times would he see someone like Jin Su, a temporary guest in his life? Thus, it was okay to be a bit more shameless.

No path through the layered mountains and winding rivers, suddenly I see green willows, bright flowers, and another village[1].

Chen Ping'an managed to nab another passer-by who understood the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but this passer-by also didn't know the location of Stork Inn. However, he knew where the Sword Reverence Pagoda and the Ape Havoc Estate were located.

When asking him for directions, Chen Ping'an said, "Mister, do you know where the Sword Reverence Pagoda is located?"

Surprisingly, the passer-by's reply was, "Oh, do you mean the Sword Reverence Pagoda near the Ape Havoc Estate? It's quite easy to get there; it's not too far away from here."

Liu Youzhou, the young boy from Pure White Continent, wasn't a simple person.

And thus, Chen Ping'an directly turned around and returned to the Catch and Release Dock. The passer-by's face was filled with slight disappointment as he looked at the young boy's disappearing figure. How good would it have been if he had managed to use this opportunity to forge some relationships with the Ape Havoc Estate? Even showing his face there and being remembered by them would have been a decent outcome.

In the end, Jin Su happily disembarked from Osmanthus Island and led the "dejected and miserable" Chen Ping'an to Stork Inn. Before leaving Osmanthus Island, Lady Gui had given her three lesser heat coins and told her to use them sparingly. After entering Stalactite Mountain, Jin Su asked Chen Ping'an whether he wanted to visit the Catch and Release Pavilion. Chen Ping'an told her that he had already visited. Jin Su nodded and said that the Catch and Release Pavilion was the least interesting of the attractions, and it was far inferior to places such as Ganoderma Inn and Milu Cliff. Indeed, he definitely needed to visit the Sword Reverence Pagoda if he wanted to make this trip worthwhile.

The two of them walked for almost an hour, and Jin Su spent this time introducing the important scenic locations in Stalactite Mountain to Chen Ping'an. For example, places like Ganoderma Inn. And for example, how the Sword Reverence Pagoda displayed the replica swords of sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall who had slain Upper Five Tier demons before. People could visit and pay homage to these swords.

After arriving in Stalactite Mountain, Jin Su was clearly no longer as cold and aloof as she was in Osmanthus Island. Her personality changed drastically, and even though she wasn't exactly gushing without pause, she already seemed no different from ordinary girls her age.

She explained that there was a Ganoderma ruyi[2] kept in Ganoderma Inn, a ruyi that had been left in Majestic World by the Dao Ancestor. It was filled with spiritual energy, and it transformed the entire Ganoderma Inn into something like a blessed land. Thus, cultivating here would lead to double the results with half the effort. Because of this, Ganoderma Inn was also the most expensive inn on Stalactite Mountain.

In fact, even if they did have money, disciples from immortal sects who had come here to train and wealthy descendants from powerful clans who had come here to sightsee found it extremely difficult to reserve a room in Ganoderma Inn. They needed to make reservations several months in advance.

When they drew close to Stork Inn, Jin Su lowered her voice and said, "There are also rumors that the Dao Ancestor personally planted a gourd vine. Seven of the highest-quality Sword Nurturing Gourds were crafted from its fruits, and one of the seven is kept in a secret room in Ganoderma Inn. Moreover, it's the one crafted from the gourd that ripened first. Right now, it's rumored to be secretly nurturing the flying swords of a dozen or so powerful sword immortals from the Majestic World."

When it came to these kinds of rumors and gossip, outsiders would often discuss them with spirit and exuberance. It was as if these outsiders had personally seen the Sword Nurturing Gourds before. Jin Su had heard these rumors from other people, and she was also no exception to this worldly habit.

In reality, the Daoist priests from the Daoist second disciple's lineage responsible for maintaining the rules in Stalactite Mountain had never mentioned anything about Sword Nurturing Gourds and nurturing flying swords for powerful sword immortals before. They simply stated that no such matter existed in Ganoderma Inn, and it was best that people didn't think about this and spread rumors.

Chen Ping'an was reminded of the silver Sword Nurturing Gourd that A'Liang had given to Little Baoping. Of course, he also remembered the golden-purple Sword Nurturing Gourd that Sun Scorch Mountain's Celestial Maiden Su Jia had once worn by her waist. In addition to this, there was naturally the so-called old ancestor of Sword Nurturing Gourds that the feminine man had mentioned not long ago.

"Miss Jin Su, is the Ape Havoc Estate very famous in Stalactite Mountain?" Chen Ping'an suddenly asked.

"Of course!" Jin Su replied with a nod. "The Ape Havoc Estate owned by Pure White Continent's Liu Clan is one of the four large private estates in Stalactite Mountain. It sits on a very large piece of land, and it enjoys even greater renown. The Liu Clan is the number one clan in Pure White Continent, and they also have an extremely good reputation there. Almost all of the emperors, rulers, earth immortals, and cultivators in Pure White Continent want to forge a good relationship with the Liu Clan.

"Moreover, we Qi refiners use snowflake coins the most, right? Their appearance is based on the appearance of coins forged by the Liu Clan. In fact, the Liu Clan owns ten percent of the mountain range where the jade mines are located. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it's an immense amount!"

Chen Ping'an was slightly stunned.

No wonder Liu Youzhou had said something like "no matter how little one grain rain coin is worth." He genuinely hadn't been bragging.

Jin Su's expression was slightly adrift as she continued, "Descendants of the Liu Clan are truly fortune's children who are born with not just a silver spoon, but a silver mountain. If they want to do something, they can simply throw money at the task. There's nothing in the world that the Liu Clan can't afford."

Old Dragon City's Sun Jiashu had personally uttered these words to her. At that time, Jin Su had caught a hint of yearning in the eyes of Sun Jiashu, this young fortune god. Thus, she had a very deep impression of this.

Chen Ping'an became increasingly determined not to purposely form bonds with Liu Youzhou.

That young boy was like Osmanthus Island, a colossal intercontinental ship. The roaring waves that he created weren't things that Chen Ping'an could withstand in his current state.

Chen Ping'an became slightly despondent upon thinking of this. It was as if wind and snow were pounding down on his heart.

How many mountain and water seals could he squander?

Right now, he only had a single water seal remaining.

Even though there had been tens of thousands of reasons for Chen Ping'an to act as he had done, and he would step forward and make the same choice if faced with the same situation again...

The loss of the mountain seal still weighed heavily on Chen Ping'an's mind. He was unable to let this go, not a single bit.

However, Chen Ping'an was now able to truly keep these negative emotions to himself now. He was no longer like the young boy from before, the one who had remained downcast and silent for several hundred kilometers after that farewell outside the rundown temple. The big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest had naturally noticed his low spirits, and they had been forced to worry about him the entire time.

Stork Inn was located at the end of an alley. The inn manager was a serious and unsmiling young man, and he didn't smile even when he saw Jin Su, who had come here several times. After preparing two neighboring rooms for Jin Su and Chen Ping'an, the inn manager paid no more heed to them and left them to their own devices.

Jin Su turned to Chen Ping'an and explained in a quiet voice, "The inn manager inherited his father's business. Stork Inn used to be very big, and half of the alley used to belong to the inn. It was fairly well-renowned in the region around the Catch and Release Dock. However, an unforeseen accident took place, and Osmanthus Island seemingly offered some help as well during that time. However, the inn manager's father still passed away. Things fell into decline, and we're left with what we see now."

Chen Ping'an silently committed this to memory.

Apart from the Dust Medicinal Shop's Zheng Dafeng, all of the shop managers in the world could probably be regarded as good managers.

The inns in Stalactite Mountain were no different from the city inns and village inns that Chen Ping'an had stayed in during his travels through the mountains and rivers. They were simply a bit more elegant and clean.

Jin Su knocked on Chen Ping'an's door before entering. After sitting down, she started to plan the next two days' schedule with Chen Ping'an. She already had a plan in mind, and she suggested that they visit four places the next day — the Daoist Seal Hall, the Sword Reverence Pagoda, Ganoderma Inn, and the Daoist Saber Room.

They could then visit three places the day after — the Incense Offering Tower, Milu Cliff, and the Lightning Lake Platform. The Lone Peak located in the central region of Stalactite Mountain was a restricted area, so they could only look at it from far away even though they would pass by on their way to the other sightseeing locations.

Chen Ping'an asked if there were any shops where he could purchase or sell precious treasures. Jin Su told him that Ganoderma Inn was one such place, and there was also the Cloth Wrapper Shop that had opened on the opposite side of the street to fight for business. Both places dealt with large numbers of treasures and huge sums of money every day, and they only cared about the value of treasures and not the status of their customers. Things were extremely reliable and stable.

Due to this fact, many heinous cultivators liked to visit Stalactite Mountain whenever they reaped big rewards. They could flee from pursuit, and they could openly sell their spoils as well. They could obtain money and enjoy life.

There were several islands close to Stalactite Mountain, and many righteous cultivators would stay on these islands all year round. They would keep a sharp eye on the situation in Stalactite Mountain, in order to observe the criminals hiding in the mountain. These criminals who were taking advantage of Stalactite Mountain's rules to avoid punishment were all demonic or heretical cultivators who had the blood of countless people in their hands. These were criminals who had gained infamy in several large continents.

Chen Ping'an asked about the exact location where he would leave Stalactite Mountain and enter the Sword Qi Great Wall, and Jin Su was curious about why the young boy was asking this given he would head there in just three days' time. However, she still told him that the location was someplace beside the Lone Peak in the central region of Stalactite Mountain. There was a large door there, one which was a replica of ancient Immortal Ascending Platforms. Those with a jade tablet inscribed with the character "border" could visit and observe this door.

Like the 10th tier of pure martial arts, the 13th tier of Qi refinement, the Ascension Tier, was considered the End Tier. The two tiers above this were the Two Lost Tiers. During those ancient times when sages had traveled around the world to teach and benefit the masses, there had seemingly been Immortal Ascending Platforms scattered around the world.

Qi refiner could easily ascend, and they could ride the clouds, ride dragons, or ride cranes as they enjoyed ascension. Heavenly maidens would scatter flowers in the air, iridescent clouds would decorate the sky with spectacular colors, and brilliant rays of light would shoot through space. All of these peculiar phenomena would appear together to celebrate the ascending cultivator's attainment of the Dao.

Cultivators yearned to achieve this.

After Chen Ping'an and Jin Su agreed on a time to meet up and leave tomorrow morning, the young boy left the inn by himself and headed to the foot of the Lone Peak. The Lone Peak was where the Great Heavenly Lord was cultivating in seclusion.

Chen Ping'an mulled over the nine different places as he walked — the Catch and Release Pavilion, Sword Reverence Pagoda, Incense Offering Tower, Lightning Lake Platform, Ganoderma Inn, Daoist Seal Hall, Daoist Saber Room, Milu Cliff, and Lone Peak.

There were nine different structures, just like there were nine different Mighty Suppressing Pagodas.

Perhaps this was also a formation used by a sage to hold down fortune.

At the foot of the Lone Peak, there was a divine mountain path wide enough to accommodate three horse-drawn carriages. Nearby, there was also a plaza paved with white jade. There was only a single iron chain fence surrounding the plaza, and the fence was only half a meter tall. Anyone could stride over the fence with a single step.

There were two large pillars located in the center of the plaza, made of white jade and measuring more than thirty meters in height. Between the two pillars, there was a curtain of water that appeared as still as a mirror. Small ripples would occasionally travel over its surface.

Few people were on the plaza right now, and there were only twenty or thirty people scattered around. Whether old or young, male or female, everyone had a "border" jade tablet hanging from their waist. Some mischievous children directly charged through the curtain of water and sprinted around, chasing after their friends and playing boisterously on the plaza.

There was no Daoist priest responsible for overlooking the plaza. Chen Ping'an hesitated briefly before carefully stepping over the iron chain fence and entering the plaza. There was no unexpected response, and this allowed him to calm down slightly. He slowly walked toward the two large pillars.

Chen Ping'an discovered that flowing light would appear under his feet with each step that he took. Looking up, he discovered a young Daoist priest wearing a large Daoist robe sitting on a straw mat beside one of the large pillars. He was reading a book. If little children who looked around the same age as him approached him, the young Daoist robes with a fish tail hat would casually flick his sleeve and send the children floating into the distance.

The little children were delighted by this, and they continued to run up to the young Daoist priest again and again. The young Daoist priest didn't seem annoyed by their antics either, and he continued to flick his sleeve again and again.

Chen Ping'an didn't dare to emulate the children's wanton acts of charging into the "mirror" without permission, so he instead walked around a large pillar to go behind the curtain of water. He found that there was another small pillar standing beside the large pillar. This stone pillar looked like a hitching post, and there was a middle-aged swordsman in tattered clothes sitting cross-legged on top of it. There was a sword in his arms, and his eyes were closed as he snoozed.

This person was clearly... a paramount individual!

Chen Ping'an didn't dare to disturb this swordsman's rest, so he subconsciously started to walk in a quieter manner. He was just about to turn around and return to the other side.

The sleeping swordsman's head suddenly drooped and jerked back up, causing him to wake with a start. His appearance was rather plain, and he looked left, right, up, and down before finally settling his gaze on the young boy with a sword case on his back. He murmured something to himself — it seemed like three words — before going back to sleep.

Chen Ping'an stood near the curtain of water and dazedly stared at it for a long time.

He found it difficult to imagine that the Sword Qi Great Wall actually lay on the other side of this curtain. Another world existed behind this curtain of water?

On the Lone Peak that towered into the clouds, there existed the tallest building on Stalactite Mountain. This building would be hidden by seas of clouds for more than half of the year. There were three bell chimes hanging from the eaves on the top floor of the building, and it was rumored that they would only chime in a melodious manner when all three branch masters of the Daoist Sect visited Stalactite Mountain together.

Right now, a Great Heavenly Lord of the Daoist Sect was standing on the roof and looking through the clouds, peering down at the plaza beneath the Lone Peak.

The young boy with a sword case on his back was as small as a mustard seed.

1. An extract from Lu You's poem, 游山西村. Lu You was a Chinese historian and poet of the Southern Song Dynasty. ☜

2. The ruyi is a type of Chinese ceremonial scepter. ☜

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