Unsheathed

Chen Ping'an arrived on a platform in the middle of a lake. He looked around at the vast and rippling surface of Emerald Lake, upon which wisps of mist were rising. There were a hundred or so pagodas floating above the lake, with each connected to another via a series of small paths. Each pagoda was also provided with two or three small boats, allowing passengers to explore the lake and enjoy the scenery.

There were many tall and graceful young girls in green dresses, most of them around thirteen or fourteen years old. They were all very beautiful, and they were currently guiding passengers in the right direction.

The pagoda that Chen Ping'an was staying in was called Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. When purchasing the boarding jade pendant, the seller had suggested that Chen Ping'an consider allowing others to stay in this pagoda as well, especially since it was three storeys tall. That way, his boarding jade pendant would also become cheaper. After giving this some thought, however, Chen Ping'an had ultimately turned down the offer.

The worker selling boarding jade pendants for Treasure Swallowing Whale hadn't found this strange. After all, it was normal for cultivators to prefer living by themselves. However, if it were a vagrant cultivator, it was more likely that they would be willing to share a pagoda with others. This was because it was extremely difficult for them to earn money, and they had to carefully budget everything.

Moreover, living with others might give them the opportunity to build relationships and expand their network. When it came to cultivation, it wouldn't be a bad thing to make new friends, even if the friendship was only shallow. After all, there might come a time when fortunes changed and these relationships transformed into significant fated opportunities.

After a maidservant in green pointed Chen Ping'an in the right direction, he left the tall platform in the middle of Emerald Lake and slowly walked along a small path. From time to time, immortals would fly past above or beside him, with some traveling on swords and some traveling on the wind. After walking for a short while, a beautiful "young woman" held the hem of his dress and ran over in small steps, appearing extremely playful and innocent.

Chen Ping'an was not the kind to fear trouble. From his time as an apprentice in the dragon kiln where he was given extremely difficult tasks and scolded to the time when he accompanied Li Baoping, Li Huai, and the others to Mountain Cliff Academy in the capital of Great Sui Nation, he had always taken care of all matters regardless of how big or small they were.

However, even though Chen Ping'an wasn't afraid of this kind of trouble, he was indeed very afraid of another kind of trouble, a kind that was intangible and unpredictable. For example, this Naturalist called Lu Tai. Even though Chen Ping'an didn't feel any instinctive apprehension toward him, and didn't feel the kind of pressure and darkness that radiated from Fu Nanhua and Cui Chan, Chen Ping'an was still used to guaranteeing the safety of a matter before determining whether it was good or bad.

In Stalactite Mountain, how many people dreamed of stepping into the Ape Havoc Estate owned by the Liu Clan?

However, after Chen Ping'an heard the passerby describe the Sword Reverence Pagoda as being located "near the Ape Havoc Estate," he had roughly understood the might and influence of the Liu Clan from Pure White Continent. Thus, the first thing he had done was to draw a clear line between himself and Liu Youzhou, although he had a good impression of the young boy. Deep down, Chen Ping'an was more comfortable with living alone as he had done in Jewel Small World. He was already accustomed to living by himself.

The young man who had introduced himself as Lu Tai, a descendant from the Lu Clan in Middle Earth Divine Continent, walked alongside Chen Ping'an. He turned around to glance at the side of Chen Ping'an's face as he smiled beautifully and asked, "Are you angry? It's not good for men to be so petty. You need to be more magnanimous. The more magnanimous one is, the more fortunate one will eventually become. The Confucians posit that noble people aren't tools[1]. You should have heard of this before, right?"

Chen Ping'an stopped and turned around to look at the strange person, asking, "Why are you following me around? What are you trying to achieve? If I remember right, your divination that yielded excellent fortune has got nothing to do with me—"

"What do you mean it's got nothing to do with you?" Lu Tai smiled with squinted eyes as he cut Chen Ping'an off. "I used the grain rain coin that you gave me to perform the divination. In other words, it's got everything to do with you. You're the crux of the Go board that contains this fated opportunity—"

It was Chen Ping'an's turn to cut Lu Tai off, and he stressed, "I didn't give you the grain rain coin. I only lent it to you."

Lu Tai furrowed his drawn eyebrows even more slender than those of women. He pondered carefully for a moment before asking in a gentle voice, "Talking about money all the time is bad for relationships. Why don't we make a deal? I'll give you an immortal treasure that I'm fond of in exchange for some more grain rain coins?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and replied, "No thanks. You can keep your debt."

"Why are you so afraid of me? Why do you treat me like a fearsome beast?" Lu Tai asked in an upset voice. "Just think about it. How beautiful is it to come across a fated friend on the path of cultivation and travel around the world together, enjoying all the mountains and rivers together?"

Chen Ping'an could feel a headache forming.

As it turned out, there were genuinely matters in the world that even reason couldn't solve. Chen Ping'an didn't know what to say.

The two of them silently continued forward. Chen Ping'an was at a loss for words. Lu Tai looked around before saying to himself, "This mystical realm used to be a part of the Hanging Flower Blessed Land, a blessed land owned by a female immortal who liked to collect spring water from around the world. However, it's a shame that she ultimately failed when attempting to advance to the Ascension Tier.

"Not only was she killed, but the backlash from the Heavenly Dao also destroyed the Hanging Flower Blessed Land, causing most of it to scatter across the world. This Emerald Lake is one of the more famous mystical realms remaining from the blessed land. The lake is three hundred kilometers across and contains the renowned spring water that the female immortal collected when she was still alive. If one can identify and draw water from the subtle water veins that contain the essence of the spring water, one will find that this water is best for brewing tea."

Chen Ping'an offered no response as he continued to walk forward. After walking two or three kilometers, he saw the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. There were covered walkways running around the pagoda, enclosed by white jade railings. There was also a small dock with two small boats.

Not far from the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda, there was also a large patch of lotus flowers amid which young women were rowing boats and harvesting lotus seeds. They were humming tunes from their hometown that sounded mellow and moving.

Chen Ping'an stopped and said to the feminine young man, "I've arrived."

Lu Tai nodded in response.

Upon seeing him play dumb, Chen Ping'an could only cut straight to the point and say, "I won't invite you inside today. If I have time later, I'll go over to your place to visit you. Where are you staying?"

Lu Tai raised a hand and pointed at the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda.

Chen Ping'an smiled wryly and said, "Please don't joke around, Young Master Lu."

Lu Tai lifted his hands and showed off the large handful of lesser heat coins, saying, "When we were at the platform in the middle of the lake just then, I was forced to make a decision for the sake of my livelihood. Seeing that the relationship between us is so good, I surmised that you would give me a place to stay no matter what. Thus, I sold my place to a very wealthy immortal."

Chen Ping'an's expression was quite dark.

"Rest assured, I definitely won't disturb your cultivation," Lu Tai hurriedly added. "I'll be fine if you lend me a small boat. I can sleep there at night. If there aren't any pressing issues, I promise that I definitely won't enter the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. I've also brought some food with me, so you don't need to worry about me at all. Living in this world as a cultivator, which place isn't a temporary abode? You certainly don't need to feel any guilt. Enduring hardships is also a form of cultivation..."

Chen Ping'an's expression was completely dark. How could there be such a shameless person in the world?

Lu Tai suddenly smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'll be honest with you. Apart from receiving an excellent fortune divination that pertained to becoming nobility during this trip to Parasol Leaf Continent, I actually discovered that the fated opportunity in this trip doesn't lie with treasures. Instead, it's related to the characters 'Observing Dao on the Ascending Sun Platform.' Traveling with you and borrowing your mind's realm, I can temper my Dao Heart regardless of the state of your mind. This is called borrowing stones from another mountain to polish jade..."

After saying this, Lu Tai caught himself with a chuckle and corrected, "No, no, what I meant to say was borrowing jade from another mountain to polish stone!"

Chen Ping'an didn't dwell on Lu Tai's slip-up. However, he was both worried and relieved when he heard Lu Tai mention "observing Dao."

He was relieved because Lu Tai most likely wasn't speaking nonsense. Thus, this wasn't a plot that specifically targeted him. However, he was worried because Lu Tai, someone with an unknown background, was now following him around as he traveled to Parasol Leaf Continent to search for that Daoist temple and the old Daoist priest. Was this not an unnecessary complication?

Lu Tai hesitated for a moment before seemingly making a huge decision. He gritted his teeth and said, "If you're always guarding against me everywhere like this, it will definitely affect my opportunity to observe Dao and become nobility. I can earnestly tell your fortune a single time. Let me tell you something: my fortune-telling is quite accurate as long as one's fortune doesn't relate to individuals who are too powerful.

"Otherwise, I'll suffer quite a bit if one's fortune pertains to immortals at the Upper Five Tiers. It's hundreds upon thousands of times more painful than sleeping in a small boat or whatnot! Chen Ping'an, this is a rare opportunity, so make sure to grab it with both hands!"

As if afraid that Chen Ping'an wouldn't believe him, Lu Tai fixed his gaze on the young boy and added, "I'm not lying to you!"

Chen Ping'an sighed and shook his hands, turning down Lu Tai's offer. He simply said, "You can stay in the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. However, we'll each cultivate on our own afterward, and we won't interfere with each other's cultivation."

There was a strange expression on Lu Tai's face as he looked at Chen Ping'an's leaving figure. He was dazed for a while before a look of realization and relief spread across his face. He hurriedly walked over to keep up with Chen Ping'an.

In the end, Chen Ping'an decided to stay on the first floor while Lu Tai chose to stay on the third floor. As if in tacit understanding, the second floor separated the two of them.

Lu Tai comfortably lay down on a bed on the third storey with a lazy and satisfied expression. He couldn't help but chuckle. Haha, men and women who aren't related should keep their distance[2].

Since Lu Tai insisted on following him, Chen Ping'an decided to go with the flow and give him a place to stay.

Chen Ping'an paid no more heed to the mysterious Naturalist disciple. Apart from the sword on his back and the Sword Nurturing Gourd by his waist, Chen Ping'an had no other items on him. He was light and at ease. Of course, the only bug in his drink right now was his uninvited guest.

Chen Ping'an sat at the table by the window and took out a stack of books from Fifteenth. There was the immortal book, the Mountain and Sea Chronicle, the two books introducing the official dialects of Middle Earth Divine Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent, and the travel journal that he had obtained in Colorful Garment Nation. Chen Ping'an carefully stacked these books on the table before retrieving some precious bamboo slips that had come from the divine mountain in Bamboo Sea Small World. He planned to inscribe some quotes as he read.

Every day, he would practice the Mountain Shaking Fist in the morning, train according to the Proper Sword Scripture in the afternoon, and read and learn the official dialects of the two continents at night.

There was one thing that he found quite strange. This was clearly a shattered mystical realm, yet the sun and moon still rose and set, with their reflections dazzling across Emerald Lake in a peculiar manner. There was still day and night like the normal world. He didn't know whether this was a supreme illusion technique applied by some immortal or a unique rule that applied to shattered blessed lands.

Chen Ping'an strolled along the walkway surrounding the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda as he practiced walking meditation.

There was a cool breeze gently carrying with it the refreshing fragrance of the nearby lotus flowers. There was also the indistinctive sound of young girls singing as they harvested lotus seeds. It was with such a backdrop that a young boy in white calmly threw punches

In the afternoon, Chen Ping'an would stay in the first floor of the pagoda as he practiced sword techniques. He wouldn't go to the walkway outside the building. Same as always, he still used an imaginary sword, even though he had a real one he could practice with.

This was because Lasting Qi, the sword on his back, could help temper his soul. This was a form of cultivation in and of itself. Thus, Chen Ping'an wouldn't remove the sword from his back even when he slept at night. Instead, he would choose to sleep on his side.

The Sword Nurturing Gourd was hanging high in front of his bed. He no longer drank as frequently now, so there was no need to always keep the wine gourd by his waist.

Meanwhile, his mental connection with his two flying swords, First and Fifteenth, became stronger and stronger. This was thanks to them staying together day and night during the long journeys that covered tens of thousands of kilometers. The tacit understanding between them was becoming more and more apparent. At the same time, communication with the flying swords also became smoother and smoother. It was as if Chen Ping'an's two flying swords were becoming more mature and intelligent.

After going to sleep, Chen Ping'an would task his two flying swords with guarding the building. First didn't agree, but it didn't refuse either. Fifteenth, who was more docile, it happily "nodded" inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd.

While reading at night, Chen Ping'an sometimes also took out the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book on a whim. After advancing to the fourth tier, he discovered that he could draw two more types of talismans. One was the Mountain and River Sword Edict Talisman. The book specified that the character "mountain" referred to the "mountain of the three mountains," yet it didn't go into more detail about what this meant.

The character "river" was also explained in a very general and vague manner. It only said that a divine person once ruled over the rivers and was responsible for "slaying sin and vanquishing evil." This divine person was also fond of "swallowing all ghosts."

The Sword Edict Talisman was a type of defensive talisman. As for the second talisman, the Rain-Praying Talisman, the name was pretty self-explanatory. It could "summon dark clouds and bring forth a deluge of rain." The Rain-Praying Talisman was a type of altar talisman, one that was mostly mastered and used by powerful talisman masters from the Daoist Sect. Chen Ping'an didn't have much interest in this talisman.

These two talismans were of a slightly higher grade compared to the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman, the Cleansing Talisman, and the Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman. Chen Ping'an was especially serious about the Sword Edict Talisman, so he used a piece of the most ordinary yellow talisman paper to draw the talisman. It was a slight struggle.

After advancing to the Three Qi Tempering Tiers of martial arts, Chen Ping'an's soul stabilized significantly, allowing it to become increasingly pure and powerful. He could often hear the imperceptible sound of dripping water as his three souls passed by his mind's lake.

Thus, Chen Ping'an could already tell that there was a lack of mental intent in his Sword Edict Talisman. However, he wasn't sure about how powerful this talisman was. Since Lu Tai was staying on the third floor, Chen Ping'an also decided against testing the talisman to verify its power.

After ten days, Chen Ping'an would occasionally hear the sound of light footsteps on the second floor. However, this was rare, and Lu Tai never once came down to the first floor to disturb Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an felt slightly more at ease.

This was a fated encounter that had run into him for no reason, so he was happy as long as it wasn't an ill-boding one. He would not actively try to get something out of it.

1. The saying "noble people aren't tools" (君子不器) is from the Analects of Confucius. It means that noble people shouldn't act like tools that mindlessly complete a single task without considering the deeper implications. ☜

2. This was a popular Confucian notion during the Song Dynasty, whereby men and women who aren't related by blood or marriage should keep their distance. At the time, they couldn't personally hand items to each other either. ☜

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