Unsheathed

Chapter 149: Setting Up a Battle

Chen Ping'an's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the seal with the characters "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment" smashing into Cui Chan's forehead. After bouncing back, the seal came to a hovering stop in midair as if it were a puppet being pulled back and held in place by someone. However, the "puppeteer" was seemingly too weak, and this resulted in the seal slowly bouncing around near the same spot.

Chen Ping'an followed the seal with his gaze, and he eventually turned his eyes to the locust wood sword that was hovering between himself and Li Baoping. There was a little girl in gold who was only as tall as a pinky laying sprawled and hiding on the underside of the flying sword. She tightly gripped the wooden sword with her hands and feet, and it was only at this moment that she struggled to climb back to the upper side of the sword and stand up. The mini and adorable little girl in gold stumbled around in a daze, and it was as if she were a drunkard who could barely keep herself upright. By the looks of it, her trip on the flying sword hadn't been a fun one.

The tranquil seal landed on the wooden sword, and its slightly hefty weight caused the hilt of the sword to tilt upward. This caused the little girl to flap her arms in an attempt to stabilize herself as she slid toward the seal.

Li Baoping also hadn't noticed the existence of the little girl in gold just then. After noticing her, Li Baoping delightedly ran over with great interest. She bent her knees slightly, and she held the tip and hilt of the locust wood sword with her hands as she leaned over to take a closer look at the little girl in gold who was attempting to hide.

The little girl in gold faltered slightly, and it was as if she were someone who was very shy by nature. She covered her face with her hands before jumping straight up. When she landed, she surprisingly sunk into the locust wood sword and vanished from sight.

Chen Ping'an was unsure of what this was all about, and he was unwilling to spend his time mulling over it right now. "Baoping, toss me the wooden sword. You can look after the seal first," he said in a hoarse voice.

Li Baoping immediately suppressed her curiosity, knowing that the most important thing right now was to deal with Cui Chan. After grabbing the seal, she gave a soft shout as she exerted much of her strength to toss the locust wood sword to her junior uncle.

However, the little girl didn't control her strength properly, and the locust wood sword arced toward someplace a little bit off from where Chen Ping'an was standing.

"Turn around!" Chen Ping'an said to Li Baoping.

He then strode toward the left side of the well and planted his foot on the edge of the well wall. After catching the wooden sword, he continued to stride forward, thrusting the wooden sword at Cui Chan's heart as he landed on the ground.

Right at this moment, the little girl in gold stuck the upper half of her body out of the locust wood sword in Chen Ping'an's hand, and it looked as if she were about to cry. Her face was filled with guilt and regret, and she earnestly waved her hands and shook her head at Chen Ping'an. It was as if she wanted to stop Chen Ping'an from killing Cui Chan.

However, Chen Ping'an had been extremely resolute from the moment he caught the wooden sword to the moment he thrust it forward. When the little girl in gold appeared, the tip of the wooden sword had already made contact with Cui Chan's chest. Because Chen Ping'an had fired pottery and molded pottery for so many years, his control over his strength could be regarded as extremely precise. Even if he wanted to pull out from this attack, the Qi channeling through his body and the momentum from his arms through to the wooden sword dictated that it would be impossible for him to change the outcome.

An old scholar with luggage wrapped in cotton cloth on his back suddenly materialized next to them, mumbling with relief, "Phew, thank heavens. I was only an inch away from being screwed over."

Following the old scholar's sudden arrival from out of nowhere, it was as if the young Cui Chan's neck was grabbed by someone and yanked back, causing him to instantly stand straight. Even though Cui Chan was still in a daze, his back was upright and he was standing as straight as green pine. This allowed him to escape the fate of having his heart pierced by Chen Ping'an.

The old scholar looked at the young boy in straw sandals who rapidly retreated and held his wooden sword horizontally in front of himself. Meanwhile, he used his other hand to drag Li Baoping behind him. His grip on the sword was amateurish and awkward, and it could be roughly compared to how a woodsman in the mountains would attempt to hold a calligraphy brush. It looked very awkward and wrong.

"So it's you, huh?" the old man sighed with emotion.

Chen Ping'an was tense and guarded as if he were facing a formidable enemy. He didn't dare to be careless, and he said softly, "Baoping, run away if you find the opportunity. You don't need to worry about me."

However, Chen Ping'an quickly noticed that Li Baoping was tugging his sleeves, again and again. He was slightly surprised, and he looked down and asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Baoping's expression was stiff, and she lifted a finger and pointed behind Chen Ping'an. She opened her mouth slightly, and it was as if she were mouthing three words, "There's a ghost."

Sandwiched by enemies?

Chen Ping'an tensed up, and when he turned around to take a glance, his expression quickly became dumbfounded. He blinked his eyes, and then he blinked them some more. After confirming that he wasn't seeing things, he didn't dare to say anything lest he was overheard and ended up putting Big Sister Immortal in grave danger instead. However, he also felt extremely anxious to say something, yet he didn't know what to say or where to begin. Right now, he was as frantic as an ant on a griddle.

Li Baoping quietly grabbed her junior uncle's sleeve as she glanced at the amiable-looking old scholar before turning her head to glance at the elusive female ghost who could seemingly come and go as she pleased.

Compared to the female ghost in the bright red wedding dress that they had encountered before, tonight's female ghost was dressed in white and also holding a white... lotus leaf in her hands? Li Baoping couldn't help but mumble to herself. Were the female ghosts in the world all this elegant and refined?

Way back when, she had once forced her eldest brother to tell her those bloody and gruesome ghost stories. Among the red skeletons, water ghosts, river spirits, and other fiends that he had described, which of them wasn't terrifying and inclined to cut open a person and feast on their flesh on a whim? He had painted them all as extremely hideous and terrifying creatures.

Were they anything like the female ghost standing in front of her right now? In fact, this female ghost was even more beautiful and attractive than Lady Chu, the female ghost in the bright red wedding dress.

She was extremely tall, yet she still appeared beautifully slender. Her lustrous black hair was like a dazzling waterfall, and it was tied together with a golden silk cloth and draped over her shoulder such that it fell in front of her chest. She appeared especially refined and dignified.

Li Baoping felt like the woman in front of her was both tall and beautiful. This made her feel extremely envious. She secretly stood up on her tippy toes, yet she quickly put the heels of her feet back down in disappointment.

Right now, it was as if the tall woman only had eyes for Chen Ping'an.

She smiled with squinted eyes and said, "We're going to fight with them in a while. There's no need to be afraid of that old man. He's only good at enduring a beating."

"Don't worry, this big sister isn't a bad person. She's on our side!" Chen Ping'an said to Li Baoping, making sure to reassure her first.

He then looked up and couldn't help but ask in a quiet voice, "Didn't you say that you couldn't leave the small town? What if the sages notice this?"

The tall woman shook her wrist, causing the lotus leaf in her hand to sway gently. She spoke in a slow and gentle voice as she replied, "Do you know of a place called the Lotus Flower World?" Her disposition was extremely calming.

Chen Ping'an suddenly recalled Ning Yao's words, and he nodded before replying, "Someone told me about this before. This is a place where the Dao Ancestor goes to relax and calm his mind. Even though it's only one of the 36 small worlds, even the smallest lotus leaf in that small world spans an area larger than the entire capital city of the Great Li Empire."

The tall woman smiled faintly and explained, "It's not that exaggerated. For example, the lotus leaf in my hand can span a radius of five or so kilometers if it assumes its true form. Of course, the largest lotus leaf in that small world is definitely much bigger than the capital of the Great Li Empire. These lotus leaves can obscure one's presence, so in other words, even the sages of the three teachings and the grandmasters of the hundred schools of thought won't be able to detect my movements."

When she saw the perplexed expression on Chen Ping'an's face, she smiled and elaborated, "I didn't have this treasure yet when we met for the first time. However, Qi Jingchun took a trip to the heavens beyond heavens before he left the mortal world, and he found the Dao Ancestor and haggled with that undying old man for a while. It was thanks to him that I was able to get this lotus leaf umbrella. In terms of the price that Qi Jingchun paid... I'm not exactly clear about this. After all, his kindred character 'Tranquil' violates a taboo and has left many people in the Daoist Sect disgruntled. So I can say with certainty that Qi Jingchun definitely paid a huge price during his trip out of this Majestic World and to the Lotus Flower World."

Even the tall woman had a slightly adrift look in her eyes when she said this. She admired that Confucian disciple from the bottom of her heart.

After Qi Jingchun returned to the mortal world from the heavens beyond heavens, the two of them had enjoyed one final conversation.

"This lotus leaf?"

"I took a trip to the heavens beyond heavens and plucked it from the Lotus Flower World. It can help you leave this place without alerting the Great Dao of heaven and earth. You don't need to worry about the sages detecting your movements."

"This is indeed quite good, but are you not afraid of Chen Ping'an becoming wanton and unscrupulous with me by his side? Are you not afraid of him turning into the type of person that you, Qi Jingchun, detest so much?"

"I'm well aware of Chen Ping'an's temperament and character, which is why I'm not worried about him taking advantage of his power to bully others. I won't be worried even if you stand guard next to him the entire time."

"You're this optimistic about Chen Ping'an?"

"What do you think? He's my junior brother, after all!"

"You and Chen Ping'an are of the same generation, while I've accepted Chen Ping'an as my master. So, what are you trying to imply, Qi Jingchun?"

"Haha, I wouldn't dare!"

The tall woman couldn't help but sigh softly in her mind upon recalling this conversation.

It was a pity that the world had lost Qi Jingchun.

In a rare display, the fearless Li Baoping commented in a timid voice, "Big sister, you're so beautiful."

The tall woman nodded and said with a smile, "Mhm, much more beautiful than you."

She was not only bold, but also ruthless and cutting!

Li Baoping was slightly dazed and speechless.

Chen Ping'an's forehead was dripping with cold sweat.

Behind Chen Ping'an, another happy reunion was taking place.

The old scholar glared at the young boy in white who had already regained his consciousness. The young Cui Chan glared back at the old man, thinking, I'm already down, so do I need to fear another fall? Do I need to be afraid of you?

The old scholar looked at the tall woman, who nodded back and signified that it was okay for him to continue.

Only then did the old scholar turn back to the young Cui Chan and scold in embarrassed anger, "Aren't you very smart, Cui Chan? Then why don't the two of us review the events from just then? Did you consider why I suddenly lost control over those characters thereby allowing you to remove them from your soul? Did you consider why those characters were coincidentally even-matched with the wisp of sword qi, with both completely grinding away the other and allowing you to soar up from the bottom of the well and have an opportunity to unleash a deadly attack at Chen Ping'an? Did you consider that you might have been killed by Chen Ping'an in the end, while Chen Ping'an would have also been severely wounded by you?!"

The young Cui Chan's expression was dark and wavering. In the end, he could only purse his lips in a sulky manner and pretend to be indifferent as he replied, "It was nothing more than some interference from some Confucian sage. What's so surprising about that? Even Qi Jingchun willingly walked into a death trap and resigned himself to such a fate, so what's wrong with me being tricked once as well?"

He became increasingly angry as he spoke, and he jabbed his finger at the impoverished old scholar and roared, "Old geezer, you still have the face to say all this? Qi Jingchun who you had the highest hopes for has died, and the fool Ma Zhan who was the most mentally weak has also died. And that person with the surname Zuo decided to simply vanish for good! Meanwhile, I've also fallen to such a miserable state. At the end of the day, is the constant not you? Is this not your fault?

"You write the best essays in the world, have the most profound concepts in the world, and have also helped the world for the longest time. Are you happy now? The Second Sage, listen carefully, the Second Sage, the third-ranked sage in the Confucian temples, promotes commoners as being more important than a ruler to an empire, with affairs pertaining to soil and grain falling between them[1]!

"And being as impressive as you are, you insisted on promoting worship and respect toward heaven, earth, rulers, parents, and teachers. The Second Sage posited that human nature is fundamentally good at birth, yet you just had to go against him and say that human nature is fundamentally evil at birth. Fucking hell, how did the Second Sage offend you?!"

The young Cui Chan stomped his feet in anger. In fact, this was a habitual response that he had inherited from the old scholar as well. His finger was almost about to touch the old scholar's nose, and he continued to roar, "Worse than that, the Second Sage isn't much older than you, so perhaps he's still alive and enjoying life somewhere in the world. So why are you so stubborn, old geezer? Couldn't you have targeted the Paramount Sage or Etiquette Sage instead? Perhaps the Second Sage might have even helped you! Yet, you insist on going against the Second Sage. I'm seriously impressed by your stubbornness!"

The old scholar remained silent, and he simply wiped away the spittle that the young Cui Chan had unleashed on his face.

A small fight or disagreement within a family or group wouldn't cause much commotion, especially if it took place behind closed doors.

However, one had to realize that this was a conflict between the Second Sage and the Scholarly Sage. This was a "battle between third and fourth" that shook the entire Confucian Sect and all of its schools and academies. This was far too astounding. These were two lofty sages, and they could almost be considered the representatives of the entire Confucian Sect — the sect that had written the rules for this Majestic World— since the Paramount Sage and the Etiquette Sage no longer showed themselves in the mortal world. Even though this conflict wasn't necessarily a fundamental one that would cause the Confucian Sect to split up, how could the founders and elders of the other teachings not be secretly amused and delighted when they saw this?

Afterward, an extremely secret gamble had taken place within the Confucian Sect. The loser would admit defeat and voluntarily imprison themself in the Forest of Virtue.

The old scholar had lost, so he had no option but to stay in the Forest of Virtue and wait for death. He had also been unable to do anything as his statues in the Confucian temples were demoted again and again, eventually being smashed to smithereens.

However, when his most impressive disciple traveled to a distant continent and died while challenging the Heavenly Dao, the old scholar finally made a deal with all of the other sages in order to break his previous promise. This wasn't a deal with just the Confucian Sages, but instead a deal with all of the sages of the various teachings. This was a deal that no one had anticipated. After all, the vows and promises of sages couldn't be easily broken. Otherwise, this world that was bound by strict rules might have already become unrecognizable a long time ago.

The old scholar had voluntarily abandoned his physical body and his myriad mystical abilities as a Confucian Sage. Right now, he simply traveled the world with his soul.

He waited until the young Cui Chan placed his hands on his hips and lowered his head to take deep breaths before asking, "Are you finished now? Is it my turn to explain things?"

After unleashing all of his pent-up emotions and thoughts in an angry outburst, the young Cui Chan started to feel a bit nervous and timid upon recalling all of the old scholar's past achievements. He immediately fell silent.

The old scholar sighed and asked, "Who taught Qi Jingchun the game of Go?"

"Me!" Cui Chan puffed his chest out and replied.

The old scholar was expressionless as he slowly said, "I once told all of you that you must remain calm and composed when reasoning with others, even if you're in an argument or debating about the Great Dao."

Cui Chan immediately lowered his voice in apprehension, replying, "It was me... Qi Jingchun was untalented in Go, so he refused to play with me after losing a few times."

"Then who taught you the game of Go?" the old scholar asked.

Cui Chan was unwilling to say the answer.

"Me!" the old scholar humphed coldly.

Cui Chan felt extremely aggrieved and resentful.

Old geezer, do you understand the concept of leading by example?

The old scholar paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing, "When you taught Qi Jingchun the game of Go, were you more skilled at Go or was I more skilled at Go?"

"You were more skilled than me," Cui Chan replied reluctantly.

"Then do you know that Qi Jingchun was able to defeat me not long after learning Go from you?" the old scholar asked.

The young Cui Chan was stunned.

However, he didn't doubt the veracity of the old scholar's words.

"Do you know what Qi Jingchun said to me in private?" the old scholar asked. "He said that his senior brother enjoys playing Go, but is quite fixated on winning or losing. He said that he didn't want to hold back and deceive you when playing Go, yet subjecting you to continual losses would cause you to lose a hobby that you enjoyed."

"So what if this is the case?" the young Cui Chan stubbornly retorted.

The old scholar was angry at his stubbornness, and he scolded, "You're just pig-headed and unwilling to change. You're always able to identify your mistakes quickly, yet you always take the longest time to admit to them. As for changing? Hmph!"

"And just who did I learn this from?!" the young Cui Chan shouted in retort.

The old scholar glared at him before falling silent for a short moment. In the end, he said with regret, "Perhaps Ma Zhan's betrayal disappointed Little Qi even more than your bunch of schemes."

"People like Ma Zhan aren't even worth talking about," Cui Chan sneered. "His ambitions were loftier than the heavens, yet his life was more fragile than a piece of paper. My goal is at least to obtain a Dao attainment catalyst and pass down my teachings and lineage. But him? He was willing to betray his companion and become the pawn of someone else simply for the title of mountain master of some academy and the chance to lead a Confucian school in the future — things that are nothing more than fame and fortune. He genuinely deserved to die.

"Old geezer, you offered Qi Jingchun the words 'Learning cannot stop; indigo is extracted from bluegrass but darker than bluegrass, and ice is condensed from water but colder than water[2]' when farewelling him at that time. This saying has spread far and wide, and this is something that I'm well aware of. But what words did you offer to Ma Zhan?"

"Heaven and earth birth noble people, and noble people bring order to heaven and earth[3]. Such a pity," the old scholar replied calmly.

It was unknown whether he was expressing pity for this saying or expressing pity for Ma Zhan.

Cui Chan sneered and recounted, "When Ma Zhan left the small town with those children, he got along really well with one of my pawns, and he was even willing to reveal some information. He mentioned that he had clashed with Qi Jingchun regarding whether they should leave or stay in Jewel Small World. In the end, Qi Jingchun had said something extremely strange and slightly startled Ma Zhan — 'A wise man must know when to retreat and when to stand their ground.'

"That utter fool Ma Zhan continued to act according to his selfish desires even after Qi Jingchun's courageous and righteous death. He was still dreaming about becoming the mountain master of an academy. Only when death stared him in the eyes did he finally come to a realization. He finally confirmed that Qi Jingchun had already been aware of his actions when talking to him in the private school. However, Qi Jingchun had simply been unwilling to expose him, with the hope that he could do his best to look after those children.

"Ma Zhan was truly slow, and he only realized that everything was over after being delayed and lied to twice. It was only then that he finally manned up for the first time in his life. He sacrificed his right to reincarnation in order to wound my pawn and help those children escape back to the small town. In the end, all this extra trouble has come about because of this..."

The young Cui Chan's voice became increasingly listless as he spoke the last few sentences.

The old scholar sighed with emotion.

Many people and things in Jewel Small World had been heavily concealed and kept secret, especially during Qi Jingchun's 60 years in charge. Qi Jingchun, Old Man Yang, and some other powerful figures had acted behind the scenes and caused the small world to become increasingly complicated and unpredictable. In fact, it was extremely difficult for even the old scholar, the Scholarly Sage, to perform divinations on the small world. He didn't dare to claim that his divinations were correct.

"Finished your conversation?" the tall woman asked in a soft and gentle voice.

Cui Chan noticed that the old scholar's expression was slightly grim. The old scholar sighed heavily, and out of the corners of his eyes, he saw that the tall woman had turned around to look at him at this moment. The old scholar could only put his luggage down in a begrudging manner. He then retrieved a scroll and lightly untied the string that held it together.

Chen Ping'an was at a complete loss.

The tall woman walked next to him and said with a smile, "You can launch three sword strikes in a moment."

She squinted her eyes and gazed at the sky that lay beyond the lotus leaf. "I'm going to revert to my true form afterward, and there's no need for you to be surprised," she said slowly.

As if remembering something, she added in an apologetic voice, "I forgot to say a word."

Chen Ping'an looked up upon hearing this.

The tall woman's expression became respectful, and she said, "Master."

1. Mencius' political thought, arguing that commoners are the foundation of any empire and thus more important than the rulers.

2. An extract from Xunzi's 'Exhortation to Learning'. Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philosopher, and this extract refers to the fact that a student can surpass their master if they commit themselves to learning.

3. Another one of Xunzi's sayings.