Unsheathed

Chapter 514 (3): The Traveling Merchant Teacher and the Porcelain Doll Crafting Student

Having five additional lesser heat coins to account for was rather vexing for him.

It seemed that being too shrewd a businessman had its drawbacks.

Chen Ping’an felt like this was a good day for business, so he stowed away all the coins on the counter, then reopened his shop for business and continued to sit on the small bamboo chair at the entrance. However, given how late it was, he was cooling off instead of sunbathing.

His battles against Liu Zhiqing had naturally been nothing more than sparring matches, and his objective was to see just how fast the flying sword of a swordsman on the cusp of the Nascent Tier was.

They engaged in three sparring matches, with Liu Zhiqing using 50%, 70%, and finally 90% of his power.

By the end, Chen Ping’an had a rough idea.

The blame really couldn’t fall upon Liu Zhiqing for his short-tempered display on this day. After all, he had never eaten so much dirt in his life.

Of course, Chen Ping’an had also suppressed his own cultivation base to various extents during the three sparring matches, so they had been quite the ordeal for him as well.

There was not going to be a fourth battle as that would inevitably be a battle to the death, and that simply wasn’t necessary.

As for why Chen Ping’an had remained in the Spring Dew Garden even after the three sparring matches, he had stayed to earn some money and clear up some space in his minimization treasure, and he was also waiting for a return letter.

He had gone to the sword chamber of the Spring Dew Garden to send a secret letter to Wood Garment Mountain of the Flax Robe Sect. Technically, it was a secret letter, but even if someone were to intercept the flying sword bearing the letter, they would only find a letter containing some largely mundane and trivial content that Chen Ping’an was requesting Pang Lanxi of the Flax Robe Sect to send to the Dragon Spring Prefecture.

As for when the return letter from the Dragon Spring Prefecture would arrive at the Skeleton Shoal, then the Spring Dew Garden, Chen Ping’an would know as soon as he received a visit from Matriarch Tan.

The Nascent Tier matriarch of the Spring Dew Garden hadn’t visited Chen Ping’an up to this point, but he was certain that once the return letter arrived from the Flax Robe Sect, she would be sure to pay him a visit at his shop or the Jingzhe Residence, regardless of how much composure she possessed or how busy she was.

Even in the darkness of night, Old Locust Street remained brightly lit, and Chen Ping’an was able to make a bit more money through his shop.

It was getting quite late at this point, and Chen Ping’an rose to his feet, planning to close his shop for the day for good. He would then travel back to the Jingzhe Residence in the sea of bamboo using the talismanic boat that he had temporarily borrowed.

However, he had only just picked up the small bamboo chair when he set it back down again. As it turned out, a tall and slender young woman had appeared out of thin air in front of the shop, standing in silence with a smile on her face.

Chen Ping’an strode over the doorstep as he cupped his fist in a salute and greeted, “Welcome, Mistress Tan.”

Mistress Tan’s full name was Tan Ling. Aside from her, all of the official immortals of the direct lineal branch of the Spring Dew Garden’s ancestral hall had three-character names, such as Song Lanqiao.

Tan Ling didn’t stay for long. All she did was make some small talk with Chen Ping’an and deliver to him the sword case from the Flax Robe Sect ancestral hall before departing.

The Spring Dew Garden was already a sufficiently powerful sect that it didn’t need to take any significant risks to ensure its own survival.

The Spring Dew Garden had displayed just the right amount of hospitality by giving him the shop on Old Locust Street before also lending him that talismanic flying boat.

Chen Ping’an closed his shop, then boarded his talismanic boat in a secluded spot before returning to his residence in the sea of bamboo. Once there, he opened the sword case to discover two flying swords inside. The two flying swords in the sword case were capable of traveling fifty thousand kilometers in a single trip, and they were very difficult to intercept even for Nascent Tier cultivators.

At this point, Chen Ping’an had become quite familiar with sword cases. He had one of his own, but the one in Bamboo Scroll Lake couldn’t travel anywhere near as far and was of a far inferior caliber.

After sitting down, Chen Ping’an opened one of the letters, and a smile appeared on his face as soon as he saw the handwriting.

It was from his prized disciple. She had written him a letter with a character count in the thousands, telling him about her time at school, how she worked so hard and was so kind to her peers that her teachers were almost moved to the point of tears.

It seemed that Cui Dongshan had edited the letter to ensure that it didn’t contain any sensitive information. For example, on the subject of Zhou Mili, there was only a vague sentence included in the letter that read: “She has been seen to, and she is now fine.”

Chen Ping’an read through the letter several times.

Pei Qian’s handwriting had become much neater than before, indicating that she had been keeping up with her transcriptions.

Some excerpts from the letter included:

“Master, I’ve already fully mastered my Deranged Demon Sword Techniques. It’s a real pity that you’re not here to see them.”

“I earned a small mountain of silver for the shop! You better come home soon to see it. Otherwise, if the silver springs to life and tries to run away, I won’t be able to stop it.”

“I’ve lost several dozen loyal subordinates, but I’ve been able to recruit two formidable guardians to take their place, so the safety of Dragon Riding Alley is ensured.”

“Don’t worry about the little shortie, Master. She’s really obedient, but she eats a lot for someone so small, and she’s not very good at making money, so I have to cover her food expenditure out of my own pocket.

“Now that I’ve mastered unmatched sword, saber, and fist techniques, even if someone picks on me, I choose not to retaliate, but I’ll be sure to protect the little shortie. As you always taught me, the strong must protect the weak, and I am no longer weak, so it is my duty to protect her…”

Chen Ping’an folded the letter back up with a smile, then stowed it away in his pocket treasure.

He had already taken off his Golden Sweet Wine and Snowflake Dao robes in preference for an ordinary robe, and his wine gourd was naturally also strapped to his waist.

He rose to his feet and made his way out onto the walkway, then cast his gaze into the forest of vibrant, green bamboo in the distance.

Following Cui Dongshan’s return to the Dragon Spring Prefecture, he had dinner in the shop on Dragon Riding Alley. The main seat at the table was vacant, and Cui Dongshan wanted to sit there, resulting in an altercation breaking out between him and Pei Qian. In the end, he could only settle for sitting across from Pei Qian, while Zhou Mili sat beside her.

As for Shi Rou, she was seated on the bench outside. She didn’t require food for sustenance, and she would normally sit at the table to chat with Pei Qian, but on this occasion, she didn’t dare to come in.

After the meal, Cui Dongshan departed from the shop, declaring that he was going to Downtrodden Mountain to see if he could find some wine to drink.

Pei Qian paid no heed to him as she began practicing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques out in the yard, while Zhou Mili applauded and cheered enthusiastically.

Cui Dongshan didn’t go straight to the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain. Instead, he appeared at the foot of the mountain, where a fine residence had already been constructed. Inside the courtyard were Wei Bo, Zhu Lian, and Zheng Dafeng. Wei Bo and Zhu Lian were playing a game of go, while Zheng Dafeng was watching the game while eating sunflower seeds, frequently interjecting to point out better moves that he would’ve played.

Cui Dongshan sat on top of the wall and watched for a while, then wailed, “I’ve seen better Go played by mentally handicapped children!”

He drifted down from the wall, but as soon as he took a seat, Wei Bo and Zhu Lian immediately began returning the go stones to their jars to conclude their game.

“Don’t pack up just because I’m here! I may complain a little here and there, but this terrible quality of play is actually quite entertaining for me to watch!” Cui Dongshan hurriedly said.

Zheng Dafeng began shooing Cui Dongshan out of the courtyard, while Wei Bo returned straight to Cloud Drape Mountain, leaving only Zhu Lian to scale the mountain with Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan was waving his sleeves up and down like an old hen flapping its wings, flying up two or three steps at a time.

“Did Jiang Shangzhen really come to visit Downtrodden Mountain?” he asked.

“You mean Brother Zhou Fei? He did, and he said that he wanted to pose as a Nascent Tier cultivator and stay on our Downtrodden Mountain as a guest elder,” Zhu Lian replied with a smile.

“Did you agree?” Cui Dongshan asked with a cold sneer.

“Why don’t you take a guess?” Zhu Lian prompted with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Oh? It seems like you’ve grown wiser, Zhu Lian,” Cui Dongshan remarked.

Zhu Lian smiled as he said, “My face is off-limits, but you can hit me anywhere else.”

Cui Dongshan hovered in mid-air around a foot above the ground as he turned to Zhu Lian and said, “Jiang Shangzhen is trouble, and that’s even more so the case for Xun Yuan.”

“That’s why I turned him down,” Zhu Lian said with a smile. “His skills at sucking up to others are still not up to scratch, so he requires more training and can’t come to our Downtrodden Mountain for now. Brother Zhou Fei agreed and told me that he would meticulously study the art of flattery, then come back to show me what he’s learned next time.”

Only then did Cui Dongshan descend back down onto the ground, and he continued to flap his “wings” as he sprang up the steps.

“What about that Unpolished Jade Tier swordsman, Li Cai?”

“Brother Zhou Fei is a man of many talents, but I feel like everything he does is slightly flawed, whether it be sucking up to others or dealing with women,” Zhu Lian said. “Li Cai really didn’t like the way that Brother Dafeng looked at her, and she wanted to cut him down.

“Obviously, I couldn’t stop her, but the senior in the bamboo building intervened, and Brother Zhou Fei also begged her for mercy on Brother Dafeng’s behalf. Thankfully, that was enough to convince her to let Brother Dafeng off the hook.”

A dark look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face upon hearing this.

At the moment, he was overseeing things in the south, so he wasn’t familiar with the affairs of the north.

“Our Downtrodden Mountain has become quite a popular place, so we’ll inevitably get some guests with fiery tempers,” Zhu Lian said with a smile.

“It’s your fault for having such shoddy fist techniques,” Cui Dongshan scoffed.

“I’ve been condensing my fist intent to the best of my abilities even while squatting in the lavatory! What more can I do?” Zhu Lian asked in a resigned manner.

Cui Dongshan stopped flapping his arms as he began scaling the steps one by one, and he said, “Lu Baixiang is already beginning to claim territory for himself.”

Zhu Lian scaled the mountain in a hunch-backed manner as he grinned, “He and Wei Xian are of the same mold. Wolves will eat meat, while dogs will never kick the habit of eating shit.”

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan stopped in his tracks as he said, “I won’t go to the mountain summit. Tell Wei Bo to send a flying sword letter to the Flax Robe Sect, asking them for Gao Cheng’s birthdate, eight characters, hometown, genealogical records, the location of his clan’s ancestral grave, anything.

“Just get them to tell us as much as they know, and the more information they can provide, the better. If they’re unable to provide anything, then that’s fine, but in that case, get Wei Bo to tell them that no one under the heavens can expect to simply profit without doing anything.”

“You were with Wei Bo just now, why didn’t you ask him then?” Zhu Lian asked.

“If you make the request, then you’ll be the one owing him the favor,” Cui Dongshan explained with a smile.

“That makes sense,” Zhu Lian replied with a nod.

With that, Cui Dongshan sprang up into the air and flew back to the small town.

In the absence of Ruan Qiong, everyone was free to fly as they pleased in the Dragon Spring Prefecture.

In the dead of night, Cui Dongshan paid a visit to the mountain of porcelain, then stuffed a large rucksack full before departing.

After that, he stayed for a few days in a residence that he had previously occupied in the small town, working on something in a mysterious fashion.

During this time, he refused to grant an audience to anyone, even Pei Qian.

Pei Qian and Zhou Mili climbed onto the roof, preparing to strip off the roof tiles in protest. Once they got up there, they discovered a skywell, through which they were able to peer into the residence, but the entire residence was filled with mist, and they weren’t able to see anything.

In the end, they could only return to Dragon Riding Alley after a fruitless trip.

On this day, Cui Dongshan arrived at the shop, almost running headfirst into Pei Qian and Zhou Mili, who just so happened to rush down the steps right as he arrived.

Upon entering the courtyard, Pei Qian began practicing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques as she asked, “Someone’s planning to pick on the little shortie again today. What should we do?”

“Just avoid them if you can. What else can you do?” Cui Dongshan replied with a smile. “There’s no use trying to reason with them, and you can’t just beat them to death.”

The hiking pole in Pei Qian’s hands fell still, and Zhou Mili immediately rushed to her side with a little stool. After Pei Qian sat down on the stool, Zhou Mili squatted down beside her like an obedient little lackey.

Pei Qian placed her hiking pole across her legs, then complained, “What’s the deal with the teachers at school? Do they know how to do anything other than teach off books? Anyone can memorize books and claim to be enlightened! It’s…”

Pei Qian’s voice trailed off here, and she turned to Zhou Mili as she prompted, “Your turn now!”

“It’s completely useless!” Zhou Mili declared, finishing her senior sister’s sentence in her stead.

“If everyone gets on your nerves, then your life must not be going well. If your life is not going well, then everyone will naturally get on your nerves,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile.

“You talking about me?” Pei Qian snapped in a furious manner.

Cui Dongshan interlaced his fingers behind his head, then leaned back and began gently swaying back and forth as he explained, “Of course not, I’m just explaining to you why you should be avoiding those people. They’re like walking pits of misery, and they’ll try and drag you down into the depths of misery with them if you cross their path.”

Cui Dongshan brought one hand out from around the back of his head as he spoke, then flicked his wrist back and forth, simulating the motion of fanning himself.

“If you like fanning yourself so much, then why did you give your fan to my master?” Pei Qian asked.

Cui Dongshan continued to imitate the motion of fanning himself as he replied, “I have a bunch of fans, I merely gave my teacher the one that I like the most.”

“What were you doing in that residence of yours?” Pei Qian asked in a quiet voice. “You weren’t stealing stuff and hiding it in there, were you?”

Cui Dongshan closed his eyes to sleep.

Pei Qian made a hand gesture to Zhou Mili, and the two of them crept silently over to Cui Dongshan’s side before crouching down on either side of him.

Zhou Mili cupped a hand over her mouth, then whispered, “It looks like he really has fallen asleep.”

Pei Qian rolled her eyes, then beckoned to Zhou Mili, indicating for her to follow her back to her room to make transcriptions.

After that, Cui Dongshan left Dragon Riding Alley, then the Dragon Spring Prefecture altogether. However, in the wake of his departure, Pei Qian noticed some strange occurrences at school. For starters, the old teachers who virtually never left the school began conducting home visits, visiting the home of every child that attended the school one by one without exception.

The shop on Dragon Riding Alley had also received one such visit, and the teacher spoke at length with Shi Rou before staying for a meal. On top of that, but the teachers normally only taught off books at school began taking students out on excursions, consisting of activities like doing farmwork, going up into the mountains to collect firewood, and visiting the dragon kilns.

Some of the teachers were rather disgruntled, complaining in private that such crude activities were unbecoming of sophisticated scholars, but they still led the excursions in spite of their complaints. Shortly thereafter, the school dismissed a few teachers and replaced them with some new faces.

At this point, Cui Dongshan was already far away from the Great Li Empire, traveling on a southbound journey. On this day, he scooped up some water from a spring in a forest. The water reflected the moon in the sky like a mirror, and he took a sip, then smiled as he said, “You may not be able to keep the moon, but you can quench my thirst.”

With a flick of his sleeve, a small porcelain doll that was only just over a foot tall came tumbling out from within. Its body and limbs were riddled with countless cracks, and it was devoid of facial features. Compared with the young porcelain boy that appeared in the old residence all those years ago, it was still a few steps away from completion, but the craftsmanship was actually much improved.

Cui Dongshan gently stroked the porcelain doll’s little head as he looked down at it with a smile and asked, “Isn’t that right, Brother Gao?”