Unsheathed

Chapter 388 (2): Traveling Around

Zhu Lian suddenly recalled the young immortal with a red birthmark on his glabella for no apparent reason. Before their first sparring sessions, Cui Dongshan had stated that he was very ticked off when he looked at Zhu Lian's outwardly cheery yet inwardly calculating demeanor. Cui Dongshan had promised that he wouldn't move his arms or legs when they sparred, and he would allow Zhu Lian to punch and kick him as he pleased. Moreover, it would count as his loss if he so much as furrowed his brow.

In the end, Zhu Lian was taught a lesson on why Cui Dongshan was referred to as the Myriad Treasure Immortal in the Great Sui Nation's Mountain Cliff Academy. He was also made aware of how Cui Dongshan had won the nickname of Cai Clan's Ancestor after a single battle in the capital.

Zhu Lian smiled and said, "Master, your disciple Cui Dongshan is truly a remarkable person. He's truly mysterious and ingenious."

"Each person understands their own joys and sorrows. I can explain the gratitudes and grudges to you if the opportunity arises in the future," Chen Ping'an replied in a helpless voice.

Pei Qian was still sulking after Zhu Lian left.

"What, was lunch so spicy you've developed a hot temper?" Chen Ping'an asked with a chuckle.

Pei Qian lowered her head and didn't say anything.

Chen Ping'an thought she was experiencing the random mood swings of a child her age, so he didn't pay too much attention and continued to read the Legalist classic on the table.

Early the next day, Chen Ping'an had Sword Immortal and the bamboo bookcase on his back, while Pei Qian had a luggage sack slung diagonally across her back, a hiking pole in her hand, and a saber and a sword hanging by her hip. Together with Zhu Lian and Shi Rou, they left the immortal inn and set off for the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation. Of course, there was also the little lotus spirit who could freely travel through the ground.

They were still traveling on foot in a seemingly impoverished manner, by now a well-established and unspoken rule for Chen Ping'an and his companions.

Pei Qian was wearing a wreath made or willow branches on her head, and she told Chen Ping'an that Cui Dongshan had taught her how to draw a golden circle on the ground with her hiking pole, using this circle as a perimeter to scare spirits and ghosts from the mountains and waters away. However, this immortal technique was far too difficult to learn, and she was still yet to even understand the basics of it.

Pei Qian said that she had initially wanted to tell her master about this after she mastered the immortal technique, but after thinking about it for a while, she decided that this was actually a very bad idea. After all, what if she failed to master this immortal technique in her lifetime? In that case, wouldn't she have to keep this a secret and suppress her urge to talk about it for dozens of years or even one hundred years? That would be far too pitiful!

Chen Ping'an smiled as he listened to Pei Qian babble on about these things.

Of the four people from the picture scrolls, Shi Rou disliked the perverted and hunchbacked old man the most.

Now that she was walking side-by-side with Zhu Lian behind Chen Ping'an and Pei Qian, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable all over.

However, every time she purposely slowed down, Zhu Lian would follow her lead and slow down as well. He never said anything; he simply looked at "Du Mao" and smile.

Shi Rou grumbled in her mind, and she felt like Zhu Lian's gaze was especially perverted and repulsive. This was exacerbated even further when Chen Ping'an helped Pei Qian snap a willow branch. While she wasn't paying attention, the hunchbacked old bastard surprisingly seized the opportunity to sneakily squeeze her on the shoulders.

Shi Rou was given a huge fright.

Meanwhile, Zhu Lian smiled with squinted eyes and said, "Apologies, apologies, it was just an accident. Please don't take it to heart."

Even though she was the owner of this immortal body now, it was basically in name only, as she was still unable to fully control it and wield its powers. This was similar to the illegal temples in the regions which weren't recognized by the imperial courts. Thus, even though she possessed a shortcut to the Great Dao, one that could astonish other earth immortals, Cui Dongshan had appraised her abilities before and concluded that she would even struggle against experienced Sea Observation Tier cultivators with the measly yin entity techniques that she had learned before.

Even though Cui Dongshan had taught her an immortal technique and given her several life-saving talismans afterward, this would only allow her to rival Dragon Gate Tier cultivators at most. In fact, the only advantage of her immortal body was the fact that she could step forward in times of great danger and use her body to block attacks from sabers, flying swords, and earth immortal-tier immortal treasures for Chen Ping'an.

Cui Dongshan had also told her that the old pervert who liked to read about talented scholars and beautiful ladies fighting in bed was already a Far Roaming Tier martial artist. Thus, she had to control herself and take it easy.

Shi Rou now used a deep voice when speaking with other people. More of the time, however, she would avoid speaking altogether.

She was convinced that she could withstand all kinds of torture in the world, whether that meant being stabbed or having her flesh sliced off by tens of thousands of blades, having her soul used as a candle wick, and so on. She felt like she could endure all of this. For some reason, however, she was completely defenseless against Zhu Lian's meaningful gaze.

Zhu Lian suddenly shuffled over, causing Shi Rou to hurriedly retreat several steps.

Zhu Lian smiled and said in a soft voice, "I can tell after touching it that your body isn't a female one that's been hidden by an illusion technique. Your body is legitimately that of a man..."

"Your senses are truly keen," Shi Rou replied coldly.

"Then dare I ask, Young Mistress, how old are you?" Zhu Lian continued.

Shi Rou's heart jolted, and she asked, "What are you talking about? Are you trying to be funny?"

Zhu Lian continued to walk forward as he looked at Shi Rou and said with a smile, "When I look at people, I only look at their character and their heart. In reality, it's not very important whether one is beautiful on the outside or not."

Shi Rou was almost about to go crazy.

She quickened her pace, intending to catch up with Chen Ping'an and seek refuge over there.

Zhu Lian didn't follow her this time, and he smiled faintly behind her and remarked, "Young Mistress, you glow with natural grace when you walk, and I can envision you swaying your slender hips from side to side even if you're trying to purposely hide this. In fact, I dare say that you were definitely a beautiful lady when you were alive!"

Shi Rou was truly going crazy.

Chen Ping'an had no option but to turn around and help Shi Rou. "Alright, that's enough. Now is a good time to stop, Zhu Lian. You're not allowed to tease Shi Rou like this in the future."

Zhu Lian immediately nodded and replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

Pei Qian was slightly puzzled at this moment. Had Master also learned her mystical face-changing ability now? He'd still been smiling in amusement just a moment before, so how did he suddenly become so serious after turning around?

Chen Ping'an turned around and winked at Pei Qian.

Pei Qian immediately blinked and indicated that she understood Chen Ping'an.

The little girl secretly giggled in her mind. There was a sense of tacit understanding between her and her master!

————

In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land...

Some perceptive individuals in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation noticed a new face in a residence located near Champion Scholar Alley. It was a young man whose appearance and demeanor clearly outed him as an otherworldly immortal.

This otherworldly immortal seldom left his residence, and each time he showed himself, he would either be holding a folding fan or a pot of wine in his hand. He would stroll around leisurely, and he would never venture too far. Moreover, he would walk the same few routes and visit the same few streets and alleys every single time.

His name was Lu Tai, and he had used some unknown contacts to purchase several young women from the high-class brothel in the capital. These young women all hailed from the families of officials, and he had purchased them over a period of time and had them become his personal maidservants, keeping them hidden away in his tranquil residence. Truth be told, however, these beautiful maidservants were actually inferior to their master in terms of looks.

Lu Tai asked Mr. Zhong, the teacher of the nearby private school, for an ordinary-looking female spy from the Southern Garden Nation. He would use her as a messenger between him and the imperial court, saving him the hassle of having to always fly between his residence and the imperial palace. After all, that would also embarrass the imperial family of the Southern Garden Nation and cause them to lose face.

Dawn arrived, and Lu Tai walked out of his residence and closed his folding fan, lightly tapping it against his palm as he walked past the corner of the alley. It wasn't long before a woman walked out from a silk shop and carefully approached him. She didn't dare to steal too many glances at the handsome young master, afraid that she would lose herself in his beauty and even go as far as to abandon her responsibilities to the nation one day. Men liked beautiful women, but was the reverse not true as well? Who didn't like to enjoy beautiful scenery?

She was an experienced spy who had once infiltrated the core regions of another nation, and she was currently dressed like a well-off lady. She asked in a soft voice, "Young Master Lu, the Reverence Pagoda has already compiled the newest list of Upper Ten Elites. The Reverence Pagoda is about to announce this list and make it known to the imperial courts of the four nations, but it's quite strange that there's no detailed ranking attached to the list this time.

"The government office that I belong to is of the opinion that there are too many new members on the list this time, yet there are few records of any fights or sparring sessions between them. Thus, the Reverence Pagoda is temporarily unable to provide a detailed ranking."

Lu Tai looked straight ahead and said with a faint smile, "Go on."

The woman continued, "Apart from you and our esteemed imperial preceptor, there's also Yu Zhenyi, the leader of the Lake Mountain Faction; Sword immortal Lu Fang from the Bird's Eye View Peak; Dragon General Tang Tieyi, who left not long ago; Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan; and the old Chan master from the White River Temple who's now returned to a secular life. The four other people are all new faces whom the Reverence Pagoda has provided some brief details on.[1]"

Lu Tai nodded and said, "Go on."

"One is a young Daoist priest who first appeared on the bank of a lake. He has no name, and all he does is repeat a sentence that no one understood. He seems deranged.

"One is a scholar in azure who kicked Zhou Shi out of the Spring Tide Palace. He's around thirty years old, and he's seemingly adept at immortal techniques. Moreover, he announced that he would have a decisive battle with Superior Grandmaster Yu Zhenyi in three years' time.

"One is a tall and sturdy old man who refers to himself as the ancestor of all Daoist priests in the Southern Garden Nation, and he indeed sounds and dresses like someone from the earlier years of the Southern Garden Nation. He's traveling to the Southern Garden Nation right now, and he claims that he's already completed a secret mission from the emperor and taken a dozen or so disciples along the way.

"One is a bare-fisted martial artist. He's a dwarfish middle-aged man who appeared on the borders of the lands beyond the four nations. He's eccentric and bloodthirsty, and he acts according to his wishes no matter where he goes. He kills people wantonly, and hundreds of innocent civilians have already died at his hands. Four hundred elite cavalrymen from the grasslands surrounded and attacked this person, but he wiped them out and he left none alive."

The woman paused for a moment before continuing, "In addition to the list of Upper Ten Elites that included Young Master, there's also the accompanying list of Lower Ten Elites that included our prince as well as Zhou Shi."

Lu Tai rocked his folding fan back and forth and said, "There's no need to explain these things in too much detail. There's no benefit in doing so. In fact, those who have the ability to push people out from the list of Upper Ten Elites wouldn't appear on the list of Lower Ten Elites so early on."

The woman perceptively stopped in her tracks.

Lu Tai walked along a wide street that had returned to its bustling nature once again. Some time ago, a person had stood here and faced several superior grandmasters by himself, appearing full of spirit and vigor as he had engaged in an earth-shattering battle. The battle had caused a huge commotion, and all of the residents in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation had felt the tremors. In the end, this street had become a martial arts holy land that cultivators from outside the capital definitely needed to visit and admire.

Of course, these gallant martial artists and elites from various forces were keenly aware that spies from the Southern Garden Nation were most certainly keeping an eye on this area. Thus, they didn't dare to cause any trouble, and they would often leave after walking along this street once.

Not long ago, some people from the demonic sect had seized the opportunity to sneak around and survey the residence which had strong ties to the demonic sect. Without exception, all of these people had been disposed of by Lu Tai, either having their heads twisted off or being forced to run errands for the handsome young man. The latter people could leave the residence alive, but they were tasked with casting a net to capture more unsuspecting victims.

Before long, the three fragmented factions of the demonic sect all heard about this person and became aware of his intention to revive and reorganize the demonic sect. Moreover, he gave the demonic elites a timeframe, asking them to visit the capital of the Southern Garden Nation and kowtow to him before the time was up. Otherwise, he would visit them one by one and raze the three factions to the ground.

This person was profoundly arrogant, and he even instructed people to openly deliver a message to the demonic elites, telling them that the demonic sect was now facing the danger of annihilation. As a result, the three factions needed to work to face their enemies, as this was the only hope they had of staying alive.

It was still early, and there were few people walking around on the street. There wasn't much smoke rising from the kitchens.

Lu Tai looked up at the sky and remarked, "Things are about to change."

Perhaps the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was going to transform into a small world? Just how many immortal coins would this cost? The temple master of the Observing Dao Temple truly possessed bottomless wealth...

Lu Tai turned into a small alley where he coincidentally ran into a little boy who was heading to the private school, Cao Qinglang.

Lu Tai stopped and asked with a smile, "Why are you so early today?"

Cao Qinglang flushed slightly red and replied, "Big Brother Lu, I collected some silver coins from the government office yesterday, and last night I had a huge craving for the wontons of a stall I know. The thing is, this stall is pretty far away, so I needed to wake up earlier to make it there in time. Do you want to come with me, Big Brother Lu?"

Lu Tai shook his head and replied with a smile, "I'm not a huge fan of these things, so you can head over by yourself."

Cao Qinglang said goodbye and jogged away. However, he suddenly stopped and turned around, saying, "Oh, that's right, I bought a pot of wine for you when I came back home last night, Big Brother Lu. I put it on the table, so feel free to drink it whenever you want."

Lu Tai nodded in response.

He indeed had a key to Cao Qinglang's residence.

Cao Qinglang turned around and ran out of the alley.

Cao Qinglang was always very earnest when he spoke with other people, so he definitely wouldn't speak while running or with his head turned back.

Lu Tai walked to the little boy's residence and opened the door to the courtyard. Sure enough, there was a pot of wine sitting on the table in the main building. This pot of wine was worth seven silver coins, indeed a large sum of money for Cao Qinglang. The boy was the kind of person who needed to think things through for half a night before deciding to eat a bowl of wontons.

Lu Tai grabbed the pot of wine and carried a chair over to the door. Sitting outside, he flicked his wrist and summoned a small insect that gave off the fragrance of fine wine. He then opened the pot of wine and tossed the wine insect inside, slowly waiting for the pot of wine to rapidly transform into delicious wine that tasted as rich as wine that had been sealed in a cellar and stored for several decades.

There was a bright smile on Lu Tai's face as he gently rocked the pot of wine back and forth.

Lu Tai had been honest and forthright during his first encounter with Cao Qinglang.

He had said, "My name is Lu Tai, Lu as in land and Tai as in raise up. I'm Chen Ping'an's friend. Actually, we're very close friends who overcame life-and-death dangers together."

Cao Qinglang's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this.

Afterward, Lu Tai told the little boy some things about Chen Ping'an. And thus, Cao Qinglang started to call him Big Brother Lu.

At the same time, Lu Tai also obtained a key to this lonely residence.

One time, Lu Tai smiled and asked Cao Qinglang, "Do you want to become like Chen Ping'an?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Then do you want to become better than Chen Ping'an?"

"No."

"Perhaps you don't dare to? Because you feel like it's too difficult and too distant?"

"No, I just don't want to."

Lu Tai had never entered the boy's courtyard before, though he had a key. After this exchange, though, he would often visit the little boy's residence. He would sometimes visit when Cao Qinglang was at school, and he would sometimes visit when Cao Qinglang was reciting sagely classics in the morning.

In the beginning, Lu Tai brought some delicious breakfast for Cao Qinglang, who usually needed to start a fire and cook congee for himself. However, after eating this two times, the little boy finally couldn't help himself the third time, telling Lu Tai with a serious expression that he had enough money for school and daily necessities now that he was collecting money from the government office.

After listening to Cao Qinglang's heartfelt words, Lu Tai smiled and asked, "Then you genuinely won't be able to enjoy delicacies from these time-honored shops in the future. Do you not regret this?"

Cao Qinglang flushed slightly red and replied with an embarrassed smile, "If I truly can't suppress my urges in the future, then I'll definitely let you know, Big Brother Lu."

Lu Tai laughed heartily and said that this was no problem at all.

Afterward, however, Cao Qinglang never asked Lu Tai to buy him any food. Even today, when Cao Qinglang really couldn't hold back, he was only buying a bowl of wontons that he could afford by himself.

Thus, Lu Tai was feeling fairly happy today.

He had surprisingly found Cao Qinglang, someone much like that boy from Clay Vase Alley, in a small place like the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

This was very interesting.

Lu Tai felt like this trip to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had inspired him to become more motivated than before.

1. There are eleven people described; might be a mistake by the author. ☜