Unsheathed

Chapter 242 (1): The Rainbow Above the Waterfall

Even though night had already fallen, Sword Water Villa was still brightly lit. All of the courtyards, big and small, were filled with guests, and they went through countless jars of fine wine in a single night. It was said that after the event, even those in the small town were able to smell the aroma of wine drifting over from the villa.

Chen Ping'an had enquired Steward Chu about the ferry station, and there was indeed one in Water Combing Nation, over 300 kilometers away from Sword Water Villa. It was situated on the border of Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation, and it was said that cultivators frequently appeared there.

However, the entire area in a radius of 150 kilometers around the ferry station had been marked as a restricted area by the imperial family of Water Combing Nation, and anyone who dared to venture into the area without a special permit was punished by execution.

The old steward was a very thoughtful man, and he told Chen Ping'an that Sword Water Villa was on very good terms with the chief military governor's manor situated on the border, and all they would have to do would be to send a letter to the manor to receive this special permit, so that wasn't something that Chen Ping'an had to worry about.

Zhang Shanfeng asked the old steward whether there were any shops run by cultivators at the ferry station where he could exchange for certain things, and the old steward confirmed this to be the case. After Song Fengshan's original sword was damaged, he had paid the ferry station a visit and brought back the short sword that he was currently carrying.

The old steward was eager to share everything that he knew, and not only did he reveale all of this insider information about Water Combing Nation, he shared that Song Fengshan had spent 900 snowflake coins to purchase that short sword by the name of Vast Water, and that was close to half of the villa's entire wealth.

Of course, the steward wasn't so willing to spill his guts because he was overly trusting and naive. Instead, it was because Sword Saint Song had told him that when it came to these three, particularly Chen Ping'an, he could treat them as if they were his closest friends, and that the villa didn't have to be wary of them at all.

Fulfilling one's promises no matter what, sticking by one's friends even through life and death, cherishing friendship with all one's heart; those were the mantras that Song Yushao had abided by his entire life.

Steward Chu had served Song Yushao for sixty years, and during that time, he had given everything to the villa, sticking with the villa through thick and thin and sometimes even putting his life on the line. It was only because Song Yushao's way of life had rubbed off on him that he had been willing to serve the villa so diligently and wholeheartedly.

After enjoying a lavish feast in Zhang Shanfeng's room, Chen Ping'an prepared to depart to the waterfall to practice his fist techniques. However, Zhang Shanfeng suddenly told him to wait.

Xu Yuanxia had one foot resting on a bench, using a toothpick to pick at his teeth, and he asked if Zhang Shanfeng needed him to leave.

Zhang Shanfeng assured him that he could stay, then rushed over to open his bags before pulling out a pair of bamboo chopsticks that he pushed toward Chen Ping'an across the table.

"Why are you giving me this? We've already finished our meal, haven't we?" Chen Ping'an asked with a curious expression.

The pair of bamboo chopsticks on the table were part of the spoils that Zhang Shanfeng had reaped from the battle back in the Blusher Prefecture, one of which had the characters "Azure Divine Mountain" inscribed upon it, while the other bore the inscription of "divine cloud bamboo."

"They're yours now," Zhang Shanfeng said with a smile. "This will serve as my interest repayment for that armor pellet that you gave me. There's nothing I hate more than owing people money, and just the thought of any debt is enough to ruin my sleep and my appetite, let alone a debt of 500 snowflake coins, which would convert to 500,000 taels of silver!

“Steward Chu said that the total wealth of the entire Sword Water Villa only amounts to fewer than three million taels of silver. If I don't give you something in return, I won't be able to sleep at night at all."

An exasperated look appeared on Chen Ping'an's face. "Are you an idiot? If these chopsticks really are crafted from divine cloud bamboo, you can easily sell them for a few hundred snowflake coins!

“Even if they aren't made from divine cloud bamboo, the spiritual energy that's lingered on the chopsticks for several centuries can't be faked, so even at the very least, it's still an acquired spirit tool that can be sold for a couple dozen snowflake coins! What kind of interest repayment could possibly be this high? What do you take me for? A loan shark?"

Chen Ping'an became more and more enraged as he spoke, and he pushed the chopsticks back to Zhang Shanfeng as he continued, "Besides, we're about to go the ferry station in Water Combing Nation soon, and there are shops that sell immortal treasures there, so let's have these chopsticks appraised first to determine their value before we think about anything else.

“If they're only worth about a dozen snowflake coins, then I'll accept them, but if they're worth anything over fifty snowflake coins, then I definitely won't be taking them as interest."

Zhang Shanfeng shook his head as he objected in a determined voice, "I can't accept that! My conscience won't allow it! Daoists like myself fear internal demons above all else, so if you don't accept these chopsticks, you'll be hindering my pursuit of the Great Dao!"

Chen Ping'an rose to his feet as he scoffed, "What a load of horse dung! This is not negotiable. You're keeping these chopsticks, and that's final. If you don't want to accept that, then let's have a fight, and the winner gets to decide."

Zhang Shanfeng fell silent upon hearing this.

Chen Ping'an also didn't say anything further as he departed to practice his fist techniques by the waterfall.

Zhang Shanfeng heaved a forlorn sigh, then turned to Xu Yuanxia as he asked, "What should I do?"

A hint of schadenfreude appeared on Xu Yuanxia's face as he chuckled, "I can't believe you just tried to thrust your wealth upon someone as wealthy as Chen Ping'an!"

Zhang Shanfeng was feeling a little frustrated, and he poured a cup of wine for himself before taking a small sip, upon which his face instantly became brightly flushed.

Unbeknownst to Chen Ping'an and Xu Yuanxia, during that battle against Old Demon Mi's eldest disciple back in the Blusher Prefecture, Zhang Shanfeng had called upon the armor pellet in what appeared to be a dire situation, and it was only thanks to the suit of radiant armor that he was able to shield Daoist Chong Miao from a lethal blow.

Daoist Chong Miao had been utterly astonished, as he had immediately recognized the suit of radiant armor. He told Zhang Shanfeng that he only knew of one such armor pellet in Ancient Elm Nation's imperial vault. It was said that the number one martial artist of Pine Stream Nation had once offered to purchase the armor pellet from Ancient Elm Nation for 6,000 light snow coins, but was turned down by Ancient Elm Nation's emperor.

This was something that had been constantly weighing on Zhang Shanfeng's mind ever since then, but he didn't know how to bring up the subject to Chen Ping'an. After that, following the incident at the old temple, Chen Ping'an had become uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, making it even more difficult for Zhang Shanfeng to approach him for a conversation.

Now that they had arrived at Sword Water Villa and were about to travel to the ferry station, Zhang Shanfeng was finally unable to bear the torment any longer. Hence, he revealed everything to Xu Yuanxia, and after hearing his story, Xu Yuanxia set two things straight for Zhang Shanfeng.

The first thing was that Chen Ping'an was definitely aware of the true value of the armor pellet, and he had said it was only worth 500 snowflake coins because he knew that Zhang Shanfeng wouldn't accept it otherwise.

The second thing was that Chen Ping'an had definitely had an impoverished upbringing, but what was just as certain was that he had attained an enormous amount of wealth since then, as evidenced by the fact that he was staying in a heaven-grade suite while traveling on the Kun ship. However, it seemed that he had never placed too much weight on wealth and material belongings, at least when it came to his friends.

Hence, this was no longer just a simple matter of Zhang Shanfeng owing him money. Instead, he owed Chen Ping'an a massive favor.

In conclusion, Xu Yuanxia didn't directly tell Zhang Shanfeng what to do. Instead, he laid out two more things, the first of which was to caution Zhang Shanfeng to never take the kindness of his friends for granted, while the second thing was that debts had to be repaid no matter what, even between brothers, let alone friends. Only then would a relationship be able to last.

If one were to think that debts didn't have to be repaid between friends, then they would inevitably be burning their bridges, and they would come to rue their own naivety someday.

This was why Zhang Shanfeng had hatched the idea of giving those bamboo chopsticks to Chen Ping'an under the guise of an interest repayment.

As for why he hadn't tried to give Chen Ping'an that white bowl that could slowly absorb spiritual energy and manifest them into droplets of dew, that was because that bowl was an item of the utmost importance to his cultivation as a Qi refiner. In contrast, Chen Ping'an was a pure martial artist, so the bowl would only benefit him very slightly, and even if he were to receive it, he would most likely only sell it for some light snow coins.

Zhang Shanfeng's face was bright red with inebriation as he continued to sip on wine, and he sighed, "Can you point out a path for me, Brother Xu? I am truly stumped."

Xu Yuanxia put on a serious expression as he said, "If worse comes to worst, how about you put on some women's clothes and go to him like that? On the way here, it seems like Chen Ping'an hasn't displayed any interest in women or female ghosts at all. If anything, he was really quick to fight them when he had to..."

Xu Yuanxia was clearly making a joke out of the situation, and Zhang Shanfeng heaved a forlorn sigh before slumping down onto the table, where he promptly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Xu Yuanxia was stroking his own beard with a contemplative expression, and two images surfaced in his mind, the first of which was when Chen Ping'an had told that woman in the dilapidated old temple to hold her hands over the fire if she felt cold. After that, she had turned into a female ghost, and Chen Ping'an had grabbed her by the throat before raining down punches upon her until she ceased to exist.

He then thought of the incident that Chen Ping'an had just mentioned, where he had punched that young woman straight into the pool at the waterfall, and he couldn't help but shudder as he exclaimed to himself, "Holy shit! He's not actually into men, is he?"

————

Meanwhile, the banquet continued in the main hall of Sword Water Villa.

Large, colorful rugs had been draped over the ground in the hall. They were known as "ground gowns," something that was unique to Zhinü Prefecture of Colorful Garment Nation.

Villa Master Song Yushao was still unwilling to come out and entertain the guests, so Song Fengshan was seated on the main chair. Beside him was his kind and capable wife, who had always carried herself with exceptional poise. Not only was she exceptional at dealing with internal family affairs, her handling of external affairs was also extremely praiseworthy, but despite how capable she was, she took care to never outshine her husband.

This was why even though Song Fengshan was constantly in seclusion, his reputation was only continuing to grow in Water Combing Nation, to the point that he was able to hold all-encompassing martial gatherings.

All of the representatives of Water Combing Nation's top-ranking sects had already arrived, and aside from these significant figures in the cultivating world, there were also several formidable itinerant cultivators and old seniors who had been absent from the public eye for a long time.

All of them were quite advanced in age, and even a pair of extremely respected and venerable senior figures had taken this opportunity to reunite after many years, lending the event even more prestige.

Han Yuanshan and Han Yuanxue were also present, but their seats were situated further down the back. They were technically representatives of the authorities, so they were very much out of place here. Sword Water Villa and the Han Clan weren't actually on very good terms with one another, so if they were to sit too close to the front, then that would be sure to attract speculation and complaints from the other guests present.

Wang Yiran and Wang Shanfu of Unruly Saber Villa had been arranged better seats than the Han siblings, and Han Yuanxue was quite displeased by this, feeling as if she and her brother were being shunned by the villa, and that nowhere in Water Combing Nation should they be subjected to this type of treatment.

In contrast, Han Yuanshan was completely unbothered, flapping his folding fan gently with one hand while raising his cup for toasts with the other. Despite his refined and scholarly appearance, Han Yuanshan actually had an astonishing alternative identity as one of the four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation.

Even though Water Combing Nation had a ferry station, there was actually no cultivating power within its borders. Hence, the four evil spirits, which was a rather unflattering name for a group, actually referred to the handful of most powerful cultivators in Water Combing Nation.

Of course, besides being one of the four evil spirits, Han Yuanshan also had a "clean" identity as a member of the Han Clan of Mount Xiaochong, and had countless friends and acquaintances that occupied official posts. Hence, he was granted free passage wherever he went, including even the vastly renowned Sword Water Villa.

In front of a lone table to the left side of the hall sat a burly man and a young woman. There was a clear gap between this table and all of the other ones as everyone present was aware of the man's identity.

He was none other than the leading figure of Water Combing Nation's underworld. His name was Dou Yang, and he appeared to be a young man in his prime, but it was said that he was already over a hundred years of age.

He proclaimed himself to be the leader of the demonic orthodoxy, and had a dozen of demonic enforcers under his command. He was a dominant force in the southern region of Water Combing Nation, but thankfully, he largely kept to himself on the border of Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation, keeping a relatively low profile over the past few decades.

However, all of the individuals of the older generation present were extremely resentful and wary of him. Fifty years ago, three horrific battles were waged for the sake of territory in Water Combing Nation between the righteous orthodoxy and the demonic orthodoxy, and thousands of powerful righteous cultivators lost their lives in those battles.

The fact that the Sword Water Villa dared to make such an arrangement for Dou Yang and his maidservant rather than granting him a seat at the front of the hall instantly won everyone's admiration, and it also earned Song Fengshan a great deal of respect.

Even though Song Fengshan was the host of this event, he was very sparing with his words, mostly drinking wine by himself instead of forcing himself to make conversation with others. Occasionally, someone would try and strike up a conversation with him by mentioning their bond with his father, but at the very most, all they would receive in response would be a toast.

In contrast, his wife was familiar with everyone and their past feats, and she was even aware of the achievements of some of the young prodigies present. She would always make sure to bring up these topics when conversing with them, and as a result, not only did no one feel as if they had been shunned, everyone felt acknowledged and appreciated.

As usual, she was carrying herself in exceptional fashion, and no one could fault her as the hostess of the event.

Meanwhile, the mama from the ancient temple, who had been mistaken by everyone as Dou Yang's personal maidservant, was observing all of the guests present in a subtle fashion. Occasionally, she would make eye contact with Han Yuanshan, but only for an instant each time before both looked away. However, whenever this happened, she would give him a seductive smile or an alluring look, and those details certainly weren't missed by Han Yuanshan.

He would also make some subtle gestures in reciprocation, fanning the flames of desire in the mama's heart. As she lowered her head to drink some wine, she stuck out her tongue and ran it halfway around the edge of her cup, causing Han Yuanshan to gulp involuntarily.

He had personally experienced her skills in the bedroom before, and it was an unforgettable experience every single time. Even though he possessed exceptional aptitude and had cultivated certain demonic secret techniques, he was still no match for her under the covers.

None of this had escaped Dou Yang's notice, and he sneered, "Can you restrain yourself for one second, you slut?"

"Oh? Are you jealous?" the young woman chuckled.

Dou Yang took a sip of wine and paid no heed to her jibes.

In contrast with the pursuit of the Great Dao, things like romantic love were of zero consequence!

Wang Yiran could clearly sense his daughter's disappointment, as well as the deep affection and pain in her eyes as she snuck furtive glances at Song Fengshan.

Wang Yiran knew that no positive outcome could've ever arisen from this one-sided love, but at the same time, he saw no need to intervene and try and force them apart. Unruly Saber Villa was beneath Sword Water Villa anyway, so he had no right to say anything in this matter.

Furthermore, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing for his daughter to go through some hardships, such as suffering from an unrequited love... or being knocked unconscious by a single punch. All of these hardships would help her become a more capable villa master in the future, and it was certainly better than having her grow up sheltered and incompetent.

With that in mind, Wang Yiran decided to turn a blind eye to all of this. In their youth, almost all master cultivators had multiple love interests, but how many of them were actually worth pursuing? Once one reached the very pinnacle of the world, they would discover that nothing truly mattered aside from the pursuit of the Great Dao.

With that in mind, he couldn't help but think of Han Yuanshan. It was said that he was constantly entertaining love interests, and the most remarkable thing about him was that he could make all types of women completely devoted to him, whether they be daughters of high-ranking officials, female disciples of renowned sects, cold and bloodthirsty killers, revered and admired celestial maidens... None of them were immune to his charms.

If his daughter were to fall in love with someone like that, then Wang Yiran would be sure to forcefully intervene. Otherwise, there would undoubtedly come a day when Unruly Saber Villa would fall into Han Yuanshan's hands.

It was clear that Han Yuanshan was an extremely cunning and ambitious man, and he definitely had some people with exceptional foresight instructing him from the shadows. Working with someone like him for mutual benefit was certainly a good idea, but actually befriending such a sinister individual would be no different from courting death.

As for his daughter's love for Song Fengshan, Wang Yiran didn't see that as a problem as Song Fengshan was a righteous individual. If Song Fengshan were willing to take Wang Shanfu as his wife, then Wang Yiran wouldn't even be opposed to the idea of having Unruly Saber Villa merge with Sword Water Villa.

Of course, the new collective villa would have the word "saber" in its name, and one of their future children had to inherit the Wang surname. If such an alliance were to be forged, then in a hundred years from now, the Wang and the Song surnames would be the only two surnames that mattered in Water Combing Nation!

Right at this moment, someone offered a toast to Wang Yiran, and he raised his cup with a smile in reciprocation. Even though Wang Shanfu was quite distracted, she had enough etiquette to follow her father in reciprocating the toast.

After setting down his cup, Wang Yiran cast his gaze forward as he asked, "Are you still thinking about what happened with that boy? You must feel like the only way to alleviate your humiliation would be to have him killed, right? Let me offer you some words of advice: that boy is no ordinary person.

“Even Song Fengshan is already regarding him as a potential rival, and it seems like there are some ties between him and old Sword Saint Song as well. Han Yuanshan speculates that he may be a prized disciple of Colorful Garment Nation's sword god, and I think may very well be right. If that's the case, then he's only left Colorful Garment Nation in order to avoid his master's enemies in the wake of his passing.

“Sword Saint Song shared a very close bond with Colorful Garment Nation's sword god, and that's most likely why he's taking such care to look after that boy, even going as far as to personally teach Ma Lu a lesson."

Wang Shanfu gripped the hilt of her saber tightly in her hand as she lowered her head and countered, "Am I just supposed to let this slide then, Father? If that bastard had severely injured me or even beaten me to death in front of that waterside pavilion, then so be it, I'll just have to concede, but he went out of his way to humiliate me in front of so many people!

“How can I go anywhere from now on? Am I just going to have to stay my entire life in Unruly Saber Villa?"

Wang Yiran slammed his cup heavily down onto the table as he sneered, "Why can't you go anywhere? Because you're embarrassed? Because you're afraid people won't respect you? Respect is something that you have to earn by winning battles! If you're weak, people will remember your humiliation forever, but if you're strong, you'll find that everyone is remarkably forgetful of such things.

“In a few decades, when you become an even more formidable saber master than myself, when you rise to the sixth tier alongside the likes of Colorful Garment Nation's sword god and Sword Saint Song, no one will ever mention this incident again! All everyone is going to talk about is which master swordsmen you've defeated, how many demonic cultivators you've slain, and how many heroic feats you've achieved!"

Wang Shanfu's shoulders were trembling slightly as she hung her head and said in a dejected voice, "But I can't even beat a no-name swordsman younger than myself. Worse yet, I couldn't even take a single punch from him! How am I ever going to get to your level, let alone surpass you?"

In the region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent where Water Combing Nation was situated, the sixth tier was already considered to the upper limit for pure martial artists, and no one had progressed beyond that level in the past few centuries, so if anyone were to reach the seventh tier, then they would virtually be considered to be an invincible deity.

It was said that Colorful Garment Nation's sword god had been on the cusp of reaching the seventh tier at his peak, but ultimately, he seemed to have become disillusioned for some reason, following which his cultivation base plummeted, and he vanished out of the public eye entirely.

Song Yushao had once stated in a very candid and straightforward fashion that there was no way he would ever be able to reach that level in this lifetime.