Unsheathed

Chapter 368 (4): Unspeakable Hardships

Lu Baixiang wasn't bothered by his question at all, and he gave an answer that was completely unexpected to Chen Ping'an: "I have indeed eaten shit before."

Chen Ping'an offered no response.

Lu Baixiang didn’t seem embarrassed at all. He smiled and continued, "My background is about the same as Wei Xian's. In fact, I was in an even worse situation than him growing up. I became an orphan at a very young age, and there were a lot of bad people in my hometown.

“When I was fourteen, I was thrown into a shithole by a bunch of bullies, and two of them stayed by the shithole, smacking me on the head with a bamboo pole as soon as I tried to poke my head out. Hence, I had no choice but to swallow a belly full of shit. After that, I managed to get my hands on a knife."

"And you kill them one by one?" Chen Ping'an asked.

"No," Lu Baixiang replied with a shake of his head. "I caught one of them while he was stumbling home drunk and stabbed him in the stomach. After that, I pissed myself and ended up getting caught and thrown into jail. After that, I couldn't stay in my hometown any longer, so I went out to explore the world. Honestly, I was just trying to survive.

“One day, my luck suddenly turned, and my life suddenly took a drastic turn for the better. I ate some rare spiritual herb, then obtained a powerful cultivation art. From there, I became entangled with many romantic partners and found many soulmates. However, I always had low self esteem, and I did everything in my power to make myself appear wealthy and cultured.

“I wanted to become a scholar, to be considered elegant and refined by everyone. Thankfully, I'm pretty smart, and I pick things up quite quickly. On top of that, no matter what I do, I always want to be number one, to be the best, but if I can't get there, then I can let go just as easily."

"I know that Zhu Lian came from a truly wealthy clan. Sui Youbian's upbringing was a little worse than his, but even so, she still came from an extremely powerful clan, and by some stroke of luck, she became a direct disciple of the largest sect in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. It's very hard to believe that you're the founding father of the demonic orthodoxy in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land."

A reminiscent smile appeared on Lu Baixiang's face as he replied, "Back when I was at the peak of my power, there were no righteous or demonic paths in the martial arts world. Everyone just wanted to give their sect a badass-sounding name. I felt that to be rather boring, so I decided to found the demonic orthodoxy, only to be even more virtuous than the most virtuous of righteous sects. That was what I found to be most interesting.

“You don't need to tell me what happened to the demonic orthodoxy after my passing, I'm well aware of what it became. Once you've read enough history books, you'll come to realize that history always repeats itself. Whether it be in the imperial court or the martial arts world, it's all about drawing circles.

“Occasionally, some virtuous sage or martial arts prodigy would emerge, and they would be able to go out a little further and expand the circle slightly, while those who come after them repeat this cycle."

"Occasionally, people will also stumble around erratically with no direction or destination," Chen Ping'an said.

Lu Baixiang nodded in response.

"That's what happens in times of unrest, when human lives are worth no more than those of chickens and dogs."

Both of them fell silent for a long while.

"By the way, I'm very curious, why are you so determined to learn and abide by principles that you think are right?" Lu Baixiang asked.

"I suppose it's also out of low self-esteem."

"How so?"

"One always wants what they lack, do they not?"

"Hmm? Can you elaborate?"

"My parents passed away when I was very young. Living on my own, there's no one to scold me, but also no one to praise me. I've always wanted to do things correctly so that my neighbors don't speak badly of me behind my back. I didn't care if they spoke badly of me, but it'd have reflected badly on my parents.

“On top of that, I've experienced true poverty, so I've come to be afraid of it. Hence, I like to hear people espouse principles, and I also like money. I don't like to owe people money, nor do I like it when other people owe me money."

Lu Baixiang was silent for a long while, then replied, "That's... very candid of you."

While the two of them were chatting with each other, Zhu Lian sat on his stool and read his book, not interrupting their conversation.

Meanwhile, Sui Youbian was also standing nearby with her hands clasped behind her back.

After hearing Chen Ping'an talk about not liking it when people owed him money, she gave a cold harrumph before returning to her room.

Zhu Lian chuckled in amusement as he continued to read.

Lu Baixiang rose to his feet and cupped his fist in a parting salute as he said, "Thank you for enlightening me."

"Don't put me on such a pedestal, I was only speaking what was on my mind," Chen Ping'an chuckled.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to him.

At this rate, Pei Qian was doomed to never learn martial arts, so he may as well put in one last-ditch effort and try to teach her the Eighteen Stops Technique.

However, a hesitant look then appeared on his face, and after some careful contemplation, he decided to hold off for now.

In that nameless little inn, the old man who had been frequenting the Dust Medicinal Shop daily over the past few days had just bathed and changed into a set of new clothes, and he sat down in a formal manner in front of his table.

On the table were twenty or thirty scrolls, numerous bowls with different quantities of water in them, and a bunch of other miscellaneous items.

All of these were artifacts similar to enchanted picture scrolls from immortal sects.

These bowls of water were very similar in appearance to the one that the little boy in azure had used to spy on Celestial Maiden Su Jia.

If the little boy in azure were to meet this old man, then the former would undoubtedly proclaim the latter to be his idol.

As it turned out, the nickname that the little boy in azure had given to himself, Chivalrous Young Man from the Imperial River, was inspired by this senior, whose nickname was Handsome Chivalrous Young Man. Handsome Chivalrous Young Man and Foot-Long Spear were considered to be the two undisputed leading figures in this field, and they were showered with respect and adulation by their juniors.

These two old men were extraordinarily wealthy and generous, and the first clash that took place between them involved an argument of which one of Su Jia and He Xiaoliang was true number one celestial maiden on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Handsome Chivalrous Young Man proclaimed it to be Su Jia.

He said that Su Jia had the looks, the disposition, and the charm, while He Xiaoliang was certainly beautiful in her own right, but she was a little lacking when it came to charm and approachability, which made her slightly cold and distant.

Foot-Long Spear was furious and immediately began defending He Xiaoliang, and the two of them began hurling lesser heat coins into the bowl of water one after another, all so that they could get the last word in over the other.

Snowflake coins that had undergone basic refinement could also be tossed into all types of enchanted picture artifacts, but they didn't contain sufficient spiritual energy to transmit messages.

All of these "donations" would go on to contribute to the spiritual energy in the sects that these celestial maidens belonged to. A single snowflake coin wasn't much, but one could not downplay the effects of steady accumulation over time. There really were some small sects that had received massive influxes of spiritual energy thanks to their beautiful female disciples and their ability to attract donations from wealthy individuals.

A lesser heat coin contained enough spiritual energy to relay a verbal message of one or two sentences, and all in all, Foot-Long Spear and Handsome Chivalrous Young Man had each slammed down seventy to eighty lesser heat coins during their initial clash!

That battle immediately went down in the history books as the beginning of a rivalry for the ages.

There were countless celestial maidens from smaller sects praying to the heavens that these two old immortals would bless their sects with their presence and lay down life-changing sums of money.

Foot-Long Spear was a man of few words, normally only making silent donations, while Handsome Chivalrous Young Man was extremely talkative, often attaching loud verbal messages with his donations, and he thoroughly enjoyed the flattery and flirtatious advances from all of the celestial maidens that he kept up with.

The old man's gaze roamed over the table for quite some time before finally settling on a picture scroll. He unfurled the scroll, and after waiting for a moment, a cloud of mist began to rise up from the scroll, forming an image of a room with simple yet elegant furnishings. A young celestial maiden emerged in a graceful manner while carrying a pipa, and she was followed by a maidservant, who stood obediently in a corner behind her as she sat down.

The celestial maiden played a song on her pipa, but not a single verbal message rang out in her room.

This meant that no one had donated a single lesser heat coin. Alternatively, such a donation had been made, but it was not accompanied by a verbal message. However, that was extremely unlikely.

The celestial maiden put on a forced smile and gave a rather awkward address. She wasn't a professional prostitute or anything of the sort, and she had just been forced into this type of "fundraising" activity by her sect, so she was still feeling very awkward and self-conscious.

Right at this moment, a verbal message suddenly rang out in her room: "Is Handsome Chivalrous Young Man there?"

This was met with an immediate response: "No."

The celestial maiden was ecstatic, and she hurriedly rose to her feet before extending a curtsey as she greeted them, "Welcome, Senior Young Ascended Immortal and Senior Tenth-Tier Martial Artist."

These were Foot-Long Spear and Handsome Chivalrous Young Man's alternate titles.

The celestial maiden was extremely excited to have hooked onto a pair of such massive fish, and she sat back down, preparing to play another song on her pipa for these two extraordinarily wealthy and generous seniors.

However, as she did so, she spotted her unmoving maidservant out of the corner of her peripheral vision, and a cold look flashed through her eyes, but she put on a smile as she said, "You should thank these esteemed immortals, Shi Qiu."

The maidservant also extended a curtsey upon hearing this.

After the celestial maiden finished her song, the old man at the inn tossed in another lesser heat coin as he said, "Handsome Chivalrous Young Man, I've arrived in Old Dragon City. How about the two of us meet up for a drink?"

Handsome Chivalrous Young Man's response was very brief and concise: "Piss off."

The old man tossed in another lesser heat coin.

"Why so cold? I can come to visit you, so you don't even have to go anywhere, and I'll only be visiting for a few days."

Handsome Chivalrous Young Man: "I don't have time."

Foot-Long Spear: "Don't be like that! Surely you at least have time for a meal together!"

Handsome Chivalrous Young Man: "Nope."

Foot-Long Spear was furious.

"Tenth-Tier Martial Artist! You're a Qi refiner posing as a Tenth-Tier Martial Artist! Have you no shame?"

Handsome Chivalrous Young Man replied, "Then why are you called Young Ascended Immortal when you haven't ascended? Why don't you ascend to the heavens and take a dump? If you're capable of that, I guarantee that I'll open my mouth to catch it!"

Foot-Long Spear began to change tact.

"Handsome Chivalrous Young Man, everyone knows that you're a great man. Wouldn't you feel guilty if I came all this way for nothing?"

Handsome Chivalrous Young Man was silent for a moment, while Foot-Long Spear waited anxiously for his answer.

In the end, Handsome Chivalrous Young Man replied, "Fine, come if you must."

Foot-Long spear was ecstatic, and he immediately said, "Thank you, thank you! It's decided then. I'll secretly announce my arrival to you once I reach your sect."

Handsome Chivalrous Young Man: "Shut up!"

Foot-Long Spear remained completely unbothered as he replied, "Your wish is my command! I can't wait to meet you!"

If any disciples of Jade Tablet Sect were present to witness the shameless display being put on by their old sect master, their jaws would most likely drop straight to the ground in shock.

It was going to be the final day of the year in a few more days.

That night, after dinner, Pei Qian helped Zhu Lian clear the table, and after completing her transcriptions, she made her way to the shop to look for Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an had already poured the flagon of wine brought to him by Fan Junmao into his Sword Nurturing Gourd. At the very most, he could only drink two or three sips a day. If he were to drink any more than that, then it would have a detrimental effect on him instead.

As was the case with everything, excess was never a good thing, and it didn't have to take a lot of excess to have severe consequences.

Chen Ping'an had just had a sip of basic refinement wine, so his face was a little flushed. Pei Qian was standing on the tips of her toes on the other side of the counter, watching quietly as Chen Ping'an took more sips of wine.

Chen Ping'an set down his Sword Nurturing Gourd and casually asked, "Do you miss the Lotus Flower Blessed Land?"

Pei Qian shook her head in response.

"You don't miss your parents?" Chen Ping'an asked with a smile.

Pei Qian hesitated momentarily before shaking her head once again.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

Instead of answering her question, Chen Ping'an asked, "Why don't you think about them?"

Pei Qian's expression remained placid as she pursed her lips and replied, "I just don't want to."

Chen Ping'an didn't say anything further.

Pei Qian was resting her chin on the counter, and she slapped her talisman onto her forehead. She was silent for a long while before she continued, "When I was really small, there was a natural disaster in my hometown, and while fleeing for our lives, my mother died on the road from starvation, so my father brought me to the capital city of Southern Garden Nation by himself.

“Along the way, my father forced my mother to whore herself out to other men in exchange for food. Initially, my mother was unwilling, but my father grabbed her by the hair and beat her into submission. All I could do was cry at the time. Whenever I tried to get in my father's way, he would swat me aside. He's a man, so he was naturally stronger than my mother and me.

“After that, whenever my mother came back with food, he would eat the most, my mother would eat less than him, and I would have the least food. One time, I woke up in the middle of the night to discover my mother sneaking outside to eat a really dirty-looking steamed bun without telling me. I didn't say anything and went back to sleep.

“After that, my mother seemed to have grown sick, but my father didn't care. He carried her on his back, presumably because she was still useful to him, but one day, my father told me that my mother had starved to death. After that, my father tried to sell me, but he failed, so he told me to go and steal.

“I was caught and beaten many times, and he would call me stupid and useless. We walked all the way to the capital city, and we were fortunate enough to encounter a charity food stall opened by a wealthy man. The stall gave out congee and beautiful, white steamed buns. My father was stuffing food down his mouth as quickly as he could when all of a sudden, he fell to the ground and died, seemingly from overstuffing himself.

“I watched him as he died, and for some reason, the only thing that I was thinking at the time was I hope my father can catch up to my mother on the other side so that they would be able to cross into the afterlife together."

Chen Ping'an leaned forward and patted Pei Qian on the head as he said, "Go to bed."

Pei Qian nodded vigorously in response with a wide smile, then skipped her way to her room to sleep. As she did so, she yelled, "Stay back, all evil spirits, lest you be smitten by my talisman!"

Chen Ping'an continued to sit on his own.

From that day onward, Chen Ping'an became more and more strict with Pei Qian, even going as far as to sit beside her every day to watch her make her transcriptions.