Unsheathed

Chapter 331 (2): Yao Clan's Locust Leaf

An instant was all a sword cultivator needed to kill their enemy.

The bonded flying sword hovering near the outer ring of the mounted troops suddenly soared past the cavalrymen. Fortunately, the sword cultivator was seeking extreme speed rather than destructive power, so he chose the shortest path that didn't have any obstacles in the way. Otherwise, his flying sword might have ruthlessly pierced through several more heads.

Chen Ping'an pushed his sword out of its scabbard, holding two fingers together and forming a sword seal as he controlled Deep Infatuation, the immortal sword that had exhausted Dou Zizhi's wealth. Deep Infatuation flew back and blocked the flying sword viciously piercing over from behind him.

The middle-aged sword cultivator's heart sank. Not only was this young uninvited guest a sword expert, but he was even able to block his bonded flying sword, Candle Light? Perhaps this sword was a concealed immortal treasure? Otherwise, with Candle Light's sharpness and power, so-called divine weapons in the cultivation world would be completely unable to withstand a single strike from it. Yet, the young boy's sword wasn't damaged at all. There wasn't a single chip on it.

The hulking martial artist felt slightly amused at the sword cultivator's misfortune, and he gloated, "Are you still not in a hurry?"

The middle-aged sword cultivator wasn't angered, and he smiled faintly as he replied, "I'll gauge this person's strength and play along with him for a while. I have the ability to protect myself."

"Very well!"

The hulking pure martial artist dressed in Dew Armor smiled wickedly as he stomped a crater into the ground and charged forward in an explosive manner, throwing a punch at the young boy when he arrived fifteen or so meters away. His fist aura was ferocious, and the surging astral energy was as thick as a large bowl.

Chen Ping'an stood with one arm behind his back, with his hand hidden inside his sleeve. While he controlled Deep Infatuation to block the sword cultivator's flying sword again and again, he also raised his other hand to block the hulking martial artist's fist aura with his palm.

He clenched down with his fingers.

The hulking martial artist's fist aura was surprisingly crushed by Chen Ping'an.

The man laughed loudly, not appearing worried in the least. This was a probing attack to begin with, and he hadn't even used half of his power. "Not bad, young mister! Your Dao foundation is quite decent! As for how decent..."

He let out a soft grunt as he suddenly increased his speed and charged forward again, arriving just a few paces away from Chen Ping'an in the blink of an eye. He raised his right arm and threw a lightning-quick punch, one that was so rapid that his entire right shoulder glowed with a snow-white radiance.

There was a loud thud.

Just like before, Chen Ping'an used his palm to block the hulking martial artist's powerful punch.

A hint of puzzlement appeared in the assassin's eyes. The young boy in front of him was as stable and unmoving as a mountain.

Even though the man was confused, this didn't stop him from raising a leg and viciously kneeing Chen Ping'an. When it came to battles between martial artists, especially elite martial artists, one not only needed to think quickly, but also to attack and defend according to one's instincts. In fact, it was best if one's instincts were quicker than one's thoughts. Only then could one be considered a genuinely skilled martial artist.

The hand held behind Chen Ping'an's back finally reached forward and extended out of its sleeve, gently tapping the hulking martial artist's knee. This caused the hulking martial artist to lean forward, after which Chen Ping'an smashed his elbow into his opponent's chest.

The hulking martial artist dressed in Dew Armor was sent stumbling back.

However, his fist was still being held by Chen Ping'an, so he was immediately dragged forward again, allowing Chen Ping'an to unleash a punch and hammer his Dew Armor.

There was a loud boom as the hulking martial artist was sent flying backward, crashing into the ground more than thirty meters away.

However, he only suffered very minor injuries thanks to the armor pellet he was wearing. Even so, the Qi inside him was slightly shaken, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The man slapped the ground and jumped back to his feet, spitting out the saliva and blood in his mouth before grinning and grumbling, "Good heavens... Are you a sword expert, or are you an external martial artist with a powerful physique?"

Standing behind him, the middle-aged sword cultivator had an amused smile on his face as he replied, "You say martial arts prodigies are not allowed to have both skills at once?"

The hulking martial artist took a deep breath before turning around to glance at Wei Xian standing on top of the hill. He no longer felt relaxed like before, and remarked to the sword cultivator, "This young boy truly deserves to die. Master, have you had enough fun yet? We definitely need to be careful so we don't end up meeting an unexpected death in a place like this. After all, this young boy didn't come here by himself."

The sword cultivator nodded and replied, "Perhaps this is the last sliver of friendship left between the Great Quan Empire's Imperial Liu Clan and Old Man Yao. Since that's the case, we can start reeling in the net now."

With that, he let out an extremely high-pitched whistle.

A moment later, he sprinted to one side and gestured with his hand, causing his bonded flying sword to disengage the young "sword expert." His bonded flying sword transformed from physical to illusory and intangible, disappearing in a flash as it fused into his chest and returned to an acupoint where it was nurtured.

Upon seeing this, the martial artist dressed in Dew Armor faltered for a brief moment, but then followed the sword cultivator without saying a single word.

Chen Ping'an had no idea why the two assassins were suddenly fleeing. However, he didn't try to stop them either.

Meanwhile, the Yao Clan's mounted troops were even more confused as they exchanged baffled glances with each other.

The old general pondered for a moment before dismounting his horse and ordering the young cavalryman who was supporting him by the arm, "Send some scouts to investigate the situation. Everyone else can stay here and rest."

As if a net were being cast, five mounted scouts fanned out and galloped in five different directions.

Chen Ping'an slowly walked toward Wei Xian and Pei Qian.

Old General Yao wanted to say something, yet he couldn't help but hesitate. In the end, he remained silent and didn't voice his thoughts. He wanted to express his gratitude to the young boy, but a sharp pang of pain suddenly struck his abdomen as he opened his mouth to speak. He had no option but to shut his mouth. However, this didn't stop him from cupping his fists and shaking them in the young boy's direction. This could be regarded as a silent thank you.

The young boy had already shown enough virtue and generosity by righteously stepping in and blocking the two assassins who had victory firmly in their grasp. Thus, the old general didn't have the face to take things too far and ask for even more help.

Seven or eight minutes later, another group of cavalrymen swiftly galloped over from the distance. Apart from a dozen or so members of the Yao Clan drenched in blood, there were also twenty-odd new faces. Those from the latter group were either Qi refiners with sharp gazes and jade-like skin or martial arts grandmasters exuding vast and powerful auras.

These twenty-odd people were tightly bunched together as they closely guarded a man in brocade robes whose complexion was as fair as jade. The man looked to be around thirty years old, and he was evidently the master of these elites.

As he approached the old general and the Yao Clan's mounted troops, the man waved his hands and instructed the elites around him to move aside. They quickly obeyed his command, and the man rode forward by himself, pulling his reins and telling his horse to stop when he arrived at the front. He laughed heartily and said, "Thankfully, I haven't arrived too late, Old General Yao."

The old general was just about to stand up and reply, yet the man in brocade robes had already dismounted and waved his horse whip-wielding hand in an exaggerated motion, saying, "Old General Yao, you are wounded, so there's no need to pay respects."

However, the old man still insisted on standing up and walking over to pay his respects.

The man in brocade robes quickened his pace and directly walked up to the old general with his horse, saying in a quiet voice, "At the end of the day, the Yao Clan has only suffered this calamity because of Li Xiling and me. Since I'm coincidentally at the border as well, there's no reason for me to idly stand by and watch. Please understand, Old General Yao. I definitely wouldn't have come here and shown myself if it weren't for the dire nature of the situation."

The old man changed the topic and said in a solemn voice, "Your Highness, with your esteemed standing, how can you carelessly put yourself in danger like this?"

"You are the Great General of the South, a lofty second-rank official of the Great Quan Empire who has risked his life on the battlefield for several decades, so is your life not esteemed and valuable as well?" the man in brocade robes chuckled in reply.

"Your Highness!" the old man exclaimed with a bitter smile.

The man in brocade robes waved his hand and said with a smile, "I've already come here and shown myself, and I've listened to what you had to say. Perhaps it's time for me to turn around and leave now? But how do we know that the assassins don't have something else up their sleeves?"

There was a helpless smile on the old man's face as he replied, "I'll listen to your command, Your Highness."

The man in brocade robes suddenly used his horsewhip to point at the hill nearby, asking, "Who are those people?"

"I wouldn't have survived until now if it weren't for their timely arrival and help," the old man explained. "They possess a demeanor similar to that of travelers from the Mohist Sect. You don't need to overthink this, Your Highness. This is but a chance encounter, so we don't need to gild the lily and complicate the situation."

The man in brocade robes nodded in understanding.

However, he suddenly slapped his head and hurriedly retrieved a small vial from his sleeve. He removed the cork, causing a pleasant fragrance to instantly waft through the air. He then poured out a dark green alchemical pill and handed it to the old man, explaining, "This is a secret pill from the imperial palace that's used for treating wounds. Here, you simply need to swallow it, Old General Yao."

The old man wasn't suspicious of any foul play as he accepted the alchemical pill and thanked the prince. He didn't hesitate at all before tossing it into his mouth and swallowing it.

The smile on the prince's face grew even wider as he personally walked over to support the old general by the arm, leading him toward a carriage.

Chen Ping'an stood on top of the hill and farewelled them with his gaze.

After a while, Chen Ping'an retrieved his Militarian armor pellet and handed it to Wei Xian. However, Wei Xian didn't accept it straight away.

"This is a Militarian armor pellet known as Divine Dewbearing Armor," Chen Ping'an explained. "It will become a suit of armor if you channel your True Qi into it, and it will produce a suit of armor similar to that martial artist's. Moreover, this armor can automatically block attacks from swords, sabers, and mystical techniques.

"Unless the armor is directly breached by a single attack or repeatedly attacked in the same place, it will often be a life-saving treasure as long as it has enough spiritual energy to stay active. It's extremely effective against the bonded flying swords of sword cultivators."

Generally, the grade of an armor pellet was directly related to how much spiritual energy it could store.

Because of this, armor pellets were roughly divided into three categories which those from the mountains jokingly named Puddle Armor, Pond Armor, and Lake Armor.

Divine Dewbearing Armor belonged to the lowest rank, with almost all of them being categorized as Puddle Armor. However, the one sold at Stalactite Mountain's Ganoderma Inn was unique. It was very likely an ancestral armor, one from the very first batches of Divine Dewbearing Armor. In other words, it was an incredibly precious suit of armor meticulously crafted by a Militarian grandmaster.

Wei Xian pushed Chen Ping'an's outstretched hand back and said with a chuckle, "I can't accept a reward that isn't deserved. It's not too late for me to accept it after I perform meritorious service."

Chen Ping'an smiled and put the armor pellet away.

However, there was a look of eager anticipation on Pei Qian's face as she asked, "If he doesn't want it, then can you give it to me instead?"

Chen Ping'an completely ignored her.

Afterward, the three of them set off in a different direction from the Yao Clan's mounted troops. They were traveling toward that small town which they could vaguely see the silhouette of.

As they walked, Wei Xian finally said a few words in an extremely rare display.

He asked three questions in a row.

"Young Master, are you trying to become a sage of morality who pursues the three eternal qualities?[1]"

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head and replied, "Of course not."

If he truly possessed such an ambition, then Chen Ping'an would have accepted the offer to become the Scholarly Sage's disciple a long time ago. However, Chen Ping'an's long travels through the continents, especially Parasol Leaf Continent, had caused him to become increasingly firm in his own convictions.

"Then do you want to seize the unstoppable trend and fight for territory and power?" Wei Xian asked.

Chen Ping'an was rendered speechless. He pointed at himself and asked, "Me?"

Wei Xian finally asked, "Then perhaps you want to focus on self-cultivation, attain Dao, and achieve immortality?"

"Why are you asking these questions?" Chen Ping'an retorted.

Wei Xian didn't say anything else.

Chen Ping'an was also unwilling to say anything more, so the three of them fell completely silent as they continued to trudge forward.

1. The three eternal pursuits (三不朽) refer to the pursuit of virtue, achievement, and words. The first is the pursuit of morality, the second is the pursuit of meritorious service and results, and the third is the pursuit of unique theories and principles. In very simple terms, trying to become a good person, do things well, and study earnestly. ☜