Unsheathed

Chapter 664: Two Swordsmen

A'Liang rose to his feet as the sound of a horn rang out on the distant battlefield, signaling the retreat of the demonic army.

There would be a window of respite during which both sides would clean up the battlefield, and perhaps the horn wouldn't even need to sound at the end of the next battle.

A'Liang made his way to the pergola on the Dragon Slaying Cliff, and he let go of the empty wine flagon in his hand, then spun around with a loud cry before kicking the flagon out of the pergola, sending it crashing down onto the training ground.

With the conclusion of the battle, all of the sword cultivators immediately returned home like a flock of birds, leaving trails of sword light behind them that created a stunning spectacle to behold.

The deceased were already gone, while the grief of the survivors would gradually be drowned out by wine.

A'Liang couldn't recall who this wise man was, but a certain wise man had once told him that the human stomach was the best wine vat under the heavens; the stories of the past made for the finest raw liquor, while the bitterness of separations and the joy of reunions served as the best flavoring. Only with all of these elements combined could the finest wine be produced.

After some thought, a look of realization appeared on A'Liang's face as he slapped himself on the leg. That wise man was none other than himself!

Before long, a group of people returned to the Ning Residence from the city walls atop their flying swords, and Ning Yao swooped down from the heavens, landing near the entrance to speak to Bai Lianshuang.

Meanwhile, Chen Sanqiu, Die Zhang, Dong Huafu, Yan Zhuo, and Fan Dache continued racing toward the pergola before making graceful landings and sheathing their swords.

A'Liang pressed a hand against a pillar of the pergola as he got up onto the tips of his toes to look at Die Zhang, and he remarked, "Well, someone's turned into a big girl since I was last around."

Die Zhang called out to him with a vibrant smile.

Back when she was a little girl, she had often squatted on the streets alongside A'Liang, and the two of them would wallow in misery together. A'Liang's misery stemmed from the fact that he never had enough money to buy wine, while Die Zhang was constantly wondering why he still hadn't asked her to go buy wine for him. Whenever she was sent on a wine procurement errand, she would always be compensated for her efforts in copper coins and loose silver.

The copper coins were constantly "fighting" with one another in her ragged money bag, and if the tinkling of a few pieces of loose silver could be thrown into the mix, then as far as Die Zhang was concerned, that would be the most glorious symphony of sounds known to man. Unfortunately, A'Liang had purchased so much wine on credit that many of the shopkeepers of the restaurants and wine shops avoided her like the plague.

"Where has she grown bigger than before?" Dong Huafu asked.

"Go ask your mother," A'Liang replied with a sly grin.

"My mother says you definitely had some nefarious intentions when you gave Die Zhang her name," Dong Huafu said with a suggestive smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" A'Liang asked with an exasperated expression. "Tell your mother to stop reading the erotic novels from the Majestic World. Your clan has the most extensive book collection out of anyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall, and you're single-handedly supporting a bunch of shady booksellers from the Southern Whirl Continent!

“Their block printing is terrible, the contents of their books are vulgar, at best, and out of every ten books that they publish, not even a single one is worth reading a second time! Why do you think your sister has been tearing pages out of those books? She must be using them as toilet paper!"

Dong Huafu offered no response. He had played a role in this as well. His sister would flip aggressively through the books with palpable killing intent radiating from her body, while he would tear off pages as instructed by his sister.

Chen Sanqiu kicked off his boots, then sat down with his legs crossed and casually leaned back against the railing.

He liked Dong Bude, while Dong Bude liked A'Liang, but that was no reason for him to dislike A'Liang.

On the contrary, Chen Sanqiu really admired A'Liang for his free-spirited nature, and he was also very grateful to A'Liang for some of the things he had done in the past.

For example, for his sake, A'Liang had once had a massive argument with the old great sword immortal and given the leader of the Chen Clan, Chen Xi, a brutal dressing down, but the entire time, he didn't reveal a thing to Chen Sanqiu. It was only after the event that Chen Sanqiu learned what had happened, and by then, A'Liang had already left the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Some sword immortals possessed exceptional swordsmanship, but they weren't free, and there were always certain things in the world that bound them.

A'Liang seemed like the freest of them all, but he always said that true freedom was not a state in which one had zero attachments.

While giving A'Liang a shoulder massage, Yan Zhuo asked in a quiet voice, "Hey A'Liang, what do you think of my swordsmanship right now? Will I have a bunch of celestial maidens swooning over me if I go to the Majestic World? You told me that as long as you're a sword immortal, even if you're not that handsome, the girls will still be all over you. Is that really true or not?"

"Of course it's true!" A'Liang replied with a nod. "I know the Majestic World very well. If you ever get the opportunity to go there at some point, I'll draw up a map for you and mark out the places where all of the Majestic World's most beautiful celestial maidens reside, but don't just go to them like an idiot and ask for their hand in marriage. Instead, simply fly around their residence atop your flying sword, then show off your best sword techniques and leave it at that.

“Don't utter even a single word while you're showing off your sword techniques. After you're done, start drinking out of your wine flagon to leave the celestial maidens a parting image of you drinking gracefully atop your flying sword. The final step is to recite a poem as you fly away. If you do all of that, then the celestial maidens will never forget you for as long as you live."

"But I don't know any poems, A'Liang," Yan Zhuo groaned.

"I just so happen to have an anthology of over three hundred poems, all of which were tailor-made for sword immortals like us, and I'm willing to sell it to you at a friendship discount," A'Liang offered.

"You've probably already used all of the poems in the anthology, haven't you?" Dong Huafu scoffed.

A'Liang scratched his head with a sheepish expression.

Out of everyone in the group, Fan Dache was the least familiar with A'Liang, and even though A'Liang seemed very approachable, he remained an unfathomably lofty figure in Fan Dache's eyes.

He felt the same way that many young sword cultivators did in the presence of powerful and well-established sword immortals like Dong Sangeng and Lu Zhi. The sword immortals didn't necessarily look down on their juniors, but their juniors would still often feel a sense of inferiority in their presence.

"Your name is Fan Dache, right?" A'Liang asked with a smile.

Fan Dache hurriedly nodded in response, feeling honored to be directly addressed by A'Liang.

"You've reached the Golden Core Tier a little earlier than the old great sword immortal and I anticipated," A'Liang said.

Fan Dache was in disbelief. Never had he imagined that A'Liang and the old great sword immortal would spare him any attention.

"The old great sword immortal keeps an eye on every child on the Sword Qi Great Wall," A'Liang said with a smile. "It's just that he's very shy and not very expressive."

No one knew how to respond to this assertion.

After parting ways with Bai Liangshuang, Ning Yao made her way to the pergola on the Dragon Slaying Cliff, where A'Liang and the others were already seated.

"Is he doing OK?" Ning Yao asked with a weary expression.

"He keeps waking up from his sleep, so I knocked him unconscious, and he's sleeping like a log now," A'Liang replied. "He's most likely not going to be fit for battle anytime soon. You should've stopped him from taking on that battle. It was too dangerous. You can't let him develop a habit of putting his life on the line for no good cause."

"I can't dissuade him when it comes to these things," Ning Yao replied with a shake of her head.

"I never thought I'd hear you say something like that," A'Liang marveled in amazement.

Ning Yao sat down in silence and leaned her shoulder against a pillar of the pergola.

She was wearing a pristine, white Dao robe, and there was a sword case on her back.

A casual conversation ensued, with most of it consisting of Dong Huafu asking A'Liang questions about the Heavenly World. In response, A'Liang would boast about how much of a big shot he was in the Heavenly World. He said that he wouldn't brag about his battle against the Daoist second disciple, seeing as no decisive outcome had been reached, but he proclaimed that he was able to win over the entire White Jade Capital with his flair, despite not even having a sword, and that was a remarkable feat that not just anyone could accomplish.

He was making an effort to speak in a lighthearted fashion, so there was definitely something that he didn't want to talk about.

Finally, A'Liang provided the group of young men and women with some instruction in their swordsmanship, and after identifying their individual cultivation obstacles and bottlenecks, he stood up to leave.

"I have to go drink with an acquaintance of mine. All of you should go home as well."

Ning Yao stood up and watched as A'Liang and her friends departed atop their flying swords one after another.

Finally, when she was all alone, she made her way down from the Dragon Slaying Cliff to that small residence. She quietly opened the door, then strode over the doorstep to sit down by Chen Ping'an's bedside. His left hand had made its way out from under his blanket at some point during his restless slumber, and it was still trembling slightly.

The trembling came from his soul, a sign that his aura was still yet to fully settle. Ning Yao gently tucked his hand back under his blanket, then bent down to wipe the sweat from his forehead before delicately smoothing down his furrowed brows.

She was very happy that Chen Ping'an liked her, but if liking her was such a pain, then she would be unable to help but be a little angry at herself.

Thus, even though she had just smoothed down Chen Ping'an's brows, her own had become tightly knitted with concern.

She didn't know what to do. It wasn't like she could just simply not like him, nor could she bear the thought of having him not like her.

It was truly a predicament with no solution.

A'Liang had returned directly to the top of the city walls, but instead of traveling to the thatched cottage, he sat down beside Wu Chengpei, who was still diligently refining his sword while casting his gaze out onto the battlefield in the distance.

The golden river had already been removed by the sages of the Three Teachings, and there were still some sporadic battles taking place below.

There was no sign of grief or bitterness in his expression, but perhaps that was simply because his grief was too heavy to be outwardly conveyed.

For many foreign sword cultivators who came to the Sword Qi Great Wall for the first time, virtually all of the native sword immortals here appeared very eccentric and unapproachable.

A'Liang sat down without a word.

Finally, it was Wu Chengpei who broke the silence, and he said, "I heard from Mi Hu that before Zhou Cheng died, she said, 'There's not much point to living, so why not see what death has to offer?' For people like her and Tao Wen, it almost seems like death is something to be embraced. Honestly, I really envy them."

"Not everyone gets to choose how they live, so I suppose it's fortunate that they at least got to choose how they died," A'Liang said. "Having said that, I still say it's better to live like a wretch than die a hero."

"In the years that you've been away, my eyes have truly been opened by all of the foreign sword cultivators who have come here, regardless of their cultivation base and whether they're dead or still alive," Wu Chengpei said. "I no longer harbor any resentment toward the Majestic World."

A'Liang pulled out a flagon of immortal wine, then removed the clay stopper before gently swirling it around.

He lowered his head to catch a whiff of the wine's delectable aroma, then smiled and remarked, "The wine of the Majestic World and the Heavenly World really can't compare with the wine on the Sword Qi Great Wall."

"A'Liang, has there ever been a woman that you've truly loved?" Wu Chengpei suddenly asked.

A'Liang considered the question for a moment, yet right as he was about to answer, Wu Chengpei shook his head and said, "Forget it, don't answer that. I regretted asking that question as soon as it came out of my mouth, and I bet I'd regret it even more if I heard the answer."

"Why would I be drinking wine if there weren't certain people I wanted to forget or reminisce about?" A'Liang chuckled. "Look at all the lovestruck men out there; I don't think any one of them would turn down some wine. Everyone is a coward when it comes to love."

Wu Chengpei was very much taken aback to hear such a serious response that was free from suggestive innuendos from A'Liang.

Lu Zhi made a rare appearance and sat down on Wu Chengpei's other side.

A'Liang tossed her the flagon of wine that he was holding, only for her to swat it back to him.

He caught the wine flagon, then complained, "Why're you being such a stranger? It's just a flagon of wine!"

Lu Zhi raised a hand in silence.

A'Liang heaved a forlorn sigh, then pulled out a new flagon of wine for her.

"A heroine like you really shouldn't get hung up on minor details like this."

After taking a sip of wine, Lu Zhi said, "I've heard that the Daoist sword immortal branch in the Heavenly World has a very long history. Are their sword techniques any good? How do they compare with the Great Heavenly Masters of Mount Longhu?"

"You're talking about Branch Master Sun from the Mystery Capital Temple, right?" A'Liang asked as he rubbed his chin in a contemplative manner. "I didn't get to meet him. It's a real shame. I am, however, quite familiar with the Great Heavenly Masters of Mount Longhu. Everyone on Mount Longhu has been extremely hospitable to me whenever I've gone to visit."

A'Liang moved Wu Chengpei's head aside so that he could have a direct view of Lu Zhi, then smiled as he continued, "If you want to be treated to the same level of hospitality, you can bring up my name the next time you go to visit the Heavenly Master Residence."

"You want me to bring up your name? Wouldn't that be seen as an open challenge to Mount Longhu?" Lu Zhi sneered.

"There is truly no one else on the Sword Qi Great Wall that knows me as well as you do, Lu Zhi," A'Liang chortled with mirth.

"I'm trying to refine my sword here! Go somewhere else if you want to drink and chat!" Wu Chengpei grumbled.

"Someone who's dead on the inside can't possibly refine a good sword," Lu Zhi remarked.

"That's not something for you to worry about," Wu Chengpei said. "All I know is that even if I don't refine my Sweet Dew, it's still ranked among the top three first-grade flying swords, whereas your bonded flying sword is only a second-grade one. All of that is clearly recorded in Book A in the summer palace."

"Let me finish my drink first," Lu Zhi said.

"Please do hurry up," Wu Chengpei implored.

Wu Chengpei was not particularly formidable in battle, but he was notorious on the Sword Qi Great Wall for being afraid of absolutely no one.

All of a sudden, A'Liang began waving at a pair of old sword cultivators, one seated in the north, while the other was situated in the south, and he yelled, "I'm taking bets now! Cheng Quan, Zhao Geyi, come place your bets!"

However, Lu Zhi had already gotten up and tossed her wine flagon off the city wall before flying away atop her flying sword.

Following Lu Zhi's departure, A'Liang remarked, "In the past, Lu Zhi didn't open up to anyone, but she's changed a lot since then. You really shouldn't have rebuked her like that after she said something so earnest to you."

"It's exactly because she was being so earnest that it felt even more scathing," Wu Chengpei sighed.

"That's true," A'Liang agreed with a nod.

"You've heard about what happened with Xiao Xun, right?" Wu Chengpei asked.

A'Liang lay down on his back, resting the back of his head on his folded hands as he replied, "Everyone has their own aspirations."

"I never apologized for what happened back then, nor did I thank you," Wu Chengpei suddenly said. "I'll make up for both today. Sorry. Thanks."

However, A'Liang didn't appear to have heard him, and he said in a completely unrelated fashion, "You know, in other worlds, handsome sword immortals like us are really popular."

Wu Chengpei was indeed a very handsome man, and he was often brought up alongside Mi Yu in conversations between many foreign women.

The difference was that one was faithful and devoted, while the other was romantic and amorous.

Many foreign women who came to visit the Sword Qi Great Wall felt the trip worthwhile just to see the two outrageously handsome Unpolished Jade Tier sword immortals. Only after seeing the two sword immortals in person did it occur to them that the word "beauty" wasn't something exclusively attributable to women.

By the time Chen Ping'an woke up, he was already able to walk on his own unassisted. He immediately checked on the state of the battle, but the news of the Savage World's retreat didn't do much to put him at ease.

Ning Yao wasn't around, while Bai Lianshuang was teaching fist techniques over at the winter palace, so Chen Ping'an made his way to the summer palace atop his flying sword, where he discovered A'Liang sitting on the doorstep, chatting with Chou Miao.

The native sword cultivators like Chou Miao and Dong Bude couldn't have been more familiar with A'Liang, whereas the foreign sword cultivators like Lin Junbi had only ever heard of A'Liang's name, but had never met him before.

A'Liang had previously stayed for over a hundred years on the Sword Qi Great Wall, so among the younger cultivators in the Majestic World, he was a legendary figure that they had only heard stories of.

Many stories were told of Jiang Shangzhen, but there were even more stories told of A'Liang's feats across the three worlds he had traveled.

Neither of the two picture scrolls laid out in the summer palace were able to see as far as the battlefield south of the golden river, so no one in the Hidden Official's branch had managed to personally witness A'Liang in action. They could only extrapolate based on the reports that they had heard, and compared with Fan Dache, the likes of Lin Junbi and Cao Gun were even more rigid and restrained in A'Liang's presence.

Song Gaoyuan was so excited that his face was flushed bright red, but he didn't dare to say anything.

Ever since he was a child, Song Gaoyuan had always known that the female ancestor of his branch had been an avid admirer of A'Liang's. Back then, Song Gaoyuan used his youth to his advantage to ask many questions that could actually be considered to be rather sensitive.

In response, the female ancestor had told him many stories, and even to this day, Song Gaoyuan clearly recalled that whenever the female ancestor in question mentioned A'Liang, it was always with a combination of frustration and embarrassment. At the time, this had been quite perplexing to Song Gaoyuan, and it was only at a far later age that he realized that this type of demeanor was displayed only by a woman who was truly lovestruck.

Guo Zhujiu was squatting by the doorstep with her chin resting on her hands, staring intently at A'Liang.

She was too young, so she had never seen A'Liang before, and it seemed like she was determined to make up for lost time.

Occasionally, Guo Zhujiu would take a glance at the old girl, then glance over at her suitor, Deng Liang.

A'Liang was feeling rather spooked by Guo Zhujiu's direct and blatant gaze. It seemed like the little girls on the Sword Qi Great Wall had become much bolder and more direct since he was last around.

On the occasions when their eyes met, a grin would immediately break out across Guo Zhujiu's face. In a rare turn of events, A'Liang was left feeling a little awkward, and he could only smile back at her.

As soon as Guo Zhujiu spotted Chen Ping'an, she immediately sprang to her feet and rushed to his side with a concerned expression. She wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

"I'm fine," Chen Ping'an reassured with a smile. "I'm just going to need to rest and recuperate for a while."

Guo Zhujiu nodded vigorously in response, then pointed conspicuously over at the doorstep before whispering into Chen Ping'an's ear, "Look, Master! It's A'Liang in the flesh!"

"Have you forgotten? Senior A'Liang and I have known each other for quite some time," Chen Ping'an chuckled as he patted her on the head.

"That's a fine disciple you've got there," A'Liang praised as he raised a thumb in approval.

Guo Zhujiu immediately reciprocated by raising a thumb of her own, but it seemed like that felt inadequate to her, so she raised her other thumb as well and praised, "And you're a fine senior as well!"

A'Liang also raised both thumbs as he praised, "You have a keen eye, little girl."

"Big Sister Dong has very good taste!" Guo Zhujiu replied.

"Sword Immortal Guo is very lucky to have you," A'Liang said.

Guo Zhujiu was just about to continue reciprocating A'Liang's praise when she was given a knock to the head by Chen Ping'an, and she could only lower her hands in a sheepish manner as she conceded, "You win, Senior."

Finally, she swaggered her way into the room, while Chen Ping'an sat down on the doorstep beside A'Liang, and the two began drinking together.