Unsheathed

Chapter 666 (2): Physical Burden, Mental Burden

Ku Xia pulled out a letter, then handed it to Lin Junbi and said, "Barring any mishaps, you should be leaving tomorrow, and you'll be traveling on an intercontinental ship headed back to the Southern Whirl Continent. This is a flying sword letter from your teacher that only recently arrived at the Spring Banner Inn, and he requested that I pass it on to you."

Lin Junbi was definitely going to be staying in the summer palace for the rest of the day. All of his companions had already left Sun Juyuan's residence, and Sun Juyuan's impression of them had completely soured anyway. That wasn't even to mention what happened with Bian Jing, so Lin Junbi was certain he wasn't welcome there.

In any case, Lin Junbi got along very well with all of the sword cultivators of the Hidden Official's branch. In particular, he had become very close friends with Cao Gun and Xuan Can.

Guo Zhujiu had always been encouraging them to become sworn brothers. She told them she had already prepared everything required for the ceremony and could have everything ready at a moment's notice.

Prior to his departure, Ku Xia advised Lin Junbi to be careful on his return journey and wished him well in his future endeavors.

Instead of returning to the top of the city walls, he made his way back to the Immortal Elm Pavilion on foot.

Upon catching sight of the residence, a rare smile broke out across his perpetually sullen face.

Meanwhile, Lin Junbi returned to the summer palace and continued his ongoing game of Go against Pang Yuanji.

"Is this going to be our final game?" Pang Yuanji asked with a smile.

"Should I let you win?" Lin Junbi asked.

"You don't have to let me win if you get Lord Hidden Official to help you," Pang Yuanji said.

Chen Ping'an was watching the game with his hands tucked up their opposite sleeves, and he grumbled, "I've never lost a single game of Go where I've played seriously!"

"So how many serious games have you played?" Pang Yuanji asked.

"Mind your own business!" Chen Ping'an snapped.

"How about we continue this game the next time we meet?" Pang Yuanji proposed as he gently placed the stones in his hand back into the jar.

"Sure," Lin Junbi agreed.

With the game indefinitely postponed, Chen Ping'an removed the Sword Nurturing Gourd Mi Hu had gifted him from his waist to inspect it closely. He was still the owner of the Sword Nurturing Gourd for now, so it couldn't hurt to take a look.

The words "River Bridge" were engraved onto the underside of the gourd.

It was unclear what material the Sword Nurturing Gourd was made from, and Mi Hu had referred to it as a Sword Nurturing Gourd of a "decent caliber," but Chen Ping'an had no idea what that entailed coming from an Immortal Tier sword immortal.

Pang Yuanji turned his attention to the gourd and said, "If I recall correctly, Mi Hu picked up this Sword Nurturing Gourd from the body of a Nascent Tier demon some years ago. He never had it appraised while it's been in his possession, so it's difficult to say just how much it's worth."

Chen Ping'an was staring at the Sword Nurturing Gourd so closely that his eye was practically pressed up against its surface, and he said, "I can never appraise how good a good thing is, but I can immediately tell if something is a good thing or not. You wouldn't understand. This is a fine art that requires exceptional talent."

Pang Yuanji didn't want to respond, so he changed the subject and asked, "How did you survive against those five opponents at once? Sword Immortal Chou Miao said that even he may not have been able to escape in the same situation."

Zhu Qie, Li Zhen, Yu Si, Tun Tan, Liu Bai.

It was an assassination plot that made use of five top-tier prodigies, and it had been orchestrated by a great demon of the twelve thrones, so Pang Yuanji certainly wasn't the only one on the Sword Qi Great Wall curious to hear the answer to this question.

Some people had heard some rumors here and there, but unless they had personally witnessed the battle for themselves, those rumors didn't really help answer any of their questions.

For example, there was much speculation at the moment that Chen Ping'an's bonded flying sword was capable of conjuring up a small world. However, not all small worlds were made equal, so it was unclear exactly how useful this ability was.

Chen Ping'an strapped the Sword Nurturing Gourd back to his waist, and after Lin Junbi cleared the stones from the Go board, he stowed the board and the jars into his minimization treasure.

Instead of providing a detailed recount of the battle, Chen Ping'an only revealed to Pang Yuanji and Lin Junbi the flying swords and abilities of his five assailants.

If a day ever came when they had to battle alongside one another, Chen Ping'an wouldn't be averse to revealing more details, but since that wasn't necessary at the moment, he decided to keep the information to himself.

Treating someone with sincerity wasn't about pulling your heart out and offering it to them. If they failed to catch the heart properly, then it would be a case of good intentions resulting in a terrible outcome.

"So it sounds like Liu Bai's bonded flying sword is the most dangerous of the lot," Lin Junbi mused.

Chen Ping'an nodded in confirmation.

"If you ever run into her, make sure to exercise the utmost caution. If she manages to reach the Upper Five Tiers, then her bonded flying sword is going to be extremely troublesome to deal with."

If that battle had been solely a contest of combat prowess, then Chen Ping'an wouldn't have been able to survive even if he possessed the ability to duplicate himself several times over.

"Having said that, given the current circumstances, we're not going to be running into her anytime soon," Chen Ping'an continued with a smile. "That's why I think I didn't gain anything from that exchange, but I didn't lose much, either."

"That's the first time I've ever heard of such a strange flying sword," Lin Junbi mused. "I've always known that some sword immortals have extremely minute bonded flying swords, but not to her extent!"

"What can I say? The world is full of wonders," Chen Ping'an replied with a shrug.

From there, he made his way to the winter palace. Bai Lianshuang wasn't there. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of an unwelcome visitor.

It was Guo Zhujiu, and as usual, she had her bamboo bookcase on her back. Instead of staying at home, she had come to the winter palace early in the morning, and at this moment, she was surrounded by a bunch of martial arts prodigies on the training ground, telling them a story of Chen Ping'an's close call.

Guo Zhujiu wasn't there to witness the battle, nor had Chen Ping'an spoken a word of it to her, so her story was completely fabricated.

However, Chen Ping'an saw no reason to step in. Instead, he sat down on the railing of a walkway, watching from afar as Guo Zhujiu told her epic tale.

Setting aside her aptitude for fist techniques, she certainly took after Chen Ping'an when it came to storytelling.

She stood ramrod straight on one leg with a solemn look on her face as she delivered her riveting story.

"The situation was extremely perilous. Five sword cultivators out for blood, wielding five extremely powerful bonded flying swords, each at least twice as powerful as Yuan Zaohua's! Don't tell me you wouldn't be scared in that situation! Even I would be afraid! Think about it: Li Zhen is the closing disciple of Holding Moon Mountain, Zhu Qie is Liu Cha's first-ever disciple, and Liu Bai is a direct disciple of the Omnipotent Old Fox, Zhou Mi! Can you think of a more formidable lineup of backers?

“On top of that, both Yu Si and Tun Tan have a place in the Jia Shen Tent, so they're definitely no slouches, either. Otherwise, how could they be ranked among the top hundred sword immortals of the Savage World at such a young age? It sounds like a hopeless situation, right? Not to worry, because my master wasn't afraid at all, not even a tiny bit! All of you are martial artists, so I'm sure you know that there's meaning behind every single fist stance that a martial arts master adopts..."

Chen Ping'an couldn't bear to listen any longer, and he hurriedly rose to his feet before lunging his way onto the training ground in a single stride, then cleared his throat to indicate to Guo Zhujiu that she could stop telling her story.

Guo Zhujiu turned to take a glance at him, and she was worried that he was stopping her from telling her story because he was too modest. With that in mind, a look of urgency appeared on her face, and she hurriedly picked up the pace, rattling off a few hundred words of her story in rapid-fire fashion.

Chen Ping'an strode over to Guo Zhujiu before pressing a hand down onto her head.

That was enough to finally get her to stop, and she sighed. "Alright, I guess that's all for today. I wasn't able to do my master justice with my storytelling at all anyway, so it's quite a shame."

The boy by the name of Jiang Yun crossed his arms and said, "Chen Ping'an, Big Sister Guo said that you killed that female sword cultivator called Liu Bai with a single punch; is that true? What's wrong with you? There were four men among the five sword cultivators, but you left them alone to target a woman instead. Did you pick her because she was a soft target?"

A suggestive grin appeared on Jiang Yun's face as he continued, "Speaking of soft, where exactly did you punch her? I heard that the battlefield at the time was really strange, and no one could see anything from the outside. It was like a blanket had been thrown over all of you, and no one could tell who was lying inside the blanket..."

A sympathetic look appeared in Guo Zhujiu's eyes as she shook her head and sighed. "You shouldn't have said that, Jiang Yun. You've made an enemy out of me now."

Normally, Jiang Yun wasn't afraid of anything, but this was enough to have him instantly backtracking in horror.

"Don't be like that, Big Sister Guo! We're sworn brother and sister; don't let any outsider come between us! Even if you do let an outsider come between us, please don't stand outside my window and bang on that gong of yours..."

"Alright, get back to your training," Chen Ping'an instructed with an amused smile. "Guo Zhujiu, you stay here to supervise."

Guo Zhujiu accepted her orders and went to stand off to the side.

Chen Ping'an would often come here to spar with the children for two hours at a time.

"I'm not gonna lie, Chen Ping'an, you look terrible," Jiang Yun scoffed. "Are you sure you've recovered from your injuries? I'm worried that I'll knock you out with a single punch! Don't push yourself if you're not ready for this. It's been a few days since you last saw me, so you probably still don't know that I've already attained full mastery of my fist techniques. Right now, just a single punch from me is enough to blast a hole into the heavens and shatter the earth!"

Chen Ping'an turned his gaze to Jiang Yun, then beckoned to him in silence.

Jiang Yun required no further invitation, instantly taking a few steps back before adopting his fist stance. He then launched himself forward and sprang high up into the air before throwing a punch at Chen Ping'an.

In response, Chen Ping'an merely cocked his head to the side with one hand clasped behind his back, then pressed a hand down onto Jiang Yun's head before giving it a gentle shove, sending him crashing down to the ground.

Immediately thereafter, the tomboy by the name of Yun Zaohua rushed at Chen Ping'an from behind before unfurling a low, sweeping kick, intending to take his legs out from under him. Chen Ping'an sidestepped her sweep, then retaliated with a downward elbow strike that dashed her to the ground, after which he kicked her in the head to send her sliding back the same direction she had come from.

Chen Ping'an naturally had to suppress his cultivation base when sparring against these children, but he also never missed.

According to their agreement, any child here who could land a punch on Chen Ping'an would be considered to have graduated and would be allowed to return home to visit once.

Chen Ping'an grabbed a child by the shoulder before gently shoving the child into another child racing toward him from behind, and both were sent flying at once.

Another child had managed to get close to Chen Ping'an, only to be grabbed by the face and lifted off their feet before being hurled back through the air.

"Your body must follow your intent. Your qi must go through your dantian, while your intent must spread through your entire body. Martial artists must stand tall and proud and like pillars between heaven and earth. Our fists must be just as fast as flying swords, and our fist intent cannot be inferior to the sword intent of sword immortals."

Chen Ping'an casually strode forward, punching a child in the neck to send their head swaying to the side. He then opened his fist to form a palm and struck the same child on the shoulder with the back of his hand, knocking them to the ground. Even in his off-balance state, the child was still trying to swing a fist at Chen Ping'an, who gently lifted his foot, and his fist intent shot out of the sole of his shoe to send the child flying.

At the same time, he blocked a punch from another child, before stepping to the side and punching the child in the back of the head. The child was sent sprawling to the ground, face-planting onto the surface of the training ground to end up with a bloody nose.

A child wove from side to side in an unpredictable fashion, and his shifty footwork, used in conjunction with the six step walking meditation, allowed him to close in rapidly on Chen Ping'an. His fist techniques were already very impressive for his age, but they were still promptly dismantled, just like all those who came before them.

Thinking that he had spotted a window of opportunity, Jiang Yun threw a sneaky kick at Chen Ping'an, but Chen Ping'an's foot was faster and struck him in the chest before his kick was able to land. After being knocked onto his back, Jiang Yun was just about to denounce Chen Ping'an for using his height advantage when the latter leaned back to aim another kick at him. Jiang Yun wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, then slammed a palm down onto the ground to launch himself to his feet.

All of the children who got close to Chen Ping'an were casually knocked back. One was struck by an elbow to the chest and sent rolling over the ground like a barrel, while another was flung away by a shoulder strike from Chen Ping'an. The latter felt as if their body were about to fall apart at the seams, but they still gritted their teeth against the pain and clambered to their feet.

All of the children here had been taught by Chen Ping'an that a martial artist could sustain injuries, but they absolutely could not allow those injuries to negatively impact their fist intent. Otherwise, death would be sure to follow soon thereafter. A martial artist could only be considered competent if their punches became even faster after sustaining injuries.

Around fifteen minutes later, most of the children were lying on the ground, completely spent. Only a select few were still able to sit, while not a single one was able to remain on their feet.

"Continue," Chen Ping'an ordered. "Your attacks can be slower, but your intent cannot wane. Otherwise, I'm not going to be lenient with you."

The children stumbled unsteadily to their feet in unison.

Over at the walkway, A'Liang and Bai Lianshuang were both watching the sparring session.

"It's not difficult to have strong fist techniques, but it's very difficult to have your fist techniques be strong and pretty at the same time," A'Liang remarked with a smile. "If these children ever get to go to the Majestic World after training under Chen Ping'an, then they'll all have countless women fawning over them."

"Young Master Chen's fist techniques are indeed very pleasing to the eye," Bai Lianshuang agreed with a smile. "Given Young Master Chen's appearance and fist techniques, it won't be a surprise to me if he's very popular with women, but he's not going to reciprocate any of them, anyway. I have full confidence in Young Master Chen's character."

"Does he not have any flaws?" A'Liang asked with a smile.

Bai Lianshuang thought about it for a moment, then shook her head in response.

A'Liang turned his gaze back to the children, then sighed, "Having to carry a physical burden is merely taxing on the body, but constantly having to carry a mental burden is far more concerning."

Bai Lianshuang nodded earnestly in agreement as she sighed, "That's the only bad thing about Young Master Chen."

Another fifteen minutes passed, and this time, all of the children were lying on the ground.

One of the children just so happened to spot A'Liang in the distance, and they were able to guess who he was. Before long, they had all begun whispering among themselves through their pained grimaces.

Chen Ping'an turned to A'Liang with a smile and offered, "Do you want to take over this lesson?"

A'Liang was eager to accept this offer. He was very confident in his fist techniques.

He grabbed the railing with one hand to support himself as he rose to his feet in as graceful a fashion as he could muster, then let loose a loud yell before darting forward. Once he had enough space to operate, he demonstrated a set of fist techniques that he felt to be extremely smooth and elegant, and he made sure to show off some of his footwork in the process as well.

Jiang Yun immediately jumped to his feet with a serious look on his face and said, "It's fine, Chen Ping'an; you can continue. We don't need anyone else to spar with."

The other children all nodded in agreement.

A'Liang was rooted to the spot with an awkward expression, perplexed by this reaction from the children.

Even the Daoist second disciple had suffered extensively at his hands, so he couldn't understand why these children were giving him such a negative reception.

"There's no need to feel embarrassed, Senior A'Liang," Guo Zhujiu consoled in a gentle voice. "Your swordsmanship is already so outstanding; you don't need to compare yourself with my master in fist technique."

"You think my fist techniques are bad?" A'Liang asked.

Guo Zhujiu immediately began shaking her head vigorously.

"In that case, are they not pretty enough?" A'Liang asked.

Guo Zhujiu heaved a forlorn sigh, then asked, "Do you want to hear the truth, or do you want me to lie to you?"

"Lie to me!" A'Liang demanded.

Guo Zhujiu was ecstatic. She would much rather tell pretty lies than hurt others with harsh truths and be punished with knocks to the head from her master for her honesty.

Eager to satisfy A'Liang's request, she raised both thumbs and loudly praised, "Your fist techniques are some of the prettiest I've ever seen! They're just as good-looking as yourself, Senior A'Liang!"

A pleased smile appeared on A'Liang's face, and he asked, "Do you want to learn sword techniques from me, Little Zhujiu? My fist techniques may not be as pretty as your master's, but when it comes to sword techniques, you're not going to find any prettier than mine!"

"I'll pass," Guo Zhujiu refused with a shake of her head.

"Why?" A'Liang asked.

"I only have one master," Guo Zhujiu explained.