Chapter 665 (1): Not Someone from a Book

At this point, Chen Ping'an's body was fully healed, his shaken soul was gradually settling back down, and his bonded flying sword was also recovering. His rate of recovery in all three of those areas was truly faster than A'Liang had anticipated.

"That was a really close call," Chen Ping'an sighed.

Not only were there sword cultivators on the Sword Qi Great Wall who chose to send secret messages to Savage World's military tents for one reason or another, but the reverse was also true.

Following the recently concluded battle, the summer palace had already produced detailed combat prowess evaluations on the five sword cultivator prodigies of the Jia Shen Tent.

Of course, the military tents of the Savage World had also become aware of the fact that Chen Ping'an possessed two bonded flying swords.

"You can't just envy a thief for the money that he makes without considering the occupational hazards that come with his job," A'Liang jibed.

For any outsider, it was no easy feat to establish themselves on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

A'Liang had been through all of that, so he knew this better than most.

"Come, I'll take you on a stroll in the city," A'Liang offered as he stretched lazily before rising to his feet. "You can't keep yourself so tightly wound all the time."

Unbeknownst to even himself, Chen Ping'an had been following certain rules in his breathing ever since he began collecting medicinal herbs in the mountains as a child.

Breathing was essential to survival, and almost all cultivators strove for immortality, so they naturally paid a great deal of attention to their breathing.

The breathing techniques taught to Chen Ping'an by the old man from the Yang Family's medicine shop in the Jewel Small World weren't particularly advanced, but they were very mild and neutral. It nourished the body in a gentle fashion, much like good food, unlike medicine, which could be more effective but generally came with negative side effects. Breathing in this fashion had already become second nature to Chen Ping'an, so it presented no burden to his body.

On the contrary, the habit yielded long-term benefits over time, like a gentle, flowing stream that nourished the heart and soul. However, cultivation wasn't all there was to life, and while it was a good habit to constantly abide by rules and exercise self-discipline, it could also make one appear rather boring and rigid. This was why Chen Ping'an always appeared mature beyond his years to others.

Ever since he began learning martial arts, he always made an active effort to control his breathing and footsteps whenever he was out traveling the world alone. This was why he had become so adept at feigning a lower cultivation base. Some of it was perhaps talent, but most of it could be chalked up to consistent, diligent effort.

"Can I bring someone along to join us?" Chen Ping'an asked with a smile as he also stood up from the doorstep.

"Sure," A'Liang replied with a nod. "Let's bring one person each."

Chen Ping'an beckoned to Guo Zhujiu. At the moment, she was Chen Ping'an's latest disciple, but Chen Ping'an was only thirty himself, which made him really nothing more than a child as far as cultivators were concerned. Hence, it was very unlikely that Guo Zhujiu would be his final disciple.

Guo Zhujiu hoisted her bookcase onto her back again, then picked up her hiking pole.

As for A'Liang, he chose Song Gaoyuan to accompany him. Song Gaoyuan was a cultivator of the Antler Palace, a first-rate immortal sect on the Circling Ascension Continent, and all of its current living ancestors were women, so it was a sect that was mostly comprised of female cultivators. As a result, the male cultivators of the Antler Palace were in very enviable positions.

The Antler Palace was renowned on the Circling Ascension Continent for its water-attribute immortal techniques, and it oversaw nearly half of am large river that ran into the sea. Furthermore, the Envious Woman Pier and the Blusher Pier under the jurisdiction of the Antler Palace were extremely popular tourist destinations that were renowned far and wide. At the Envious Woman Pier, all women who passed through were required to remove all makeup and put on plain dresses and wooden hairpins.

Otherwise, the river goddess would emerge to wreak havoc. The exact opposite was true for the Blusher Pier; only by dressing up in vibrant clothes and applying makeup could women hope to traverse through the area safely. The Antler Palace never intervened. As long as the two erratic river goddesses didn't kill anyone, the Antler Palace was content to allow them to enforce any rules that they pleased.

Of course, A'Liang had visited both piers during the several years that he spent on the Circling Ascension Continent. He had spoken with both river goddesses and gotten along very well with them. One was very bubbly and outgoing, while the other was more shy and introverted, but they were both good girls.

As for the meeting between A'Liang and the female ancestors of Song Gaoyuan's branch, that had been a chance encounter that had taken place on a night with a bright full moon. At the time, A'Liang had agreed to help the river goddess of the Envious Woman Pier restore her ruined appearance, and in order to accomplish this, he ventured into the ancestral lotus flower pond of the Antler Palace, which was a restricted area.

Every single lotus leaf in the pond was capable of working miracles, and they were sought after by countless female cultivators who were dissatisfied with their appearance. Many of them traveled to the Antler Palace to beg for a leaf, but to no avail. The restrictive formations around the Antler Palace were set up in a way that, in order to bypass them, A'Liang had to crawl on his elbows and knees, wriggling around like a sneaky eel to reach the bank of the lotus flower pond. With his bottom raised to the sky, he began picking lotus leaves and seedpods.

What he failed to notice was that there was a woman sitting on a lotus leaf the size of a bedsheet in the middle of the pond. The woman was completely dumbstruck to see the unkempt A'Liang munching on lotus seeds while clutching several smaller lotus leaves to his chest. Upon catching sight of her, he remained completely unfazed and even offered her some lotus seeds.

The woman naturally refused his kind offer and struck him directly on the head with a water-attribute immortal technique.

The four of them left the summer palace on foot. Observant as ever, Chen Ping'an had noticed that there seemed to have been a slight shift in the mental states of Dong Bude and Pang Yuanji. In light of this discovery, he couldn't help but wonder what A'Liang had said to them prior to his arrival.

After leaving the summer palace, Song Gaoyuan's face was flushed bright red, and he mustered up some courage before asking, "Senior A'Liang, will you visit our Antler Palace again?"

"I can't make any promises on that for right now," A'Liang replied with a smile. "Why don't you go ahead and tell me which one of your seniors it is that's been thinking about me even after all this time?"

"Ancestor Rongguan still talks about you very often," Song Gaoyuan revealed, speaking through his mind's lake out of respect for his senior.

The reality was that whenever she came out of seclusion, she would always visit the lotus flower pond, talking about how the bitter and refreshing taste of the lotus seeds is beneficial for mental cultivation.

"So it's her," A'Liang sighed, completely unsurprised by this answer.

Song Gaoyuan hesitated momentarily, then said, "Before I set off on my journey, Ancestor Rongguan instructed me to pass a message on to you for her if I happen to meet you on the Sword Qi Great Wall."

A'Liang remained silent.

Song Gaoyuan continued, "Ancestor Rongguan wanted me to tell you 'the most precious times are often taken for granted.'"

A'Liang scratched his head and continued to remain silent.

Song Gaoyuan didn't dare to press him for a response. In any case, what was there to be said?

The four of them continued strolling toward the city, and along the way, they passed by the private residences of a pair of sword immortals. However, the former owners of the two residences were both gone, leaving the properties vacant. There was also one more residence that was inhabited by three people, all of whom were disciples of a certain sword immortal. They were all quite young, and prior to their master's passing, he had issued them a stern order, forbidding them from setting foot outside the residence until they reached the Nascent Tier.

Chen Ping'an listened to the story with a peculiar expression. The private residence in question was inhabited by three Golden Core Tier sword cultivators, all of whom were men. Not only were they unable to leave the private residence, but it was also said that they dressed up as women, something that was naturally regarded as quite bizarre on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

They had once sent a flying sword letter to the summer palace, requesting to go into battle, but there existed a written agreement between the deceased sword immortal and the summer palace. The agreement had been signed by the old sword immortal and also stamped with the seal of the former Hidden Official, Xiao Xun.

On the Sword Qi Great Wall, the requests of sword immortals who perished in battle had to be honored above all else. As long as the request was recorded on paper, it had to be fulfilled, so Chen Ping'an could only turn down the three Golden Core Tier sword cultivators.

All of a sudden, a head poked out above the wall of the residence. It belonged to a young sword cultivator, but he was sporting a thick beard, and he immediately erupted into a torrent of abuse as soon as he caught sight of A'Liang.

A'Liang immediately began responding in kind, exchanging insults with the young man. He declared that he had only given their master a suggestion, and that he wasn't to blame for the fact that his master actually decided to follow through on it.

The young sword cultivator denounced A'Liang as a cowardly dog and challenged him to enter the courtyard for a fight.

A'Liang jumped up to spit at the young man, while Chen Ping'an massaged his glabella and averted his gaze in dismay.

A'Liang then noticed the wide-eyed Guo Zhujiu and the completely dumbstruck Song Gaoyuan, and he hurriedly smoothed down his hair while apologizing for losing his composure.

Curious, Chen Ping'an asked A'Liang why the young man was so resentful of him, and in response, he was told an absurd story. As it turned out, the old sword immortal who was the deceased master of the three young men possessed a peculiar ability that allowed him to identify Sword Dao prodigies. In fact, around half of the young prodigies of this generation on the Sword Qi Great Wall had been picked out by him.

There weren't that many hidden jewels to be unearthed from the prominent clans on Taixiang Street and Ritual Baton Street, but there were often many fine talents that slipped through the cracks in less privileged areas, such as on Spirit Rhino Alley and Raincoat Alley. For all Qi refiners under the heavens, including sword cultivators, the earlier they embarked on the path of cultivation, the higher their potential ceiling would be.

For example, Die Zhang was actually a talent that was unearthed thanks to the immortal technique taught to A'Liang by that sword immortal. Many sword cultivators who went on to become sword immortals didn't actually display exceptional aptitude in their youth. Instead, their talents were often hidden and understated.

At some point, the old sword immortal was severely wounded in battle and didn't have long left to live. While drinking with him on one occasion, A'Liang casually brought up a story that came from a prestigious clan in the Majestic World. The ancestor of the clan repeatedly failed to pass the imperial examination, and for that, he was mocked and ridiculed by his more successful peers.

In a fit of rage and frustration, he returned home, determined to change the fortunes of his clan. In order to do this, he established a rule where all male members of his clan had to dress in women's clothing and study for the imperial examination. If they couldn't pass the examination, then they would have to continue cross-dressing until they turned forty. Initially, the entire clan was reduced to a complete laughingstock, but eventually, several highly successful scholars came out of the clan.

"It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?" A'Liang chuckled. "That story that I told led to those three young prodigies becoming the butt of jokes for several decades, to the point that they would much rather die on the battlefield than continue this shameful existence. Their master's sword techniques are all quite reckless, aiming to kill the enemy even at the cost of incurring injury to oneself, so those in his branch tend to die quite young.

“They become sword immortals very quickly, but it often takes them even less time to die once they become sword immortals. Back when he was around, he could still protect his disciples in battle, but he knew that given the reckless nature of his sword techniques, all of his disciples would quickly die out once he passed away. He treated every single one of his disciples like his sons and daughters.

“As a master and Dao mentor, you have to take some responsibility for the lives of your disciples. One time, Qi Tingji went to visit him and asked him if he would be willing to make that immortal technique public to help the Sword Qi Great Wall unearth more young talents. He refused, telling Qi Tingji to give up on the idea, and that he wouldn't reveal the immortal technique even if Chen Qingdu personally came to him with the same request.

“In order to rebuke Qi Tingji, he asked him, 'Who decided that becoming a sword cultivator is the best path to take for everyone?' I asked him in private if he would actually refuse to reveal the immortal technique even if the old great sword immortal asked for it, and he told me that he was obviously just spouting nonsense. He told me that if the old great sword immortal made the request, then he would immediately oblige, and if he could share a drink with the old great sword immortal afterward, then his life would be fulfilled.

“I then asked him what he would do if Dong Sangeng were the one to make the request instead, and he told me that in that case, he would just play dead. There are sword immortals like him in the Majestic World as well, but they're far too rare."

Song Gaoyuan nodded sincerely in agreement.

After telling that story, A'Liang remained largely silent.

In the past, A'Liang had always been rather averse to talking about serious matters with his juniors. In his eyes, they were too young to be weighed down by such concerns. Instead, it should be left to their seniors to shoulder these burdens.

However, the circumstances had changed. A new era was arriving, one that was completely different from any that had come and passed in the past ten thousand years, and every single young person on the Sword Qi Great Wall, even the children, was going to be directly affected. All of them had to grow up as quickly as possible because when the time of reckoning came, the cruel hand of fate would not spare the young.

The four of them made their way to the entrance of the Guo Manor on Ritual Baton Street, and Chen Ping'an told Guo Zhujiu to return home. Song Gaoyuan also decided that it was time for him to return to the summer palace, and upon his departure, Chen Ping'an instructed him to tell everyone in the Hidden Official's branch that they could take a break to do whatever they pleased over the next couple of days.

Song Gaoyuan turned back to look at the receding figures of the two men.

A'Liang was extremely renowned in the Antler Palace. Back when he was being hunted by Ancestor Rongguan and her junior sister, he never once retaliated. Instead, he kept telling them that he was close friends with Sword Immortal Xu Dian of the Circling Ascension Continent, and he requested that the Antler Palace spare him as a favor to Xu Dian. Xu Dian was an official immortal from the second-most powerful sect on the Circling Ascension Continent, and he was a renowned prodigy who had reached the Nascent Tier at a very young age.

However, the cultivators of the Antler Palace had never been afraid of anyone, and they certainly weren't going to be intimidated by someone who wasn't even a sword immortal yet, even if they were exceptionally talented. Furthermore, the leader of the Antler Palace was one of the ten most fearsome cultivators on the Circling Ascension Continent, a highly respected figure with power to match, so Ancestor Rongguan hardly even batted an eyelid when A'Liang brought up such an insignificant backer. In the end, A'Liang was able to successfully make his escape. He revealed his name to no one, but he did recite quite a few poems.

After the event, the Antler Palace sent an accusatory flying sword letter to Xu Dian's sect alongside a portrait of A'Liang, asking Xu Dian about A'Liang's identity and whereabouts.

Xu Dian was completely bewildered, and he hurriedly sent a letter to the Antler Palace to clear his name, telling them that he didn't recognize the man in the portrait at all.

The letter and the portrait were later presented to an old ancestor of Xu Dian's sect, who had the appearance of a child, but was actually an extremely formidable cultivator whose cultivation base exceeded even that of the Antler Palace Leader. After learning about what had happened, he personally made a trip to the Antler Palace and revealed to the palace leader that he and A'Liang were close friends.

No one knew what happened during his visit, but when he left the Antler Palace, he did so with a red and swollen cheek, cursing loudly in dissatisfaction. After leaving the Antler Palace, he yelled in frustration to the heavens, declaring that A'Liang owed him a flagon of the finest immortal wine.

After parting ways with Guo Zhujiu and Song Gaoyuan, Chen Ping'an told A'Liang some stories from his travels. They were just sporadic bits and pieces, whatever he could think of.

The first time he traveled to the Sword Qi Great Wall on the Fan Clan's Osmanthus Island, he almost died while passing through the Flood Dragon Trench, and it was Zuo You who saved him.

He fought Cao Ci thrice, but was comprehensively defeated three times in a row.

On the Parasol Leaf Continent, he stumbled inadvertently into the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and was forced to endure quite the ordeal. It was there that he met Cao Qinglang and Pei Qian, who became his student and disciple, respectively. However, he didn't know what he could teach Cao Qinglang, and he was also worried that Pei Qian was in too much of a hurry to grow up.

A few years back, he ran a wine shop with Die Zhang, selling Bamboo Sea Small World immortal wine. Business was quite good. The money didn't come in quite as quickly as it did from running betting stations, but it was a more sustainable source of income.

Over at the Catch and Release Pavilion on Stalactite Mountain, the great demon that was captured, then released by the Daoist second disciple possessed a young sword cultivator by the name of Bian Jing. He was eventually busted by the Hidden Official's branch and slain out at sea.

The current Downtrodden Mountain had not only a bamboo building, but also an ancestral hall on Sky Blue Peak, an important landmark that Chen Ping'an insisted was worth a visit.

The two of them made their way down the streets and alleys, and A'Liang was very familiar with every single one.

He mostly remained silent and listened to Chen Ping'an's stories, only occasionally interjecting with a few questions that were of interest to him. For example, which one was more beautiful between Huang Ting of Peace and Tranquility Mountain and Yao Jinzhi of the Great Quan Empire?

In response, Chen Ping'an told him that they were both very beautiful, but in his eyes, even the two of them combined couldn't compare with Ning Yao.

A'Liang told him that Ning Yao wasn't around, so he could feel free to tell the truth. Chen Ping'an looked around momentarily with a contemplative expression, but ultimately didn't say anything.