Chapter 666 (1): Physical Burden, Mental Burden

Chen Ping'an sat alone in the pergola on Dragon Slaying Cliff the entire night. In the end, he was unable to work up the courage to go knocking on Ning Yao's door. It was said that alcohol emboldened cowards, but that wasn't true in Chen Ping'an's case at all.

The next morning, he left the city atop his flying sword to travel to the summer palace. Aside from Pang Yuanji, all of the other native sword cultivators, such as Chou Miao and Dong Bude, were already gone. As for the foreign sword cultivators of the Hidden Official's branch, only Lin Junbi was still around, while Deng Liang and the others had all gone to visit the sword immortal seniors from their own continents or to catch up with friends.

As the only two left in the summer palace, Lin Junbi and Pang Yuanji were playing a game of Go, while Chen Ping'an watched in silence. Lin Junbi was a superior Go player to Pang Yuanji, so the outcome of their game was very predictable. Chen Ping'an stayed to watch for a while before leaving to sort through the archives. However, he was interrupted in his task when Lin Junbi came to him and informed him that Mi Hu had requested to see him. However, Mi Hu was following the rules and refrained from setting foot in the summer palace.

Chen Ping'an told Lin Junbi to return to his game, then made his way to the entrance of the summer palace on his own. There, he was met by Mi Hu, the latest and youngest Immortal Tier sword immortal on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Chen Ping'an smiled as he cupped his fist in a greeting, but Mi Hu didn't seem to be in the mood to exchange pleasantries, and he said, "Let's take a walk."

The two of them walked alongside each other, and Mi Hu cut straight to the chase, declaring, "I've come to see you today because I have a request to make. I need your help in something that's both a public matter and a private affair."

"How can I help you?" Chen Ping'an asked with a smile.

"I want to use my battlefield accolades to give my brother the opportunity to go anywhere that he pleases once the war is over, such as your Majestic World," Mi Hu replied.

"You should already have enough battlefield accolades to facilitate that, but according to the unspoken rules, the old great sword immortal gets the final say on whether the sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall are to stay or leave," Chen Ping'an said. "Mi Yu is an Unpolished Jade Tier sword immortal, so approval will have to be secured from the old great sword immortal. That way, no one will be able to say anything once it comes time for Mi Yu to go."

"The old great sword immortal has already given the nod," Mi Hu said.

"In that case, you don't really even need to discuss this matter with me at all," Chen Ping'an said with a smile. "In the Majestic World, all sword immortals are treated with a great deal of respect and veneration, so he can go wherever he likes. He'll be an esteemed guest anywhere, whether it be in the ancestral halls of any immortal sect, or the imperial palaces of any mortal empire."

"I can't help but feel a little uneasy at the thought of my brother all alone in another world with no one to look out for him," Mi Hu said. "The Majestic World is a far different place from our Sword Qi Great Wall. I haven't personally been there, but I'm well aware of just how calculating and underhanded people in the Majestic World can be. Mi Yu is decently competent when it comes to dealing with women, but if he gets into some nonsensical battle of the Great Dao against another cultivator, then he's almost undoubtedly going to come off second-best, given how simple-minded he is."

At this point, the purpose of Mi Hu's visit had already become very apparent. Clearly, he wanted Chen Ping'an to look out for Mi Yu in the Majestic World.

However, there were some things that Chen Ping'an had to keep secret, such as his agreement with the old great sword immortal and his own future circumstances, so he was rather hesitant about how to respond.

"I'll be sure to compensate you as long as you agree to look out for him," Mi Hu said. "When it comes to doing business, I have full trust in you."

He had clearly misconstrued Chen Ping'an's silence.

"It's fine, I don't need any compensation," Chen Ping'an said. "Mi Yu has made many contributions to the Hidden Official's branch over the past couple of years, so he's already earned his own freedom. However, I think Mi Yu's intentions are the most important thing to consider here. What if he's not actually even willing to go to the Majestic World?"

Mi Hu disagreed.

"Given all your connections on the Sword Qi Great Wall, even if he's unwilling to leave, you can simply find a few sword immortals to knock him unconscious and take him to the Majestic World."

"What if being sent to the Majestic World against his will results in a mental hurdle that he's unable to get over?" Chen Ping'an asked. "That could be very problematic for his future cultivation. As a sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall, he won't encounter many mishaps in the Majestic World, but if he does, then they're sure to be major mishaps."

"Nothing is more important than staying alive," Mi Hu said categorically. "Every extra day that he gets to live is a blessing. Besides, don't underestimate his Dao Heart. He's not as fragile as you think."

"That's true," Chen Ping'an acknowledged with a nod. "In that case, we can send him to the Great Emblem Sword Sect on the Northern Complete Reed Continent or Sword Immortal Li Cai's Duckweed Sword Lake. Both those places need a sword immortal guest elder, and he won't be required to go into battle much in either of those positions. From there, Mi Yu can decide where he wants to go in the future."

"Why not send him to your mountain?" Mi Hu asked.

"That's not a good idea," Chen Ping'an said with a shake of his head. "I still have a bunch of outstanding debts, so it won't be much safer for Mi Yu on Downtrodden Mountain than it is on Stalactite Mountain."

However, Mi Hu refused to heed the warning, insisting, "Mi Yu can go serve as a guest elder on Downtrodden Mountain."

An exasperated look appeared on Chen Ping'an's face as he sighed, "Look, Sword Immortal Mi, I'm going to be honest with you. If I'm treating this solely as a business transaction, then I would be a fool to turn down a free sword immortal guest elder. It's exactly because I see Mi Yu as a friend that I'm eliminating the option of sending him to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The Northern Complete Reed Continent has the closest ties with the Sword Qi Great Wall, so Mi Yu will be very much welcome there. That's a benefit that he won't get to enjoy on any of the other eight continents."

"Cut the chit-chat! You're whining like a woman!" Mi Hu snapped. "Mi Yu is going to Downtrodden Mountain. It's decided!"

Chen Ping'an didn't know what to say. He was only looking out for Mi Yu, yet for some reason, he was being insulted for it.

He was just about to try and convince Mi Hu to reconsider when a sullen look suddenly appeared on the latter's face, and he said, "My brother always feels like he's an embarrassment to me, but has he considered that if I wasn't as accomplished a sword cultivator as I am, who would see him as an embarrassment when he's already an Unpolished Jade Tier sword immortal himself?

“Would he be seen as a joke by everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall if they didn't have me to compare him to? So does he really owe me, or am I the one who owes him? I think the answer is obvious. My only regret is that I'm not a more capable sword cultivator. If I had the power to do so, I would make sure no one ever dared to look down on my brother."

Chen Ping'an removed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist and took a sip of wine, then said, "You should be telling Mi Yu this in person."

Mi Hu shook his head. "This is the type of stuff you keep in your heart. I wouldn't be able to say it to his face."

All of a sudden, he erupted into a furious tirade. "I can't believe a bunch of old drunkards and single dogs who've never even sniffed a woman in their lives have the gall to look down on my brother! All of them need to shut the hell up! They look like their faces were stomped by donkeys when they were babies! They don't even look like the same species as my brother! Stupid ass, ugly ass bastards! They can't look away as soon as a woman with big tits and a big arse enters their line of sight!"

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. In his eyes, Mi Hu was really in no position to be dishing out these criticisms.

Mi Hu was immediately able to see the implication behind Chen Ping'an's skeptical gaze, and he harrumphed, "Some people aren't single, but they may as well be single. Before coming here, I heard that someone drank with A'Liang at Ms. Xie's wine shop for free just the other day. I also heard that Ms. Xie has been super vibrant and jovial since then, almost like she's turned into a completely different person!"

Chen Ping'an merely smiled and pretended that he didn't understand what Mi Hu was saying. However, internally, he had marked down a transgression against Mi Hu in his little mental account book, and he was going to take it out on his brother, Mi Yu.

He was going to send a letter back to Downtrodden Mountain and force Mi Yu to sell himself on enchanted picture scrolls for an entire year. If he didn't earn a large sum of grain rain coins, then he would be held captive on the mountain until he made enough to buy his freedom.

As the two walked along, they began approaching the private residence called the Immortal Elm Pavilion. The former owner of the Immortal Elm Pavilion had passed away some time ago, and the residence had already been vacant for many years. The majority of the vacant residences in the city belonged to deceased sword immortals.

If the direct disciples of those sword immortals also perished in battle, then their lineage would be completely severed, and their residences would no longer have owners. Those residences would be taken back by the Hidden Official's branch and rented out or given to new sword immortals.

For example, the Great Emblem Sword Sect's Armory had been secured in exchange for battlefield accolades, while the Myriad Ravine Residence that Li Cai had initially stayed in upon her arrival on the Sword Qi Great Wall was a rented property left behind by another sword immortal.

However, she then quickly set her sights on the Cloud Stop Pavilion, which was carved entirely out of a giant piece of immortal jade, and she was willing to purchase it for an astronomical price. Initially, the summer palace refused to sell her the property because it went against the rules, and Li Cai was furious. She sent a flying sword letter straight to Chen Ping'an, digging into him with a scathing tirade.

Later, as the financial situation on the Sword Qi Great Wall grew more and more dire, Chen Ping'an was forced to send Dong Bude to the Myriad Ravine Residence and tell Li Cai that he would sell the Cloud Stop Pavilion as long as she paid double the price that she initially offered.

After that, the Osmanthus Island arrived on Stalactite Mountain, and it was carrying chests full of snowflake coins sent by the Jade Tablet Sect Jiang Clan.

All of a sudden, Mi Hu stopped in his tracks. Someone had just descended out of the sky atop a flying sword nearby, and it seemed like they were here for Chen Ping'an.

It was Sword Immortal Ku Xia from the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

"I'll be counting on you then, Chen Ping'an," Mi Hu said through his mind's lake.

"I'll do my best," Chen Ping'an replied.

Mi Hu nodded, then glanced at Ku Xia before tossing Chen Ping'an a Sword Nurturing Gourd. He told Chen Ping'an that it was a Sword Nurturing Gourd of a decent caliber, and that it could be refined through conventional means, then departed atop his flying sword.

Chen Ping'an held onto the Sword Nurturing Gourd for now, deciding that he would pass it on to Mi Yu in the future.

Ku Xia made his way over to Chen Ping'an, looking even more sullen and depressed than usual.

Chen Ping'an strapped the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist, forming a symmetrical balance with his other Sword Nurturing Gourd.

He then turned to Ku Xia with a smile and asked, "Is Lin Junbi about to leave?"

Ku Xia nodded in confirmation and replied, "I know that the timing is not ideal, so in no more than half a month from now, an intercontinental ship will arrive from the Middle Earth Divine Continent with some compensation for the summer palace from our Shaoyuan Empire."

Chen Ping'an didn't know what to say. Ku Xia was truly a very honest and sincere man. If Lin Junbi hadn't chosen to remain in the Hidden Official's branch, he could've left the Sword Qi Great Wall at any time, so the summer palace really couldn't fault him for leaving now.

However, Ku Xia was making it sound like Lin Junbi was some dishonorable traitor, and that the Shaoyuan Empire had to compensate the Sword Qi Great Wall in exchange for Lin Junbi's safe return to the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

Having said that, Chen Ping'an certainly wasn't going to turn down these offerings from the Shaoyuan Empire.

He proposed that Ku Xia return with him to the summer palace, where he would be able to meet with Lin Junbi, but Ku Xia didn't move.

Instead, he cast his gaze toward the gates of the Immortal Elm Pavilion and asked, "Do you know how this residence was given its name, Lord Hidden Official?"

"I do not," Chen Ping'an replied.

During his time as Hidden Official, one of Chen Ping'an's favorite pastimes was to browse through the many archives of the summer palace. It was something that he did to relax and take his mind off things while simultaneously learning more about the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The former owner of the Immortal Elm Pavilion, who had given it its name, was a woman, a rare native sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall who had some scholarly tendencies. Just like Guo Jia, she enjoyed keeping immortal plants, and she once requested Stalactite Mountain to purchase an elm tree from the Circling Ascension Continent for her. The elm tree was planted in the courtyard of the residence, where it quickly thrived and flowered.

Overjoyed, the sword immortal changed the name of the residence. However, she had no disciples, so following her passing, the residence had been abandoned for many years. There was also a restrictive formation around the residence that kept out intruders, so no one knew what the current state of the tree was like, whether it was still thriving or had also perished just like its owner.

"The first time I came to the Sword Qi Great Wall, it was with a good friend of mine," Ku Xia recounted. "He fell in love with one of this sword immortal's disciples, but the rules of the Sword Qi Great Wall meant that they were unable to become Dao partners."

"They would've been able to become Dao partners had your friend chosen to stay, no?" Chen Ping'an asked.

"That's true, but the circumstances didn't allow it," Ku Xia sighed. "The vast majority of sword cultivators of the Majestic World aren't vagrant cultivators with no ties and obligations to anyone else. Even if some exist, they're eventually taken in by the ancestral halls of major sects, as was the case with Deng Liang of the Pure White Continent.

“That friend of mine is an official immortal who had shouldered the burden of lofty expectations ever since he was a child, and his sect had invested heavily in him from a young age, so he couldn't just cut all ties with them and move to the Sword Qi Great Wall."

"More often than not, it's impossible to have the best of both worlds," Chen Ping'an said.

"That's why both my friend and I greatly admire you, Lord Hidden Official," Ku Xia said as he turned his gaze to the side.

"If you're not a good liar, then don't bother, Sword Immortal Ku Xia," Chen Ping'an chuckled.

There was no good friend, nor was there a disciple of the sword immortal in the picture. Instead, this was a tale of unfulfilled love between the female sword immortal and Ku Xia himself.

"When I escorted those juniors to the Southern Whirl Continent, all of them spoke to me with reverence and admiration, as if I had done something remarkable and worthy of praise. I fear that I am unworthy of their admiration," Ku Xia sighed.

"I think if you had told them the truth, Yu Juanfu and Zhu Mei's admiration for you would've only grown," Chen Ping'an disagreed.

Ku Xia was momentarily rendered speechless by this assertion, then sighed, "It's best not to tell them such things. As a senior, I shouldn't be telling juniors about my own romantic affairs."

"The former owner of the Immortal Elm Pavilion died on the battlefield; do you not resent the old great sword immortal for that? Do you not harbor any resentment toward the Sword Qi Great Wall?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Ku Xia shook his head in response. "I would've never met her without the Sword Qi Great Wall."

This was an earnest answer that came straight from the bottom of his heart. He didn't resent the Sword Qi Great Wall. Instead, the only one that he resented was himself for not being able to courageously pursue his love as Chen Ping'an had.

Chen Ping'an nodded in response.

After meeting Lin Junbi and Ku Xia, Chen Ping'an's impression of the Shaoyuan Empire had improved slightly.

After returning to the summer palace with Ku Xia, Chen Ping'an called out for Lin Junbi, and the latter stepped out to meet them.

Upon catching sight of Ku Xia, Lin Junbi immediately knew that the time had come for him to leave, and he turned to Chen Ping'an and cupped his fist in a parting salute.

Leaving the summer palace and the Sword Qi Great Wall at a time like this could be seen as an act of desertion of the Hidden Official's branch. For example, the likes of Deng Liang and Cao Gun would definitely feel this way, but the same didn't apply to Lin Junbi.

"Look after yourself," Chen Ping'an said as he patted Lin Junbi on the shoulder.

Lin Junbi held his salute as he said, "I've learned a lot from you during our time together, Lord Hidden Official. I will remember everything that you've taught me and strive to live by the example that you've set for me."

"Talk is cheap; make sure you do as you say," Chen Ping'an replied with a smile. "Rest assured, I will honor our agreement."

Lin Junbi immediately understood what Chen Ping'an was referring to, and he said with an earnest expression, "You're an exceptional Go player, Lord Hidden Official, so please allow me to leave my Go board and jars at the summer palace as a parting gift."

Chen Ping'an clasped a firm hand down onto Lin Junbi's shoulder and grinned as he praised, "Looks like you really have learned a thing or two from me."

Ku Xia was very relieved. He was concerned that Chen Ping'an would try to make things difficult for Lin Junbi in order to get back at his companions and the imperial preceptor of the Shaoyuan Empire, but Chen Ping'an was being much more gracious than he anticipated.