Unsheathed-Chapter 440 (2): Another Year of Snow

Seeing as fate had brought them together, Chen Ping'an wanted Zeng Ye to be able to truly benefit from this deal and find a path to reach the Middle Five Tiers and perhaps even greater heights.

As the saying went, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

This was how A'Liang had nurtured him in the past, and he was willing to treat Zeng Ye the same way because he cherished Zeng Ye as a pure and kind-hearted young boy who hadn't yet been contaminated by the cesspool that was Bamboo Scroll Lake.

These two secret techniques from Wei Bo definitely weren't of a low caliber, as Chen Ping'an had proclaimed.

As for whether Zeng Ye would truly be able to grasp the two secret techniques, that wasn't just a simple matter of whether he would be able to master them or not.

How would he master them? How much effort and willpower would he have to give in the process? If he were to master them with ease, then would he be able to truly appreciate this massive opportunity that had fallen upon him? Over the course of his long cultivation journey, would he be able to look back and tell himself that everything he had achieved had been hard-fought fruits of his labors?

Chen Ping'an didn't care what methods and philosophies other sects adopted in teaching their disciples, but when it came to his own disciples, he would only tolerate steady and solid progress, even if it proved to be a little slow.

However, Chen Ping'an quickly came to realize just how difficult the task before him was going to be.

The problem was that Zeng Ye really was a complete idiot!

In the past, Chen Ping'an had always felt like his aptitude had been very mediocre. Ning Yao was the one who had taught him to read the Mountain Shaking Guide. When it came to learning ability, Li Baoping was always able to easily comprehend by analogy, often grasping many corresponding concepts from just a single one.

When it came to cultivation, he had Lin Shouyi for comparison, while the one who had taught him martial arts had been Cui Chan's grandfather. From there, he had encountered the stunning prodigy, Cao Ci, on the Sword Qi Great Wall, who was the same age as him, yet had been able to easily defeat in three consecutive battles.

Finally, there was his first-ever disciple, Pei Qian, for whom cultivating the Eighteen Stops Technique was like nothing more than a game, and that wasn't even to mention the likes of Lu Tai, Liu Qingshan...

Even though Chen Ping'an had begun reflecting on himself and had learned the importance of not looking down on himself following his experiences in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, one's true nature was very difficult to alter, and he still couldn't help but feel a little down on himself from time to time.

However, in the presence of the dim-witted Zeng Ye, Chen Ping'an was beginning to feel like perhaps he had actually been a cultivation prodigy all along! No wonder that old sword immortal had told him that he would've possessed the makings of an earth immortal had his bonded porcelain and bridge of immortality not been broken.

It was often the case that Chen Ping'an would have to meticulously explain a single sentence to Zeng Ye over and over again, dissecting it into parts and explaining it from different angles, and even then, Zeng Ye would still often fail to fully understand what he was reading.

Back when Ning Yao had taught him the quintessential elements of the Mountain Shaking Fist, Chen Ping'an had felt like he had understood her quite well, but when he actually began practicing his six-step walking meditation, he was very unsteady on his feet and made a bit of a fool out of himself.

However, he quickly began to grasp the ropes, but back then, he didn't know how fortunate he had been. He didn't realize that the fist intent that pure martial artists so sorely desired was already flowing throughout his entire body, and even his fist intent hadn't been all that pronounced at the time, the fact that it existed at all meant that he had already crossed over a major hurdle in martial arts cultivation.

Thankfully, Chen Ping'an had a very mild temper, so he was able to remain patient despite the snail's pace at which Zeng Ye was progressing.

There were three sheets of paper in total, and it was proving to be very difficult for Zeng Ye to be able to get through just a single one in a day.

Hence, he felt very guilty every single day, feeling as if he were failing to live up to Chen Ping'an's expectations.

Chen Ping'an didn't try to console him, and he certainly didn't try to lie to him and tell him that he actually possessed decent aptitude.

Given the complexities of the world, it was very difficult to remain true to oneself.

The more struggles and hardships that Zeng Ye endured now, the stronger the foundation that he would establish, and only then would be able to develop the grit and resilience that would allow him to persevere when faced with true adversity.

During his time on Cyan Gorge Island, Chen Ping'an had spent a great deal of time reflecting on the past, and in the process, he had reached many epiphanies that he had failed to even consider in the past. For example, Cui Chan's grandfather had told him that the purity of a pure martial artist didn't stem from their dedication to certain fist techniques.

One could learn all of the fist techniques under the heavens, and that still wouldn't tarnish their purity as a martial artist. Instead, the basis of a martial artist's purity lay in their fist intent, and even more so their disposition. In the very early stages of Chen Ping'an's cultivation journey, he had been nothing more than a martial artist of the second or third tier.

At that stage, the true test of his character would come when facing an opponent far more formidable than himself, one that he would have absolutely no chance against. Under those desperate circumstances, would he still dare to lead with his fist? Would he still be able to ensure that his fist intent didn't wane in the slightest? Would he be able to, instead, break through his limits and elevate his fist intent to an even higher degree of purity?

In the face of a far more powerful opponent, one had to ensure that they didn't first defeat themselves. Only then would they have a chance of securing victory, no matter how slim.

If one's fist intent began to waver, then even that slimmest of chances would be erased altogether. In that case, they may as well simply roll over and accept their fate.

After three days and three nights, Zeng Ye had managed to develop a rather shaky grasp on the secret technique, and he officially began his cultivation.

Only then did Chen Ping'an warn him not to try and bite off more than he could chew in the pursuit of speed. As long as Zeng Ye could remain faultless, Chen Ping'an was willing to wait, even if progress proved to be agonizingly slow. Once a mistake was made, it would take an enormous amount of time and immortal currency to rectify.

Chen Ping'an's method for teaching him this lesson was very simple. Whenever Zeng Ye made a mistake by trying to rush things, thereby incurring spiritual damage that required the consumption of immortal pills to recover from, Chen Ping'an would purchase the pills for him, but all of the costs were recorded on Zeng Ye's tab, down to the very last snowflake coin.

On this day, Zeng Ye was about to go into seclusion for the first time, and Chen Ping'an was standing at his door with a serious look on his face as he said, "You and I are business partners, so I will do my best to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship for both of us, and hopefully, we'll be able to part ways on amicable terms someday. However, don't ever forget that I'm not your master, and I'm certainly not your Dao guardian."

Zeng Ye was rather fearful of Chen Ping'an's serious display, and he hurriedly nodded in response.

Over the past three days that he had spent together, Chen Ping'an had been nothing but friendly and patient with him, and as a result, Zeng Ye had almost forgotten the crushing fear that he had felt during their first meeting.

In contrast, it was his brief encounter with Gu Can that still remained fresh and deeply ingrained in his mind, to the point that he had had a nightmare about Gu Can one night. In his dream, Gu Can had torn open his chest with his bare hands, then gouged out his heart and liver before devouring them with relish, following which he had licked his lips with a blissful expression.

Zeng Ye was left to stare down blankly at his own bloody and exposed chest cavity, and after that, he snapped wide awake in a cold sweat with his heart pounding in his chest, and he was unable to calm down sufficiently to get back to sleep at all for the rest of that entire night.

While Zeng Ye was cultivating the secret technique bestowed upon him by Chen Ping'an, the latter paid a visit to Moon Hook Island and Jade Flagon Island to visit Yu Gui and the Naturalist cultivator. He paid for the fragmented souls and yin entities in their possession, then cast them in the Hall of the Underworld, a ghostly treasure that he had borrowed from the secret vault of Cyan Gorge Island.

It was a miniature, arm-length pavilion crafted from a dark wooden material, and its interior was split up into three hundred and sixty-five tiny rooms that made for perfect residences for yin spirits.

Both Yu Gui and the Naturalist had witnessed Chen Ping'an's battle against Liu Laocheng on Cyan Gorge Island, so they had given him a 20% discount on the total price.

Of course, neither of the two wily old foxes made it clear to Chen Ping'an that they were giving him this discount because they were wary of his formidable combat prowess. As a seller, trying to increase the price to get more money out of the buyer's pocket was not an easy task, but there were countless excuses that they could use to offer the buyer a discount.

Chen Ping'an naturally wasn't going to expose them, and he accepted the discounts with some words of gratitude. With that, they were able to get Chen Ping'an to owe them a favor, albeit a rather inconsequential one.

While visiting the two islands, Chen Ping'an had put on his long untouched bamboo bookcase, which he used to hold the Hall of the Underworld.

Yu Gui and the Naturalist had naturally both noticed, but neither of them made any comment on the matter, and they pretended not to have seen anything.

In their eyes, the fact that Chen Ping'an was still alive and well even after his battle against Liu Laocheng was a feat that was already worthy of admiration even from a Nascent Tier cultivator. As for his inability to refine the Hall of the Underworld, that was clearly just an indication that his acupoints were in a rather shaky condition, and that was only to be expected in the wake of such a grueling battle.

Once basic refinement was completed on an immortal artifact, it would be able to take on an insubstantial form and be stored in one's acupoint. This was not a difficult or complex technique to master, but the immortal artifact in question would take up an acupoint and constantly devour one's spiritual energy.

The higher the caliber of the artifact, the more spiritual energy it would devour. This was why the gatekeeper at the Sword Qi Great Wall had taught Chen Ping'an an item refinement mantra when giving him that golden demon-binding chain, and Chen Ping'an had managed to learn it very quickly.

In addition to an item refinement mantra, the other factor that determined whether basic refinement could be successfully completed on an item was the caliber of the item itself. Generally speaking, an earth immortal wouldn't even be able to use a pseudo-celestial tool, let alone complete basic refinement on it.

One of the reasons why the Fu Clan had so much power and influence in Old Dragon City was the fact that its clan leader had full mastery over a pseudo-celestial weapon as an earth immortal.

Hence, what perplexed not just Yu Gui and the Naturalist, but also Liu Zhimao and all of the cultivators of Cyan Gorge Island, was how Chen Ping'an was able to use that sword that was, in all likelihood, a pseudo-celestial weapon.

Despite his young age, he had a pseudo-celestial weapon immortal sword at his disposal, he was able to easily defeat a Militarian cultivator in hand to hand combat, and he also possessed two bonded flying swords...

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All of this simply didn't make sense, and it was what allowed Chen Ping'an to preach his principles without being killed in Bamboo Scroll Lake.

The difference was that if the average vagrant cultivator of Bamboo Scroll Lake were blessed with his gifts, then they would only become more unreasonable and less willing to preach to others. After all, being able to be unreasonable and not have to waste time with words was the whole point of attaining more power, was it not? Otherwise, what was the point? Why treat others with kindness when you could rule through fear?

This was something that was never seen in Bamboo Scroll Lake, and over the course of generations, all of the cultivators in Bamboo Scroll Lake had grown accustomed to this reality. It seemed that the only exception to this was, ironically, Liu Laocheng, who was the most powerful native cultivator of Bamboo Scroll Lake.

Unfortunately, Liu Laocheng wasn't even willing to grant an audience to any of the cultivators of Bamboo Scroll Lake. The only one who was able to set foot on Palace Willow Island was the Millet Grain Island Master, and that was only because he was a spy for the Great Li Empire. Otherwise, he would've undoubtedly been denied an audience as well.

After returning to Cyan Gorge Island, Chen Ping'an paid another visit to the Vermilion Chord Residence.

Over on Bejeweled Hairpin Island, he had learned about the tumultuous history between the two nations from Liu Chongrun, and as a result, he felt inclined to see the plaque hanging above the entrance of the Vermilion Chord Residence through a different lens.

Chen Ping'an rubbed his chin, thinking to himself that it was perhaps time to shave, unless he wanted to sport a thick beard like Xu Yuanxia.

Ma Yuanzhi appeared at the entrance of the manor and erupted into a furious tirade, telling Chen Ping'an to get out of his sight.

Chen Ping'an didn't oblige. There were still things that had to be discussed.

After venting his fury, Ma Yuanzhi finally stated the reason for his furious fit.

"The Willow Catkin Island report says that the most recent time that you visited Bejeweled Hairpin Island, you were surrounded by beautiful women who escorted you to the Treasure Light Pavilion to see Liu Chongrun! The report also says that Liu Chongrun has most likely taken a liking to you, and that there's a very good chance that you're going to become a guest elder of Bejeweled Hairpin Island someday!"

Chen Ping'an rolled his eyes in response.

"Is that really not the case?" Ma Yuanzhi asked with a skeptical expression.

Chen Ping'an offered no response.

Ma Yuanzhi immediately put on a smile as he said, "I knew the rumors were false! A gentleman of your lofty moral standards would never try to take Liu Chongrun from me. Please forgive me for my rude and unsightly display just now. Come and take a seat in my manor, Mr. Chen. As long as you can promise me that you'll never engage in any frivolous ties with Liu Chongrun for as long as you live, I can give you a half-price discount on our deal!"

"I have no intention of stepping out of line with Island Master Liu, but what if she tries to pursue me?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Ma Yuanzhi burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"You're a humorous man, Mr. Chen. How could Liu Chongrun possibly take a liking to you? So long as she remains sane, that would be impossible!"

However, he then lowered his voice as he continued, "But if such a day really does come, then I implore you to please exercise the restraint required to turn her down. You need to display the virtues to be expected of a fine gentleman like yourself! As the saying goes, a close friend's wife must be left alone for life!"

While walking through the Vermilion Chord Residence with Ma Yuanzhi, Chen Ping'an was almost unable to suppress the urge to tell Ma Yuanzhi about what Liu Chongrun thought of him. It took him a great deal of effort to swallow his words, and in the end, he could only heave an internal sigh at the tragic story between the two, and the thought that he would have to return to Bejeweled Hairpin Island was one that instantly gave him a splitting headache.

He could only assure Ma Yuanzhi that he would never try to seduce Liu Chongrun, nor did he have any romantic feelings for her.

Ma Yuanzhi was very satisfied to hear this, and prior to taking a seat in the hall, he took a glance at Chen Ping'an, then said, "Back when you first came to Cyan Gorge Island, I was a little insecure, but in your current state, you're not much better-looking than I am, so I don't have to worry about you at all!"

"Thank you for your trust," Chen Ping'an replied in an exasperated manner as he removed the bamboo bookcase from his back before pulling out the Hall of the Underworld.

Ma Yuanzhi's eyes were instantly glued to the Hall of the Underworld as soon as Chen Ping'an set it down onto the table, and he stared intently at it with an unblinking gaze as he said in a direct and candid fashion, "I've been risking my life for Cyan Gorge Island for so many years all in the hopes that I would be able to make sufficient contributions to the island someday to receive this treasure from the True Lord as compensation.

“Even in the worst-case scenario, I was prepared to save up money and buy it, even if I had to sell everything in my possession. A Hall of the Underworld is the most prized bonded treasure for us ghostly cultivators, and an earth immortal ghostly cultivator would be too embarrassed to even meet other fellow ghostly cultivators if they didn't have a Hall of the Underworld in their possession.

“Having said that, even Halls of the Underworld have different levels of quality. This is the most rudimentary type, and it's already quite a precious treasure. You see the 'lesser hell' engraved on its bottom? I've heard that the most powerful Nascent Tier ghostly cultivator on our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent possesses a 'greater hell' Hall of the Underworld, and it truly resembles a tall building, with three thousand six hundred rooms inside.

“His soul can roam through it like taking a pleasant stroll, and it can enhance his cultivation base in the process."

"Perhaps I'll sell it to you when I leave Bamboo Scroll Lake," Chen Ping'an said.

"I was waiting for you to say exactly that!" Ma Yuanzhi said with a bright smile.

After issuing the payment, Chen Ping'an was led by Ma Yuanzhi to the well in the backyard of the Vermilion Chord Residence, and the latter instructed him to set the Hall of the Underworld down onto the ground.

Ma Yuanzhi pulled out a soul-summoning banner, then began chanting an incantation while drawing upon his spiritual energy, and plumes of smoke began to billow out of the banner. Upon landing on the ground, the smoke transformed into a collection of yin entities, while deathly pale arms began to reach up over the lip of the well as more yin entities hoisted themselves out from within.

It was clear that the well had an even more potent subjugative effect on yin entities, and even after they had emerged from the well, they were still in a daze for some time, making even standing up an extremely difficult task. Ma Yuanzhi didn't care about their condition, and he herded the ghostly beings together, following which they shrank down into the size of mustard seeds before entering the Hall of the Underworld.

Chen Ping'an had already witnessed a similar sight on two past occasions with Yu Gui and the Naturalist cultivator, so it was one that he had grown accustomed to.

As Chen Ping'an prepared to depart from the Vermilion Chord Residence, Ma Yuanzhi remained standing beside the well, and he suddenly asked, "What's the point in going to all of this trouble? You've expended so much time and effort without anything to show for it."

"I've definitely already lost, but at the very least, I'll be able to have some peace of mind," Chen Ping'an replied.

"You did all of this just for peace of mind?" Ma Yuanzhi sneered. "Isn't this far too heavy a price to pay for something so trivial?"

"The one who gives you peace of mind is Liu Chongrun. For her sake, you were even willing to sneak to the border of the Luminous Vermilion Empire to kill those who had wronged her in the past, and in the end it even cost you your life, yet why don't I see you regretting your actions?" Chen Ping'an countered.

Ma Yuanzhi had no response for this, but he was only silent for a moment before smiling as he said, "That's not the same thing. I did what I did in the hopes of improving my image in Liu Chongrun's eyes, and my ultimate objective is to have her become my Dao partner.

“I'll be satisfied even if I can only engage in some acts of physical intimacy with her a few times. After all, as a lowly imperial chef, the high and mighty princess has always been my lifelong pursuit. In contrast, what are you getting out of this?"

"Our paths do not align, so there's no point in discussing this matter any further," Chen Ping'an replied with a smile.

Ma Yuanzhi heaved a forlorn sigh.

"You and I are cut from the same cloth. We're both destined to be detested by women for our hideous looks. Make sure to come and visit my Vermilion Chord Residence from time to time. Whenever I see you, I feel a little better about myself."

This time, it was Chen Ping'an's turn to be rendered speechless, and he put on his bamboo bookcase before departing from the Vermilion Chord Residence.

It was true that he wasn't particularly handsome, and he was also rather unkempt at the moment, but even so, he still couldn't be compared with Ma Yuanzhi in the looks department!

Even if he were willing to make such a concession, his parents would be sure to vehemently disagree!

After leaving the manor, a faint smile appeared on Chen Ping'an's face.

At this point, Hong Su was no longer in the Vermilion Chord Residence. Liu Zhimao had instructed his steward to bring Hong Su to his Hengbo Residence to serve as a maidservant, and apparently, she was in a minor position of power, with close to twenty maidservants under her command.

Ma Yuanzhi was quite perplexed by this arrangement, but he certainly didn't dare to turn down Liu Zhimao over such a trivial matter.

Chen Ping'an had paid her a visit once, and that was the first time that he had been to the Hengbo Residence. At the time, Hong Su had been in a rather sour mood. Chen Ping'an knew that as an outsider from the Vermilion Chord Residence, she was like an unknown regional official that had suddenly been promoted to serve in the central government of the capital city.

On top of that, she had also been given a minor administrative role, so she was bound to have been bullied and ostracized by her peers and her subordinates.

However, Hong Su was still very happy that Chen Ping'an had come to visit her.

Chen Ping'an turned down the steward's offer to take him on a tour of the Hengbo Residence, instead asking Hong Su to take him on a tour in the steward's place, and only after that did he depart.

Not long after that, Hong Su applied for two hours of leave with the steward, then left the Hengbo Residence to go to the entrance of the island to see Chen Ping'an. However, the door to his room was tightly shut, so she had gone to the dock to wait for him, but ultimately, he didn't return in time, and she had to return to the Hengbo Residence in a disappointed manner, unable to express her gratitude to him.

Unbeknownst to her, Chen Ping'an had actually been sitting behind the desk in his room the entire time.

He was naturally aware of the purpose of Hong Su's visit, but he knew that he couldn't become overly entangled with her in light of his status and the situation that she was currently in.

During his visit on that day, Liu Zhimao had intentionally brought up the open collar ladies, which was something that Gu Can had brought about. In Chen Ping'an's eyes, this was a rather snide and clumsy move, and in response, he made a remark on hearing about how Liu Zhimao was very proficient when it came to brewing tea, serving as a subtle warning for him to not to try any more funny business.

Of course, Liu Zhimao was able to read between the lines right away, and he no longer made any further attempts to try and drive a wedge between Chen Ping'an and Gu Can.