Unsheathed
Chapter 479 (2): The Drinkers are Always Last to Get Drunk

Chapter 479 (2): The Drinkers are Always Last to Get Drunk

Cui Chan smiled as he revealed, "Song Changjing chose Song Jixin, while I chose my disciple, Song He. I also struck a compromise, proposing the construction of a temporary capital somewhere south of Lake View Academy. Song Jixin will be assigned feudal lord of Old Dragon City while also controlling the temporary capital from afar.

“Throughout this entire process, the empress in the Palace of Eternal Spring didn't dare to interject even a single sentence for fear of death. Even now, she most likely still feels like she's dreaming, unable to believe that such a massive blessing would simply fall onto her lap. The late emperor actually wanted his brother, Song Changjing, to claim the throne, but Song Changjing refused, and he personally burned that will in my presence."

Chen Ping'an took a sip of wine, then wiped his mouth as he said, "It sounds like everyone's happy."

"How do you feel about your journey to Bamboo Scroll Lake from Red Candle Town?" Cui Chan asked.

"A lot of people died," Chen Ping'an replied.

Cui Chan raised a foot, then gently brought it down as he said, "There is no distinction in status or gravity when it comes to the separations and reunions of the world, but there is a distinction in superiority and inferiority.

“Do you know why I chose to stay in the Great Li Empire and why Qi Jingchun chose to construct Mountain Cliff Academy in the Great Li Empire? It's not that he didn't have any other choice at the time. Instead, he had many superior options open to him."

"All I know is that the rumors going around that Mr. Qi did this in order to constrain you are false, but I don't know what the real reason is," Chen Ping'an replied.

Cui Chan smiled as he mused, "Qi Jingchun's favorite things to do throughout his lifetime were things that required immense effort for no personal gain. He was worried that I would cause too much of a commotion on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, that I would implicate the old scholar, so he insisted on personally supervising everything that I did.

“He had to take responsibility for all of the lives of an entire continent, and he was of the opinion that no matter who we are, we must make some sacrifices in the pursuit of something. He felt like as long as he put in as much effort as possible, he would be able to make fewer mistakes. In his mind, rectifying mistakes and making amends is a responsibility that all scholars must shoulder, and scholars can't just utter empty words about serving their nations.

“You were very much like him when you were in Bamboo Scroll Lake in that you were just as eager to take on more responsibilities. Otherwise, how would you have put yourself in that irresolvable conundrum? You could've easily just killed Gu Can and been done with it."

Chen Ping'an offered no response.

"I don't you don't believe me, but that's fine. These are all private matters that I'm speaking to you about, and I'm doing so for my own selfish intentions," Cui Chan said with a smile. "Have you considered why A'Liang didn't kill me in the capital of the Great Li Empire, even though he was so close with Qi Jingchun?

“Not only that, but he didn't even kill the late emperor of the Great Li Empire. Instead, all he did was destroy the replica White Jade Capital, and he even allowed the late emperor to live for three more years. Did you not ever wonder why this was the case?"

"I don't know," Chen Ping'an replied with a shake of his head.

"You should learn from a certain old fart's theory of context," Cui Chan suggested with a smile. "Think about what you've witnessed with your own two eyes, then carry out a bit of extrapolation, and it shouldn't be too difficult for you to arrive at the right answer."

"The southward expansion of the Great Li Empire's forces was unfolding far faster than expected because the late emperor of the Great Li Empire wanted to be the southern coastline of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent with his army before he passed," Chen Ping'an said.

"Now, take a look at Stalactite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall," Cui Chan said as he pointed in a certain direction.

Chen Ping'an's brows furrowed slightly as he said, "The battle that decided the fate of the Sword Qi Great Wall was ultimately salvaged by A'Liang. The Lu Clan's divination was greatly flawed as it only presented the outcome, not the process."

"What about the Parasol Leaf Continent?" Cui Chan asked as he pointed in another direction.

"It appears that the continent had been blessed by fortune, allowing them to avoid a calamity with the premature revelation of the demon tribe's plans. If the demon tribe really is able to bypass the Sword Qi Great Wall, then the Parasol Leaf Continent would no longer be suitable as their first target.

“As a result, the crisis is more so leaning toward the Southern Whirl Continent and the Circling Ascension Continent, with the latter in particularly severe peril," Chen Ping'an said.

"What about the size of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?" Cui Chan asked as he pointed at the ground.

Chen Ping'an took a sip of wine, then replied, "It's the smallest of the Majestic World's nine continents."

"Does the size of a continent impact the fortune of a continent?" Cui Chan asked.

Chen Ping'an shook his head in response.

Cui Chan's finger, which was pointed down at the ground, began to move southward as he asked, "You are about to travel to the Northern Complete Reed Continent. Are the Eastern Treasured Vial and Parasol Leaf Continents far apart?"

"The two continents are extremely close relative to the distances between other continents," Chen Ping'an replied as he tightened his grip around his Sword Nurturing Gourd.

Cui Chan raised his hand, then pointed a finger behind himself as he asked, "You personally witnessed the army of Northern Complete Reed Continent swordsmen flying to the Sword Qi Great Wall to provide reinforcements, did you not?"

Sweat was beginning to bead up on Chen Ping'an's forehead as he nodded stiffly in response.

Cui Chan smiled as he remarked, "No wonder you were unable to get a clear grasp on the state of the world earlier. Now that an incision point has appeared, let me ask you this: has the abbot of the Observing Dao Temple not always been determined to dethrone the Dao Ancestor?"

Chen Ping'an nodded in response.

"Do you know why people like to jokingly refer to him as the ox-nosed old Daoist priest?" Cui Chan asked.

"Because it was said that the Dao Ancestor once traveled the worlds on the back of an ox steed," Chen Ping'an replied.

"Thus, the connection has been made," Cui Chan concluded. "The old abbot is one of the oldest living beings in this world, far older than you can imagine."

Chen Ping'an strapped his Sword Nurturing Gourd back to his waist, then rubbed his own cheeks with his clammy palms.

So that was the true identity of the abbot of the Observing Dao Temple.

"The Parasol Leaf Continent was blessed with the best-possible outcome in the form of that young boy unintentionally revealing the plot hatched by the great demon of the Planchette Writing Sect. The boy himself did so inadvertently, but if this was orchestrated by the old abbot, then he naturally intended for it to happen. Now, consider what the worst-possible outcome could've been," Cui Chan said with a smile.

Chen Ping'an took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and used his standing meditation to compose himself.

Erratic thoughts were flying through his mind like fluttering snowflakes.

Even if he were to disregard the survival of the Parasol Leaf Continent, what would become of all of the people that he knew?

"I advise you not to embellish the matter. It's up to you whether you believe me or not, but some people who may not have been destined to die could have their fates altered to one of certain death by you. As I said earlier, thankfully, we still have time."

Cui Chan clearly didn't care much about what Chen Ping'an was going to do, and he said in an indifferent manner, "I once also traveled the world, and outside of my theory of practical ability, which is frowned upon by the old scholar, one of my fundamental theories is that of subtlety.

“Hence, even before I set foot on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, I was already firmly confident in two things, the first of which is that the Sword Qi Great Wall will inevitably be breached by the demon tribe, and the second is that once the demon tribe invades the Majestic World, they will be sure to attack the Parasol Leaf Continent.

“If even the Parasol Leaf Continent is conquered, what will the tiny Eastern Treasured Vial Continent be able to do? Half of the top-tier swordsmen of the Northern Complete Reed Continent have already been diverted away, so what resistance will it be able to put up? The Pure White Continent is full of merchants who've never experienced the heat of battle in their lives, so how will it be able to escape a fate of demise?

“At the very least, three continents will be conquered in the blink of an eye! If the Pure White Continent decides to surrender without a fight or choose to adopt a stance of neutrality without supporting either side, which side will that have more of a negative impact on? If that were to happen, how many continents' worth of land and fortune will the demon tribe have claimed?

“Does that count as establishing a firm foothold? How many continents are there in total in the Majestic World? After that, the demon tribe will march toward the Flowing Dawn Continent in the northwest. Many people who think themselves cunning believe that if the demon tribe dares to infiltrate our majestic world, then they'll be marching to their own demise, and that this will open up a golden opportunity for our Majestic World to conquer the Savage World, but is that really going to happen?"

"I understand now," Chen Ping'an said as he slowly rose to his feet.

Not only had he come to understand why Cui Dongshan had raised that question to him back in Mountain Cliff Academy, he also understood why A'Liang hadn't decimated the Great Li Empire when he was fully capable of doing so.

Cui Chan burst into laughter as he swept his gaze over his surroundings and said, "People say that I'm too ambitious for wanting to spread my teachings over an entire continent, to become the imperial preceptor of an entire continent, but is that really so ambitious? Toppling a mountain with a single punch, slaying thousands with a single slash of one's sword... Are those remarkable feats?

“Just you wait and see, Chen Ping'an. In the grand scheme of things, how many cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers on the Parasol Leaf Continent will be able to survive? Then look at the demon tribe warriors that storm onto the Parasol Leaf Continent's shores and see if they're willing to listen to reason. There must be payback for everything.

“Back in the capital of the Great Li Empire, A'Liang hadn't brought up this topic to me at all, but I was even more certain at the time that A'Liang was convinced that that worst-possible outcome was eventually going to come to pass, just as Qi Jingchun firmly believed the same. This has nothing to do with what they think of me as a person.

“Hence, I'm going to show all of the scholars in the entire Majestic World and those imbeciles of the Savage World how I, through my own power alone, will convert all of the resources of an entire continent into the power of a nation. I will show them how I will use Old Dragon City as a fulcrum to construct an impenetrable defensive line along the southern coastline of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, a vast expanse of cloud and mist appeared over the summit of Downtrodden Mountain.

All of a sudden, everything turned pitch-black, and the darkness was so absolute that there was not even a single inch of visibility. At the same time, a map of the world began to gradually appear beneath Chen Ping'an's feet.

The Southern Whirl Continent, the Circling Ascension Continent, the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Parasol Leaf Continent, the Northern Complete Reed Continent, the Pure White Continent, the Golden Armor Continent, the Flowing Dawn Continent, and finally, the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

The heavens were round, while the earth was square, but there was nothing strange about that, considering the Majestic World was one of the "fragments" to begin with, as were the Heavenly World and the Savage World.

Chen Ping'an opened his mouth to say something, but chose not to in the end. He didn't raise the question in his mind as he already had an answer.

Why haven't you revealed this to the world?

Because no one would listen, and even those who listened may not believe.

Furthermore, even if all of this was revealed, the demon tribe would simply adjust its plans accordingly.

Cui Chan changed the subject, smiling as he said, "There's an old prophecy that wasn't very prevalent, and there's probably barely anyone left that still believes in it. When I inadvertently stumbled upon it while reading a book in my youth, I felt like I owed the soothsayer a toast. The prophecy was 'Calculators will take over the world.' This is not referring to the Foretellers, the branch of Naturalists.

“Instead, it's referring to the teaching of Calculation, one of the bottom-ranking teachings in the Hundred Schools of Thought, one that's looked down on even more so than Commercialism. Calculators are denounced as merely serving as the abacuses of Commercialist accountants. There is so much encompassed within the Three Teachings and the Hundred Schools of Thought, but do you know what the main flaw of all of this is?

“The problem is that it's all completely immeasurable and disregarding of context. They all present abstract concepts that are supposed to help one achieve even more abstract aspirations, and no one is willing to accurately measure the path beneath their feet. Hence, when the future generations try to walk the same path with the teachings of their predecessors, problems arise.

“Sages are unwilling and not proficient at going into detail about their teachings. The Dao Ancestor left behind a scripture of three thousand characters, and he already felt like that was very excessive. As for the Buddha, he didn't leave behind any texts at all, and even when it comes to the fundamental teachings of our Paramount Sage, those were also only compiled and written into books by his seventy-two students."

Cui Chan turned his gaze to Chen Ping'an, then continued, "Do you know why you suffered so much hardship in Bamboo Scroll Lake? Is it because you don't know enough principles? Because you're lacking in experience? Because the old scholar's theory of sequential order is inferior? I don't think so."

Chen Ping'an didn't want to discuss this topic. Instead, he asked, "Why have you revealed all of this to me?"

"I made a bet with myself prior to the events that unfolded in Bamboo Scroll Lake that I would tell you all of this if you won. It's my way of severing my ties with you and Qi Jingchun," Cui Chan explained with a faint smile.

"I won? Is that meant to be a joke?" Chen Ping'an asked.

"That's exactly what it is," Cui Chan replied with a smile.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the map of the world instantly vanished, and he sneered, "What you, Qi Jingchun, A'Liang, the old scholar, Chen Qingdu, and Chen Chun'an are doing right now is all nothing more than a massive joke in the eyes of all of those conceited people who believe they know better than everyone else, is it not?"

Cui Chan turned his gaze to Chen Ping'an, then pointed a finger at his own head as he said, "The game of Go at Bamboo Scroll Lake has already concluded, but life is not a game of Go. You cannot simply start anew, and all of the good and the bad will remain. If you continue to go down your current path, you may reach some lofty heights, but you'll be sure to disappoint some people.

“Having said that, you'll also make some other people very happy, and those two parties aren't necessarily good or evil. However, I'm certain that you definitely wouldn't want to know who those two parties are."

Chen Ping'an looked back at Cui Chan. He was indeed very similar to Cui Dongshan, but the two of them were most certainly already two individual people.

Chen Ping'an sat back down onto the stone step and removed his Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, and he lifted it to his own lips on several occasions, but couldn't bring himself to drink from it.

"In your mind, the scholar that is Qi Jingchun and the swordsman that is A'Liang are like the sun and moon in the sky, illuminating the path ahead for you, even in the darkness of the night. Now that I've told you all of this, you know what fate has befallen Qi Jingchun, and you also know what situation A'Liang is now in. Hence, the question now falls upon you. Have you really made up your mind on what path you're going to take from here?" Cui Chan asked.

Chen Ping'an remained silent.

Cui Chan departed. He wasn't interested in hearing the answer anyway.

Chen Ping'an laid down with his Sword Nurturing Gourd by his side and closed his eyes.

He suddenly thought of the words that had been written on the wall of that restaurant on Downtrodden Mountain.

Those words had been written by A'Liang for Qi Jingchun.

Little Qi, there's nothing good about the cultivation world. Only the wine is somewhat decent.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping'an's eyes sprang open as he rose to his feet and recited those words in his mind.

A long, golden line shot out of the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, reaching all the way up to the mountain summit before falling into Chen Ping'an's grasp. With the tip of the sword pointed downward, he gently picked up his Sword Nurturing Gourd, then extended the sword forward as he smiled and declared to himself, "As long as I have wine, that will suffice."

Chen Ping'an came down the mountain with his sword while taking frequent sips of wine from his gourd, completely letting himself go, and before long, he was truly drunk. He stumbled past Zhu Lian's residence, and he just so happened to spot Cen Yuanji, who was practicing her fist techniques under the moonlight.

After noticing his drunken state, a fearful look appeared in her eyes, and she stopped what she was doing as her fist intent faded away.

Chen Ping'an smiled as he stumbled past her without pause, then turned around on the mountain path as he declared, "Your fist techniques are no good, Cen Yuanji."

Before Cen Yuanji had a chance to respond, Chen Ping'an fell to the ground with a dull thump.

Cen Yuanji heaved an internal sigh.

Why try to show off when you're nothing more than a pervert and a drunk?

Chen Ping'an hurriedly picked up Sword Immortal and his Sword Nurturing Gourd as he walked away at a far quicker pace, and Cen Yuanji was immediately convinced that he had only been feigning his inebriation upon seeing this.

Cen Yuanji took a glance at Zhu Lian's residence, and she was struck by a sense of indignation on Zhu Lian's behalf. How tragic it was that such a brilliant old immortal had to serve such an unworthy mountain master.

Over on the cliff, Chen Ping'an laid down on the stone table, resting his burning-hot cheek on its cool surface as he cast his gaze into the distance.

He blinked vigorously a few times, then shook his head from side to side, wondering if he were seeing things.

How could there be someone in the Dragon Spring Prefecture that dared to fly through the air at such a rapid pace?

A streak of white light flashed through the air in the extremely far distance, alerting many of the cultivators on the nearby mountains.

Chen Ping'an closed his eyes and cast the matter out of his mind.

He was on Downtrodden Mountain, so what did he have to fear?

Before long, he was sound asleep.

On this night, Cui Dongshan hurriedly traveled northward, using all of his mystical powers and treasures, desperate for some reason to see his teacher.

He gently loaded his sound-asleep teacher onto his back, then carried him toward the bamboo building as he called out in a quiet voice, "Teacher."