Chapter 472 (3): A Small Matter Relating to a Bamboo Sword Scabbard

Chen Ping'an stood in the waterside pavilion and temporarily severed the waterfall with a single punch, smiling as he revealed the characters on the cliff face.

He turned around and looked back, and it wasn't long before he left the waterfall and arrived outside the small pavilion.

Song Yushao had already walked out of the pavilion, and he said, "Let's go, it's time for some hotpot."

Chen Ping'an was slightly astonished, and he replied, "It's still very early in the morning, so the restaurants probably aren't even open yet, right?"

Sword Saint Song smiled and said, "No matter how worthless the title of the Water Combing Nation's sword saint is, it should still be enough to let me eat some hotpot near the entrance of my home, right? In any case, you're the one treating me to this meal, young boy, and it's not like we're going to eat without paying. As such, the restaurant owner will be scolding you if he really does scold someone in his mind afterward."

The two of them didn't dash forward like nimble birds, and they instead walked normally as they strolled over. This was Song Yushao's idea.

Steward Chu caught up to them halfway, bringing with him the bamboo hat that Chen Ping'an had left in his room.

"Are you shooing me away?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Song Yushao smiled and replied, "If you leave earlier this time, then you can come earlier next time. You don't even understand such a simple concept? Are you an idiot?"

Chen Ping'an didn't know how to respond.

There was no rising smoke from stove fires when they arrived at the small town, and there were only the occasional clucks of chickens and barks of dogs. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful.

Song Yushao forcefully knocked on the door of a restaurant, and the owner who answered the door was no longer the old owner whom Chen Ping'an was familiar with. Instead, it was a bleary-eyed middle-aged man. He smiled when he saw Sword Saint Song, and he asked, "What's the matter, Old Villa Master?"

Song Yushao pointed at the young swordsman dressed in azure and wearing a bamboo hat beside him and replied, "This young lad said that he wants to eat hotpot, so we'll have to trouble you with throwing something together."

The middle-aged man wasn't annoyed at all, not on the surface nor in his heart. His good relationship with the villa was inherited from his father, and he still treated the villa and its old villa master well even though his father had passed away and even though the villa was apparently going to relocate soon. He smiled and responded, "No worries, I'll prepare it for Old Villa Master right away! The second floor is coincidentally quite peaceful right now, what with there being no other customers around."

Just like last time, Song Yushao brought Chen Ping'an to the table beside the window on the second floor.

This restaurant was familiar with Sword Saint Song's tastes, so they were extremely deft as they prepared the soup base and the meat and vegetables. They picked the best ingredients for everything.

It wasn't long before the table was filled with plates and bowls of varying sizes, with the hot pot base also starting to bubble and steam.

Song Yushao asked the restaurant for two pots of wine, one for each of them. He then said to Chen Ping'an, "We'll just drink as a token gesture. We'll eat more and drink less today."

Chen Ping'an nodded in response. Song Yushao glanced at the plate of sauce that Chen Ping'an had concocted on the other side of the table, and he saw that it was fairly bright red in color, with more than half a bowl of chopped chilis included. This was not bad. The young lad was a quick learner.

Compared to yesterday, Chen Ping'an was even more unrestrained in his speech today, mentioning more matters pertaining to the mountains.

Among these matters, he mentioned his trip to Misty Mountain in the Colorful Garment Nation.

Song Yushao drank very moderately today, only taking small sips of wine most of the time. After listening to Chen Ping'an recount his feat of shattering Misty Mountain's mountain-protection formation and splitting its ancestral hall in half, he smiled faintly and said with a nod, "Your actions genuinely severed the lineage of their ancestral hall. You've driven a wedge between that father and son, and even if they don't turn on each other straight away, the relationship between them will never be the same again.

"Perhaps they might even explain their difficulties to each other and chuckle about it afterward, with one pretending to be a benevolent father and the other pretending to be a dutiful son. However, both Lü Yundai and Lü Tingjiao will be well aware that they can almost never trust each other again. What you did was even more effective than directly destroying their ancestral hall. Not bad, young lad, you're crushing their spirit instead of killing them straight away. Who did you learn this from?"

Chen Ping'an drank a sip of wine and replied, "I learned some things from the mountains, and I also learned some things from the cultivation world."

Chen Ping'an then talked about Wu Shuowen — Mr. Fisherman — and he also mentioned the young boy, Zhao Shuxia, and the young girl, Zhao Luan. He then smiled and said that he had mentioned the Sword Water Villa to them, so they might perhaps come to visit in the future. He asked Senior Song not to embarrass him, saying that the villa definitely needed to treat them well in the future, lest the master and his two disciples feel like Chen Ping'an was making things up and not actually good friends with the Water Combing Nation's Sword Saint Song. Chen Ping'an didn't want them to mistakenly think that he was merely a normal acquaintance of Sword Saint Song, but he liked to brag about his friends to make himself look better.

Song Yushao laughed heartily, dipping a piece of beef tripe in the steaming hotpot soup before placing it into Chen Ping'an's bowl.

They cleaned up the dishes on the table, and they also drank every last drop of wine.

Song Yushao once again accompanied Chen Ping'an to the entrance of the small town, this time with a young man who could hold his alcohol and eat spicy food and not become as fazed as before. The old man couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

Chen Ping'an put on his bamboo hat, standing still and cupping his fists as he said, "I'm off, Senior Song."

Song Yushao nodded in response before adding, "You're not very handsome or anything, so why are you covering your appearance with a bamboo hat?"

Chen Ping'an adjusted his bamboo hat and replied in a serious voice, "This is hard to say. Only ladies have the right to judge the appearances of men."

Song Yushao chuckled and scolded, "Judge your ass!"

Chen Ping'an smiled and turned around to leave.

Only when Chen Ping'an walked very far away did he finally turn around and walk back to the mountain villa along the quiet and peaceful street.

The old villa master was alone as he walked past the archway which Su Lang had dashed past when preparing to challenge his swordsmanship.

There were some things that Chen Ping'an had wanted to ask but couldn't ask directly. That being the case, Chen Ping'an had spoken in a very roundabout manner, mentioning things that were seemingly unrelated, such as his experience in Misty Mountain.

Song Yushao's swordsmanship wasn't very lofty, but had he wasted all of his time traveling around the cultivation world over the past few decades? Did he not understand Chen Ping'an's character? Was he not aware that the slightly braggart stories from Chen Ping'an were things that he most definitely wouldn't talk about normally?

So, for what reason did he mention these things? Was it not to tell Senior Song not to worry? Was it not to tell Song Yushao that if there was truly an issue that he could feel free to tell Chen Ping'an instead of keeping it cooped up inside if the latter asked about it? However, through his words and actions, Song Yushao clearly expressed to Chen Ping'an that there was nothing weighing on his mind. Everything was okay, and it was the young lad who was overthinking things.

Song Yushao clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.

The sun was hanging high, and there was not a single cloud in sight. The weather today was outstanding.

He hoped that every day would be like this when that young lad traveled around the cultivation world in the future.

————

At noon three days after Chen Ping'an left the mountain villa...

A young girl with apricot eyes and wearing embroidered shoes hastily made her way to the Sword Water Villa.

After seeing Liu Qian and Song Fengshan and learning that Chen Ping'an had actually left already, the young girl instantly grumbled in grief, saying that it wasn't very nice of them to not help her keep Chen Ping'an here for a few more days.

Liu Qian found this a little strange, and she asked Wei Wei whether something had happened at her mountain that she needed Chen Ping'an's help with. Liu Qian then put on a serious expression and said, "I'm aware of the conflict between you and that mountain god, and the Sword Water Villa is willing to help as long as you ask. However, the Sword Water Villa definitely won't allow Chen Ping'an to get involved."

Wei Wei's expression was strange as she asked, "The great sword immortal didn't tell you about the events at the old temple?"

"He did," Liu Qian replied in puzzlement. "He said that you still dared to go back to your old ways, not learning your lesson even after suffering at the hands of Grandpa back then. You started to trick men for their yang energy at the old temple again. What's wrong? Did something else happen between the two of you?"

Wei Wei chuckled and said, "No, nothing much happened. It's just that he took a fancy to me, but he was too embarrassed to admit his feelings. I also developed some feelings for him, so I thought that I should come here to ask Grandpa Song to become our matchmaker..."

The corners of Song Fengshan's mouth curled up into a smile. What absolute nonsense was this? Who was she trying to trick? Who here wasn't aware of Wei Wei's true tastes? In any case, with Chen Ping'an's temperament and current cultivation base, Wei Wei could thank the heavens that she wasn't vanquished in a single strike by him.

Liu Qian smiled and exposed Wei Wei, saying, "Alright, you shouldn't make too many jokes that risk your life in the process. You'll suffer your fair share of punishment if you're truly overheard by Grandpa or Chen Ping'an!"

Wei Wei glanced at the calm expressions of the couple and asked with a frown, "It can't be that Su Lang accidentally tripped and died while making his way over here, right? He's not coming to your mountain villa to cause trouble anymore? Otherwise, how are you still smiling so leisurely? Shouldn't you be washing your faces with tears every day? You, Liu Qian, will wipe away the tears for Song Fengshan, while Song Fengshan will sob and shout, 'Don't cry, my love,' while also wiping away the tears for you..."

Song Fengshan couldn't stand the teasing from this female ghost of the Water Combing Nation, so he found an excuse to stand up and leave.

Liu Qian roughly told Wei Wei about Su Lang being defeated and pushed back, as well as his visit and request for an audience afterward.

In reality, Liu Qian had been the one diligently attending to the matters of the Sword Water Villa over the past few years. As such, she was well aware of what she should say and what she shouldn't say.

Otherwise, Senior Song and her husband wouldn't have felt so at ease with her looking after the family affairs.

Wei Wei nodded and unexpectedly didn't appear surprised at all. Upon seeing Liu Qian's pensive gaze, Wei Wei yelped in surprise and held her hands to her heart, exclaiming, "Oh, Young Master Chen's swordsmanship is already this lofty and divine? He's truly undergone a remarkable transformation in a short period of time. Oh, I'm scared to death. Good heavens. If I had known this back at the old temple, I should have offered myself to him. Even if I don't like men, everything will pass in a moment once I close my eyes."

Liu Qian threw a handful of roasted seeds at Wei Wei and scolded, "Enough with such shameful and vulgar words!"

"I should have arrived yesterday, but sigh, we ghosts truly can't compare to the rapid speed of sword immortals riding on their swords when we travel on the wind," Wei Wei suddenly said. "Forget about it, there's no point mentioning these things. I've cultivated in earnest for several hundred years, yet this still doesn't compare to that man journeying around and enjoying the scenery for less than ten years. How heartbreaking.

"Qian'er, I arrived here one day later because I took a detour to the provincial city. I plan to engage in a significant matter that pertains to the foundation of my Great Dao, and I won't bore you with the details right now. You'll find out one way or another in the future. While I was in the city, however, I discovered traces of the Unruly Saber Villa. That young woman, Wang Shanhu, is truly haughty and arrogant nowadays. I could smell the makeup on her body from miles away.

"Most likely due to Su Lang's failure here, the spies that Han Yuanshan stationed in the small town immediately notified their superior of the situation using messenger flying swords. This allowed the Unruly Saber Villa to immediately respond to the situation."

Wei Wei patted her chest and purposely put on an embittered expression, saying, "You guys need to make haste and start preparing. Things would have naturally been fine if my lover, Chen Ping'an, were still at the mountain villa, but now that the... disloyal bastard has run away, what if Han Yuanshan also makes his way here? I won't stand on your side at that time, and I'll at most refuse to help either side. We may be good sisters, but I can only cry in secret if Han Yuanshan truly wants to punish your mountain villa."

Wei Wei was actually very curious about why Han Yuanshan was acting in such a merciless manner, not caring about the bigger picture at all and insisting on targeting the Sword Water Villa, forcing Song Yushao to leave so that he could build a mountain god temple there. The mountain spirit that Chen Ping'an had killed with a single thrust of his sword had been dreaming big the entire time, yearning to ascend the heavens in a single step and become the new mountain god at the Sword Water Villa's old ancestral grounds.

As for the significant matter that she didn't mention, she was naturally planning to replace that beast as the new mountain god. She had been secretly competing with Liu Qian the entire time, after all, and this was very common among sisters in the world. Their relationships might be good, but they still needed to compete to see who was living the better life. They couldn't be careless about this matter. Wei Wei and Liu Qian had both been members of the Water Combing Nation's four evil spirits in the past, yet Liu Qian, a mountain spirit, had already become the young mistress of the Sword Water Villa. That being the case, why couldn't Wei Wei become a mountain god and overtake her sister?

The transaction between the Sword Water Villa and Han Yuanshan was extremely secretive, so Liu Qian naturally wouldn't mention it to Wei Wei.

One shouldn't reveal too many of their inner thoughts, and it was also important to decide to whom these inner thoughts could be revealed.

Otherwise, what was shared could never be unshared afterward.

Liu Qian pondered for a moment, carefully organizing the words in her mind before saying slowly, "It probably isn't a bad thing, with Chen Ping'an's interference most likely striking fear in Han Yuanshan's heart. With his cautious and meticulous manner of doing things, he most likely won't visit us personally, and he'll instead have his puppet, Wang Yiran, come here to discuss things with our villa. The relationship between the three parties won't become too hostile."

Wei Wei gave this some thought and agreed that this was most likely the case.

————

At the battlefield where the old man and the young boy had faced an army of tens of thousands back then...

...There was a swordsman dressed in azure and wearing a bamboo hat who didn't immediately head to the immortal ferry station located in Earth Dragon Mountain after leaving the small town. Instead, he posed a few questions to a nearby mountain god who was about to be promoted, and only then did he finally learn about the matter that Song Yushao, Song Fengshan, and Liu Qian were all unwilling to mention.

Why had Song Yushao lost his spirit as a sword grandmaster and a pure martial artist?

This pertained to a secret matter that few people in the Sword Water Villa knew about.

This mountain god whom the imperial court of the Water Combing Nation had high hopes for had only learned of this secret matter because he oversaw the fortune of this area and had been channeling his innate mystical ability back then.

This matter wasn't necessarily big, with not a single person dying because of it.

However, was this matter small? Could it really be regarded as such?

It wasn't small.

Once upon a time, a martial artist who had traveled over from the faraway Middle Earth Divine Continent had visited the Sword Water Villa, obtaining a bamboo sword scabbard from Song Yushao.

The martial artist had asked to buy it in the beginning, offering a huge sum of immortal coins.

However, Song Yushao hadn't been willing to sell the bamboo sword scabbard.

The reason for this was very simple: he wouldn't sell the bamboo sword scabbard because it was a gift for a friend.

Hearing this, the martial artist with an unfathomably lofty cultivation base had given Song Yushao three days to reconsider his decision. He wouldn't be simply buying the sword scabbard in three days' time.

Before leaving, the martial artist had glanced at Song Fengshan and Liu Qian, smiling coldly as if he were looking at measly ants. He had then changed his tune, saying that buying the sword scabbard with two lives was still buying.

Song Yushao had remained silent for three days.

Meanwhile, Song Fengshan and Liu Qian had reached a consensus, and they surprisingly encouraged their grandpa not to sell the sword scabbard!

However, Song Yushao had ultimately decided to hand over the bamboo sword scabbard on the final day, not accepting any immortal coins either.

Afterward...

The old man genuinely started to appear old.

However, Song Yushao actively invited his grandson and granddaughter-in-law over for a drink, and he even raised a toast to Liu Qian, saying that it was thanks to the good karma accumulated by the ancestors of the Song Clan that his grandson had managed to find such a good wife. In the past, it was his fault for doubting her and looking down on her. Liu Qian had downed the cup of wine with tears brimming in her eyes.

In the end, the old man consoled his descendants by saying that everything was okay. Things were truly fine, so they didn't need to take the matter to heart. It was only a bamboo sword scabbard, after all, and he had never mentioned this matter to Chen Ping'an anyway. As such, they could pretend that nothing had ever happened.

At this moment...

An impressive convoy of carriages slowly trundled toward the swordsman in azure.

Chen Ping'an retracted his thoughts. After visiting the local mountain god, he had told the mountain god not to mention their encounter to the Sword Water Villa.

The mountain god naturally didn't dare to disobey him. In any case, the mountain god from the Water Combing Nation felt a sense of shared glory that he was able to sit on the mountain peak and share a drink with this young sword immortal.

Chen Ping'an didn't leave immediately and didn't return to the Sword Water Villa either because he felt unhappy but was unsure of what to do.

As such, he wandered around this area and mulled over matters by himself.

And then he came across some familiar faces again.