Unsheathed

Chapter 417 (1): The Happiness, Anger, Sorrow, and Joy in Autumn

Before they knew it, summer had already transitioned into autumn.

After resting for a period of time and nurturing his body, the two acupoints in which Chen Ping'an had placed his bonded items were now brimming with spiritual energy.

Regarding fist techniques and Qi refinement, Chen Ping'an tried his best to maintain a balance between the two and not favor one over the other. However, after becoming a genuine Qi refiner recently, it was necessary for him to spend at least eight hours a day on meditation and breathing techniques. This also allowed Chen Ping'an to become increasingly clear on the cultivation bottleneck that he would face in the future. There would eventually come a day when he would advance to the seventh tier of martial arts and the Middle Five Tiers of Qi refinement, and at that time, he would need to make another choice.

One day, Mao Xiaodong joked to Chen Ping'an, "I didn't see you holding back from absorbing the spiritual energy of the academy when you were cultivating in Cui Dongshan's courtyard before, so why were you unwilling to absorb a single drop of the academy's spiritual energy when we were atop Eastern Splendor Mountain back then? Were you being overly fussy?"

"After adhering to the fundamental rules, one can be more flexible and take into account the local customs and personal relationships," Chen Ping'an replied. "Cui Dongshan, Xie Xie, and Lin Shouyi can all rely on their cultivation bases to absorb spiritual energy in this courtyard, and this behavior is also something that the academy tacitly views as acceptable. That being the case, I can naturally absorb spiritual energy in the courtyard as well.

"To draw an analogy, one can view Eastern Splendor Mountain, the area outside the small courtyard, as... the Majestic World. In that sense, the small courtyard can be viewed as a nation or a small world. Since I'm not going against my conscience or the rules and etiquette of Confucianism, I'm... naturally free to act as I please."

Chen Ping'an paused as he spoke, using these brief moments to contemplate before he continued his response.

Mao Xiaodong nodded in response.

By the looks of it, he hadn't wasted his breath in speaking those well-thought-out and well-intentioned words to Chen Ping'an when he was refining the golden scholarly core atop Eastern Splendor Mountain back then.

"The tallest trees in the forest will inevitably be blown over by the wind, just as the most talented and moral individuals will attract jealousy and criticism from others. What do you think about this?[1].

"This is originally a warning to noble individuals, alerting them to the importance of keeping a low profile and acclimatizing themselves to a society that isn't very good," Chen Ping'an replied. "In terms of how society isn't good, I can't explain this right now. However, I feel like the current society is very far off from the ideal world in the eyes of Confucian teaching. As for why I think this, I can't find a good explanation either.

"Moreover, I feel like there are some issues with this saying. It's very easy for people to develop misunderstandings and end up afraid of becoming the tallest and lushest trees in the forest. They might feel like felling tall trees and being ordinary people are widespread and adhered to by everyone, so they should also go with the flow and fit into such a society. After all, laws are hard-pressed to punish an entire society.

"Upon further thought, however, this is seemingly entangled with the notion of following local customs and taking into account personal relationships. Even though it's possible to go into more detail to differentiate the two based on the time, location, and people, and thereby create a clear boundary, I can't help but feel like this will take too much effort. I most likely haven't identified the fundamental principles yet."

Chen Ping'an still paused as he spoke, and he couldn't help but ask in curiosity, "I admit that these so-called wise sayings promoted by the mortal world can indeed help one avoid many difficulties and troubles. For example, I often use these sayings to reflect on my own actions as well. However, can these sayings genuinely be accepted as legitimate rules by the Confucian sages?"

Mao Xiaodong laughed heartily but didn't offer an answer.

Instead, he changed the topic and asked, "A white horse is not a horse. What do you think about this paradox?"[2]

"Cui Dongshan mentioned this paradox to me before, saying that the issue was caused by the language and characters not being refined enough when the sages first created written characters," Chen Ping'an replied. "The Great Dao was inevitably incomplete, and paradoxes like these can be attributed to people being overly focused and pedantic with written information. As time went on, more and more characters were created, rendering these previously complicated paradoxes very easy to solve.

"A white horse is naturally a type of horse, but a white horse isn't equivalent to a horse. Our pitiful ancestors were only able to focus on the specifics of the characters and base their thinking around them, going around and around in circles. According to Cui Dongshan, this phenomenon is called a sequence disorder. Without understanding this disorder, one can't solve these paradoxes regardless of how many characters are created.

"For example, let's imagine that one person makes a correct statement. However, another person uses another correct statement to refute the correct statement made by the first person. If someone else is listening to this but unwilling to ask questions to get to the bottom of the situation, then they'll subconsciously think that the first person was indeed incorrect. This can be viewed as a sequence disorder.

"There are many other cases where people use specific examples to generalize an entire matter, misorder the sequence of events, and so on, and all of these cases can be viewed as sequence disorders where people don't fully understand the context and sequence of a given matter.

"Cui Dongshan was quite angry about this phenomenon, and he said that scholars — even virtuous scholars, noble scholars, and sages — also find it difficult to break free from this disorder. He also claimed that everyone in the world should study the notion of sequence disorder during their childhood. In fact, this is the most important thing for them to study, as their understanding of this phenomenon can serve as a fundamental building block of their character. He claimed that knowledge of this phenomenon is more important and useful than knowledge of all other principles, regardless of how profound or simple those other principles are.

"Cui Dongshan also said that at least half of the sagely texts belonging to the Hundred Schools of Thought are unable to express themselves clearly. Thus, only after understanding the notion of sequence disorder will one have the right to comprehend the fundamental knowledge expounded by the Paramount Sage and the Etiquette Sage.

"Otherwise, it might look like ordinary scholars are studying hard as they read the sagely scriptures, yet in the end, they're merely constructing a building with no solid foundation. At most, they'll create something like White Emperor City that hovers amid the iridescent clouds — something surrounded by empty air and removed from reality."

Mao Xiaodong carefully ruminated on these words before chuckling, "This isn't all ranting nonsense from that little bastard. There are indeed some ideas worth contemplating."

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "Cui Dongshan was willing to speak, so I simply listened. After all, the Scholarly Sage once told me that it would be beneficial to think more about all kinds of different matters. Even if my final conclusion is to reject a statement, the seemingly extra distance that I've mentally traveled isn't actually wasted time and energy."

Mao Xiaodong clapped and smiled, exclaiming, "Master is so ingenious!"

There was a look of eager anticipation on Mao Xiaodong's face, and he hoped that his junior brother could at least have a modicum of comprehension ability.

Chen Ping'an suppressed a smile as he understood Mao Xiaodong's intention, and he said, "I'll mention Mountain Master Mao to the Scholarly Sage if I manage to see him."

"You must remember not to be reserved," Mao Xiaodong said quietly. "Being reserved is ineffective in front of Master. For example, you should directly tell Master that I said 'Master is so ingenious.' In fact, it won't matter even if you exaggerate a little. However, you definitely shouldn't mention it in a roundabout manner."

Chen Ping'an nodded and said that he would keep this in mind.

In the end, Mao Xiaodong gave Chen Ping'an a letter that had been delivered from the Dragon Spring Prefecture's Cloud Drape Mountain via a flying sword.

Mao Xiaodong then took his leave.

The scholars responsible for managing affairs in Mountain Cliff Academy were all feeling a little shaken and nervous right now, so it was necessary for him to visit and reassure them.

Occasionally visiting Chen Ping'an for a casual chat was both a means to act as a senior brother and a means to seek relaxation during a busy time. Of course, he was also fulfilling his responsibility as a senior brother to examine Chen Ping'an's mental state and make sure that there weren't any flaws or shortcomings.

Chen Ping'an opened the letter, and what he saw was the familiar handwriting of Wei Bo, the formal god of the Northern Mountain.

Chen Ping'an had previously sent a letter to Wei Bo asking about the large mountains in the west being sold for a low price.

Toward Wei Bo, the earliest and also only remaining formal mountain god of the destroyed Divine Water Nation, Chen Ping'an possessed a natural sense of trust.

In the letter, Wei Bo told Chen Ping'an that including the mountain owned by Light Breeze City's Xu Clan, there were a total of nine mountains up for sale. Ruan Qiong, Fortune Street's Li Clan, and a few other clans had all purchased some mountains, so there were only two mountains still for sale at this moment.

If Chen Ping'an wanted to purchase these mountains, then he could help Chen Ping'an negotiate a fair price. In addition, Wei Bo said that even though the two mountains were leftovers, Chen Ping'an would still stand to benefit if he decided to purchase them. He also lamented the fact that Chen Ping'an hadn't sent the letter earlier, or else he could have easily purchased Ox Horn Mountain.

Even if Chen Ping'an didn't have enough immortal currency to purchase Ox Horn Mountain, he could lend Chen Ping'an the money first and they could have joint ownership of the mountain. After all, Ox Horn Mountain had the Cloth Wrapper Shop, so purchasing the mountain was essentially the same as getting half a ferry station for free!

Chen Ping'an read the letter a second time, only placing it into his pocket treasure after making sure that there weren't any hidden messages.

It was indeed true that the large mountains located in the western region of the Dragon Spring Prefecture had spiritual energy just as abundant as the top-notch immortal forces in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. However, the fortunes of the mountains and rivers were carved up by many different parties, and the territory owned by each party was also far too small.

The mountains in the Dragon Spring Prefecture were mostly half a dozen kilometers in radius, and this was nothing compared to the territories of immortal clans and sect-level forces that easily measured hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in radius. In other words, it was very difficult for the mountains in the Dragon Spring Prefecture to achieve anything impressive. Of course, they were more than enough to host Golden Core Tier earth immortals.

Chen Ping'an felt like it was feasible for him to buy these mountains.

Thus, he went to Mao Xiaodong's study and wrote a letter to Wei Bo, asking him to negotiate the prices with the sellers first.

He then asked Pei Qian to run an errand and give the letter to the old scholar responsible for sending and receiving letters in the academy.

Sitting in the antique-style study, Chen Ping'an recalled a recent conversation he had with Cui Dongshan, where the latter had casually mentioned the grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism in the Azure Phoenix Nation again. He had mentioned the so-called proper scriptures of the Hundred Schools of Thought to Chen Ping'an before, but this had only included a small number of texts. Thus, he told Chen Ping'an that he could visit the scripture library of the academy to find some scriptures of Buddhism and Daoism.

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment before leaving the study. He would wait for Lin Shouyi to complete his cultivation session before dragging him along to the scripture library.

As they walked to the scripture library, Lin Shouyi smiled and asked, "Have you figured out the answer to my question yet?"

Chen Ping'an faltered upon hearing this, but he quickly recalled Lin Shouyi's expression of gratitude when he had visited him for the first time in the academy.

Chen Ping'an smiled wryly and replied, "I genuinely don't know the answer, but I'm extremely curious to find out. So, stop talking in riddles, or I'll directly ask you for the answer before I leave the academy if you don't reveal it to me soon."

Lin Shouyi smiled faintly and said, "Do you remember when Li Huai was rolling around on the muddy mountain path back then, causing everyone to feel extremely annoyed?"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment before replying, "I vaguely recall the situation. I agreed to make a bamboo bookcase for Li Huai in the end, and it was only after hearing this that he stopped crying and smiled widely instead. He didn't cause any more trouble after that either. Otherwise, we would have been stuck there for quite a while. In any case, Li Huai has matured a lot in the past few years."

"Then do you remember what you said to me back then?" Lin Shouyi asked.

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a brief moment.

Lin Shouyi smiled and continued, "You definitely remember what you said."

Chen Ping'an sighed with emotion and asked, "You genuinely viewed that minor matter with so much importance?"

Lin Shouyi nodded and explained, "I was the biggest misfit back then. Li Baoping referred to you as Junior Uncle, Li Huai was the closest with you, and even A'Liang liked to mess around with Li Baoping and Li Huai. Zhu He and Zhu Lu were father and daughter as well. Meanwhile, I seemingly stood out like a sore thumb. Even though I appeared indifferent to the situation, how could I possibly not feel a slight sense of disappointment? As a result, I questioned myself for a long period of time, wondering if I had made the wrong decision by following you and the others to the Great Sui Nation to seek knowledge."

As Lin Shouyi recounted these events, the cultivation prodigy who always appeared solemn and dignified in the academy surprisingly had a warm and gentle smile on his face. "After you squatted down on the muddy mountain path and consoled Li Huai, you turned around and spoke two sentences to me. Should I make you one as well? In any case, it won't be much effort to make an extra one."

Lin Shouyi walked forward slowly, continuing, "So I nodded and replied yes at the time."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "I didn't think about it too much back then, and I simply felt like you definitely wouldn't ask for a bamboo bookcase if I didn't offer you one. However, if I had made a bookcase for Li Huai but not for you, then you would have ended up as the only person without a bookcase. I was worried that you would grow distant from Little Baoping and Li Huai because of this.

"Truth be told, I did consider your feelings back then, but I was mostly thinking that you were the oldest of the three children and also possessed the calmest head, so after we arrived at the academy and I took my leave, you could hopefully look after the two of them in my stead.

Lin Shouyi nodded and replied, "I actually figured this out while we were still traveling to the academy. However, there is one aspect where I do fairly well. That is, if someone treats me with kindness, I won't feel resentful simply because they treat someone else with even more kindness."

The smile on Lin Shouyi's face grew wider as he continued, "When we were on the ship crossing the river, you crafted a bookcase for Li Huai first before finally making the last one for me. However, it was naturally the best bookcase you made because you were already very experienced. At that time, I realized that you didn't speak much, but you were actually quite a good person.

"Thus, after arriving at the academy, I ultimately didn't hide in the shadows and provided some minor help to Li Huai when he was being bullied by other people. Do you know what? I was already well aware of my cultivation path back then, so I was gambling with my entire future by choosing to help Li Huai. I had already planned for the worst, and I would at most be beaten into a cripple and have my cultivation path severed. I would then continue to live as an illegitimate son who was looked down on by even my own parents. However, I would at least not be looked down on by you, Chen Ping'an."

"I'll remember this," Chen Ping'an said with a nod.

Lin Shouyi smiled and said, "After that Nascent Tier sword cultivator attempted to perform an assassination in the small courtyard, you came over and purposely sat beside me in the end. I was aware, you were aware, and apart from the scatterbrained Li Huai, even Pei Qian along with everyone else in the courtyard was aware of why you specifically decided to sit beside me.

"You were afraid that I had become too proud and haughty after embarking on the path of cultivation so early, yet I could only watch on from the sidelines from the beginning to the end of the conflict. As such, you thought that I would definitely feel disappointed, and you were afraid that I would grow more and more distant from the others."

Chen Ping'an stopped walking and didn't refute these claims, asking with a smile, "Then do you know what I'm most thankful to you for? It's your turn to guess now."

Lin Shouyi directly shook his head and replied, "I'm very stubborn in my beliefs, and I don't tend to think about many other matters. This is completely different from you, Chen Ping'an, so I definitely won't be able to guess the answer."

Chen Ping'an didn't leave Lin Shouyi hanging, and he revealed, "You once told me that not all parents in the world are like my parents."

Lin Shouyi was slightly puzzled.

Chen Ping'an extended his fist and raised a single finger, continuing with a smile, "Firstly, I was very happy that you were willing to say something like this to me, as it meant that you viewed me as a friend. After all, your identity has always been the biggest knot in your heart."

Chen Ping'an then raised another finger and said, "I've always kept your comment in mind, and after the completion of my journey in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, it was thanks to your comment that I was able to walk all the way here with Pei Qian."

Chen Ping'an raised a third finger, saying, "Moreover, after hearing your comment, I felt like I was a... poor bastard who suddenly discovered that he had actually inherited a huge wealth! With this in mind, I never felt like I had anything to be embarrassed about even when I met extremely wealthy individuals who were the same age as me. For example, Fan Er who eventually became my friend, and the Pure White Continent's Liu Youzhou who didn't end up becoming my friend."

Lin Shouyi smiled and said frankly, "I presume that it's this quality of yours that Song Jixin hates the most."

Chen Ping'an nodded in response.

Chen Ping'an stopped in front of the scripture library and looked up at the tall building, saying, "Lin Shouyi, I'm very happy that you value and cherish my insignificant kindness. I'm very, very happy."

"In this world, even good people like to have strict demands for other good people, so you also need to cherish a good friend like me," Lin Shouyi said.

"I will!" Chen Ping'an promised with a smile.

"Then perhaps you don't need to have high expectations for a return gift in the future?" Lin Shouyi asked.

Chen Ping'an reached over and wrapped an arm around Lin Shouyi's shoulders, replying, "Don't even think about shortchanging me!"

Lin Shouyi used a gentle force to push Chen Ping'an aside, straightening his clothes as he grumbled, "I might lose a few admirers if the ladies in the academy see this. I naturally won't reciprocate their feelings, but I don't hate their admiration and adoration of me either."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "By the looks of it, you've flown under the radar and changed the most after studying in the academy for the past few years."

Lin Shouyi exchanged a glance with Chen Ping'an, and they both thought of a certain person before mysteriously breaking out into hearty laughter.

This was most likely a display of tacit understanding between friends.

The two youths from the same small town talked and laughed as they strode into the scripture library together.

Countless books and principles were waiting to be read and absorbed by them.

1. This refers to someone so outstanding that they're like the tallest and lushest tree in the forest. However, such trees are also most easily blown over by strong winds. ☜

2. This is a paradox in Chinese philosophy attributed to Gongsun Long, a philosopher and writer who was a member of the School of Names. ☜