Unsheathed

Chapter 385 (2): Ghost Living in an Immortal's Avatar

Cui Dongshan reached over and placed a hand on the beautiful skeletal ghost's shoulder, causing her to feel as if she had been struck by lightning. A boundless murderous aura erupted from her yin body, and her expression also became twisted as her hair billowed wildly in the air. Cui Dongshan paid no heed to this, and he simply raised his hand and slowly lifted her a foot off the ground. He then tightened his grip, lifting her another foot into the air.

However, Cui Dongshan didn't stop there, and he lifted Shi Rou higher for the third time, causing her bones to instantly become loose. It was as if she had been transformed into a sack of broken flesh with no bones. She was like a puppet being forcefully raised into the air so that she wouldn't collapse into a heap on the floor.

Cui Dongshan released his grip, yet Shi Rou remained hanging in mid-air, with her soul trembling in unrest. Wisps of innate murderous aura flowed out from all of the orifices on her face, similar to how people might sometimes bleed after suffering severe wounds. Shi Rou opened her mouth wide as if screaming in agony, yet not a single sound was made.

Cui Dongshan walked around her a single time. He hadn't raised her higher into the air three times for no reason. He had used the measuring technique of fortune tellers the first time, and this had allowed him to measure the bone qi of the female ghost.

He had used the so-called growth-acceleration technique of ancient shamans the second time, and he had then used an even more secretive technique the third time, one that he himself had improved. This final technique was derived from a mystical reading ability that Confucian sages had created, similar to the Eight Direction Attack Reading Technique. At a minimum, one needed to be the mountain master of a Confucian academy to master this technique.

Apart from owning a myriad of immortal treasures, Cui Dongshan had also mastered a huge number of secret techniques, so many that he would rank among the top few people in the Majestic World.

Cui Dongshan stole a glance at Chen Ping'an, only to find that his master was completely unfazed.

By the looks of it, Chen Ping'an was no longer that impoverished young boy wearing straw sandals. He was no longer as naive as before.

Cui Dongshan pushed aside these thoughts and took out a lesser heat coin, flicking it toward Shi Rou's glabella. The beautiful skeletal ghost collapsed to the floor, and her shoulders started to tremble as she used her bony hands to support her body. She couldn't even raise her head anymore, and it was clear that she had suffered immensely at the hands of Cui Dongshan.

Fortunately, the lesser heat coin that had melted into pure spiritual energy in mid-air could slightly lessen the agonizing pain that was torturing the depths of Shi Rou's soul.

"How is it?" Chen Ping'an asked.

"Not too bad—your luck is... only so-so," Cui Dongshan replied with a soft sigh.

The two of them sat opposite each other again.

Chen Ping'an looked at Shi Rou, who was stumbling around as she stood up, and he asked, "I have an unoccupied body that's essentially at the Immortal Tier. Are you willing to reside inside this body?"

Shi Rou was stunned into silence. She genuinely couldn't believe her ears.

This was an immense fated opportunity, so how could a measly yin entity like her possibly handle it? To say nothing of cultivators at the Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier—whom ordinary mortals viewed as terrestrial immortals—even those at the Unpolished Jade Tier would covet an immortal body shed by a paramount cultivator!

In fact, even supremely powerful Immortal Tier cultivators might be deeply tempted by such an incredible treasure. After all, one could refine this immortal body and use it as a suit of armor for their wandering yin soul, allowing their yin soul to have drastically improved offensive and defensive capabilities. That would essentially be giving wings to tigers.

Even though she was a lowly yin entity—otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily captured and manipulated by an old cultivator who was yet to become an earth immortal—her knowledge was actually quite impressive due to some specific circumstances.

Shi Rou suddenly hovered toward the door before turning around and falling to her knees, kowtowing to both Cui Dongshan and Chen Ping'an as she begged in a tearful voice, "Please show me some mercy! Please allow this humble servant to gain a body and have the ability to openly walk in the yang world! In exchange, I'm willing to become your servant forever and ever..."

Cui Dongshan flared up in rage, and he immediately raised a hand and made a slapping motion, causing Shi Rou's head to violently jerk toward Chen Ping'an. "Why are you kowtowing to a small brat like me, Shi Rou? Do you understand etiquette at all? When entering a temple to offer incense, you need to offer it to the Bodhisattvas and True Gods! When a worshipper enters the scholarly temple or the martial sage temple, will they run to the temple attendant to kowtow to them? Huh? If you ask me, I'd say that your brain has gone rotten after living as a ghost for six hundred years!"

Shi Rou started to kowtow even more vigorously, repeating the same lines over and over again. She begged for mercy and asked for them to bestow the immortal body upon her. But Chen Ping'an was not looking at her; he was looking at Cui Dongshan.

"Back in that secluded alley, neither she nor I mentioned her name. Will you kindly explain to me how you know her name?" he suddenly asked. "Perchance it was you and the Great Li Empire that secretly planned the calamity that befell the Colorful Garment Nation's Blusher Prefecture?"

Cui Dongshan's expression immediately froze when he heard this. He had truly gotten carried away this time, so much so that he had actually made such an amateur mistake. Fuck... By the looks of it, I should stop playing Go with crappy players like Lu Baixiang. It's going to cause my Go skills to fall off a cliff.

Cui Dongshan hurriedly stood up and bowed as deeply as he could, explaining, "Everything was planned by Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan. Please understand, Master, the calamity in Blusher Prefecture had absolutely nothing to do with your disciple! Not a sliver of that event was related to me!"

Chen Ping'an surprisingly couldn't find any fault in Cui Dongshan's shameless words. He fell silent for a moment before saying in an exasperated voice, "You can get up now."

Cui Dongshan pretended to wipe the sweat from his forehead in an exaggerated manner.

However, upon seeing that Chen Ping'an was actually facing the beautiful skeletal ghost, he could only pause his action and bow deeply again.

Shi Rou was unwilling to stand up, and she continued to kowtow to Chen Ping'an again and again. Her sincerity had already transcended words.

Chen Ping’an turned to Cui Dongshan and instructed, "I'll leave her with you. If it's possible, then help her open the gateway and enter the immortal body. If things don't work out, then there's no need to force yourselves either."

Cui Dongshan patted his chest and promised, "Rest assured, Master, I guarantee that this will be a profitable transaction even if things don't succeed in the end."

"How much compensation should I give you if things succeed then?" Chen Ping'an asked with a smile.

Cui Dongshan was astonished, and he exclaimed, "Respecting my Master, solving problems for him, and adhering to the Dao are all fundamental responsibilities of a disciple. How could I ask for compensation?"

Chen Ping'an chuckled and scoffed at him. "Do you believe your own words?"

Cui Dongshan smiled in a bashful manner and replied, "Not only are you becoming increasingly knowledgeable, but also more and more emotionally intelligent. To pursue Dao with Master, this humble disciple is..."

Chen Ping'an was forced to raise a hand and halt Cui Dongshan's goosebump-inducing words of flattery. "You can stop right about now. Let's be straightforward, okay?"

Cui Dongshan pondered for a moment before returning to his seat and drinking a sip of tea. He then asked in an uncertain voice, "Will you agree to my request if I say that you need to use up all of your gold essence copper coins? Not only that, but the more the better?"

Chen Ping'an nodded in response.

"Master, aren't you afraid that fortune and misfortune will come hand in hand?" Cui Dongshan asked. "What if the female ghost successfully refines and gains control of the immortal body under my guidance, yet I've tampered with things in the process and end up doing something to beteay you? Are you willing to trust Cui Dongshan with such a significant responsibility?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and replied, "It's not that I trust Cui Dongshan. Rather, I trust the master who gave him a second chance."

Cui Dongshan fell silent.

Meanwhile, Shi Rou was utterly confused by what she was hearing.

She was completely clueless about the verbal sparring between the master and the disciple.

Cui Dongshan extended a hand and picked up the yellow paper talisman with two fingers. At the same time, he summoned Shi Rou back into the talisman and placed everything inside his large, snow-white sleeve.

One had to realize that Chen Ping'an had already refined and gained ownership of this talisman.

The beautiful skeletal ghost was overcome with emotion as she hovered in the intangible void, and she couldn't help but feel increased respect and fear for the young esteemed immortal with a birthmark on his glabella.

On the other hand, she felt little fear toward Chen Ping'an, her true master and the person whom she had established a life and death contract with. Her respect for him was also negligible and not worth a mention.

Why was this?

Because this was the reality of worldly affairs.

After putting away the talisman, Cui Dongshan turned to Chen Ping'an and asked, "Master, are you able to stay here for a few more days? It will only be three days at most. After that, we'll leave and continue our journey whether we succeed or fail."

"That's fine by me," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod.

Cui Dongshan felt slightly embarrassed and guilty as he extended a hand toward Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an took out several pouches of gold essence copper coins from his pocket treasure—this was the compensation that the Great Li Empire had given him as an apology.

He had these coins for only a short time, yet he was already giving them away. Indeed, after Shi Rou successfully entered the immortal body, she would then become a terrifying, bottomless pit that would need a large number of gold essence copper coins to be filled.

Chen Ping'an then took out Du Mao's avatar and allowed Cui Dongshan to put it inside his minimization treasure.

Cui Dongshan walked over to the door before stopping and turning around, asking with a smile, "Master, even though I notified you beforehand, are you not angry with how I dealt with those few people?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and replied, "If it doesn't pertain to major issues of principle, then you're free to do as you please."

"Then what about Pei Qian?"

Chen Ping'an sighed and said, "I can only tell myself that if she stays by my side, I can always catch her mistakes as soon as possible. This is much better than trying to fix the situation after she commits a huge mistake."

Cui Dongshan wanted to say something, yet he couldn't help but hesitate. Moreover, he wasn't doing this on purpose to manipulate Chen Ping'an. In the end, he sighed, just like Chen Ping'an, and suggested, "Master, it might help you to read some scriptures written by Legalist sages in the short term. After all, using the regulations of etiquette and the moral compass of Confucianism to measure the actions of everyone in the mountains and outside the mountains is far too complicated and exhausting.

"For example, Legalists promote the notion of rulers, officials, leaders, subordinates, nobles, and commoners all abiding by the law. They also promote the idea of not being influenced by relationships and social hierarchy, and using the law to objectively deal with all matters. Both of these notions can be viewed as good strategies to rule over a nation, allowing one to eliminate many unnecessary troubles. Even if you aren't willing to pursue the study of Legalism or fully abide by it, using it to pass time and verify the fact that Confucianism is nutritious food while Legalism is medicinal food will also be quite beneficial.

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "That sounds reasonable. Since we're staying in the county city for the next few days, I'll go and look for a few Legalist scriptures to read."

Cui Dongshan bowed in respect and said in flattery, "Your kindness and ability to listen are very impressive; I have to concede my inferiority to you. Thank you for the valuable lesson."

"Why don't you compete with Wei Xian and the others to see who's better at flattering people? The four of them will definitely admit defeat to you," Chen Ping'an said in exasperation.

There was a dazzling smile on Cui Dongshan's face as he closed the door, and he asked, "Master, when you're free in the future, why don't I teach you how to play Go?"

Chen Ping'an faltered for a moment before replying, "Let's discuss this later."

Cui Dongshan left with a wide smile.

The shimmering golden circle on the floor slowly dissipated following Cui Dongshan's exit.

Cui Dongshan returned to his room and sat down with his eyes closed.

In the end, he solemnly retrieved a picture scroll, one that was surprisingly made from the same material as gold essence copper coins.

After Cui Dongshan unfurled the picture scroll on his table, a river of time started to flow, causing numerous images to ripple across the surface of the picture scroll without pause. It was as if the picture scroll housed the most realistic people and matters in the world.

The person on the picture scroll was none other than Chen Ping'an.

The people and scenes that the picture scroll had "extracted" from the flow of time largely revolved around Chen Ping'an and Song Jixin, the two neighbors in Clay Vase Alley.

One pertained to the Great Dao of Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan, and one pertained to the future direction of the Great Li Empire.

These types of mysterious picture scrolls weaved together using the flow of time were incredibly precious items that immortal forces in the mountains referred to as Fleeting Glance Picture Scrolls.

Only paramount Ascension Tier cultivators or powerful Immortal Tier cultivators who were adept at certain ancient secret techniques could use this mystical ability.

Sect-level forces with immense foundations and abundant wealth would often use Fleeting Glance Picture Scrolls to secretly protect the reincarnations of their grandmasters. They weren't trivial items; they were something that pertained to the cultivation of the Great Dao and also used up an exorbitant amount of resources. All those who possessed such a treasure would cherish it with care.

If a person was observed by a Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll, all of the fluctuations in their mind's lake would be completely captured by the scroll. These fluctuations would be caused by a person's speech and movements, their decisions and actions, their laughter and tears, the challenges and obstacles they faced, and so on.

Even the emperor of the Great Li Empire and Song Jixin's mother—Cui Chan's ally in the beginning—hadn't seen this precious picture scroll before.

Cui Dongshan fell deep into thought as he watched Chen Ping'an and Song Jixin slowly grow up, starting as little children and eventually growing up to become young boys. However, his thoughts had already shifted away from the two people in the picture scroll.

After Cui Dongshan completed the end game and stayed in the small town back then, Qi Jingchun had already died and disappeared from the world. However, Cui Dongshan discovered that someone had used a paramount mystical ability to shave a layer off the flowing river of time that corresponded to the Jewel Small World. It was extremely subtle, and it was very likely that even Immortal Tier Qi refiners had failed to notice it, to say nothing of ordinary mortals and earth immortals in the small town.

This signified that someone likely possessed a Flowing Water Picture Scroll, a type of picture scroll that could capture an even greater period of time than Fleeting Glance Picture Scrolls.

It was difficult to say who had defied the heavens by doing something like that. It could have potentially been Lu Chen, one of the three branch masters of the Daoist Sect, and he might have done this for the sake of Li Xisheng, one of his so-called senior brothers. Otherwise, he might have done this for Long Eyebrows, a descendant of Heavenly Lord Xie Shi.

It could have been Ruan Qiong, the sage responsible for looking after the small town after Qi Jingchun, and he might have defied the heavens for the sake of his daughter, Ruan Xiu. Of course, it could have also been Old Man Yang from the Yang family's medicine shop, and he might have done this to help Ma Kuxuan, someone who enjoyed profound blessings from the heavens. Alternatively, Old Man Yang might have been secretly gambling on another young prodigy.

Cui Dongshan rolled up the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll and carefully put it away in his minimization treasure.

He then used his flying sword to draw another circle on the ground, creating a small world that enveloped him and cut him off from the outside world. Only then did he retrieve the yellow paper talisman, the few pouches of gold essence copper coins, and that incredibly valuable immortal body left behind by Du Mao.

Cui Dongshan pinched his glabella.

Compared to how he had assembled that young boy made out of porcelain in the Jewel Small World all those years ago, trying to have Shi Rou enter and take control of the immortal body would only be more difficult.

Cui Dongshan sighed in grief and lamented, "It's only reasonable for a disciple to alleviate worries and generously provide funds for their master. Fucking hell, I've gone to seek knowledge under two masters now, yet I've ended up as a pitiful money bag each time. Sure enough, Cui Dongshan and Cui Chan are the same person..."

————

Just as Cui Dongshan had suggested, Chen Ping'an visited a few bookstores in the county city to buy two Legalist classics. He burned the midnight oil to read these classics.

During evening the next day, an anxious-looking Cui Dongshan walked into Chen Ping'an's room and complained for a long while. He asked for a pot of osmanthus wine to drink, and then shamelessly asked for another pot of osmanthus wine to take away with him.

On the second day, Cui Dongshan had an ashen expression as he shakily walked into Chen Ping'an's room. Pei Qian was earnestly transcribing texts, and Cui Dongshan asked her to shuffle aside before he sat down and sprawled himself across the table. He fell asleep and snored loudly for an entire hour, and when he woke up, he saw Chen Ping'an performing a handstand and practicing the Heaven and Earth Stance. Beside him, Pei Qian was also practicing the six-step walking meditation. Cui Dongshan silently stood up and left. Of course, he didn't forget to grab the pot of osmanthus wine that was sitting on the table.

On the third day, Cui Dongshan announced that they could only leave on the day after tomorrow. He was glowing with exuberance, and he even brought Lu Baixiang's Go set with him when he visited Chen Ping'an. He stated that he was going to teach his master how to play Go, and with how supremely talented Chen Ping'an was, he would definitely surpass Lu Baixiang in just two or three days. In fact, it was entirely possible for Chen Ping'an to defeat his disciple, Cui Dongshan, in just five or six days.

Before starting their game of Go, Cui Dongshan became momentarily adrift as he looked at the young man sitting opposite him with an upright posture and a serious expression.

Cui Dongshan taught his master the small corner formation from the Iridescent Cloud Go Manual.

No matter how spectacular and powerful this set formation was, and regardless of how it was heralded as a peerless formation by future generations, it was ultimately nothing more than a set formation.

However, Chen Ping'an insisted on studying this formation no matter what.

In the end, Cui Dongshan spent two entire hours explaining the essence and numerous variations of this formation. If Lu Baixiang or any of the Go officials from the Great Li Empire were so stupid, it was very likely that Cui Dongshan would have already unleashed a torrent of abuse at them.

In a very rare display, however, Cui Dongshan didn't show an iota of frustration toward Chen Ping'an, most likely due to the fact that Chen Ping'an was his master. Of course, it was also possible that Cui Dongshan was enjoying this moment because his master—who had caused him to suffer so much before—had never sought knowledge from him as earnestly as this before.

At any rate, Cui Dongshan taught, while Chen Ping'an learned. As the Go stones crisply landed on the Go board one after another, the undulating sounds of their questions and answers slowly reverberated through the room.

Late at night on the fourth day...

Chen Ping'an's hair instantly stood on end when he opened his door. Goosebumps soon covered his entire body.

Standing in front of him was Cui Dongshan, and standing beside his disciple was the blushing "Du Mao." She smiled nervously and said in a timid voice, "This humble servant pays respects to Master."