Unsheathed

Chapter 400 (3): Returning North from the Long Journey

In the beginning, Yu Lu had enjoyed an entire dorm to himself. Afterward, Prince Gao Xuan moved in as his roommate, after which the two of them developed a close relationship and never left each other's side.

Yet, not long ago, Yu Lu had ended up becoming a lonesome person again. This was because Gao Xuan had secretly left Mountain Cliff Academy and gone to Forest Deer Academy located in the Dragon Spring Prefecture's Cloud Drape Mountain. Gao Xuan explained that he was going there to seek knowledge, yet those with a discerning eye could easily see through his lie and understand the truth. Prince Gao Xuan was nothing more than a royal hostage of the Great Li Empire.

After the Great Li Empire's Imperial Song Clan and the Great Sui Nation's Imperial Gao clan signed those treaties and became allies with each other, it wasn't just Gao Xuan who had traveled to the Great Li Empire as a hostage. In addition to him, an eleventh tier gatekeeper of the Great Sui Nation's capital and the initially retired old flood dragon of the Yellow Court Nation had also traveled to the Great Li Empire to become assistant mountain masters of the newly constructed Forest Deer Academy.

Yu Lu had accompanied Gao Xuan to the foot of the mountain before stopping and not seeing him off any further.

Today morning, Yu Lu had unexpectedly knocked on the courtyard door of a standalone residence.

The person who answered the door was Xie Xie.

Yu Lu saw her open the door with a broom in her hand.

Even though Cui Dongshan had already left the academy for a long time, it appeared as if Xie Xie was still working diligently as a maidservant every single day.

"Why are you here?" Xie Xie asked with a stern expression.

Yu Lu smiled faintly and replied, "I suddenly realized that I haven't seen you for a long time, so I decided to come over here to visit."

"Okay, you've already seen me now, so what next?" Xie Xie asked.

"I'm not asking too much to go inside to enjoy a cup of tea, am I?" Yu Lu replied in a helpless voice.

Xie Xie hesitated for a moment before eventually deciding to let Yu Lu — the young man whom she should have respectfully referred to as Crown Prince — step inside her courtyard.

Her courtyard wasn't large, and it was absolutely spotless thanks to her diligent sweeping every single day. When autumn came and the leaves started to fall, or when it was spring and catkins flew around, it would most likely be harder work for her to clean the courtyard.

Xie Xie pointed at the main building in the courtyard, where the doors were tightly shut and the corridor under the eaves was paved with green bamboo planks. It was as if the walkway were a large straw mat, and Yu Lu could easily imagine the young boy with a birthmark on his glabella lazily lying there on his side during a cool night and gazing up at the starry constellations.

"Remember to take off your shoes before walking up the stairs," Xie Xie reminded the young man. "Otherwise, I'll need to scrub it clean again after you leave."

Yu Lu removed his boots and sat down on the bamboo walkway. This bamboo was most likely grown by some Agrarian cultivator in an immortal force, and it would already be very extravagant for an ordinary noble in the Great Sui Nation to craft a brush holder from this material. Indeed, such a brush holder would make a very refined gift between literati. If one owned a sleeping mat or a bamboo chair crafted from this bamboo, that would be an even more impressive display of one's network and wealth. In this courtyard, however, none of these things would be worth a mention.

Xie Xie continued to bustle around and clean, not brewing or pouring any tea for Yu Lu. It was early in the morning, after all, so who in the world would drink tea? Did he genuinely think that he was still the crown prince of the Lu Empire? Yu Lu was inferior to even Gao Xuan at this moment, seeing that the Geyang Gao Clan had at least kept the Great Sui Nation intact.

On the other hand, the survivors from the Lu Clan were dragged to the large mountains in the western region of the Dragon Spring Prefecture and forced to work as slaves and kulis. They were punished by the scorching and the lashing rain all year round, and they would either suffer lashings or be reduced to nothing more than mere commodities for trade. They were purchased by various immortal forces who were constructing residences in the mountains, becoming slaves and maidservants to serve their masters. The fate of the Lu Empire and the Great Sui Nation couldn't be any more different.

Yu Lu leaned back and lay down on the bamboo walkway, asking, "Xie Xie, have you ever thought about the future that you desire?"

Xie Xie sat down beside the stone table and replied, "No."

Dressed in the Confucian robes of the academy, Yu Lu placed his hands on his abdomen and revealed, "Your young master gave me a good beating before leaving the academy."

"What's wrong? You can't defeat Cui Dongshan, so you came here to use me to vent your anger?" Xie Xie asked with a sneer. "As expected of a seventh tier martial artist who possesses half the martial fortune of an empire. However, are you sure you can defeat me?"

After being captured by the Great Li Empire, that imperial concubine in the palace had instructed a sword cultivator, a guest elder of the empire, to drive several Dragon Restricting Nails into her critical acupoints. The imperial concubine had been extraordinarily vicious and sinister.

Afterward, Cui Dongshan had removed half of the Dragon Restricting Nails and allowed her to partially recover her cultivation base, becoming an Abode Tier Qi refiner. Before leaving the academy, Cui Dongshan had removed several more Dragon Restricting Nails, leaving only one in her body. However, this Dragon Restricting Nail was driven into an acupoint that held one of her bonded items. Even so, she had finally regained her cultivation base as a Sea Observation Tier Qi refiner.

In addition to this, Cui Dongshan had also set up numerous secret formations in the small courtyard. At the same time, he also taught Xie Xie how to activate, channel, and deactivate the large majority of these formations. Because of this, staying in the small courtyard granted Xie Xie a similar ability to Mao Xiaodong staying in Mountain Cliff Academy.

Yu Lu sat up and replied with a faint smile, "You'll still lose if we truly fight with each other."

"Oh, is that so? Then you're truly amazing, aren't you?" Xie Xie replied with an apathetic expression. "I must have misjudged your strength, so do you need me to bow and apologize?"

Yu Lu lay back down on the bamboo walkway, using his hands as a pillow as he sighed with emotion.

Even though they were both evil remnants of the Lu Empire, meaning that they should have shared the same pain and looked out for each other, Xie Xie felt a deep sense of loathing toward Yu Lu's acceptance of the circumstances. Moreover, she didn't conceal her emotions at all.

Yu Lu closed his eyes and said, "Lying here is quite comfortable, so allow me to take a quick nap."

Xie Xie hesitated for a moment and decided against shooing him away.

In reality, she was a little curious about why Yu Lu hadn't gone to Forest Deer Academy with Gao Xuan.

If Yu Lu went to the Great Li Empire, he could at least look after the struggling survivors of the Lu Clan. Moreover, there was actually a decent number of generals from the destroyed Lu Empire who had surrendered to the Great Li Empire and were relatively valued and trusted. Many of them were marching south with the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire, and it was said that they had made exceptional contributions and were starting to integrate well with the empire's army.

Even if one were to disregard all of this, Yu Lu had already become a citizen of the Great Li Empire. At the same time, he was also a young Vajra Body Tier martial artist.

This was quite terrifying.

Ignoring everything else about the emperor of the Great Li Empire, there was one thing that Xie Xie had to concede — he was genuinely magnanimous and tolerant.

The same could be said about Song Changjing.

In any case, everything pointed to the fact that Yu Lu should have gone to Forest Deer Academy.

However, Yu Lu insisted on staying at Mountain Cliff Academy for some reason.

In the eyes of the Great Sui Nation's imperial court and the upper echelon of the academy, Lin Shouyi was the most outstanding cultivation talent among the group of outsiders who had entered the academy back then, and he would reach the greatest cultivation heights in the future.

Meanwhile, Li Baoping, the young girl wearing the bright red jacket, was the most interesting of the group, and no one could bring themself to dislike her. Xie Xie had the most powerful backer, while Li Huai was the most dangerous to provoke even though his talent in scholarly studies was the most mediocre.

As for Yu Lu, he always kept a low profile and drew little attention to himself, making it very easy for others to forget about his existence. Even after Yu Lu became friends with Prince Gao Xuan, people were still of the opinion that he wasn't worth their attention. In fact, people's opinion of him became even lower. After all, he was nothing more than an opportunistic young man who liked to ingratiate himself with descendants of the imperial family.

Yu Lu suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Your young master said that Chen Ping'an is already on the verge of advancing to the fifth tier of martial arts. However, his true combat power is even higher than this."

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of being overtaken?" Xie Xie asked, taking great pleasure in Yu Lu's apparent misfortune.

Yu Lu shook his head and replied, "He'll definitely catch up to me."

"Very soon?" Xie Xie asked with a frown.

"Much sooner than you anticipate," Yu Lu replied with a nod.

"Is he favored by martial fortune?" Xie Xie asked.

Yu Lu shook his head and responded, "No, but it's exactly because he isn't favored by martial fortune that his progress makes me feel a little... melancholy."

Xie Xie had no response to this.

What would Chen Ping'an be like the next time they met each other?

Xie Xie couldn't imagine this.

Perhaps he would still be carrying a bamboo bookcase and wearing straw sandals? Perhaps he would merely be a little taller than before?

————

Li Baoping was also living in a dorm by herself.

This was the only matter that Mao Xiaodong and Cui Dongshan, two mortal enemies, could find common ground on.

Each dorm was designed for four students, so theoretically speaking, Li Baoping's room should have been very empty seeing that she was living by herself.

In reality, however, this was far from the case. With the exception of her bed, the remaining three beds were all filled with piles of neatly stacked paper.

Regarding this situation, the teachers at the academy were forced to complain to the mountain master. The young girl had already transcribed enough texts for her to be punished one hundred times over, so how in the world could they still punish her?

The teachers on night patrol duty were extremely amused by the situation as well. Whenever they went on night patrol, it was almost guaranteed that they would see the little girl burning the midnight oil to transcribe texts. Her calligraphy brush would fly over the paper, and it seemed like she was working a little too diligently.

In the beginning, some elderly teachers had spoken up for Li Baoping, mistakenly thinking that it was the young girl's teachers who were targeting her and punishing her to transcribe so many texts. This was far too strict on her, so the elderly teachers had complained about this in secret. When the truth was revealed to them in the end, they didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Li Baoping's teachers explained that the young girl enjoyed transcribing texts, but in reality, there was absolutely no need for her to transcribe such a large amount of sagely texts. Li Baoping would occasionally wag class to zone out atop East Mountain, or she would sneak out of the academy to wander around the streets of the capital, and this would indeed result in her receiving punishment from the academy and needing to transcribe texts.

Even so, there was simply no way she would be punished to transcribing so many texts. The problem was, Li Baoping enjoyed transcribing texts, so how could her teachers stop her? The teachers would need to threaten other students with physical punishment to force them to transcribe texts, especially the students who were lively and mischievous. Li Baoping was the complete opposite, and she had already built up a small mountain of transcriptions in her room.

Fortunately, occasionally wagging class was the only bad behavior that Li Baoping engaged in. All of the teachers in the academy knew who she was, and apart from her truancy, almost everything else about her was extremely likable. Of course, this was apart from the strange and mysterious questions that she often liked to ask. These questions would also cause headaches for the teachers, and they truly didn't understand how the young girl could hold so many incomprehensible thoughts in her head.

For example, why did all of the rivers in the world like to wind left and right? Could the teachers answer this question? When it rained, would the mosquitos outside the dorms be smashed to death by the raindrops? Did the teachers know anything about this? In any case, Li Baoping had looked around for a long time after the rain cleared up, yet she hadn't found a single mosquito corpse on the ground. Why was that?

And why didn't the fish in the lake die after drinking so much water? The teachers also couldn't answer this question, right? That being the case, were any of these questions answered in the books? If they were, then Li Baoping could flick through these books herself...

This gave Li Baoping's teachers a slight headache. However, when they chatted and joked with each other, they mused whether they could compile a book with all of Li Baoping's quirky questions.

————

On this day, Li Huai coincidentally didn't play with his two friends, Liu Guan and Ma Lian. He said that he needed to go to the toilet, yet he actually went to the peak of East Mountain by himself.

Sure enough, he saw Li Baoping dressed in a long red skirt and sitting on a branch.[1]

Li Huai didn't dare to greet her, so he rested his arms and head on the stone table atop the mountain and gazed at her from a distance. She frequently came here and climbed on top of the tree.

After zoning out for a while, Li Baoping deftly wrapped her arms around the tree trunk and slid down, after which she sprinted off down the mountain.

She saw Li Huai sitting in the distance, with his arm raised in the air yet not knowing what to say.

Li Baoping only shot a quick glance at him before turning around and continuing on her merry way, sprinting down the mountain like a gust of wind.

Li Huai felt slightly upset and aggrieved, so he found himself a branch and started to scribble on the ground.

His eyes suddenly lit up. He remembered that he had scribbled Mom and Dad last time, and they had indeed arrived at the academy soon after to visit him.

That being the case, what if he wrote Chen Ping'an's name? Would this work as well?

Li Huai grinned and started to write "Chen Ping'an" with his branch.

Yet, before he could finish, a hand suddenly reached over and wiped away the name that was only one stroke away from being completed.

Li Huai was extremely confused, and he turned around only to see Li Baoping who had returned at some unknown time.

Li Huai stubbornly began to write the character "Chen" on the ground again. However, Li Baoping reached over and wiped it away.

If this were in the past, Li Huai might have shrunk back after being challenged twice in a row by Li Baoping. Today was different, and it was as if he had suddenly found the courage to disobey the young girl. He overcame his fear and started to write on the ground again.

Li Baoping didn't say anything, and she continued to wipe the characters away again and again.

In the end, Li Huai persisted until his branch snapped yet he still failed to write a complete "Chen" on the ground. This was not to mention the characters "Ping" and "An."

Li Huai tossed the broken branch away and burst into tears.

Still squatting down, Li Baoping ignored Li Huai and picked up the broken branch. Her chin was slightly sharp already, and she rested it on one arm as she started to write "Junior Uncle" on the ground. She was quite happy with her handiwork, and she nodded in satisfaction.

Li Huai roughly wiped the tears from his face and sobbed, "Li Baoping, when Chen Ping'an comes, I'm going to complain to him if you continue to bully me like this! If he becomes angry, he might refuse to be your junior uncle in the future!"

Li Baoping changed scripts and continued to write "Junior Uncle" with the broken branch. She was completely focused as she stared at the ground, and she treated Li Huai's threats as nothing more than empty air.

Li Huai suddenly squeezed out a smile and asked in a careful voice, "Li Baoping, can you let me write three characters? They're extremely effective, and Chen Ping'an might arrive at the academy tomorrow. Really, I'm not lying to you! I missed my mom and dad back then, and after I wrote Mom and Dad on the ground, they immediately visited the academy with my older sister. You also know about this, right?"

Li Baoping didn't so much as glance up as she handed the broken branch to Li Huai.

Li Huai was overjoyed, yet he had only just completed the first stroke when Li Baoping suddenly frowned and warned, "Write properly!"

Li Huai's hand shook in fright, causing the next stroke to immediately become crooked. "What are you doing?!" he sobbed with downturned lips. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Li Baoping helped him wipe the crooked stroke away.

Li Huai's sobs turned into a smile, and he started to carefully write the character "Chen."

When he finished writing Chen Ping'an's name...

Li Baoping looked around and asked, "Where is he?"

There was a sullen expression on Li Huai's face as he replied, "How can it be so quick?"

Li Baoping stood up and nimbly ran back to the tall tree, climbing onto a branch and gazing into the distance.

Li Huai's eyes darted around, and knowing that things were going south, he immediately tossed the branch aside and started to flee.

However, could he possibly outrun Li Baoping? She caught up to him in no time, causing him to squat down in terror and wrap his arms around his head.

Surprisingly, however, Li Baoping didn't beat him up this time. Instead, she continued to run down the mountain, all the way until she reached the entrance of the academy. She then left to wander around the streets and alleys of the capital.

While Li Baoping was busily roaming the capital of the Great Sui Nation, Li Huai breathed a sigh of relief and walked back to his dorm.

Over at the entrance of the Great Sui Nation's Mountain Cliff Academy...

...A group of four travel-worn people made their way over, with a young man dressed in white and carrying a bamboo bookcase and sword on his back smiling and handing his travel documents over to an elderly Confucian scholar.

The old Confucian scholar examined the documents for a long time, shifting his gaze over the myriad of stamps from the various countries and regions of the two continents. The old scholar was astonished, and he looked up and remarked with a smile, "Young Master Chen, you've traveled to so many places already."

The young visitor to the academy smiled faintly and nodded in response.

1. The long red skirt is referring to Ruqun (襦裙), a set of attire in Hanfu which consists of a short jacket typically called ru worn under a long Chinese skirt called qun. ☜