Unsheathed

Chapter 178 (1): I Gaze at a Mountain

Chen Ping'an chose not to go through Yefu Pass when entering the Great Li Empire again. After leaving the plank road in the mountain valley, Chen Ping'an and the others encountered a team of elite cavalry.

There was howling wind and snow as the two sides faced off against each other.

Initially, most of the cavalry had already silently turned around. However, one soldier suddenly charged forward on his horse and arrived beside Chen Ping'an in a flash. This person had a young and determined look, and his expression was one of vigilance and scrutiny. Looking into the depths of his eyes, there was also a sense of resoluteness that Chen Ping'an didn't understand at the time.

After this soldier charged forward, the others had no option but to grit their teeth and follow suit. Plumes of snow were sent flying into the air as the horses galloped forward.

Using the official dialect of the Great Li Empire, Chen Ping'an shouted, "We're from the Dragon Spring County, and we've just returned from Yellow Court Nation. We entered the Great Li Empire through the 'cow fence'."

At the same time, Chen Ping'an retrieved the passport issued to him by Dragon Spring County from his clothes. After traveling through many nations to go to the new Mountain Cliff Academy, his passport was already covered in official stamps from all the different checkpoints of the different nations. Seeing that the soldier who had charged over first was about to dismount, Chen Ping'an immediately jogged over and raised his passport high above his head to hand it over. The soldier became even more tense, and the pupils of the other cavalry also contracted as if they were facing a great enemy.

The soldier bent down to accept the passport. After carefully examining it, a brilliant smile suddenly spread across his face. He loosened his tight grip on his saber and made a subtle gesture to the others that everything was safe and under control. However, he still insisted on dismounting, and he jumped off his horse before returning the passport to Chen Ping'an. After the young boy carefully put the passport away, the young soldier smiled and said, "The weather is terrible right now, so you can come to our beacon tower to rest for a few days if you encounter any troubles. You can replenish your rations and set off again when the snow lets up a bit."

Chen Ping'an could sense the deep sincerity of the soldier, and he immediately cupped his fists and chuckled, "It's okay, I can use this as an opportunity to practice my fist techniques. It is quite challenging, but I can still endure it."

Martial arts was extremely mainstream in the Great Li Empire, and its citizens were more on the tough and physical side. In fact, the Great Li Empire was renowned in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent for this trait.

Chen Ping'an's determination and perseverance immediately won over the group of elite cavalry. Even the old lieutenant with a rough and unsophisticated look gave a knowing smile.

The two parties brushed past each other just like this. The cavalry continued south to patrol the borders, while Chen Ping'an continued north to return to his hometown.

The old lieutenant turned around to gaze at the three figures that were disappearing toward the north. His smile vanished, and he turned to his subordinate and chided, "Are you trying to play the hero or something? Have you grown tired of living?! To say nothing of how powerful that young boy was, it was abundantly clear that the two lightly dressed children next to him were relatively strong cultivators. Otherwise, how could they possibly withstand this harsh weather? Did you not notice their healthy looks when we interacted with them up close just then?

"If they had been spies from an enemy nation, not only would your rash decision have led to the destruction of our section, but it would have also delayed the transmission of intelligence!"

The young soldier mumbled slowly, and it was clear that he was still unwilling to own up to his mistake. "Lieutenant, as second-grade soldiers patrolling the borders, inside the territory of the Great Li Empire, no less, cultivators have to abide by our rules no matter where they're from, right? If they truly dare to kill us, they'll definitely find themselves in deep trouble once an investigation is carried out. Taking a step back, isn't there still the general? I'm confident that he can defeat anyone who dares to challenge him."

The old lieutenant who had been on horseback for half his life swung his whip in anger. However, he only struck the air above the young soldier's shoulder, and his strike was louder than it was damaging. "If this were many years ago when I just joined the army, your action just then would have been viewed as a provocation toward esteemed Qi refiners, understand?" he chuckled in anger.

"You would have been killed before you even realized what hit you. If your general was a kind and just person, they would have at most asked for a few dozen taels of silver for you to act as compensation. If they weren't, however, then they would have simply dismissed your death with a wave of their hands!"

Those who were able to become second-grade soldiers in the border army were all extremely elite soldiers. Few of them would be stupid. After hearing the old lieutenant's scolding, the young soldier hurriedly tried to make up for his mistake by saying, "Please calm down lieutenant. When we march into the capital of Great Sui Nation in the future, I'll use my military merit to exchange a beautiful noblewoman for you and..."

The old lieutenant interrupted him and scolded with a smile, "Piss off, your measly military merit isn't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth! Enough with the nonsense. Continue to patrol the border! The higher-ups have told us to be careful of Yellow Court Nation acting rashly out of desperation. The harsher the weather, the more careful we need to be. We're not afraid of them charging over to seek death, but after fighting for so many years, it's always been the hooves of our horses trampling over their territory. How can we allow them to charge into our territory instead?"

The young soldier grinned and replied, "Okay, okay, then I'll head off first. I guarantee that not even a single fly will be able to enter Cow Back Mountain Valley."

He took a deep breath before adjusting his thick but slightly stiff mink hat. Small shards of ice fell off as he charged forward on his horse.

A middle-aged soldier couldn't help but ask, "Lieutenant, there was such huge commotion on the border between the two nations not long ago, and I heard that there was an earth-shattering conflict in the territory of Yellow Court Nation that resulted in the death of many people. However, our side barely suffered any losses. Is there some deeper reason behind this? Lieutenant, you're quite informed from your network, especially since many of your old comrades have already become captains. I'm also aware of the fact that you especially visited them for a drink a short while ago. Is there anything you can reveal to us?"

The old lieutenant's expression was solemn, and he didn't reveal anything. Instead, he cracked a grin and said with a fervent gaze and a baleful voice, "There's nothing much to say. However, it won't be long before we can eat meat again. This is good news!"

Further to the north, Chen Ping'an who was marching forward in the snowstorm slowly said, "I've come across cavalry from Great Sui Nation before, and they escorted us from the border to the capital city. Compared to the cavalry from the Great Li Empire, however, I can't help but feel like there's something different about them... However, I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Master, this is a very simple matter," the little boy in azure replied in a lazy voice. "The cavalry of Great Sui Nation are nothing more than guard dogs raised in a large courtyard. They might look powerful, but they're only so-so when it comes to a true fight. However, the cavalry of the Great Li Empire, especially those patrolling the borders, can be viewed as a pack of wild dogs. They bite at everyone, and their teeth have already become extremely sharp. Also, if the border patrol from Yellow Court Nation came across us instead, they would have immediately run as far away as they could. They wouldn't have had the courage to approach us and ask questions."

The little boy in azure yawned before casually continuing, "When I lived in the Imperial River before, I heard the river god talking about a secret matter. More than a dozen years ago, a border army in the north of the Great Li Empire became involved in a conflict with a group of Qi refiners. In his anger, the general mobilized 6000 elite cavalry and combined forces with his military secretaries and also the Qi refiners borrowed from the main army. He chased the offending Qi refiners for more than 400 kilometers, and he managed to kill three of the four culprits."

The little girl in pink was astonished, and she exclaimed, "Regardless of whether they patrol the local regions or the cultivation world, none of the armies in Yellow Court Nation dare to challenge Qi refiner. Indeed, the Zhilan Cao Clan is pouring all of their resources into raising their young son because they hope that he can become a powerful cultivator. At that time, they can ride on his coattails, and they won't need to live at the mercy of others anymore.

"However, Yellow Court Nation's Hong Clan is rotten to the core already, from the elders all the way to the youth. When war breaks out in the future, they'll definitely be no match for the barbarians from the Great Li Empire."

The little boy in azure scooped up handful after handful of snow in boredom, shaping them into balls before tossing them into the distance. "The border army of the Great Li Empire also suffered heavy casualties that time, with more than half of the cavalry being killed. What made matters worse was the fact that over half of the military secretaries were also killed. In any case, this caused a huge commotion that infuriated the emperor of the Great Li Empire. He summoned the third-rank general to the capital, and he immediately demoted him to the lowest-level soldier. Only then did the forces behind the four Qi refiners finally calm down.

"However, I heard that the general who once guarded the northern border appeared at Yefu Pass in the south just a few years later. Moreover, he was quickly promoted back to his original position, and his previous army in the north was also honored with the title of 'iron cavalry'. Not only was the army quickly replenished, but they were even given many first-grade horses and soldiers. Because of this, they're doing extremely well right now."

Chen Ping'an suddenly thought of the new Mountain Cliff Academy in Great Sui Nation, and he murmured to himself, "Please don't go to war."

The little boy in azure quickly tossed a snowball high into the air before swiftly sending a second snowball hurtling toward it. The two snowballs collided and exploded in midair. "The arrow has already been placed and the bow has already been drawn, so it's inevitable that a nation-destroying war is going to break out. The most important factor is whether Great Sui Nation stands up for itself or not. However, if the White Jade Capital of the Great Li Empire is truly as powerful as the rumors say, then I'd wager that most of the cultivators from the Great Sui Nation will choose to retreat to the sidelines and protect themselves instead.

"After all, they would have lost their initial advantage, and it's only natural that they don't want a flying sword from the White Jade Capital to pierce through the defensive formations of their abodes and kill them in an instant. That would be a truly miserable death. Indeed, who's willing to test the deadly might of the White Jade Capital? The higher a Qi refiner's cultivation base, the more they're afraid of death and cherish their life.

"In any case, Brother River God said that he'd immediately surrender if the flying swords of the White Jade Capital were half as powerful as the rumors say. With how the Great Li Empire goes about things, an early surrender might even allow him to keep his position as the river god of the Imperial River.

The little girl in pink had a baffled expression as she asked, "What's the White Jade Capital? And it can even shoot out flying swords?"

The little boy in azure roared with laughter. With a snap of his fingers, a snowball immediately struck the little girl in pink's forehead. "With a whoosh, a flying sword will shoot out from the White Jade Capital that's located in the capital of the Great Li Empire. Flying as fast as a terrestrial sword immortal at the Upper Five Tiers, the flying sword will instantly soar over thousands of mountains and rivers before piercing through the head of a silly girl. Sounds like fun?"

The little girl in pink held her forehead with her hands. She was quite frightened by the little boy's words.

The little boy in azure chuckled in a mocking manner and continued, "With your measly cultivation, is it necessary to use a flying sword from the White Jade Capital to kill you? You are indeed a silly girl, but the imperial court of the Great Li Empire isn't silly at all. If the dozen or so flying swords from the White Jade Capital target those powerful cultivators hiding behind the scenes in Great Sui Nation first, I wager that a number of the most powerful cultivators in Great Sui Nation will choose to silently leave the nation in order to avoid the impending conflict."

Even though Chen Ping'an remained silent the entire time, he felt like the large majority of reasonings and assumptions offered by the water snake from the Imperial River were correct. Thus, he quietly listened to the little boy and committed this information to memory. However, Chen Ping'an also became increasingly confused. With how smart and observant the little boy in azure was, why was he willing to take the blame for that ill-intentioned river god in the Imperial River?

Perhaps he hadn't noticed anything amiss because he was already accustomed to the river god's behavior?

Chen Ping'an didn't ask the little boy in azure about this. At the end of the day, this was the little boy's personal matter to deal with.

Chen Ping'an started to quietly practice walking meditation. Walking headfirst into the snowstorm, he performed the steps of walking meditation again and again.

Wading through the knee-deep snow, Chen Ping'an was forced to perform the Mountain Shaking Fist Guide's walking meditation extremely slowly. From the plank roads of the mountains to the knee-deep snow right now, the longer he persisted the more mental and physical energy he needed to exert. As time went on, he needed to exert a dozen or even a hundred times more effort than normal.

From his head to his toes, and from outside to inside, Chen Ping'an was almost frozen into a block of ice at this moment. In the end, the mystical wisp of Qi that was like a fiery dragon patrolling checkpoints started to quickly swim through his acupoints without him needing to consciously channel the Eighteen Stops technique. This helped Chen Ping'an just barely maintain his True Qi.

However, each inhalation and exhalation would still cause him to suffer excruciating pain.

The mischievous little boy in azure was baffled by this, and he felt like Chen Ping'an was simply being unreasonable. Why couldn't he give up and simply admit that he was untalented? Others advanced their cultivation by leaps and bounds every day, while Chen Ping'an struggled to achieve half the results with double the effort. How embarrassing!

Meanwhile, the little girl in pink's heart ached for Chen Ping'an.

The snowstorm gradually subsided after five days, and their journey was no longer as difficult as before.

During this time, Chen Ping'an and the two children made their way around two checkpoints and a dozen or so beacon towers both large and small.

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