Unsheathed

Chen Ping'an returned to the inn, and he discovered that Pei Qian wasn't the only one who had yet to sleep. Right now, she was mucking around and blowing the yellow paper talisman stuck to her forehead. Meanwhile, the four martial artists from the picture scrolls were also gathered in a room and waiting for the results of Chen Ping'an's trip.

Chen Ping'an was slightly puzzled about this. Traveling from the central region of the Parasol Leaf Continent all the way to the Azure Phoenix Nation in the southeast region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, they had already experienced so many dangers and life-and-death battles. Thus, Wei Xian and the others shouldn't have developed such a keen interest in the scholarly temple and the martial sage temple of a measly county city like this. Even if sinister wind and demonic rain howled through a small place like this, it was almost certain that they wouldn't be able to cause any large ripples.

However, Chen Ping'an quickly understood the reason behind their behavior. It was extremely likely that his disciple, Cui Dongshan, would unleash his skills for the first time tonight, so it was only natural that Wei Xian, Sui Youbian, Zhu Lian, and Lu Baixiang were paying close attention.

After Chen Ping'an sat down, Zhu Lian walked over and offered him a cup of tea. Chen Ping'an was straightforward and honest as he explained, "Someone has indeed tampered with the scholarly temple and the martial sage temple. Cui Dongshan will deal with this issue, and it won't delay our journey tomorrow."

Sui Youbian had the most straightforward personality out of the four martial artists, and she asked directly, "Is Cui Dongshan genuinely your disciple?"

Chen Ping'an patted Pei Qian's head and told her to go to sleep. However, Pei Qian replied that she couldn't fall asleep and was afraid of ghosts. She also said that she liked to kick her blanket, so what would she do if the yellow paper talisman on her forehead came loose and fell somewhere? If that happened, then wouldn't the ghosts and demons have an opportunity to target her? Wouldn't that render her unable to protect Big Sister Sui?

Chen Ping'an had indeed explained the rules and taboos pertaining to talismans to Pei Qian before. For example, talismans were able to deter sinister beings when one traversed mountains and crossed rivers. At the same time, talismans would also instill a sense of respect and apprehension in the minds of some low-rank deities and ghosts. However, talismans were also like bright lamps that could easily attract the attention of some malicious ghosts that were unafraid of yang energy, causing them to increasingly detest a person and covet their treasures.

With this in mind, Chen Ping'an didn't force Pei Qian to return next door to sleep. He looked at Sui Youbian and replied, "Even though Cui Dongshan was the one who shamelessly followed me around in the beginning, he is indeed a genuine disciple of mine now. After traveling together for a while, you guys should be roughly aware of his personality and temper as well. He's a fairly haughty person, and he won't be inclined to target you unless you offend or provoke him.

"There are many rules and regulations when traveling around the Majestic World, for example, all those things I said to Pei Qian before. The waters are more dangerous than the mountains, there's no need to wait when entering temples to pray if there are too many people, and so on. Actually, it was Cui Dongshan who told me these things when I traveled around the world with him in the past."

Truth be told, Chen Ping'an was holding back and not being overly direct. In the eyes of the young imperial preceptor, the four martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land were most likely too weak and measly for him to target them. They weren't worth the extra effort and thought.

However, speaking this truth would be too hurtful, and Chen Ping'an couldn't bring himself to be so blunt.