Unsheathed

Dawn arrived, and Chen Ping'an had just finished practicing the Heaven and Earth Stance when someone knocked on his door. He walked over to open the door, and what greeted him was a listless and bleary-eyed little girl. By the looks of it, Cui Dongshan's kind-hearted warning last night had frightened Pei Qian quite a bit.

Seeing this, Chen Ping'an told her to come inside to catch up on some sleep. Pei Qian felt immense relief, and she immediately lay down in bed and fell asleep.

After tucking her in, Chen Ping'an sat down at the table and started to read the alchemy book given to him by Earth Immortal Lu Yong from the Green Goat Palace. Even though this book simply explained the process of pill refinement, it was still a secret scripture from a Nascent Tier earth immortal that contained many exquisite comprehensions of the Great Dao. Thus, Chen Ping'an would reap benefits from this book every time he settled down to read it with a clear mind. It could be said that opening this book was sure to benefit him.

The inn was quite basic, with not a single meal provided. Guests would need to leave the inn to look for food themselves. The innkeeper and the workers were also very short-tempered, and Chen Ping'an and his companions had seen them arguing with a group of merchants upon first arriving here. Both sides clearly detested the other.

However, Chen Ping'an had Cui Dongshan, Lu Baixiang, and Sui Youbian to support him, and it was clear that the inn would treat guests differently depending on what said guests looked like. They were much more hospitable to Chen Ping'an and his companions, and they actively recommended a few local delicacies for them to try.

When Pei Qian woke up, Chen Ping'an brought her out to eat breakfast. After they finished eating, they purchased a few other portions to bring back to the inn. Chen Ping'an didn't return to his room, and he told Pei Qian to bring the food to Cui Dongshan and the others. He also told her to inform them that they would be staying in the county city for two more days. He was going to wander around for a bit.

Pei Qian was delighted to hear that they were going to rest for two days. Not needing to travel meant that she didn't need to practice the dry and uninteresting six-step walking meditation. This was simply amazing.

While Chen Ping'an was wandering around the county city by himself, Cui Dongshan, Wei Xian, and the others accepted the food from Pei Qian and gathered together to eat breakfast. Cui Dongshan was filled with gratitude, and he claimed that his master was looking out for his disciple. Where else could someone find a master as thoughtful and well-intentioned as Chen Ping'an? Pei Qian didn't dare to retort, so she could only grumble in her mind. Looking out for him? What a joke. It was clear that Chen Ping'an didn't trust Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan was in a sparkling mood after breakfast, and he smiled at Pei Qian and asked, "Do you know how to play five-in-a-row? Small gambles can bring entertainment, so why don't we gamble one copper coin per match?"

Pei Qian had played this before; it was a simple game that Lu Baixiang had taught her. The rules were very simple and easy to understand, so Pei Qian would often borrow Lu Baixiang's Go set and drag Wei Xian over to play with her. The two of them would engage in intense back-and-forth battles, and the games between them would appear much more lively than the solemn and uninteresting games of Go between Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian.

The Go pieces would make increasingly loud cracking sounds as they were placed on the Go board, and it was as if Pei Qian and Wei Xian wanted to smash a hole into the board. Lu Baixiang would feel immense regret whenever he saw this.