Unsheathed

Since they needed to stay in the prefectural city for a day, Chen Ping'an brought Pei Qian out of the inn to sightsee and play. He bought a specialty local product of the Azure Phoenix Nation for her—a fairly expensive sparrowhawk kite from a local kite shop.

When Chen Ping'an took out his money to pay for the kite, Pei Qian couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of pain in her heart. She tugged on his sleeve and pointed at a large pile of relatively cheap butterfly kites stacked inside the shop, saying that these kites were actually quite good-looking as well. Chen Ping'an patted her head and replied that there was no need to be too thrifty with these silver coins. After all, her master would budget appropriately for daily expenses.

Before buying the sparrowhawk kite, Pei Qian had dearly wanted the kite yet had also felt extremely pained and reluctant to part with so much money. After Chen Ping'an bought the kite for her, however, all she felt was delight and joy. With a saber and a sword criss-crossing by her waist and an expensive sparrowhawk kite in her hands, the smile on Pei Qian's face was so wide that it almost reached her ears.

Afterward, Chen Ping'an took Pei Qian to several famous scenic spots in the prefectural city that tourists definitely had to visit. There was City God Temple Street, a temple with pagodas and a forest of steles, the old residence of a previous prime minister, and so on. The two of them wandered around and enjoyed a leisurely morning.

Noon arrived, and Chen Ping'an brought Pei Qian to a small restaurant to eat. The food was delicious and cheap, but it was a little too spicy for their tastes. Pei Qian's forehead was filled with sweat, and even her vision became blurry because of the sweat trickling down into her eyes. However, her chopsticks still moved like a blur as she ate.

When the three dishes on the table were almost finished, the sweating Pei Qian vigorously wiped her tanned face. She suddenly discovered that Chen Ping'an had already put down his chopsticks and was looking at her with a smile. Pei Qian also smiled in reply, and she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Her manner of eating was indeed quite terrible, so she definitely needed to hold back a little in the future. Otherwise, she might accidentally lose face for her master when they were traveling around the cultivation world.

After returning to Hundred Flower Garden, Chen Ping'an helped Pei Qian find a relatively large and empty space in the immortal inn where she could fly her brand new kite.

Chen Ping'an sat on a bench in the pavilion and watched the skinny little girl sprinting across the area with the sparrowhawk kite gliding behind her in the wind. His mind was peaceful and calm as he took small sips of osmanthus wine, one of the few pots remaining in his minimization treasure.

Pei Qian turned around and asked loudly, "Master, do you want to fly the kite as well?"

Chen Ping'an shook his hand in response.

Pei Qian continued to happily sprint around the area.