Unsheathed

During their travels, they passed through the Peach Branch Nation, but didn't visit the Azure Stone Residence. The little girl was rather displeased about this, but her moon was instantly lifted once they skirted around the Golden Crow Palace.

Her mood was like a fickle cloud in the sky.

On this day, they reached an immortal ferry station, where everyone felt new and intriguing to the little girl, and it was here that they could finally travel to the Spring Dew Garden by ship! The little girl had truly grown tired of traveling on foot after all this time.

The little girl was standing in the bamboo bookcase, looking so intently at everything that her eyes were beginning to water. Unfortunately for her, she had made an agreement with Chen Ping'an, one that stipulated that she had to stay in the bamboo case and remain silent whenever they were in anyplace where there were many cultivators.

There was barely anything inside the bamboo case, only a sword that she had never seen Chen Ping'an use. She kicked it a few times to see if it would react, but whenever she bent down to unsheath it, Chen Ping'an would warn her not to do that, telling her that the sword was already close to running out of patience, and that if she continued to prod it, then he wouldn't be responsible for what happened to her.

This was all very frustrating to her, and she raised a hand, then hesitated for some time before smacking Chen Ping'an on the back of the head, immediately following which she leaned back in the bamboo case and pretended to be sound asleep.

Initially, Chen Ping'an ignored her as he was too busy bartering with a shopkeeper over a set of rubbings of an ancient plaque. Emboldened by Chen Ping'an's inaction, the little girl rolled up her sleeves and began pummeling the back of his head over and over again. Finally, Chen Ping'an exited the shop, having purchased a total of 32 rubbings for ten snowflake coins, and he asked, "How long are you planning to keep this up for?"

The little girl's hand instantly drew to a halt mid-swat, and she gently patted him on the shoulder as she explained, "I was just brushing off some dust. A scholar like you needs to keep up an impeccable appearance. You know, you really can be as dull as a blunt rock sometimes.

“After you stopped that louchuan on the river, there were so many fair young maidens on the louchuan that looked as if they wanted to marry you there and then! Why didn't you board the louchuan to have some tea and wine with them? It's not like they were going to eat you!"

"You hit me sixteen times. I'm keeping count. You owe me one snowflake coin for each hit," Chen Ping'an said, changing the subject entirely.

"That's nothing!" the little girl scoffed as she crossed her arms and stood up on the tips of her toes in the bookcase.

The two of them boarded the ship together, and the fact that he was carrying a little girl in a bamboo case on his back was naturally bound to attract a great deal of attention.