Unsheathed

"You can keep wearing it. It doesn't serve much of a purpose for me right now, I was only wearing it earlier as a red herring to fool the bad people on this ship," Chen Ping'an said with a smile.

The little girl shook her head in refusal.

Chen Ping'an could only relent, gently tugging on the collar of the robe before spreading his arms open, and the robe immediately draped itself over him.

Zhu Quan was quite impressed. He was looking quite handsome in this new white robe and the absence of his conical bamboo hat.

Chen Ping'an lifted the little girl up onto the railing, then also jumped onto it himself, and the two of them sat together side by side.

He then turned to Zhu Quan and requested, "Can you not eavesdrop on us for now? I won't be long."

Zhu Quan nodded in response.

Chen Ping'an cast his gaze toward the distance as he gently placed his closed fists on his knees.

"Did I scare you with what I said earlier?"

"Of course not! I'm a great water monster! I ain't scared of anything!" the little girl scoffed with her arms crossed.

"I supposed you are indeed quite brave, given how you dared to smack me in the back of the head like that earlier," Chen Ping'an mused.

A wide grin appeared on the little girl's face, seemingly very pleased with herself.