Unsheathed

Qi Jinglong was reading a miscellaneous book that he had purchased from Talisman Water Ferry Station, one that pertained to the imperial porcelain wares of various continents and nations. This book was printed by the Jade Forest Sect, the most business-savvy immortal force in the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

He suddenly furrowed his brows.

He closed the book and shut his eyes.

He had chatted with Chen Ping'an for a long time at Dragon Head Ferry Station's Kingfisher Inn, and Chen Ping'an had gone over most matters very briefly, not getting into any fine details. He had talked about the intercontinental ship of Ceremony Mountain being destroyed, the Pi Fu located in the southeastern region of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, and the bonded porcelain of his hometown, the Jewel Small World.[1]

These topics had been sandwiched between many other topics, making them less noticeable in the grand scheme of things. Moreover, Chen Ping'an hadn't been explicitly seeking an answer on anything, and the conversation had been more like a casual and open chat between friends.

However, Qi Jinglong wasn't stupid.

There was a thread hidden within their conversation, one that perhaps even Chen Ping'an hadn't noticed himself.

It was unknown whether Mr. Sword Urn, one of the ten strangest people in the Northern Complete Reed Continent and the person who had brought down Ceremony Mountain's intercontinental ship, was alive or dead. The intercontinental ship had plummeted into the Luminous Vermilion Empire, the most powerful empire in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, enraging the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Heavenly Lord Xie Shi had traveled south to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, returning to his home nation — the Great Li Empire's Jewel Small World — first before traveling to the central region of the continent. He had restrained Lake View Academy, one of the seventy-two Confucian academies, accepting challenges from three people in a row. Meanwhile, the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire had marched south, with their dominance sweeping through the entire continent. At the same time, the bonded porcelain of the Jewel Small World was actually not a big secret among the large sects in the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Chen Ping'an's manner of referring to Qi Jinglong had also changed over time. He had initially referred to him as Mr. Qi, then Mr. Liu, and finally as Qi Jinglong, not Liu Jinglong. Chen Ping'an was only a third tier Qi refiner right now, and he needed to refine bonded items of the Five Elements to help him rebuild his bridge of immortality. His knowledge was diverse, but he strove for an equilibrium, exerting his full effort to cultivate his mind.

Qi Jinglong heaved a heavy sigh, standing up and walking to the window.

He believed that Chen Ping'an definitely had a very profound plan regarding his current journey around the Northern Complete Reed Continent. Moreover, he needed to take things one step at a time, needing to be even more cautious than he currently was as he traveled around the cultivation world with numerous layers of deception.