Unsheathed

Chapter 206 (6): The Moon Is Round, The Moon Is Crescent

Archway that assembles the characteristics of all teachings — this title described none other than the Yingyin Chen Clan. Because of this, the Confucians in the world bestowed the two characters "Pure Confucian" to only the Yingyin Chen Clan.

This branch of the Chen Clan had moved from Middle Earth Divine Continent to Southern Whirl Continent. During that time of magnificent migration to flee from conflict, Chen Clan’s branch hadn't appeared especially eye-catching either. This was because they had only been one of eight Yimen Chen Clan[1] branches in Middle Earth Divine Continent, and they had also been the smallest of the eight branches.

After settling down in Southern Whirl Continent, however, and especially after their pure and righteous ancestor who carried both the sun and the moon on his shoulders had appeared, the Yingyin Chen Clan had undergone a huge transformation.

One Confucian school and one Confucian academy had been built on the land of the Yingyin Chen Clan.

Following the appearance of many brilliant descendants who made great contributions and obtained merit, and many outstanding descendants who authored profound books and penned famous sayings, numerous archways appeared in the Yingyin Chen Clan one after another.

Thus, those who visited the Yingyin Chen Clan — whether they were traveling scholars, visiting Confucian literati, or rulers and officials staying as guests — had to first walk down the path that was filled with archways. Without exception, everyone would feel stunned and perhaps even a sense of inferiority upon seeing the brilliant history of this clan.

The descendants of the Yingyin Chen Clan were all extremely proud of their clan. In fact, they were so proud that they didn't even feel ashamed or embarrassed when their patriarch personally announced that the majestic sun on his shoulder, which he had obtained by reading, had been borrowed for 100 years by a certain person.

Right now, a tall and broad young boy whose hometown was in the distant Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was studying and training in this clan. Chen Dui, a direct descendant of the clan, had personally brought him over. No one in the clan picked on the young boy because of his impoverished background. In fact, no one attempted to purposely get close to him either after learning of his extraordinary talent. From the beginning to the end, everyone treated him with calmness and respect.

This allowed the tall and broad young boy to feel a little more at ease.

Indeed, this young boy was none other than Liu Xianyang, someone who had once announced to his best friend that he definitely wouldn't die in a place as small as their hometown.

Soon after leaving the small town, he had seen a towering mountain even taller than the sky.

He had also seen a vast sea seemingly boundless, and countless five-color flying fish with wings had soared above the sparkling blue water. He had also seen an endless sea of clouds, where all kinds of beasts and spirits would appear and fly around. In fact, there had even been majestic sword immortals who had soared through the sky in a carefree and leisurely manner.

In the beginning, Liu Xianyang had indeed been slightly worried. He was worried that this so-called Pure Confucian Chen Clan would be the same as Light Breeze City's Xu Clan and Sun Scorch Mountain's Mountain-moving Ape, and he was afraid that these people were secretly coveting the sword scripture in his possession. This was a peculiar sword scripture that allowed him to cultivate sword techniques in his sleep and in his dreams.

However, Liu Xianyang's mind was quickly put at ease because an elegant-looking old man said to be the old ancestor responsible for looking after the treasures in the clan had generously given him a folding fan made from divine cloud bamboo from Azure Divine Mountain immediately after he had arrived in the Yingyin Chen Clan.

Divine cloud bamboo was incredibly rare, and one of the best materials for making ghost-striking whips. All of the low-level ghosts and spirits in the world were afraid of immortal tools made from divine cloud bamboo.

There was also a high-quality ink-devouring fish, a creature that fed on ink and would be raised in the brush washers of powerful clans and immortal forces. A golden line would appear on their back after 100 years, and they would have the potential to become ink dragons after 500 years. In other words, they could potentially become an ink treasure that many scholars dreamed of obtaining.

Almost all scholarly clans and forces would raise these ink-devouring fish, but these fish were extremely difficult to maintain. They had extremely high standards for ink, and they would rather starve to death than devour ink that they disliked.

Finally, Liu Xianyang was also given a wisp of book-flipping wind.

Liu Xianyang remembered this very clearly. When receiving that wisp of pure wind, even the proud and haughty Chen Dui had appeared very surprised. In fact, there had even been a slight hint of jealousy on her face.

Liu Xianyang naturally liked these things very much. However, he was far from being ecstatic or wild with joy.

He understood that the foundation of his power was still that sword scripture, so apart from going to the Chen Clan's private school to attend classes every day, he would spend the rest of his time practicing sword techniques in his residence.

Liu Xianyang had already seen towering mountains and boundless seas.

So, his next goal was to rely on his own abilities to fly over those towering mountains on his sword and to fly to the ends of those boundless seas on his sword!

The day would eventually come when he reunited with Chen Ping'an again. At that time, he could brag to his friend about the vast lands and boundless skies of the outside world.

Liu Xianyang was sometimes worried. When he returned to the small town someday, would Chen Ping'an have already become a middle-aged farmer? Would he have already married and had children? Liu Xianyang naturally wouldn't ignore his friend because of this. However, he was very very afraid that at that time, the two of them would sit on the Azure Cow Ridge and eventually run out of things to talk about after reminiscing their silly and embarrassing stories from the past.

By leaving the small town in a hurry, there were some things that Liu Xianyang had purposely avoided saying to Chen Ping'an back then. He had been afraid of meekly shedding tears in front of Chen Dui and the other outsiders and being teased and looked down upon. Moreover, these were words of admitting defeat, so Liu Xianyang hadn't felt comfortable enough to utter them at the time, and hadn't said anything in the end.

Now, however, Liu Xianyang felt very regretful.

He should have confidently told Chen Ping'an that apart from firing pottery, in what other skill had he not surpassed his teacher, Liu Xianyang? From fishing to crafting wooden bows, setting up traps, adventuring through mountains, and so on, which area did Chen Ping'an not master?

The territory of the Yingyin Chen Clan was 50 kilometers in radius. Whenever Liu Xianyang had time, he would walk to that path and make his way past those numerous archways all the way to the bank of the river. He would then absent-mindedly sit on a rock cliff that was similar to the Azure Cow Ridge by himself. He could sit there for half a day at a time, and to the ambitious and hard-working young boy, this was truly a very extravagant thing to do.

On this evening, Liu Xianyang sat by himself for four hours on the rock cliff again. However, he suddenly came to his senses, and was just about to turn around to return. He still needed to walk five or six kilometers to return to his residence. Moreover, during normal circumstances, people wouldn't be allowed to fly within a radius of 500 kilometers. In fact, even officials would need to dismount their horses and walk. This was an iron-clad rule that had already existed in the Chen Clan for over a thousand years.

After leaving their clan territory, perhaps there would be some descendants of the Chen Clan who would conduct themselves in a haughty manner and even engage in sinister acts that went against public morals and etiquette. After all, the Yingyin Chen Clan was far too large, so it was inevitable that there would be all kinds of people among its descendants.

Inside the clan territory, however, no one dared to break a single rule. This was especially evident when the Chen Clan worshipped their ancestors every year. Countless descendants returned from all over the world, and the path leading to the territory of the Chen Clan would be filled with pedestrians. Indeed, these people all traveled by foot. Moreover, almost all of the adults were scholars dressed in Confucian robes with a jade pendant hanging by their waist. Their outfits were all very simple.

Liu Xianyang had witnessed this from a distance before, and he had heard the sounds of clinking jade pendants and classics being recited.

This had been an eye-opening experience for him, and it had been even more stunning and soul-stirring than seeing the towering mountains and boundless seas.

Right after Liu Xianyang stood up, he discovered a skinny white-haired Confucian scholar slowly walking up the rock cliff. Liu Xianyang bowed in greeting, and the old Confucian scholar stood still before smiling and returning the gesture. It was unclear whether he was a noble person or a virtuous person.

If this were anywhere else in Southern Whirl Continent, noble persons and virtuous persons would have been extremely rare and difficult to come across. However, this was the Yingyin Chen Clan that produced countless prodigies, so if one weren't at least a virtuous person, they wouldn't even have the face to leave home and greet others.

The old man stood beside Liu Xianyang and gazed at the vigorously flowing river water. He lightly stomped his foot on the rock cliff and asked with a smile, "Do you know the name of this stone cliff?"

Liu Xianyang could only stop and shake his head, replying, "No."

The old man smiled and explained, "According to the records in the books, there exists a rock beside the river in the Yingyin Chen Clan. This rock has a strange shape, and it's named the Mountain Ghost. A divine poet once stood on this rock and created a poem. However, it's a true shame that this poem didn't spread far and wide.

"Who raises this cup? Drunk, I raise my cup and call to the rock. The rock moves not, but the mountain birds have already knocked my cup aside and flown away. Deep into the night, the rock suddenly rises and sends forth mountain ghosts to extinguish the lights, terrifying all in the world..."

With a melancholy expression filled with reminiscence, the old man continued to recite the poem that hadn't spread to the outside world. "Slightly adrift I am, and the rock asks me, are you tired from trekking around with your walking stick? The two become friends, and the rock suggests we travel together on Luan[2] and phoenixes while reciting an ode about distant journeys[3].

"In fact, this poem is only one of many by that poet, and it can't be regarded as one of his best works either. However, I was standing in your spot back then, and the divine poet was standing in my spot. I was only little at the time, so I felt like the poem was genuinely very good when I heard it. Even after so many years, I still feel like it's very good."

Liu Xianyang had absolutely no idea whether the poem was good or bad. However, he didn't want to ruin the old man's mood either, so he chose to remain silent.

Yet, the old man insisted on turning around and asking with a smile, "What do you think?"

Liu Xianyang had no option but to reply honestly. "I don't know."

The old man nodded with a smile.

Liu Xianyang continued to remain silent.

"Are you here to seek knowledge? What do you think about the atmosphere?" the old man asked.

Liu Xianyang thought about this for a moment before replying, "It's very good."

"Good in what sense?" the old man asked.

Liu Xianyang felt slightly exasperated, and he replied in a perfunctory manner, "Good in every sense."

The old man roared with hearty laughter.

Liu Xianyang glanced at the sky, and it was truly time for him to return. He was just about to bow and bid farewell, yet it was as if no one in the world liked to ask questions more than this old man. "From my observations, you look like someone who practices the sword. Do you have any questions or uncertainties about sword cultivation?"

Liu Xianyang wasn't feeling afraid or suspicious at this moment, as this was the territory of the Yingyin Chen Clan, after all. However, revealing too much to strangers was always a bad idea, and this was a principle that held true anywhere in the world. Liu Xianyang naturally understood this as well, so he smiled and replied with a shake of his head, "I do not."

"Very good," the old man said with a faint smile.

After saying this, the old man couldn't help but sigh with emotion. As one of the countless disciples of the Second Sage, it was only natural and right for him to utter these two words. However, these words had become the pet phrase of that person now, and this was truly ridiculous and absurd. Yet, that person was seemingly able to utter these two words in an even smoother manner than him.

Liu Xianyang bade farewell and left.

The old man watched the tall young boy leave, then turned around to look at the flowing river. There was pure and righteous wind in his sleeves, and they caused his robes to flutter slightly.

He was once a handsome young boy, and he had once carried a sword and traveled to distant lands.

Night descended, and the crescent moon hung upon the tree branches.

There was also a small and radiant moon above the old man's shoulder.

The old man was Chen Chun'an.

————

Inside a city wall that towered into the clouds, a gigantic character had been carved out using a burst of sword qi. A single horizontal stroke of this character had formed a long and wide path.

On this so-called path, there was a raging bonfire and six young people sitting around it. The oldest person was only in their twenties, and the rest of them could only be considered young boys and young girls.

All of them were sword cultivators, and they either had their swords attached to their waist, lying horizontally across their legs, or strapped to their backs.

The flickering flames illuminated their young faces, and all of them were filled with spirit and vigor. Even though they were young, they were all exuding with sword qi and radiating with fierce and unconcealable killing intent.

Among them, the most eye-catching were a young man and a young girl. The young man was the oldest member of the group, and he was dressed in a changshan[4] that was splattered with blood. Even so, he gave off a feeling of elegance and purity. He wasn’t very handsome, but his pure and gentle aura and his almost tangible sword qi caused people around him to feel especially astonished and impressed.

The young girl was filled with a gallant aura, and her eyebrows were as slender as a narrow blade. Her aura was vigorous and intense.

She was sitting cross-legged, and her sword was resting horizontally across her legs. She was holding her cheek with a single hand, and she was gazing to the south of the towering wall with an intense gaze.

The intense battle between the two sides had come to an end for the time being.

However, the next battle between them would definitely be even more vicious and deadly.

There was a chubby young sword cultivator with round cheeks, and his eyes would become squinted and almost invisible whenever he smiled. He looked gentle and harmless, but he was the one who possessed the strongest killing intent among the six young people. He was drinking strong wine, and he casually passed the flask to the single-armed young girl beside him.

He wiped his mouth and chuckled, "If it weren't for the six swords that A'Liang tossed over, perhaps we wouldn't have survived this time. Heh, even if A'Liang asks me to warm his bed next time, I'll definitely wash my bum clean and agree without hesitation!"

The chubby young boy forcefully patted the sword by his waist. There were two characters engraved on the sword — Purple Lightning. When he drew his sword, purple lightning would dance around the peerlessly sharp blade. This was an extraordinary sword.

The remaining five swords were called Scripture, Mountain Suppressing, Righteous Aura, Elaborate Makeup, and Cloud Pattern.

The expressionless single-armed young girl sitting beside the chubby young boy quietly took a swig of wine. Her figure was slender, yet there was a large sword strapped to her back. She hadn't chosen the beautiful sword with the pretty and refined name of Elaborate Makeup, and she had instead chosen the broadest and largest sword with the name Mountain Suppressing.

The young man, the oldest person in their group, didn't appear like a sword cultivator at all. Instead, he appeared more like a young scholar. He had immediately taken a liking to the sword named Righteous Aura.

The single-armed young girl tossed the wine flask to the young boy sitting opposite her. His face was extremely tanned, and it was also filled with scars. The sword Elaborate Makeup was hanging by his waist.

The young boy with the ferocious and ugly appearance caught the flask and took a large gulp of wine, then another. Upon seeing this, a handsome young boy immediately scolded, "Person with the surname Dong, what the fuck are you doing? Leave some for your ancestor over here, you hear me?"

The ugly young boy immediately retaliated by stubbornly drinking another large gulp of wine. The handsome young boy beside him was enraged, and he was just about to reward the ugly young boy with a punch. He was the only person with two swords, Scripture and Cloud Pattern. They were both stacked on top of his thighs, but it appeared as if the scabbard of Cloud Pattern had somehow gone missing.

The ugly young boy raised an elbow to block his punch. However, he still shuddered upon being struck, and wine splattered all over his face. He was infuriated, and he turned around to glower at the handsome young boy. The latter didn't back down, and he also glowered at the ugly young boy. "What's wrong? You want to fight?! If you weren't so fucking useless, would Little Ququ[5] have died for you in the south?"

The rims of the ugly young boy's eyes immediately became red. He was so angry that even his lips became pale.

"Both of you shut up!" the young girl with the slender eyebrows roared.

The ugly young boy and the handsome young boy both fell silent after hearing her roar. In fact, the former even handed the wine flask to the latter.

The young girl stood up and said in a cold voice, "Hand Cloud Pattern and the wine flask to me."

The handsome young boy unhappily handed the sword and wine flask to her.

The young girl walked to the edge of the so-called path, and in front of her was a seemingly bottomless cliff raging with ferocious wind. Chaotic bursts of sword qi and vicious bursts of sword intent were also pervasive and ever-present.

Moreover, three moons were hanging above the Savage World where benevolence, righteousness, and morality meant nothing. One was full, one was half full, and one was a narrow crescent. So, it was only natural that reason wouldn't work in this world.

One could only rely on the sword in their hand!

The young girl held the scabbardless sword in one hand, and she raised the wine flask that was in her other hand. Wine flowed down the blade of the sword, and she said in a soft voice, "Little Ququ, have some wine."

Little Ququ, have some wine! the five people behind her silently repeated in their minds.

The handsome young boy felt sad for a moment, but he quickly pushed aside his feeling of melancholy.

When battles erupted in this place, would there be a day when people didn't die?!

"Ning Yao, each of us wielded a single sword before, so the six swords were just right to divide between us. Now that Little Ququ has passed away, do you want to take Cloud Pattern?" he asked in an uncertain voice.

"No," the young girl replied. Her lips were dry and cracked, yet this didn't take anything away from her unconcealable beauty. After feeding the sword some wine, she tossed it back to the handsome young boy. She looked toward the south. Over there, there was the large and locust-like army of the demon tribe. They continued to travel over from all over the savage world, and after gathering together, they would soon launch another assault on this towering wall.

Ning Yao suddenly thought of something, and a rare smile immediately spread across her face.

"Hi, my father's surname is Chen, and my mother's surname is also Chen, so... my name is Chen Ping'an!"

Hah, that idiot.

1. The largest Chen Clan in China. It's said that there are close to 10 million people in the world belonging to this branch, so there is a saying that "all Chen Clans in the world come from Yimen." ☜

2. A divine bird in Chinese mythology. ☜

3. This is around half of Xin Qiji's poem, Mountain Ghost Rumor (山鬼谣·问何年此山来此). Xin Qiji was a Chinese poet, calligrapher, and military general during the Southern Song dynasty. The first half of the poem (not used in the ) describes the history of a strange-looking rock, and the latter half (used) of the poem imagines the stone coming to life amid wind and rain. ☜

4. Changshan literally means long sleeves. It's a long robe, and it's a modification of the hanfu. ☜

5. Literally means small cricket ☜