Unsheathed

Five days had already passed by, and as the sun was beginning to set on this day, Chen Ping’an finally scaled to the summit of Turtle Head Mountain on the new map provided by the kiln supervision office.

This mountain was the tallest one by far among all of the mountains in a radius of dozens of kilometers, and Chen Ping’an was chewing on a hard and stale biscuit as he sat on a branch of an old pine tree on the mountain summit, which was extending out over the cliff, allowing the light breeze to tussle his hair and blow it in all directions.

The basket he was carrying had already been set down at the foot of the tree. He wasn’t so bold that he dared to climb trees with the basket on his back. In the past, climbing mountains had been a part of his job, and he was always having to hurry to keep up with Old Man Yao, but for this trip, he was able to rest whenever he was tired and appreciate the beautiful scenery in the distance.

Furthermore, many scenic locations were situated on mountains that were once sealed off by the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, so Chen Ping’an and Old Man Yao were forced to avoid them, and Turtle Head Mountain was one such location.

On the way here, Chen Ping’an had witnessed many pieces of stunning scenery that were completely unfamiliar to him. There were breathtaking waterfalls that created tiny rainbows, which Chen Ping’an felt as if he could grab with his hands to be taken home. There were steep cliffs where countless birds were gathered, and they were dotted together next to one another like a pristine white curtain draped over a wall.

There was a precarious mountain peak that could only be accessed using a single perilous path, which ultimately led to a large stone plateau with a spectacular view that made the beholder involuntarily hold their breath. At night, Chen Ping’an would drape a garment over his own body as a blanket and fall asleep while resting against his basket. In his slumber, he felt as if he could hear the whispering voices of the immortals in the heavens.

After traveling for another three days, Chen Ping’an finally arrived at the Divine Elegance Mountain that Master Ruan had mentioned. Situated close to 10 kilometers away to the west and to the north were Lamp Bearer Mountain and Gallant Spear Mountain, respectively, forming a triangle with Divine Elegance Mountain, much like a congregation of three giants.

According to the map, there were five mountains situated within a radius of 50 kilometers of those three mountains. The smallest ones among those five mountains were Rainbow Cloud Mountain and Immortal Herb Mountain, while the other three mountains were larger, namely Lamp Flame Mountain, Yellow Lake Mountain, and Treasured Scripture Mountain.

Prior to arriving at Divine Elegance Mountain, Chen Ping’an had visited Immortal Herb Mountain and Lamp Flame Mountain. Immortal Herb Mountain was only slightly larger than True Jewel Mountain, and even though it was quite short, it was extremely lush, bearing a large number of tall trees.

As for Yellow Lake Mountain, as its name suggested, there was a small lake halfway up the mountain, and from afar, the water in the lake appeared to be rather yellow, but up close, the water was extremely clear. However, aside from the fact that it had this lake, Chen Ping’an felt like Yellow Lake Mountain was far inferior to Divine Elegance Mountain.

After that, Chen Ping’an spent four whole days wandering around Divine Elegance Mountain and Gallant Spear Mountain before finally selecting three mountains.

The mountains that he had chosen were Immortal Herb Mountain, Treasured Scripture Mountain, and Rainbow Cloud Mountain, out of which Immortal Herb Mountain was the smallest, Treasured Scripture Mountain was the largest, and Rainbow Cloud Mountain was the tallest.

Among the three, Chen Ping’an had spent the most time exploring Treasured Scripture Mountain, which made sense, considering it was the largest mountain of the three. Out of all of the mountains that Chen Ping’an had visited on the way here, only Cloud Drape Mountain and Divine Elegance Mountain exceeded Treasured Scripture Mountain in size. However, following his inspection, Chen Ping’an was left feeling rather perplexed.

Treasured Scripture Mountain was a huge mountain, and it was very close to Gallant Spear Mountain. Furthermore, even as a cultivation novice, Chen Ping’an could sense that this mountain was a great location for cultivation, so why had Master Ruan chosen Lamp Bearer Mountain over Treasured Scripture Mountain?

Following his assessment, Chen Ping’an estimated that the three mountains that he had selected were going to set him back around 45 gold essence copper coins, which left him with 35 copper coins remaining. True Jewel Mountain was going to cost a Greeting Spring Coin, so that still left 34 copper coins, enough for Chen Ping’an to purchase a massive mountain.

Master Ruan had told him that even the largest of the 61 mountains being offered, such as the Dry Spring Mountain Range, Incense Mountain, and Divine Elegance Mountain, only cost around 25 to 30 gold essence copper coins each.

Master Ruan had also revealed to him that the imperial court of the Great Li Empire was going to be assigning a great mountain god, three mountain gods, and a river god in this area. The next day, Ruan Xiu had offered further elaboration, explaining to Chen Ping’an that a so-called mountain god was someone chosen by the imperial court’s ministry of rites.

It could be a historically renowned figure of the area, or a decorated general that had died in battle for the empire. The candidates would be presented to the emperor of the Great Li Empire, who would select which one of them was to be appointed as the mountain god.

The appointment would be written into the genealogical records in red ink, following which an incense-burning ritual would be conducted. This was done so that the gods above would be informed of the appointment, and generally speaking, that would be the end of the matter.

After that, a message of appointment would be inscribed by the imperial preceptor on a jade token crafted by the ministry of astronomy, and that token would be buried at the foot of the mountain.

Finally, the construction of a golden statue would be commissioned, and that statue would be worshipped in a mountain god temple, thereby officially granting the mountain god the right to be worshipped by the people. The duty of a mountain god included protecting all of the living beings on their mountain, as well as destroying, subjugating, or banishing all evil entities that passed through the mountain.

Chen Ping’an didn’t have high hopes that a mountain god would be assigned to one of the three mountains that he had selected near Divine Elegance Mountain. Instead, he was placing his hopes on the mountain that he was going to be spending the most money on.

That mountain would be under the protection of Master Ruan for the next 300 years, and if a mountain god were to be assigned to that mountain as well, then that would undoubtedly spare him a great deal of trouble.

As for True Jewel Mountain, Chen Ping’an presumed that no one was interested in it aside from himself.

At this moment, Chen Ping’an was seated on the stone cliff at the pinnacle of Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and the new map of the Great Li Empire’s Dragon Spring County was laid out in front of him. He already knew the names and locations of the mountains like the back of his hand, but he was still unable to decide which one was the final mountain that he was going to purchase.

He rested his cheeks on his hands with tightly furrowed brows as he swayed back and forth in an absentminded manner.

Truth be told, he had no idea what he could do with the mountains that he purchased, but just the mere thought of being able to own five mountains for the next 300 years was already something that instilled him with a great sense of joy.

He could marry a wife, have a family, then pass on the mountains to his children, who, in turn, would be able to pass on this asset to their children.

In the past, finding a wife wasn’t on his agenda, but it was something that he had to consider now.

With that in mind, a bashful grin appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, and he was feeling a little embarrassed.

He laid down on his back, and he was feeling a little sleepy, so he decided to take a nap. An indeterminate period of time passed before he opened his eyes, and he was immediately stumped by the sight that he was greeted by.

As it turned out, this was the third time that he had encountered the mysterious figure in white.

The first time was on the covered bridge, the second time was under the stone bridge, and this was the third time.

The tall and imposing figure was basked in pristine white radiance, and this time, they were seated with their legs crossed no more than 20 feet away from Chen Ping’an, but as usual, he was unable to make out their appearance.

Chen Ping’an decided that he couldn’t just run away from this problem forever, so he mustered up some courage, then began in a careful voice, “Esteemed senior…”

Slap!

In the next instant, Chen Ping’an was struck by a burst of sharp pain to the face, as if a cow had just whipped its tail across his cheek.

As a result, he was instantly snapped awake, and he abruptly sat up to find that he was still seated in the exact same spot as before. He looked around, and sure enough, he was still completely alone, but there really was a stinging sensation on his cheek.

He thought long and hard about what had just happened, but he was still left completely stumped and could only scratch his own head with a dazed expression.