Unsheathed

After the oriole landed on Xie Shi’s shoulder, he placed the teacup on the table and seemingly put his worries aside as well. He laughed heartily and asked, “Is this how the Great Li Empire welcomes its guests?”

Cao Xi felt slightly awkward.

He did indeed want to kill Xie Shi and fish out the powerful Daoist cultivator who was supporting him from behind the scenes. At that time, everything would descend into chaos. Southern Whirl Continent’s Yingyin Chen Clan, the small town’s Sage Ruan Qiong, the two Militarian ancestral temples in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain, the White Jade Capital of unknown power in the capital of the Great Li Empire, the scheming Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan from the Great Li Empire, and so on and so forth…

Cao Xi could not only fulfill his promise to the Pure Confucian Chen Clan and successfully gain control over his own bonded porcelain, but he could also become family with them through a wedding between their descendants. Afterward, he could find an opportunity to remove himself from the conflict and comfortably watch the chaos unfold from the outside. Even if the heavens collapsed, there would still be some other powerful person to bear the brunt first. There were only benefits, and in the worst-case scenario, he would simply hide in the Sea Suppressing Pagoda in the future.

However, Cao Xi didn’t want to become the person who locked horns with Xie Shi first.

The knowledgeable Xu Ruo had already abandoned his intention of drawing his sword after detecting the presence of the oriole. After hearing Xie Shi’s comment, however, displeasure rose in his heart and caused him to place his hand on the hilt of his sword again. The Mohist cultivator slowly approached the residence of the Xie Clan as he strolled through Peach Leaf Alley.

As he walked, he said, “There’s no need for me to comment on how the Great Li Empire welcomes its guests. If the empire genuinely had ill intentions toward you, Zhi Gui wouldn’t have appeared in the small town in the first place. To move one through emotions, and to convince one through reasoning. The Great Li Empire hasn’t treated you too badly.

“On the contrary, you, Xie Shi, were quite haughty when you spoke in the relay station, and you didn’t take the Great Li Empire seriously at all. What, you want to rely on the support of your ancestor to continue your haughty show? Fine, then I’ll challenge you to a battle of life and death as Xu Ruo alone.”

Xu Ruo walked to the front gate of the Xie Clan’s residence and said with a smile, “Rest assured, the words of Mohist disciples are worth their weight in gold. I’m challenging you to a battle now, and things will end when one of us dies. In the future, neither the Great Li Empire nor my seniors from the Mohist Sect will seek you out for trouble.”

Cui Chan, Cao Xi, Ruan Qiong, Xu Ruo, and the nameless martial artist — the small town was brimming with powerful figures right now, and these five were the strongest. They formed an invisible net that completely surrounded Xie Shi. Theoretically speaking, Xu Ruo should have been the least likely person to step forward and challenge Xie Shi. In the end, however, it was unexpectedly this amiable Mohist cultivator who wanted to draw his sword and fight to the death with Xie Shi first. He wanted to witness the supreme power of a Daoist Heavenly Lord.

Xie Shi frowned and looked toward the front gate of the residence. “Xu Ruo, do you genuinely want to fight me?” he asked in a solemn voice.

Xu Ruo patted the hilt of his sword and replied with a carefree smile, “It’s already been 60 years since I last unleashed a true sword strike. I’ve nurtured two or three swords for this purpose, and I would say that this is enough to make do. I’m confident that I definitely won’t disappoint Heavenly Lord Xie.”

In a rare sight, Xie Shi felt as if he were in a slight dilemma. If there were animosity between them, and if this were in Complete Reed Continent, then he would readily agree to the fight. However, things weren’t so simple now that he had traveled south to the Great Li Empire.

The fact that Xie Shi was going against his conscience to do these things was already a very clear reflection of the problem. As the Dao Master of a continent, how could he possibly submit to humiliation and journey south to his hometown simply because someone was threatening him using his bonded porcelain?

Cao Xi took slight pleasure in Xie Shi’s misfortune.

Xu Ruo was well-known for being someone who could be easily persuaded by reason but couldn’t be cowed by force. He was one of the most easy-going and amiable people among the traveling cultivators in the world. In terms of how powerful he was, how high his cultivation base was, and how profound his backers were, this was a mystery since he seldom fought with others.

However, cultivators in the mountains and outside the mountains all believed one thing — if a cultivator was able to live for a long time, build a significant reputation, and still have a very good temper, then they would definitely become extremely terrifying when they became angry and lost their temper.

Right at this moment, an elderly voice reverberated through the residence of the Xie Clan like the ringing of a great bell. “Xu Ruo, don’t fight with this old man. Xie Shi, was it? Let me deal with him and use him as practice. Coincidentally, I can treat this as a celebration for returning to the 10th tier of martial arts. If my opponent isn’t powerful enough, I won’t be able to fight to my heart’s content!

“If you feel like I’m picking on the weak and taking advantage of numbers, then you can go ahead and call your backers over. I don’t mind at all, and I’ll have a hearty fight with those who are supporting you. Same as Xu Ruo, we’ll treat this as nothing more than a fight between you and me. We’ll take personal responsibility for our own life and death!”

The small oriole that was still standing on Xie Shi’s shoulder chirped in a crisp and pleasant manner.

Xie Shi pricked his ears and listened, and he smiled knowingly before cupping his fists and announcing, “My elder said that I wasn’t sincere enough before, and it wasn’t right for me to be so overbearing and forceful! As such, he’s making haste and traveling over to Dragon Spring Prefecture now, and he even said that he’ll personally help the Great Li Empire trick…”

Xie Shi relayed the contents of the elder’s message to everyone, yet his expression froze slightly when he reached this portion. Realizing that he shouldn’t reveal his elder’s shortcomings to everyone, he hurriedly changed corrected himself and continued, “He even said that he’ll personally help the Great Li Empire invite the Jade Girl, He Xiaoliang, over, lest the Great Li Empire fall foul of the Divine Edict Sect. This is our show of sincerity. In other words, the Great Li Empire only needs to focus on True Martial Mountain.”

Cao Xi thought about this for a moment, and he couldn’t help but have a nagging feeling that something was off. However, he couldn’t find any issues with Xie Shi’s words.

Xie Shi looked toward the front gate of the residence before cupping his fists and saying with a smile, “If you want to fight, then I’ll definitely entertain you after I finish dealing with this matter!”

He then looked toward the mountains in the southwest where Downtrodden Mountain and the bamboo building were located, and he said, “If you want to fight with my elder, you still have to go through me, Xie Shi, first. I ask for your understanding regarding this matter. If you feel like this is a sign of me looking down on you…”

Xie Shi retracted his fists and clasped his hands behind his back. He then chuckled coldly and continued, “Then so be it, and you can treat this as me looking down on you!”

He made one final remark, saying, “When this matter is over, I’ll definitely entertain you.”

In the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, the disheveled old man looked toward Cui Chan with a smile. “How is it? When should I act?” he asked. “If this were an ordinary scenario, I definitely wouldn’t be able to tolerate it.”

Cui Chan remained unfazed, and he gently rubbed his index finger against his thumb as if he were contemplating the benefits and drawbacks. He slowly replied, “There’s no need to hurry. This is a business discussion, and what Xie Shi is trying to do is daylight robbery. As such, I simply want to borrow your ninth tier cultivation to help the emperor reach a better deal. Since his backer has already spoken and taken a huge step backward, there’s no need for the Great Li Empire to turn on Xie Shi anymore.

“Heh, Xie Shi still needs to guard the mountains to the north of Lake View Academy in the future, so we certainly can’t injure this esteemed Heavenly Lord. After I leave this mountain, I still need to talk to Xu Ruo and persuade him not to act on an impulse for the moment. Ah, this is giving me a slight headache. Xu Ruo is without desire and strong-willed, so when it comes to things that he’s set his mind on… Ah, I can feel my headache growing.”

Standing in the corridor, the barefoot and disheveled old man looked at the side of Cui Chan’s face and sighed, “Chanchan, you shouldn’t have become like this.”

Cui Chan pointed into the distance and sneered, “I’m Cui Chan, and your grandson Cui Chan[1] is in Great Sui Nation. Not only does he have the appearance of a young boy, but he even has the naive mind of a young boy. He should be to your liking.”

Cui Chan’s mood suddenly took a turn for the worse, and he roared, “Show yourself!”

His sudden bellow caused the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink to shudder in fright. In fact, the little boy in azure was so terrified that his legs were trembling like jelly.

What, I’m not even allowed to secretly curse in my mind now? You’re even able to hear this? Since when did Confucian sages become so incredibly powerful?

Fortunately, a tall and slender man quickly walked over from the small and serene path outside the bamboo building. He was handsome, looked around 30 years old, and wore black robes. However, he radiated an aura similar to hard and cold icicles, and it was clear that he wasn’t easy to get along with.

He walked up to the bamboo building with firm and confident strides, and he lowered his head and cupped his fists at the second floor as he said, “The Cui Clan’s guest elder, Sun Shujian, pays his respects to the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, and pays his respects to Patriarch Cui!”

There was displeasure in Cui Chan’s eyes, and he said, “That monk with the bowl stopped you once, and that was equivalent to him saving your life once. Yet, you still dare to enter the mountains and come here?!”

At that time, Cui Chan had secretly left the relay station to visit the disheveled old man. He had already noticed Sun Shujian hiding in a concealed location when arriving, and he had felt an urge to kill the man. However, the monk had stepped in before Cui Chan could act on his urge. He had stood between Cui Chan and the guest elder of the Cui Clan, and Cui Chan had ultimately decided against killing Sun Shujian because he hadn’t wanted to create unnecessary conflict with the monk.

Sun Shujian’s expression was solemn and resolute, and his fists remained cupped as he raised his head and locked gazes with the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire. “There’s always someone from the Cui Clan keeping an eye on the patriarch, and this responsibility is given to a new person every 10 years. This is in order to protect the patriarch and prevent him from being harmed by others.

“I’m the one currently responsible for the patriarch’s safety. After the patriarch decided to leave the southern regions without warning, it was also me who helped him report incorrect intelligence and claim that he was still wandering around in the same southern regions.”

Cui Chan smiled with squinted eyes and asked, “So you’re here to ask me for a reward?”

Even though Sun Shujian shook his head, the fervent look in his eyes wasn’t hidden at all. “I wouldn’t dare to! I, Sun Shujian, simply wish to learn fist techniques from the patriarch! Even if my talent is limited, and I can only learn the basics, I’m willing to do this with no regrets!” he responded loudly.

The barefoot old man chuckled and remarked, “I was in an abject state for a hundred years, and when I occasionally regained clarity, I remember seeing many people like you. Most of them had a higher cultivation base than you, but all of them were inevitably all looks and no substance. In terms of talent and combat power, those people are genuinely inferior to you, a vagrant sixth tier martial artist. There’s no need for you to be modest. In fact, your decision to banish yourself to the role of looking after me for a hundred years with no return is also part of your personal scheme, am I correct?”

Sun Shujian had the disposition of a true villain, and he nodded and admitted, “I was indeed trying to get lucky, and I do truly wish to borrow Patriarch Cui’s good graces to ascend to the heavens in a single step!”

“Oh? How wildly ambitious. Perhaps the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire over here will like you,” the disheveled old man said as he pointed at Cui Chan standing beside him.

He then pointed at himself before finally pointing at the pure martial artist standing in front of the bamboo building. “Ungrateful wretch, you know that I’m the patriarch of the Cui Chan, yet you still dare to act like this? How truly courageous. Weren’t you afraid that I would smash you into mincemeat with a single punch when I regained clarity?”

Sun Shujian’s expression was resolute, and he replied, “I only knew that I would regret things for a lifetime if I didn’t take this gamble and fight for a chance!”

Cui Chan squinted his eyes and finally observed this young junior carefully for the first time.

This was fairly interesting.

The disheveled old man observed Cui Chan’s expression out of the corners of his eyes. He smiled and nimbly jumped down from the second floor. After gracefully landing and standing still, what stood behind the old man was the tightly shut door of the bamboo building and the pitiful Chen Ping’an who was lying in a tub of medicinal water on the first floor.

The disheveled old man gazed at the tense guest elder from his clan and said, “If you want to learn fist techniques from me, then you have to have some genuine talent and ability. Do you dare to face a punch from me? If you can withstand it, then the eighth tier is definitely within sight for you, and perhaps even the ninth tier. If you can’t withstand it, well…. There naturally won’t be a second punch.”

A remarkable fated opportunity was sitting in front of him, yet Sun Shujian still maintained his cool and composure. “Dare I ask, Patriarch Cui, what cultivation base will your punch correspond to?” he asked in a frank manner.

Still standing on the second floor, Cui Chan smiled when he heard this question. Sun Shujian did indeed have the right to become his Go piece.

The disheveled old man roared with delighted laughter, and he replied, “You’re at the sixth tier, so I naturally won’t bully you. I’ll offer you a punch at the fifth tier. How does this sound?”

Sun Shujian strode forward with one foot and shuffled his other foot back. He then entered a fist fighting stance and caused a burst of fist intent to wash through his body like a stream. His movements were practiced, and his aura was natural.

It was clear that the self-taught Sun Shujian was not only resolute and determined when it came to martial arts, but he also had relatively remarkable comprehension ability. As a vagrant cultivator, it was extremely likely that he had shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to reach his current height. He was a martial artist at the peak stage of the sixth tier, and he was a martial arts grandmaster who could freely travel around the cultivation world of a continent.

Sun Shujian held his breath, and at this moment, he vaguely had the demeanor of a powerful cultivator already. “Please unleash a punch, Patriarch!”

Cui Chan suddenly sighed for some unknown reason.

The barefoot old man strode forward and threw a punch.

A simple and unremarkable punch struck Sun Shujian’s forehead.

Sun Shujian had no time to dodge the old man’s punch, and he was immediately sent flying over 30 meters into the distance. He lay in a pool of blood, and his arms and legs convulsed as blood continued to freely flow from his orifices. Before dying, the wildly ambitious martial artist widened his eyes and stared at the sky. His eyes were filled with confusion, unwillingness, and anger.

The little girl in pink covered her eyes, not daring to look at this scene.

The little boy in azure gulped in apprehension.

See, didn’t he just smash someone to death with a single punch?

“Why did you do this?” Cui Chan asked from the second floor of the bamboo building.

The disheveled old man turned around and leaped back to the second floor. Standing under the eaves, he replied, “This type of person isn’t worthy of learning fist techniques from me.”

Cui Chan felt a slight sense of shame. Sun Chujian was a pure martial artist who had the potential to reach the eighth tier or even higher, and he could have become an important Go piece that others couldn’t underestimate. However, since he was already dead, Cui Chan quickly tossed aside his small amounts of feelings for the young martial artist. There was no use thinking about a dead person. Thankfully, this was someone else’s territory, so there was no need for him to dispose of the corpse.

“Then why did you kill him?” Cui Chan asked in curiosity.

The old man sat down and replied, “It wasn’t to show you, it was to show that person downstairs.”

Fortune and calamity weren’t predetermined, and they were instead summoned by one’s actions.

Cui Chan looked down.

A young boy was standing in front of the bamboo building and looking up at them with a dark expression.

However, the young boy remained silent the entire time.

The atmosphere was ice-cold.

1. Aka Cui Dongshan. ☜