Unsheathed

While Chen Ping’an went to the city god pavilion to check on the situation, both Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng went to the prefectural office to visit the prefectural overseer. However, they were both prepared to be turned away.

To their surprise, Prefectural Overseer Liu quickly walked to the guest hall to welcome them after receiving news of their arrival from his son, Liu Gaohua. There was an anxious expression on Prefectural Overseer Liu’s face, and not only did he not turn the big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest away, but he didn’t ask Xu Yuanxia to brandish his sword and Zhang Shanfeng to manipulate his peach wood sword either.

He hesitated for a moment after hearing the two cultivators describe the situation, and he asked the two of them to follow him to the main hall. Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng were both astonished when they saw the seven or eight people sitting in the main hall.

There was a general dressed in a suit of armor with a saber across his knees, there was an elderly official pointing and gesturing at a geomantic map, and there were a few men and women who were filled with vitality and vigor. It was clear that the latter group of people were cultivators. Unless they were concealing their aura on purpose, they were all third to fourth tier Qi refiners.

Prefectural Overseer Liu briefly introduced the people in the main hall. Most of them were powerful people from Blusher Prefecture. However, there were also outsiders who had come after learning about the situation in the prefecture. These people were similar to Xu Yuanxia and the others.

Xu Yuanxia paid extra attention to an ordinary-looking man. His aura was calm, and he was most likely a powerful cultivator who would be calm during normal times but ferocious whenever he unleashed his power.

Meanwhile, Zhang Shanfeng stole a few extra glances at a certain Daoist priest. The old Daoist priest was drinking tea in a leisurely manner right now, and a copper-armored warrior three meters tall was standing behind him. These kinds of warriors were unique to Daoism’s talismanic branch; they were only minimally sentient and would strictly obey the simplest commands from their masters. For example, killing enemies. High-grade copper-armored warriors possessed combat power that could rival third tier martial artists, and these warriors most definitely couldn’t be dismissed as just crude puppets.

Prefectural Overseer Liu roughly explained the current situation to Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, both of whom had arrived later than the others. He then sighed with emotion before cupping his fists and saying in a sincere manner, “I’m very grateful that all of you righteous people have come here to help. If we manage to navigate through this challenge, then Blusher Prefecture will definitely erect a tablet to honor all of you. Your deeds will also be recorded in the Local Prefecture Chronicles.”

Almost everyone stood up to return the gesture, politely saying that it was only right for them to help.

Prefectural Overseer Liu walked over to the table. There were two unfurled maps there, and one showed the terrain of the prefectural city while one showed all six prefectures of Colorful Garment Nation. Prefectural Overseer Liu pointed at some place between Blusher Prefecture and one of the neighboring prefectures.

“I just received some good news. General Ma and the old immortal are personally standing guard on the city wall, and 600 elite cavalrymen have already been dispatched to our prefectural city and are rushing over as quickly as they can. They’ll arrive by evening today at the latest. Another 2000 infantrymen should arrive outside the city after midnight as well.”

This was the first time Prefectural Overseer Liu was dealing with this kind of situation, and he was so anxious and tense that it felt as if his throat were on fire as he spoke. Moreover, he had run around everywhere in the morning, and he had been on tenterhooks the entire time. As a result, his voice was extremely hoarse as he spoke. He hurriedly accepted a cup of hot tea from his old aide.

The old aide had provided plans and strategies to the prefectural office for many years and walked over to the table to help Prefectural Overseer Liu explain the situation. He pointed at several different locations and said, “We’ve discovered strange occurrences in five places so far: the city god pavilion to the northeast, Embroidery Alley to the north, Horse Head Bridge to the south, Dangling Copper Tower to the west, and the Zhao Clan residence in the center.

“We’ve already placed the city god pavilion under emergency closure, and the two immortals who snuck in to investigate have yet to return. Six people died violent deaths in Embroidery Alley, and all thirty-two families in the area have already been evacuated. Human-eating water demons appeared under Horse Head Bridge, and we’re not sure if these demons have swum down the river and entered other areas of the city. This is quite a troublesome matter.

“The Dangling Copper Tower that was used to provide warnings for immortals in the mountains has collapsed, and the old man who was responsible for guarding the tower was brutally killed. As for the Zhao Clan residence, more than a dozen people have gone mad for no reason at all, and it’s as if their insanity is an infectious plague. In fact, two of the law enforcement officers who went over to investigate the situation went mad as well. Because of this, we even had to—”

Prefectural Overseer Liu coughed quietly, and the old aide didn’t speak any further.

After all, it wouldn’t be a good look for the prefectural office if news of this spread. Moreover, it was even possible that it would affect the prefectural overseer’s good reputation.

This was because the prefectural office had already sent people to the Zhao Clan residence to seal off all exits. People inside the residence were strictly prohibited from leaving.

The old Daoist priest with the Daoist title Chong Miao[1] smiled and said, “This is a dire situation with severe consequences, so your actions are nothing if not bold and courageous, Lord Liu. You are prioritizing the safety of the more than a hundred thousand residents in the prefectural city, so I’m confident that people will feel deep gratitude toward your resolve and decision-making as long as they have a shred of reason and conscience.”

The armored general was sprawling on a chair, and he pursed his lips in a mocking manner as he shot a sideways glance at Daoist Chong Miao.

Prefectural Overseer Liu felt slightly awkward, and he said in a soft voice, “I don’t need them to thank me. If anything, I’ll be grateful if they don’t question my decisions.”

He quickly changed the topic and said with emotion, “Thankfully, the old immortal is coincidentally visiting our prefecture at the moment. He observed the night sky yesterday, and he discovered the yin energy permeating the prefectural city from above. Otherwise, we would most certainly still be clueless. And once those demons took us by surprise… the outcome would have simply been unimaginable! Absolutely unimaginable!”

“Was the Dangling Copper Tower similar to the beacon towers on the borders? Was it able to call for help from nearby immortal forces?” Xu Yuanxia asked.

The armored general nodded with a gloomy expression and replied, “That’s exactly right. However, those demons were extremely cunning and vicious, and they targeted the Dangling Copper Tower and caused our prefectural city to lose contact with the Spiritual Horn[2] Force that’s located 450 kilometers away. The Dangling Copper Tower could actually utilize mystical powers to send messages. It would have taken no longer than fifteen minutes to inform the Spiritual Horn Force about our situation. Right now…we have no option but to use flying swords to deliver the message now. Tsk, the speed of flying swords is not bad, but they’re truly expensive.”

The armored general shot another sideways glance at Daoist Chong Miao, who looked extremely pleased with himself. The Daoist priest truly looked as punchable as could be.

He had actually charged them a hundred thousand taels of silver for the most ordinary flying sword! Did the Daoist priest genuinely believe that they were unaware of the situation of relay stations in the mountains? Not to mention, it was very likely that he had privately charged Prefectural Overseer Liu a huge sum for the two copper-armored warriors as well.

The armored general was General Ma’s subordinate, and they had fought alongside each other on the borders for many years. Even though he had never been a big fan of Prefectural Overseer Liu — in his opinion, a bookworm — his impression of this official had become much better these past two days. Not only had the prefectural overseer not hidden under his bed in fear like the average official, but he was actually running around and doing his best to control the situation.

On the contrary, he had a terrible impression of the old Daoist priest who was taking advantage of the dire situation for his own selfish gains. He was a heretical Daoist priest who was also based in Blusher Prefecture, so what right did he have to extort the others? If the prefectural city was destroyed, then what would Chong Miao do even if he managed to escape? So what if he decided to abandon his family, disciples, and ancestral inheritance? Was he not afraid of having nothing but bare walls in his house in the future?

“Dare I ask, Prefectural Overseer Liu, when the esteemed immortals from the Spiritual Horn Force will arrive at Blusher Prefecture? Approximately how many people will come?” Xu Yuanxia asked.

The prefectural overseer smiled and replied, “Fortunately, the Spiritual Horn Force has a thousand-year-old colored luan[3]. It was once the steed of the Spiritual Horn Force’s founding master, and after the master passed, the colored luan has never left the mountains again. The Force Masters after that have also been able to ask the colored luan for help, and the colored luan can carry five to six people on its back and fly over. Assuming that nothing goes wrong, I believe that the cultivators from the Spiritual Horn Force should arrive by noon tomorrow.

Prefectural Overseer Liu sighed before suddenly raising his voice and urging, “So, I need everyone’s help in defending the prefectural city until the esteemed immortals from the Spiritual Horn Force arrive. We need to at least hold on until noon tomorrow!”

Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng exchanged a glance. They both had slightly anxious expressions.

Zhang Shanfeng was more worried about Chen Ping’an’s trip to the city god pavilion. Would he encounter any dangers there?

————

There were towering city walls running along the east gate of Blusher Prefecture, and there was a guard station: a two-floor building with a three-layer hip-and-gable roof.

General Ma’s armor was not new and shiny as befitting of a parade suit. Instead, it was riddled with gashes from swords and sabers. However, it was clear that the general from Colorful Garment Nation liked this suit of armor very much.

There hadn’t been many battles on the borders of Colorful Garment Nation for the past century, and there had only been some occasional skirmishes with Ancient Elm Nation located to the north. Because of this, martial artists in the army all held military merit and achievements in very high regard. After all, these things were critical if one wanted to receive promotions in the army or officialdom.

If it weren’t for the fact that General Ma had no one speaking for him in the imperial court, he would have most likely become a powerful official in the Ministry of War long ago, even from a young age.

As he stood atop the guard station, General Ma suddenly noticed the old immortal looking at the city god pavilion. The old immortal gazed in that direction for a long time, and General Ma thought that something unexpected had suddenly occurred again. “Elder Huang, are the demons there causing trouble again?”

The old immortal with large and flowing sleeves stroked his beard and chuckled, “There’s nothing to worry about. I naturally have my ways of suppressing them. What we truly need to concentrate on is the Zhao Clan residence in the middle of the city. This place is far too close to the prefectural office, so the consequences will be severe if anything untoward were to happen.

“Fortunately, I came across two very good friends while I was traveling south. They’re both leaders in immortal forces from the mountains, and they had initially planned to travel to Lake View Academy together to discuss the Dao with the scholars in the academy.

“However, the situation here is very serious, so I no longer have the freedom to consider whether this will delay their travels. I’ve already sent a message to the two of them and asked them to rush over to help Blusher Prefecture as quickly as possible. I believe they can fly on the wind and arrive here very soon.

“At that time, General Ma and I can guard the east gate, while one of my friends can keep an eye on the Zhao Clan residence and guard the prefectural office at the same time. My other friend can go over to guard the west gate. In addition to us, there are also several cultivators and gallant individuals inside the prefectural office right now. I’m fairly sure that the troublemaking demons won’t be able to erode the prefectural city.”

General Ma cupped his fists in gratitude and said, “Elder Huang, if it weren’t for you discovering the abnormalities and warning us in time, the residents in the prefectural city would have definitely suffered a catastrophe. Not only that, but you are even willing to step forward in the face of danger and provide us with help! I’m a crude barbarian, so it’s hard for me to come up with eloquent words. However, I’ll definitely remember your help!”

The old immortal smiled and said with a shake of his head, “If cultivation on the mountains was for the sake of achieving individual transcendence while ignoring the suffering of others, then what’s the point of cultivating to become an immortal? What’s the point of achieving immortality?”

General Ma heavily thumped his chest plate with his fist, then raised his thumb and saying in sincerity, “Elder Huang, just this remark alone proves that you’re genuinely cultivating the Dao!”

An angry expression spread across the face of the middle-aged general, and he continued, “As for some immortals in Colorful Garment Nation who only care about fame and fortune, especially those immortals in the capital… Hmph! Absolutely shameless! They stick their hands out and ask the imperial court for money every day, and they use this money to build immortal pagodas and tall towers, wasting manpower and money in the process… Sigh, let’s not talk about this. The more I talk about it, the angrier I get!”

The old immortal clasped his hands behind his back and said with a faint smile, “Which river in the world doesn’t have soil and sand flow together with the water[4]? General Ma, there’s no need to be overly resentful about this. Since the world is like this, why don’t you cultivate and perfect yourself first?”

General Ma nodded in sincere agreement. He felt increasing respect toward this old immortal. This man was truly a powerful immortal, and a real one at that, an immortal who had deep compassion for others.

Immortals didn’t come from only the blessed lands and immortal abodes in the mountains. They came from outside the mountains as well.

The old immortal squinted his eyes and used his mystical powers to observe the city god pavilion again. However, he was too far away from the city god pavilion, so he was unable to see the situation very clearly. It would have been great if Old Demon Mi had been present. He had some ways to observe mountains and rivers through his palms, so he would have likely been able to observe the situation in the city god pavilion very clearly. After all, they were only a short distance away from the city god pavilion from the perspective of this mystical ability.

Just now, Elder Huang had detected the seal formation around the city god hall being shattered. He was able to confirm its destruction, and it was definitely some naive person trying to play a hero. However, this didn’t matter, as he had already prepared backup plans in the city god pavilion. Old Demon Mi had secretly tampered with the two clay statues and the city god a long time ago.

Not hesitating to pay a huge price, Old Demon Mi had sacrificed twenty years of unique incense offerings to target the three deities, causing them to fall to demonic ways. Because of this, Old Demon Mi had stubbornly asked Elder Huang and his two friends for three spirit tools. Only after receiving them did he stop nagging and get to work.

In other words, the small ripples in the city god pavilion ultimately couldn’t change the direction of the surging river.

This was a scheme that the four parties had prepared in secret for thirty years, so how could they possibly fall at the final hurdle?

This was unless a 10th tier terrestrial immortal descended from the sky and suddenly proclaimed that they were going to protect the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture. Only in that case would they perhaps back down.

However, Elder Huang and the others had investigated and confirmed the attitudes of Divine Edict Sect, Lake View Academy, and the other powerful immortal forces already. Thus, they were confident that no 10th tier Qi refiner would suddenly descend from the skies. Moreover, powerful beings at the Nascent Tier were always elusive and hard to find. To put it bluntly, unless they were a righteous Nascent Tier immortal from an upright force, it was difficult to say whether they would be willing to become involved in this matter.

Their momentum was unstoppable, and their success was inevitable!

The old immortal smiled in his mind. In reality, he felt a strong urge to turn around and pat the shoulder of the honest and simple-minded general. He wanted to smile and tease him. Little Ma, your judgment of others is quite poor. I’m no righteous immortal. If anything, by your standards, I’m a demonic and heretical cultivator. As for the immortals in the capital of Colorful Garment Nation that you speak of, two of the most famous ones are actually my direct disciples.

Heretical and vagrant cultivators like them were just like thieving rats in the fields. They would remain idle for long periods at a time, but they would also make enough to live for years on end once they sprang into action!

Once they successfully obtained that immortal treasure, they would simply go into seclusion for twenty or thirty years if worse came to worst. They would travel further south and secretly plan to steal even more valuable items. Afterward, they would be powerful and carefree immortals again.

Perhaps one day, they might even become someone as powerful as that person in Middle Earth Divine Continent’s White Emperor City. Even though everyone in the world knew he was a demonic cultivator, did anyone dare to call him a demon to his face? Even the large majority of Upper Five Tier cultivators in the world didn’t dare to do this!

However, the old immortal could only daydream about these kinds of wonderful things. He was simply amusing himself.

He glanced at the south, and he turned around to look at the north. He was feeling slightly hesitant. It was definitely the safest option to flee to the south after they succeeded. If they fled to the north as agreed, they would need to face many more dangers in order to obtain the treasures and opportunities they desired. If they succeeded, however, they would definitely gain immense wealth.

1. Chong Miao (崇妙) literally means worshiping the wonderful. ?

2. “Spiritual horn” (literally 灵犀, actually “spirit rhinoceros”) actually means “mutual understanding.” The source is a poem by Li Shangyin, a Tang Dynasty poet and politician. Apparently the rhinoceros horn has perfect and even grain running all the way from root to tip, and Li Shangyin thought that it was a great metaphor for thoughts and feelings that perfectly cross the distance between people ?

3. The luan is a kind of bird in Chinese mythology, loosely resembling a phoenix. ?

4. This means good and bad people or things being mixed together. ?