Unsheathed

After returning to Zhu Fengxian’s room, the disciple who had led Chen Ping’an and the others out of the Daoist temple wanted to say something yet couldn’t help but hesitate.

Zhu Fengxian smiled and asked, “What’s the matter? You’re thinking about having Chen Ping’an accompany us out of the capital?”

“If he’s willing to help us, then that will naturally be the best-case scenario,” the man replied honestly. “Since he was willing to come here and visit Gang Leader Zhu, it shows that he’s on friendly terms with the Great Marsh Gang. If we persuade him a little, perhaps…”

Zhu Fengxian sneered and cut off his disciple’s fanciful dreams, interjecting with a cold chuckle, “How foolish. A person who is never content is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Are you pretending that you didn’t hear Chen Ping’an’s reminder for us to be careful when we leave the capital? What was he implying when he said that? He’s already made his intentions very clear.

“Bringing me medicines was a gesture of goodwill to honor the relationship that we formed during that chance encounter in the mountains. After visiting and giving me the medicines, it can be said that he’s already done more than enough to honor this relationship. Do you understand this? Don’t try to take advantage of other people’s kindness and treat their goodwill as a sign of stupidity.”

How could the man not understand this? However, he still lowered his head and said, “But the situation right now is far too dangerous.”

Zhu Fengxian sighed and said, “Thank goodness you stopped yourself and didn’t try to gild the lily. Otherwise, if it’s Ziyang who faces trouble while cultivating in the Golden Summit Daoist Temple in the future, do you think Chen Ping’an will help her even if he’s coincidentally nearby?”

The man remained silent.

He understood all of this, but it was extremely likely that the Great Marsh Gang and his master, Zhu Fengxian, would be unable to overcome this perilous situation. From the Daoist temple to the main gates of the capital, and from there to the home base of the Great Marsh Gang, it was entirely possible that one section of the journey would be transformed into a journey to their demise.

There was a carefree smile on Zhu Fengxian’s face as he remarked, “Alright, that’s enough. A person should be responsible for their own life and death when they travel through the cultivation world. After all, is it the case that only other people are allowed to be weak and suffer death by my hands, yet I can’t be killed in the cultivation world no matter what? Perhaps I’m the owner of the cultivation world, and this world is nothing more than a backyard pond for the Great Marsh Gang?”

“That was indeed the case thirty to forty years ago in the Azure Phoenix Nation,” the man replied with a chuckle.

Zhu Fengxian closed his eyes.

The old Daoist priest looked over and announced, “There’s nothing wrong with these alchemical pills. They’re extremely high-grade, and it’s without a doubt that they cost a small fortune. They can help Gang Leader Zhu recover from his wounds, and it’s not the case that they’ll only suppress the symptoms. Rather, they can genuinely address the root cause and heal the wounds.”

“For real?” the man asked in delight.

The old Daoist priest shot a sideways glance at him and asked, “You don’t believe me?”

“I wouldn’t dare to doubt you,” the man replied with a smile.

The old Daoist priest was none other than the old military adviser who had meticulously and tirelessly come up with strategies and advice for the Great Marsh Gang for the past several decades. Moreover, it was thanks to his keen judgment and insights that Zhu Ziyang was able to embark on the path of cultivation at such a young age.

Zhu Fengxian suddenly opened his eyes and asked his disciple to leave the room first. After his disciple closed the door, he said slowly, “Go on, tell me what you’re after. Why did you suddenly plot against me after helping me for so many years? I won’t resent you no matter what the outcome is. However, I simply hope that you and the mastermind behind everything can look after Ziyang in the future. It would be best if you allow her to cultivate in peace in the mountains and avoid dragging her into this mess.”

The old Daoist priest stood up and walked over to sit on the chair where Chen Ping’an had sat just then, sidestepping the question and saying, “Old Zhu, I feel like Chen Ping’an is extremely mature for his young age.”

He then sighed with emotion and continued, “Older members of the cultivation world like us are becoming more and more unpopular. The youths nowadays like to throw out the rules and traditions and beat their masters to death for the sake of rising up the ranks. They don’t adhere to these things anymore.”

Zhu Fengxian looked at the old Daoist priest and asked with a smile, “Just how old are you? You had this same appearance when I first met you, and after almost sixty years, you’re still walking around with almost the exact same appearance.”

The old Daoist priest thought for a moment before replying, “As of now, I’ve spent half my time traveling around my home nation and half my time traveling around the Azure Phoenix Nation.”

Seeing that his old friend was unwilling to give a straight answer, Zhu Fengxian didn’t try to dig any further. Doing so would be pointless.

————

A conflict had arisen in a temple between Emperor Zheng Kui and a few young masters from large clans in the capital as well as several wealthy friends who had traveled here from the north, and his concubine, Charming Pig, had taught them a harsh lesson and left them half-dead. That night, several people had been brutally dismembered and killed.

The residents in the capital were gripped with fear, and they also felt a shared sense of hatred for the envoy from the Fortune Mountain Nation. The wealthy clans that had migrated south to the Azure Phoenix Nation were also furious, and this had resulted in an unavoidable conflict between the Azure Phoenix Nation and the Fortune Mountain Nation.

Charming Pig Yuan Ye had explicitly challenged Zhu Fengxian, a fellow member of the four martial arts superior grandmasters, and their battle had ended with Zhu Fengxian suffering severe wounds. Afterward, not a single spectator returned to the relay station to kowtow to her. Because of this, Charming Pig Yuan Ye publicly mocked the character of scholars in the Azure Phoenix Nation, once again causing a huge uproar in the capital.

In fact, the conflict between the Azure Phoenix Nation and the Fortune Mountain Nation became an even hotter topic than the grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism. At the same time, the wealthy clans that had migrated south to the Azure Phoenix Nation contacted the local clans to work together and put pressure on Emperor Tang Li of the Azure Phoenix Nation.

After all, Emperor Zheng Kui of the Fortune Mountain Nation was about to swagger out of the capital with his four concubines, and this was something that caused the entire cultivation world of the Azure Phoenix Nation to boil with rage.

In just a few days, winds of trouble and tumult quickly swept through the entire nation.

Everything was linked together and immaculately planned.

When Chen Ping’an and his companions left the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation…

A horse-drawn carriage trundled along the small road outside the Lion Garden during the night.

The carriage driver was no ordinary person, and he was actually the strongest of the four martial arts superior grandmasters in the southeastern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He was an extremely tall old man, and he was currently disguised and had just snuck into the Azure Phoenix Nation from the Lofty Sky Nation. He was a Far Roaming Tier superior grandmaster, and his martial arts cultivation base was far above that of the Fortune Mountain Nation’s Charming Pig Yuan Ye and the Great Marsh Gang’s Zhu Fengxian, both of whom were at the seventh tier.

After reading an intelligence report from the Green Ripple Pavilion, Liu Qingfeng said, “It’s time to stop now.”

A handsome young master sitting opposite him smiled faintly and asked, “Time to stop already? I initially wanted to use my official authority for private affairs so that I could meet a certain someone. It seems like they haven’t taken the bait yet.”

“It’s time to stop,” Liu Qingfeng repeated with a calm expression.

The person sitting opposite Liu Qingfeng in the carriage was none other than Dragon Spring Prefecture’s Li Baozhen. After exchanging a glance with Liu Qingfeng, he smiled and replied, “Alright, since Mr. Liu says that it’s time to stop, I’ll heed Imperial Preceptor Cui’s words and learn more from Mr. Liu. In any case, this is… only a small appetizer for the Azure Phoenix Nation’s Emperor Tang Li following my appointment to this position. With this, he won’t be of the misunderstanding that he can sit back and rest easy simply because he can rely on the powerful Cloud Forest Jiang Clan. After all, some bouts of sinister wind and rain can also cause one to suffer serious wounds.”

Liu Qingfeng offered no response to this.

After drawing near the Lion Garden, Li Baozhen suddenly smiled and said, “I won’t enter the Lion Garden. I’ll stay in the carriage and wait for Mr. Liu to finish discussing the proper matters with the old assistant minister. We can then return to the county office together.”

Liu Qingfeng exited the carriage and walked under the night sky into the Lion Garden by himself.

Li Baozhen also exited the carriage, but he didn’t step down onto the ground and instead sat behind the carriage driver. He was also someone who had walked out from the Jewel Small World like Chen Ping’an, and there was nothing better for him to do at this moment, so he swung his legs back and forth and said with a smile, “I get angry whenever I think of the fact that my precious little sister likes to refer to Chen Ping’an as Junior Uncle. However, what can I do? As Little Baoping’s older brother, I can’t bring myself to scold her at all.

“That being the case, I have no option but to entertain that little bumpkin from Clay Vase Alley. If it weren’t for his help in accompanying Little Baoping to the Great Sui Nation, then Yuan Ye and Zhu Fengxian wouldn’t have simply fought against each other like this.

“However, what I admire most about the imperial preceptor is still his ability to predict others’ thoughts and actions. In reality, everyone is planting spies in each others’ backyards, and many places in the capital of the Great Li Empire were also riddled with a large number of spies back then, from the Palace of Eternal Spring to even the subordinates beside Song Changjing. Even our emperor wasn’t free from this. After all, wasn’t there a powerful person from the Hundred Schools of Thought assisting our emperor with ulterior motives?

“Now that we’ve reached the end game, we’re able to take another look at the situation in various places around the Go board. It appears like we’ve suffered some minor losses here but made some huge gains there. In the end, the overall situation is more beneficial to our imperial preceptor. This is very frightening.”

After rambling to himself for a long time, Li Baozhen smiled at the carriage driver and asked, “Even in my current position, I’m still temporarily unable to access your files. Can you explain why you’re willing to work for the Great Li Empire?”

“Hopefully you don’t stumble and fall in your political career, or else I’ll be the first person to rush over and kill you,” the old carriage driver replied in an indifferent voice.

Li Baozhen paid no heed to this, and he remarked, “You should really change your terrible habit of speaking your mind to everyone. At the very least, you should only say something like this if you eventually find an opportunity to kill me one day.”

“Alright, I’ll repeat myself again at that time,” the carriage driver replied with a cold chuckle.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Liu Qingfeng was still yet to return.

“Is the cultivation world fun?” Li Baozhen asked.

“It’s not fun, and people die very easily there,” the carriage driver replied in a solemn voice.

“Oh, is that so? Then I’ll restrain myself a little,” Li Baozhen said. “I’ve only just arrived here, so I’ll familiarize myself with the local traditions and customs first. I’ve never been a courageous person, especially since there were so many powerful beings in my hometown. In fact, even farting on the streets would make me feel afraid of accidentally disturbing a nearby terrestrial immortal or martial arts superior grandmaster or whatnot.”

Li Baozhen lightly slapped his knees with both hands as he continued, “It’s commonly said that a reunion between fellow townsmen will cause tears to well up in their eyes. I wonder who will cry the next time I encounter that little bumpkin with the surname Chen.

“Ah… That stupid little girl, Zhu Lu, cried uncontrollably when she found me in the capital back then. My heart almost broke for her, so much so that I almost killed her with a single slap. I gave her such a simple task, so how in the world did she screw up? Because of this, I was scolded by Her Majesty and lost my opportunity to rise up the ranks of the imperial court of the Great Li Empire. Otherwise, would I need to travel to a crappy place like this to slowly work my way up the ranks?”

The old carriage driver chuckled and said, “Sinister people like you will suffer an extremely cruel fate when you fall from your position and experience trouble one day.”

Li Baozhen sighed and lamented, “See, you’re speaking your mind again. Why do you always refuse to listen? This is a bad habit.”

It was already late at night.

Li Baozhen looked at the Lion Garden and chuckled, “Mr. Liu over there is far more pitiful than me. I’m at most only filled with evil schemes, and the number of people who fear me will only increase by the day. Meanwhile, he’s filled with unspeakable pains, and the number of people who curse him will only grow more and more.”

————

Inside a small relay station in the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation…

The atmosphere was extremely heavy and solemn.

The relay station was small, but it was filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons tonight.

Inside a room…

Two people were glaring at each other.

The young boy in white pointed at the old man in azure, jumping up in anger and scolding, “Old bastard, didn’t we agree to follow the rules and refrain from using powers beyond the Go board in this gamble of ours?! Yet, you actually tossed Li Baozhen into the Azure Phoenix Nation at this critical moment? With his personality, is it remotely possible that he won’t use his official position to avenge private grudges? Have you no shame, you old bastard?!”

The old man in azure remained expressionless as he replied in a calm and indifferent voice, “Little boy, are you not equally as shameless? Who was it that secretly delivered a message to Chen Ping’an and asked him to block the path leading to the Lion Garden?”

The handsome young boy with a birthmark on his glabella continued to let loose a torrent of abuse at the old man, yelling, “Old geezer, you were the one who broke the fucking rules first! You were essentially trying to ruin the foundation of my Great Dao by cooking up a plot to frame Chen Ping’an! Yet, you won’t allow me to fight back and give you a whack too?”

The two people in the room…

…Were none other than Cui Dongshan and Embroidered Tiger Cui Chan.

In other words, it was essentially one person talking to himself.

Cui Chan remained calm and indifferent the entire time, and he wiped the spittle from his face and asked, “Is it very fun to curse yourself?”

Cui Dongshan chuckled in anger and exclaimed, “It feels amazing!”

Cui Chan smiled coldly and said, “Looking at your pitiful and pathetic display right now, I finally understand why my cultivation base was capped at the peak stage of the twelfth tier back then.”

Cui Dongshan plonked down on a chair and replied, “If I had known earlier that you would become such a good-for-nothing, then I would have chosen to choke myself to death back then.”

Cui Chan smiled faintly and remarked, “It’s not too late to kill yourself now. However, remember to leave me your immortal body and your pocket treasure.”

Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes and rested his head and arms on the table with his hands spread apart. His cheek was also resting on the table as he asked in a sullen voice, “The emperor is dead? Is Song Changjing going to act as the protector and temporary ruler soon?”

Cui Chan nodded in reply.

Cui Dongshan didn’t raise his head as he asked, “Then who’s going to become the new emperor? Or are the two original heirs going to split the power between them?”

Cui Chan ignored Cui Dongshan, pretending not to have heard him.

Cui Dongshan lifted his head, and he went from lying on the table to slumping back in his chair. “How boring.”

“I feel like you’re quite happy about being that person’s disciple,” Cui Chan said.

Cui Dongshan continued to roll his eyes at the old man.

Seeking joy amidst sorrow and hardship?

Cui Chan couldn’t help but feel slightly puzzled. If he remembered correctly, he never had such a personality when he was younger?

Cui Dongshan finally stopped rolling his eyes, hesitating for a moment before asking, “How is the old geezer doing in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain?”

Cui Chan remained silent for a long time before replying, “Lu Chen comprehensively severed his path of advancing to the eleventh tier. However, he’s in a fairly good headspace nowadays.”

Cui Dongshan crossed his legs on the chair and asked, “What will you do if Chen Ping’an beats Li Baozhen to death?”

Cui Chan shook his head and replied, “Chen Ping’an once promised Li Xisheng that he would spare Li Baozhen one time. After that, however, each side will take responsibility for their own life and death.”

Cui Dongshan suddenly looked up and dazedly stared at Cui Chan.

“That’s right, I already calculated everything and put in the necessary controls,” Cui Chan explained calmly. “Li Baozhen is still too young and inexperienced right now, so he still needs to suffer some hardships if he wants to become majorly useful in the future.”

Cui Dongshan roared with laughter and jumped down from the chair, walking over to massage Cui Chan’s shoulders as he grinned sheepishly and said, “Haha, as expected of the other me. I accused you wrongly, Old Cui, so please don’t get angry at me. Please calm down.”

Cui Chan was unfazed, and he replied, “If I had known earlier that you would appear in the future, then I should have indeed choked myself to death back then.”

Cui Dongshan lightly smacked the back of Cui Chan’s head and scolded, “What inauspicious drivel are you spewing? Ptui, ptui, ptui! Regardless of how our paths of the Great Dao different, we should both strive to become bad people who never die.”

“If you continue to spit on my head, then you don’t need to dream about becoming a bad person who never dies,” Cui Chan warned.

————

On the small path winding past the thicket of reeds and connecting the Lion Garden to the official road…

A horse-drawn carriage slowly ground to a halt. The old carriage driver tensed as if he were facing a powerful enemy, and Li Baozhen was also struck by complete disbelief when he pulled back the carriage curtains and saw the person standing in front of them. Was this really happening? Was he truly encountering a fellow townsman in a foreign land?