Unsheathed

Chapter 437 (1): It’s Morning

In the tall building in Pond Water City.

On this night, Cui Chan had already received three flying sword letters in a row, yet all of them had been left untouched thus far.

Cui Dongshan was slowly walking along the edge of the golden lightning field with his hands clasped behind his back as he mused, “What is the meaning behind what Zhong Kui has just written? And what exactly has Ruan Xiu seen?”

“Who do you take me for, the Dao Ancestor?” Cui Chan harrumphed in a disgruntled manner. “In order to glean the answers to such questions, a huge amount of information is required for reference. Surely you’re aware of that.”

“What a boring answer!” Cui Dongshan scoffed. “I was just trying to find something to talk about; you don’t have to be so uptight!”

Right at this moment, Cui Chan received another flying sword letter. Just like the three previous flying swords, they hadn’t flown over the territory of the Bamboo Scroll Lake to get here. Instead, a spring would appear in the building, following which a flying sword would come flying out amid the sound of flowing spring water, and after that, the spring would fade away.

This was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Great Li Empire’s military, and it was the culmination of a vast amount of time and effort expended by the Great Li Empire’s Mohist cultivators, coupled with the investment of an astonishing amount of immortal currency.

Once again, Cui Chan left the letter untouched as he said, “The sages of the Confucian academies that preside over entire continents must possess the wisdom to see humans as the foundation of all things and disregard all ghosts and spirits in the process. After that, they have to think about the world and certain things outside of humans.

“This goes beyond the wisdom of a noble scholar. A noble scholar only has to consider things in a nationwide, or perhaps continentwide context. Hence, people form the foundation of a noble scholar’s standing. This circle that Chen Ping’an has created disregards all principles and solely assesses the heart of man.

“In a way, it’s very similar to the notion proposed by Chief Military Governor Wei Liang of the Azure Phoenix Nation, which states that all laws of the world must be created to serve the people. This means that our laws are not suitable to be applied to ghosts and spirits.”

“Is that why you see Wei Liang as somewhat of a like-minded individual to yourself?” Cui Dongshan asked.

Cui Chan nodded in response.

“Before reaching the end of the path, our paths are relatively aligned. On top of that, his Great Dao complements the theory of practical ability.”

Cui Chan then smiled as he asked, “By the way, why didn’t you ask me to help conceal what happened at the dock? Are you not worried about attracting unwanted attention?”

Cui Dongshan continued to walk in a circle along the edge of the golden lightning field as he casually replied, “There’s no need for that. This stuff is comprehensible even to us, so it’s nowhere near the level of complexity of what was discussed during the two grand debates between the three teachings that the old scholar took part in.

“This theory of Chen Ping’an’s is not enough to truly shock anyone. What was truly shocking was what the old scholar had said that had frightened that innate Bodhisattva so much that his godly body had been shattered on the spot.”

Cui Chan nodded in agreement as he said, “Right now, Chen Ping’an is walking along halfway up the mountain, holding a lantern to illuminate his surroundings and the mountain path underfoot. You and I don’t count as we don’t benefit much from seeing this theory of his, so technically, Zhong Kui and Ruan Xiu are the only ones to have witnessed this breakthrough of his, and that’s quite a pity.”

Cui Dongshan stopped in his tracks, then took a glance at the scenic picture scroll laid out on the ground in front of Cui Chan as he sneered, “Even if anyone else in Bamboo Scroll Lake had seen it, they would’ve only viewed it as an eyesore.

“It would be fine if they completely failed to understand it at all, but if they could half-understand it, then they would fall into the leftmost sector on the upper semicircle, and they would be left feeling even worse about themselves. How do you think the likes of Gu Can and that porter of Cyan Gorge Island would feel if they were to see this circle?

“They would only feel more agitated and annoyed. Hence, it’s at least half-correct to say that the joys and woes in one’s life are predestined from the very beginning. An ant that’s meant to wallow in the mud is destined to spend its entire life there, whereas someone who’s meant to be able to crawl out of a shithole at the first glimpse of light will be destined to do so and shake off all of the fecal matter to become a refined gentleman, just like that Lu Baixiang.”

Cui Chan offered no response to this.

It seemed that the two of them had reached a consensus on this matter, and whether it be intentional or not, both of them were downplaying the significance and profoundness of the circle that Chen Ping’an had drawn onto the dock.

From there, both of them fell silent, and Cui Chan began to open the four flying sword letters one after another.

Due to the fact that enormous sums of immortal currency were required to support these flying swords’ journeys through the gaps in the river of time, the letters were generally quite short and worded as concisely as possible.

This was also one of the positive outcomes to have arisen from Cui Chan’s efforts as imperial preceptor to simplify much the unnecessarily complicated rhetoric used in official circles, striving to create an environment in which all of the officials of the Great Li Empire could communicate with one another in a clear and simple fashion.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Cui Dongshan, namely a quote from the old scholar that had been uttered during a private conversation between him and an innate Bodhisattva that had been traveling through the Majestic World: “If my heart is filled with light, then I need not speak.”

Cui Chan read through all of the letters addressed to him in an orderly fashion before penning replies to them one by one.

After that, he sat in silence and looked within himself, completely immersing himself in his internal world. His nascent soul was seated in his bonded acupoint, and it altered the trajectory of the straight line in the circle on the dock, transforming it into the Yin Yang symbol that the Dao Ancestor had first created in the mortal world.

He then pushed the Yin Yang symbol aside with a sweep of his sleeve so that he could see the original circle again, and from there, he observed the six sectors of the circle. Chen Ping’an had mentioned that it was incorrect to observe the circle from above. Instead, one was to walk around the circle and observe its sectors from left to right, forming an endless cycle.

The more Cui Chan’s nascent soul observed the circle, the colder the look on its face became.

All of a sudden, Cui Chan’s eyes sprang open as he snapped back to consciousness, and he began making a rapid string of hand seals, starting with the “Yao” character, with his hand concealed up his sleeve.

Some time later, Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan suddenly yelled out each other’s names in unison.

Cui Dongshan quickly pulled out the Fleeting Glance Picture Scrolls that he had once shown to Pei Qian before spreading them out on the ground.

At the same time, Cui Chan rushed over to Cui Dongshan’s side and urged, “Pick out all of the scrolls of the dragon kiln manager with the Yao surname! Make sure you get all of them!”

An enraged look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face as he yelled, “That Old Man Yang is even more of an old bastard than you are! He must’ve intentionally hidden all traces of Kiln Manager Yao to deceive us! Our previous half-assed attempts at divination have been completely led astray by that old bastard!

“This must’ve been all part of a deal between Old Man Yang and Kiln Manager Yao! Cui Chan, we can’t allow anyone to take advantage of us like this! I can be forced to my death by the scholarly lineages of Confucianism or crushed to death by the will of the heavens, but I absolutely cannot die from stupidity!”

The more Cui Dongshan thought about the matter, the more deranged he began to act, and he erupted into a furious tirade.

“Is Qi Jingchun blind?! Wasn’t he such an accomplished go player that even the lord of White Emperor City regarded him as a worthy adversary? During his first fifty-nine years in the Jewel Small World, Qi Jingchun was merely disappointed, but why is it that he still didn’t do anything about it even after he chose to place the most important part of his disappointment in Cui Dongshan?

“Why did he continue to ignore it and allow it to do as it pleased?! I knew that there was more than met the eye to that Buddhist being tasked with taking the three thousand years of rent for the Jewel Small World! Thinking back now, there’s a chance that that ascetic monk was nothing more than a red herring!”

Compared with the enraged Cui Dongshan, Cui Chan was far more calm and collected, and he asked, “What were the true names of Chen Ping’an’s flying swords before they were named First and Fifteenth?”

Cui Dongshan’s brows were furrowed tightly as he replied, “All I know is that First was given to Chen Ping’an by the old scholar after the latter emerged from the rift that had appeared in that picture scroll. As for Fifteenth, Old Man Yang gave it to Chen Ping’an in exchange for some useless crap that has no value.

“Essentially, it was really just a gift. Old Man Yang told him that the sword was called Fifteenth, but that’s clearly just some bullshit name that he made up on the spot to fit with the naming scheme carried over from First!”

Cui Chan looked down at the scenes that had pulled out of the Fleeting Glance Picture Scrolls through the use of secret techniques, while Cui Dongshan pointed a finger outside as he yelled, “Qi Jingchun may be blind, but has the old man gone crazy with him?”

“Who was it that went out of their way to encourage Chen Ping’an to study Buddhist scriptures?” Cui Chan asked in an indifferent manner.

Cui Dongshan spat out a globule of saliva at Cui Chan’s head with all his might as he yelled, “Piss off! If you hadn’t set up this entire scheme to screw over me and my teacher, I would’ve never encouraged Chen Ping’an to read through the writings of the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools of Thought!”

Cui Chan didn’t even bother to raise his head as he swept a sleeve through the air, swatting the globule of saliva back into Cui Dongshan’s face.

Cui Dongshan wiped a sleeve haphazardly over his own face in a furious manner, and he continued his furious tirade.

Before long, they had looked through all of the scenes pertaining to Old Man Yao a second time.

“Don’t forget about the locust leaf with the Yao character that Qi Jingchun helped to secure,” Cui Chan reminded. “There were so many ancestral blessing locust leaves on that locust tree; why is it that that particular leaf was the only one to fall at the time? I think we should examine that snapshot in time.”

Cui Dongshan did as Cui Chan suggested.

Despite his usual mischievous demeanor, Cui Dongshan was always serious and focused when it came to matters of true significance.

In the picture scroll, Qi Jingchun secured the only locust leaf that was willing to leave its branch for Chen Ping’an, then turned and cast his gaze toward the highest point of the locust tree with a hint of mockery on his face.

He was looking at the precise spot that Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan were peering into picture scroll through, and their eyes met through the river of time.

Was it a coincidence, or had he done this on purpose?

A chill ran down Cui Dongshan’s spine, while a dark look had appeared on Cui Chan’s face.

“Is he mocking those old locust tree ancestors for their short-sightedness, or is he mocking us for completely failing to understand what he’s been plotting all this time? Or perhaps there’s a bit of both?” Cui Dongshan murmured, while Cui Chan pondered the same questions in silence.

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan sat down onto his backside and howled, “What on earth have we done? Tell me, you old bastard! You’re older than me, and your cultivation base is superior to mine, so surely you have more foresight than me! Right now, I feel like there’s a huge weight on my chest. Just like my teacher is too exhausted to write anymore on that dock, I feel so exhausted right now that I can’t even muster up the urge to curse you anymore.”

Cui Chan remained silent in a stoic manner.

Cui Dongshan threw his hands over his head as he wailed, “Why are we still here? Just to suffer? My teacher is suffering, and I’m suffering along with him! We haven’t been able to enjoy any good times together, yet I’m forced to share in his hardships. I can’t keep living like this!”

All of a sudden, Cui Chan smiled as he said, “You’re even more afraid of Qi Jingchun than I am, so I know that before all of this happened, you were hoping even more desperately than I am that Qi Jingchun is truly dead. However, I’m guessing you’ve changed your mind now, right? You’re hoping that Qi Jingchun will come back to haunt us one more time, isn’t that right?”

Cui Dongshan fell into a dejected silence.

Cui Chan pointed at the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll as he said, “Roll it up. There’s no point in overthinking things. At this point, it no longer does us any good to try and guess Qi Jingchun’s intentions.”

Cui Dongshan slowly shuffled over to the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll on his backside bit by bit, then slapped a palm viciously down onto Qi Jingchun’s face on the scroll.

That still wasn’t enough for him to vent his fury, and he slapped the visage of Qi Jingchun twice more as he grumbled, “What kind of junior brother plots against their senior brother like this? How about you man up and talk to me face to face? I’ll teach you a lesson on respect!”

“Do you not feel ashamed?” Cui Chan asked.

Cui Dongshan packed away the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll in a huff.

Cui Chan suddenly changed the subject as he asked, “Do you still remember that time that the old scholar won that debate against the Buddhists and the Daoists? After returning to the school, he didn’t display any joy over his victory.

“Instead, he began drinking, which was a rarity for him, and he spoke to us how back in the day, even the average, no-name layman would dare to bicker with the Paramount Sage and the Etiquette Sage and espouse their principles without any fear. If they felt enlightened, then they’d burst into laughter, and if they disagreed, then they would loudly protest.

“I still clearly recall the look on the old scholar’s face as he was telling us about those times. It was a look of longing that was even more pronounced than the expression that he had displayed during the debates against Buddhism and Daoism. Why do you think that is?”

“The old scholar’s ambitions are even loftier than the heavens, that’s why!” Cui Dongshan replied in a disgruntled manner.

“Why is it that compared with ancient times, it’s becoming easier and easier to learn to read, and books are becoming more and more accessible, but people are only developing more awe and veneration toward the principles espoused by the sages of the Hundred Schools of Thought?

“Why is it that followers of Confucianism are convinced that they’ll never be able to reach the same heights as their predecessors, and that the people of today are destined to be inferior to their ancestors? Why is it that more and more theories are arising in the world, yet people are only becoming more and more narrow-minded?”

Cui Chan raised a string of questions in rapid succession.

“It’s most likely because as our lives become better and better, we become less and less receptive to this world, just like the high and mighty deities from back then,” Cui Dongshan sighed.

“Isn’t that a very good thing for us as long as we can weather the coming storm?” Cui Chan asked as his eyes narrowed slightly, and Cui Dongshan’s expression instantly stiffened upon hearing this.

“Are you having second thoughts?” Cui Chan sneered.

Cui Dongshan began trembling uncontrollably, something that was almost unimaginable for someone as dauntless and unrestrained as he was.

All of a sudden, Cui Chan rose to his feet as he said, “You’ve found yourself a good teacher. For other people, such as 99% of the people in this Bamboo Scroll Lake, even if they were to be thrown into that river of time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land by that old Daoist priest, they wouldn’t be able to see anything worthwhile, even if they were allowed to stay in there for three thousand years, let alone only three hundred.”

“Why are you suddenly saying that all of a sudden? I get a bad feeling in my gut every time you praise someone,” Cui Dongshan said in a perplexed manner.

Cui Chan cast his gaze out toward the moonlit lake as he said, “Right now, there’s too much on my plate in the Great Li Empire, so I can’t stay here every day and continue to receive flying sword letters like this.

“That would negatively impact the truly important things that have to be done. I’m different from you in that if Chen Ping’an fails to overcome this hurdle, then you’ll go down with him, whereas I have already secured myself an impervious position. This is why I take precedence over you.”

Cui Dongshan didn’t seem to think it strange that Cui Chan was leaving, and he didn’t say anything further, but a scheming look had begun to appear in his eyes.

Cui Chan had his back to Cui Dongshan as he said, “I advise you to grow a spine and not try to make any sneaky moves behind my back while I’m not around. If you try to do something like that, then I’ll be very disappointed in you.”

Cui Dongshan continued to remain seated on the ground as he gently swept a sleeve through the air, as if he were sweeping the ground.

“If you have any questions, hurry up and ask them while I’m still here,” Cui Chan said.

“Are we really just going to allow Liu Laocheng to kill Gu Can? You’re not going to do anything about that?” Cui Dongshan asked.

Cui Chan shook his head in response.

“Regardless of the outcome, it doesn’t have much to do with me. I’m not Chen Ping’an, so what do I care if that little brat lives or dies? If Liu Laocheng kills Gu Can, then he’ll have to be the one to make a deal with our Great Li Empire in Liu Zhimao’s stead. They even share the same surname, so what difference does it really make?

“In fact, that would actually be a better outcome as Liu Zhimao on his own doesn’t possess the authority required to command everyone’s respect. The cultivators of Bamboo Scroll Lake behave in a way that’s very reminiscent of two-faced officials in corrupt imperial courts, so it’s better to have Liu Laocheng take Liu Zhimao’s place.

“He’s more aware of the direction that the world is heading in, so he’ll be much more determined and efficient in a collaboration with our Great Li Empire. In contrast, there’s a very good chance that Liu Zhimao will fall into an indecisive state, displaying hesitation and inaction even after receiving the benefits promised to him, not to mention that would also give Liu Zhimao the chance to extort us and raise his price at the last minute.

“If Liu Laocheng becomes the ruler of the cultivation world, his initial asking price is going to be higher, so our Great Li Empire will have to make a greater investment in the early stages, but over the long term, we’ll be able to make everything back with interest.”

“What if, by some off chance, Qi Jingchun really is still hanging around, and he comes here after you leave?” Cui Dongshan hurriedly asked.

“I’ve naturally already made preparations for such an eventuality, and they’re hidden somewhere in Bamboo Scroll Lake, just like how the Daoists left Branch Master Lu in the Jewel Small World,” Cui Chan replied. “I’m not you. When I say I’m going to do something, then I’m going to do it. Don’t try to guess what preparations I’ve made, I’ve also made other preparations to target you if you break the rules and step out of line.”

Cui Dongshan fell silent as he swept his sleeves through the air, sweeping them over the ground.

“Sometimes, the environment that one is in determines their destiny. A rat will never come to understand that they’re stealing by moving food from one place to another,” Cui Chan sighed.

He then turned to Cui Dongshan with a smile as he asked, “What about us humans? We try so desperately to attain immortality. If there are unknown, higher life forms looking down upon us right now, I wonder what they’ll think.”

“Why ask me that question when you’ve already thought of an answer to it long ago?” Cui Dongshan grumbled. “We chose to do that thing precisely because we had to make sense of things.

“That’s why Zhu Lian, the most interesting of the four picture scroll martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, chose to passively observe and arrived at the correct conclusion, declaring that you and I may well bring disaster upon ourselves by constantly prying into the business of others.”

“I’m worried that you’ll become the next Gu Can and develop a habit of forgetfulness,” Cui Chan chuckled.

Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes in response.

Cui Chan smiled as he said, “The contests that took place between Qi Jingchun and I, and the Jewel Small World and Bamboo Scroll Lake were both gentlemanly affairs.”

A peculiar look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face upon hearing this.

“The fact that you’re displaying skepticism now indicates that I once suffered from self-doubt as well, but I can tell you now that they were gentlemanly contests,” Cui Chan reaffirmed.

“Qi Jingchun was able to bear watching Zhao Yao turn to another scholarly lineage as at the very least, it was still within the scope of Confucianism. Qi Jingchun was also willing to leave behind those three books for Song Jixin to teach him the core tenets of Legalism as there isn’t a great deal of competition between Confucianism and Legalism.

“But if Qi Jingchun were to push Chen Ping’an to Buddhism, and he doesn’t turn back, then what happens from there? Qi Jingchun did ponder the teachings of Buddhism very deeply back when he was presiding over the Jewel Small World, but he definitely hasn’t switched his allegiance from Confucianism to Buddhism, that much I’m certain of. Hence, that begs the question: who exactly is Chen Ping’an?

“Is he Qi Jingchun’s junior brother? Is he the Dao mentor and Dao guardian of Little Baoping, Zhao Yao, and Song Jixin? Or is he Qi Jingchun’s true designated heir? Alternatively, there’s also the possibility that he’s none of those things!” Cui Dongshan exclaimed, becoming more and more agitated by the second.

“I don’t know the answer to that,” Cui Chan replied with a smile.

“I knew you would say that,” Cui Dongshan grumbled.

Cui Chan began to talk down to Cui Dongshan like a senior patronizing their junior as he said, “From now on, don’t go saying ‘I concede’ to anyone, you little rascal. One’s essence, energy, and spirit can falter very easily, but are very difficult to lift back up. In a game of go, just concede your defeat internally and cast your stones onto the board as a gesture of resignation. There’s no need to verbally concede your defeat.”

“Quit trying to lecture me, we’re no longer the same person,” Cui Dongshan said in an unenthusiastic manner.

As opposed to picking up the picture scrolls on the ground, Cui Chan left them to Cui Dongshan as he smiled and said, “At a time like this, you should be making a lamenting remark along the lines of ‘my teacher is truly burdened by endless troubles.’”

Cui Dongshan nodded in agreement as he sighed, “From afar, a mountain can appear so alluring, but the mountain path can often be difficult to traverse, and there could even be bandits in the mountain.”

Cui Chan stepped out of the room and vanished in a flash.

After confirming that Cui Chan really had departed, Cui Dongshan raised his hands and rolled up his sleeves, and a go board and those two jars of Vibrant Cloud Stones appeared before him.

He sat down in a solemn manner and began playing connect five.