Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an’s smile faded as he said, “I can let all of our past differences slide, but only if you give me a certain person in exchange.”

“That’s not going to happen, Mr. Chen, I suggest you forget about it,” Liu Zhimao replied with a shake of his head. “She’s just a half-human, half-ghost woman from the Vermilion Chord Residence; do you think I would’ve dared to refuse if Liu Laocheng had tried to abduct her by force that night, or if he had simply asked for her like you did just now?

“He could’ve easily taken her, and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it, but he didn’t do that. Have you considered why?”

Chen Ping’an sat in silence across from Liu Zhimao with his hands tucked up their opposite sleeves.

“Not only is she clueless about this secret, even Ma Yuanzhi is completely oblivious, so how did you manage to figure it out?” Liu Zhimao asked in a curious manner.

“I was tipped off by the origins of the name of the Vermilion Chord Residence, and I received further confirmation from the name of a flagon of wine,” Chen Ping’an replied.

Liu Zhimao became even more perplexed upon hearing this, and he implored, “Please enlighten me, Mr. Chen.”

“Ma Yuanzhi was once an imperial chef, and he’s infatuated with Liu Chongrun of Bejeweled Hairpin Island. I’ve heard his life story from him, and whenever he mentioned the Vermilion Chord Residence, he always seemed very pleased with the name, but wasn’t willing to elaborate on why.

“Hence, I paid a visit to Bejeweled Hairpin Island and intentionally brought up the name to Liu Chongrun. She was immediately infuriated, and she was also unwilling to reveal the truth, but she denounced Ma Yuanzhi as a shameless scoundrel.

“After that, I went to Ape Crying Street in Pond Water City under the guise of shopping for ancient scriptures, and I raised some questions to the old shopkeepers of several of the bookshops there, upon which I learned that back in the home nation of Liu Chongrun and Ma Yuanzhi, there was an obscure poem that included the phrase ‘Chongrun strums the vermilion chord,’ and the mystery was solved.

“Ma Yuanzhi had named his manor the Vermilion Chord Residence as a play on words.” [1]

Liu Zhimao burst into laughter upon hearing this.

“That’s brilliant! If you hadn’t unraveled the mystery, I wouldn’t even have been aware that Ma Yuanzhi was capable of such a sophisticated play on words!”

Chen Ping’an continued, “Calamus wine, palace wall willow. [2] Calamus wine is the official wine of Hong Su’s hometown, while palace wall willow alludes to Palace Willow Island. On top of that, there is an extremely potent baleful aura lingering in Hong Su’s body, and upon closer inspection, it’s filled with an obsessive sense of sorrow and resentment.

“Everyone in Bamboo Scroll Lake knows the love story between Liu Laocheng and his female disciple, the story that concluded with the female disciple’s tragic demise. Hence, I didn’t even have to consult the historical records of Bamboo Scroll Lake to make the connection.

“Additionally, given how shrewd and cautious you are, it was clear to me that you had to have been aware that the biggest threat to your status as the ruler of the cultivation world isn’t the three-island alliance of Millet Grain Island, Azure Mound Island, and Heavenly Governess Island. Instead, it’s Liu Laocheng.

“The fact that you even dared to claim the title of ruler of the cultivation world tells me that you have more than just the backing of the Great Li Empire on your side. You definitely have some other tricks up your sleeve that can ensure that even if Liu Laocheng returns to Bamboo Scroll Lake, at the very least, he won’t take your life.”

Liu Zhimao burst into hearty laughter after hearing Chen Ping’an’s analysis.

Never had he imagined that in the entire Bamboo Scroll Lake, it would be a young man from a foreign land that would be the one to know him better than anyone else!

Chen Ping’an was looking rather weary as he said, “I’m going to state half a condition first: I know you’ve definitely planted some things on Gu Can’s mother with which you can threaten her life if the situation demands it, and I want you to remove whatever it is that you’ve planted on her.

“Right now, Gu Can no longer poses a threat to you, and your top priority is to deal with Liu Laocheng and protect your title as ruler of the cultivation world. On the Great Li Empire side, I can try to see if I can pull some strings for you to at least ensure that you won’t be completely abandoned and reduced to a stepping stone for Liu Laocheng to return to the top.”

“Why do I need to fear Liu Laocheng when the fate of Hong Su is still in my hands?” Liu Zhimao asked with slightly furrowed brows.

Chen Ping’an picked up his Sword Nurturing Gourd and took a sip of wine, then coughed a few times and said, “What if Liu Laocheng has changed? What if he’s no longer the Palace Willow Island Master of old? What if this concerns the future of his Great Dao? Is Hong Su really that important?

“He wasn’t able to cast her aside all those years ago, but are you sure the same still applies now? What if, when it comes to the moment of truth, he chooses to end Hong Su’s life with his own hands? What’s going to save you from his wrath then? I’m not saying all of that is going to happen, I’m just laying out the worst-case scenario for you, and I’m giving you a choice to prevent it from happening.”

“Do you really have the ability to influence the decision-making of the Great Li Empire’s top brass?” Liu Zhimao asked.

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“I do, but only to a certain extent. I can tell you right now that the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan still owes me some things.”

A myriad of emotions welled up in Liu Zhimao’s heart at the sight of the young man sitting across from him.

In the end, he stowed away his white bowl, then rose to his feet and said, “I’ll give you a definitive answer within three days.”

Chen Ping’an remained seated as he replied, “I hope that you can continue to remain objective and pursue the truth even when it comes to matters concerning your own Great Dao and welfare.”

Liu Zhimao’s eyelids twitched slightly as he assured, “I will.”

Following Liu Zhimao’s departure, Chen Ping’an erupted into an uncontrollable coughing fit.

Forcibly wielding Sword Immortal that night had taken an unimaginable toll on his body, and considering a bonded acupoint of his had already been ruined, this could barely have come at a worse time.

However, Chen Ping’an wasn’t fazed by any of that.

He was never afraid of losing everything and returning to square one, but there were many subtleties that many other people viewed as complete trivialities that he regarded to be of the utmost importance.

Chen Ping’an made his way out of his room, then passed through the entrance of the island, picking up some stones along the way. He squatted down at the dock and began tossing the stones into the lake one by one.

Gu Can, I don’t want the catfish from you, that was never my intention. Otherwise, after what you said to me on Clay Vase Alley, I could’ve disregarded that gesture of kindness from your mother in the form of that bowl of rice.

I know that it’s precisely because you’re aware of this that you said what you said to me. You had to test me and force me to give you a definitive answer so that you can be completely at ease even when you’re at your most vulnerable.

This was a display of Gu Can’s intelligence, but it was also a display of where his intelligence was lacking.

That wasn’t to say that he was plotting against Chen Ping’an. On the contrary, Chen Ping’an was still extremely important to him, and as long as Chen Ping’an didn’t do anything to harm his most fundamental interests, he would happily allow Chen Ping’an to slap him twice, or even twenty times without retaliation.

The truth was very simple. Chen Ping’an was still the young boy from Clay Vase Alley that he had always been, while Gu Can was also still the same snotty brat from all those years ago. The difference was that back then, they had to depend on each other for survival, and they didn’t truly know themselves, nor did they truly know each other. As time passed, some hearts were inevitably bound to grow apart.

What Chen Ping’an wanted was just for Gu Can or his mother to ask him about the severity of his injuries and whether he was alright, even if it was only a question raised in passing as an afterthought.

After tossing all of his stones into the lake, Chen Ping’an raised his head and gently exhaled, with his breath instantly turning into a visible cloud of mist in the winter chill.

He then lowered his head and began gently breathing onto his own hands for warmth.

————

On Palace Willow Island.

Liu Laocheng had already explicitly forbidden everyone in Bamboo Scroll Lake from entering within a ten thousand feet distance of the island, and no one dared to challenge his authority.

As usual, Gao Mian was a terrible drinker and was already snoring loudly in a state of deep slumber, leaving Xun Yuan and Liu Laocheng to drink on their own in a dilapidated pergola.

For terrestrial immortals like them, they measured spans of time in decades, even centuries, and the seasonal cycle of a year was something that often passed by without their notice.

The two of them didn’t talk much, and all of a sudden, Xun Yuan smiled as he said, “It’s about time I went back.”

Liu Laocheng nodded in response.

“The Parasol Leaf Continent can’t be without you for too long.”

Xun Yuan shook his head as he said, “Gao Mian is not going to overthink things. He thinks that I traveled to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent solely to visit him, but that’s only half the truth. Right now, you can be considered to be a member of our Jade Tablet Sect, so there are some secrets that I should reveal to you.”

“Please go ahead, Elder Xun,” Liu Laocheng prompted.

During his time with Gao Mian, Xun Yuan had behaved in a very submissive manner, and one could easily have mistaken him for a lackey of the Invincible Divine Fist Sect Leader. Essentially, he had been a walking wallet this entire trip, yet he had thoroughly enjoyed himself the entire time, and he hadn’t been putting on an act of false enjoyment, either.

However, when it came to Liu Laocheng, his authority was akin to an insurmountable mountain.

“I actually have very good chances of progressing to the thirteenth tier, but I don’t really want to because it comes with too many restrictions, and I won’t be as free as I am now at the Immortal Tier,” Xun Yuan revealed. “Even if the sky falls, the tall ones will catch it before it falls onto us. For example, on our Parasol Leaf Continent, it used to be Du Mao. Now, even though I’m reluctant to admit it, I’ve taken his place.

“As for whether I’m making the right decision to refrain from advancing to the Ascension Tier, I’m not so sure of that myself. Only time will tell, I suppose. As the leader of the Jade Tablet Sect, I’m responsible for more than just myself. In the wake of Du Mao’s demise, his Great Dao has completely collapsed, and what’s left is not just the colored glaze golden body fragment that you’ve managed to obtain.

“There are also many intangible, indescribable things, and they are the so-called fated opportunities that us cultivators often refer to. As for how much of the fated opportunity that’s meant for me that Jiang Shangzhen will be able to intercept and how much he’ll be able to take from the cultivators of the Parasol Leaf Sect, that will be down to his luck and abilities.

“If Jiang Shangzhen really doesn’t manage to reap any rewards and is sent scurrying to Bamboo Scroll Lake by me, then I’ll have to trouble you to help him out where you can. If Jiang Shangzhen manages to secure a large slice of the pie for himself, then that’s also a good thing.

“That way, the lower sect of our Jade Tablet Sect on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent would have two cultivators with hopes of reaching the Immortal Tier, and even Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen, the neighboring Lake View Academy, and the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan wouldn’t dare to take you lightly.”

Liu Laocheng nodded in response, and he knew that Xun Yuan was being very candid with him.

Liu Laocheng had chosen not to establish a sect in Bamboo Scroll Lake not just because he had become disillusioned with the place. In addition to that, there was a combination of many factors that made it a particularly perilous undertaking, one that could’ve easily delayed or even impeded his pursuit of the Great Dao.

Furthermore, every single breakthrough that he had made, whether it be in his cultivation base or his mental state, had always come with their accompanying sacrifices. Liu Laocheng was a man who had endured extreme adversity and taken extremely hard falls, even coming close to losing his life on occasions.

The calamus wine buried in the palace wall willow.

That was a very convoluted piece of history, one that even someone as cold and callous as Liu Laocheng didn’t want to bring up.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had made peace for himself and the Jade Tablet Sect had chosen to establish its lower sect in Bamboo Scroll Lake, he would’ve most likely never returned to this place of sorrows.

The more he interacted with Xun Yuan, the more apprehensive Liu Laocheng became, and that wasn’t just because Xu Yuan was a seasoned Immortal Tier cultivator. Instead, this sense of building apprehension came from the sharp intuition that Liu Laocheng had developed from all of the perilous situations that he had to endure throughout his cultivation journey.

There was a reason why he had chosen to spare Liu Zhimao and Chen Ping’an, a reason beyond the one that he had given to Gao Mian and Xun Yuan. If Hong Su’s fate were in Liu Zhimao’s hands, then that would hardly be of consequence to him.

However, if Hong Su were to fall into Xun Yuan and Jiang Shangzhen’s hands, then Liu Zhimao would be stripped completely bare and skinned alive, and he would have to bear it in silence, unless he had the resolve to completely defy his tormentors, most likely at the expense of his own life.

Ever since reaching the Upper Five Tiers, Liu Laocheng had made the active decision to fall into obscurity, and that was because upon reaching the lofty heights of the Upper Five Tiers, he had discovered a harsh reality, one that sent chills running down his spine whenever he pondered it to any degree of depth.

The battle for the Great Dao.

It sounded very vague.

As a vagrant cultivator who had reached far loftier heights than most of his contemporaries, he had attained the ability to see the path beneath his feet and compare it with the paths walked by the official immortals of the Upper Five Tiers.

It was the comparison between a rugged little dirt path that was riddled with potholes and a broad and open road that led straight to the heavens.

Did Liu Laocheng not harbor ambitions of becoming the leader of a major sect like Xun Yuan? Did he not want to have the power and influence to sway the fate of an entire continent? Of course he did, but those ambitions were simply beyond his reach.

In Xun Yuan’s eyes, Liu Laocheng was a man of immense fortune, a rare prospect with tremendous potential. Among Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators, Jiang Shangzhen was very proficient in battle and possessed bonded items with enormous destructive power, yet even he may not have been a match for Liu Laocheng.

However, upon reaching the twelfth tier, Jiang Shangzhen would be able to turn the tables.

That was why it was the perfect arrangement for Liu Laocheng to serve as the chief guest elder of the Jade Tablet Sect’s lower sect. Jiang Shangzhen was a wily and unscrupulous rat, and at his core, he was very similar in nature to Liu Laocheng. The more chaotic the world became, the likelier the two of them would be to thrive.

Xun Yuan smiled as he reassured, “Rest assured, Liu Laocheng, I can guarantee you a safe and smooth breakthrough to the Immortal Tier. When that time comes, you won’t have to be the one to offer toasts to me every time. Instead, we will drink together as equals.”

“Looks like I’ll have to raise another toast to you as a gesture of my gratitude then,” Liu Laocheng said with a smile as he raised his cup, and Xun Yuan gently touched his cup to Liu Laocheng’s.

Of course, Liu Laocheng had to down his drink in one go, while Xun Yuan was free to sip slowly at his own pace.

————

In the spacious room on the top floor of the tall building in Pond Water City, Cui Dongshan had steeled himself several times to step out of the lightning field, only to lose his courage at the last second every single time.

He began jumping up and down in frustration while vigorously flapping his sleeves, much like a large, white swan flapping its wings in agitation.

Palace Willow Island was completely beneath a cloud of water vapor, making it impossible to see what was happening on the island through the picture scroll left behind by Cui Chan.

Of course, the Confucian sages residing high up in the heavens above the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent would be able to see the island if they so pleased, but unless there was something of great importance at stake, such an intrusive move would’ve been considered rude and contrary to correct etiquette.

Interestingly enough, these rules had been put into place by the Etiquette Sage, and they worked solely to hinder Confucian sages like himself.

Over the course of the countless, long years during which the Confucians had presided over the Majestic World, many astonishing secret plots had been hatched by followers of the Hundred Schools of Thought, twelfth and thirteenth tier cultivators, as well as all manners of demons, ghosts, spirits, and deities.

Some of these plots perished before ever seeing the light of day, but most of them had been extremely destructive and left behind long-lasting and far-reaching consequences.

However, this rule remained completely unshakeable, continuing to firmly restrict the Confucian sages and keep their hands tied.

It sounded completely inexplicable, did it not?

As a matter of fact, the Etiquette Sage wasn’t the only one that was so inexplicable as there was a similar line that existed in the White Jade Capital and the Lotus Flower Buddhist Nation.

Cui Dongshan stopped what he was doing, then sat back down in front of the go board with his legs crossed. He reached his hands into the two jars of go stones before stirring them around in a haphazard fashion, causing the stones to clatter audibly against one another.

Cui Dongshan picked up a Vibrant Cloud Stone before slamming it forcefully down onto the go board.

“Xun Yuan is setting a test for Liu Laocheng while also doing him a favor. As expected of the wily old fox. However, none of that is of any real consequence. Right now, Bamboo Scroll Lake has become a delectable piece of meat waiting to be devoured by the Great Li Empire, while the Luminous Vermilion Empire has an awkward decision to make.

“It seems like a waste for them to outright relinquish Bamboo Scroll Lake to the Great Li Empire, but the sacrifices that it would have to make to secure Bamboo Scroll Lake would far outweigh what Bamboo Scroll Lake is worth. The battle that will truly decide the fate of the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is about to commence.

“In light of that, the saint of the Middle Earth Confucian Temple above our heads will undoubtedly have his undivided attention focused here. Ultimately, Liu Laocheng is still just a vagrant cultivator, so even if he has some intuitive sense of how the tide of the world will flow, he simply has access to far fewer secrets than the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire.”

Cui Dongshan stared down at the go stone as he sneered, “Liu Laocheng, you still don’t understand just how deep Xun Yuan’s machinations go.”

The words that he had spoken on the summit of that subsidiary island had been meant for the truly important figures pulling the strings behind the scenes to hear, whether it be directly or indirectly.

Cui Dongshan murmured to himself, “Firstly, by alerting you to the fact that you’re indirectly indebted to Chen Ping’an, Xun Yuan was already displaying a bias, so regardless of whether you killed Chen Ping’an or decided to spare him, you would’ve still been grateful to Xun Yuan, nonetheless. That is simply human nature. In fact, if my teacher were to hear about this, perhaps even he would be grateful to Xun Yuan for speaking up when he did.”

He set another stone down onto the go board as he continued, “Secondly, through your decision to spare my teacher, Xun Yuan has curried the favor of a completely decrepit scholarly lineage, and he’s done so through at no expense of his own.

“Even if the Scholarly Sage could see through his intentions, the fact of the matter is that his words indirectly saved my teacher’s life, so the Scholarly Sage would be forced to owe him a favor. Such is the way of the gentleman, it’s simply a product of the moral standards that all scholars hold themselves to.”

Cui Dongshan picked up another stone, then casually tossed it onto the go board as he continued, “Thirdly, and this is the true crux of the matter, Xun Yuan said what he did for the sage overhead to hear, and even more so for the sage that’s still serving out his punishment in the Confucian temple as I speak.

“As long as it concerns the battle for the Great Dao, Xun Yuan would kill Chen Ping’an without any hesitation, even if he learns that Chen Ping’an has the backing of that woman. Do you really think that saint who only had to hand over that ‘nourishing the noble spirit’ jade tablet isn’t angry about all of this? Of course, he isn’t angry at my teacher.

“He’s a very tolerant and generous man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to say something so gracious and sincere back in Old Dragon City. However, it’s exactly because of this that he’s so displeased with the woman who had tried to poke a hole in the very heavens with her sword billet.

“If even someone as enlightened and generous as him feels this way, then what about that poor wretch that was dragged to the Confucian temple by the Scholarly Sage to repent for his transgressions? He would only be feeling even more thrilled and impressed with Xun Yuan. Establishing a lower sect has always been a very difficult endeavor.

“It’s not a matter of how much money you have or how much power you wield, it depends on whether the Confucian schools approve.”

Cui Dongshan turned his gaze away from the go board to take a glance at the blurry picture scroll of Palace Willow Island as he sighed, “Think about it, Liu Laocheng. How many sentences, how many words did Xun Yuan even utter in total? Yet how immense are the benefits that he’s managed to secure for the Jade Tablet Sect?”

Cui Dongshan slammed a palm down onto the go board, sending the four go stones springing high up into the air before gently drifting back down.

“Who says it’s useless for cultivators to cultivate their mental state?” Cui Dongshan mused.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the four go stones were sent flying through the air as he yelled in an enraged voice, “All of you, including that old bastard, better start praying that my teacher doesn’t manage to overcome this tribulation!

“Otherwise, not a single one of you is getting away! Bamboo Scroll Lake, Sun Scorch Mountain, Light Breeze City, True Martial Mountain, the Parasol Leaf Sect, the Jade Tablet Sect, the Great Li Empire, the White Jade Capital…”

Cui Dongshan’s voice trailed off into silence as he spoke, and he sat in a dazed silence for a long while before suddenly letting loose an anguished howl.

“The old bastard was right, my teacher truly is burdened by endless troubles!”

1. The word “strums” (响) is a homonym of 想, which means to think of/to miss/to long for something/someone. Hence, Chongrun strums the vermilion chord sounds the exact same as Chongrun thinks of/misses/longs for the vermilion chord. ☜

2. In Chinese, these two things rhyme. Calamus wine (黄藤酒) is pronounced Huang Teng Jiu, while palace wall willow (宫墙柳) is pronounced Gong Qiang Liu. ☜