Unsheathed

“What do you think about Chen Ping’an?” Liu Zhimao asked.

Zhang Ye thought for a moment and replied, “He’s quite terrifying. If he were a vagrant cultivator belonging to Bamboo Scroll Lake, then you could probably forget about your current position.”

Liu Zhimao nodded and said, “There are some secret matters between us that I won’t reveal to you. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but it’s perhaps better for you to not know about these matters. In any case, there are some small and harmless matters that I can reveal to you as entertainment.”

Zhang Ye didn’t throw any more verbal jabs at Liu Zhimao.

Liu Zhimao was referring to them as small matters, but they most definitely wouldn’t be small matters in the grand scheme of things.

Liu Zhimao gave a detailed recount of his conversation with Chen Ping’an, as well as how they had enjoyed a meal of winter solstice dumplings at the Spring Courtyard Mansion and then each went their own way and did their own thing afterward.

“Say, why did Chen Ping’an purposely bring me along to frighten that woman? And why did he gift me an opportunity to provide such a massive favor? Why did I need to keep the truth from her and act as a good person?” Liu Zhimao asked.

Zhang Ye pondered for a moment before answering, “The reason is simple. Chen Ping’an drew a clear line between himself and Gu Can’s mother when he moved out from the Spring Courtyard Mansion, but he did so in a relatively gentle manner that allowed both sides to retreat with dignity. The situation wouldn’t become too tense or sour.

“However, Gu Can’s mother most likely only felt a sense of relief at the time, not understanding Chen Ping’an’s true intentions. Afterward, Chen Ping’an was merely reassuring them when he occasionally visited the Spring Courtyard Mansion to have meals with them. Gu Can’s mother gradually felt at ease, reaching a mental state where she felt most comfortable, at least in her own mind. Chen Ping’an would no longer have a detrimental influence on Gu Can and lead him astray, causing him to become a death-seeking good person.

“Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an would remain on Cyan Gorge Island and therefore continue to be a shield for the Spring Courtyard Mansion. In this sense, they would have an additional door god. Gu Can’s mother was naturally happy with this. Afterward, Chen Ping’an visited the Spring Courtyard Mansion less and less, reducing his number of visits in a slow and imperceptible manner. After all, this young bookkeeper was indeed very busy. And thus, Gu Can’s mother became even happier.

“Only tonight when Chen Ping’an invited Island Master along to the Spring Courtyard Mansion to eat dumplings with them did Gu Can’s mother finally come to the realization that they were already strangers.”

After explaining these matters that were extremely close to the truth, Zhang Ye asked, “An outsider like me merely paid some extra attention to Chen Ping’an, yet I was already able to see through all this. That being the case, why did Island Master ask for my opinion? What, perhaps you’re afraid that I’ve been cast aside and haven’t needed to use my brain for too long? So I’ve become as rusty as that woman in the Spring Courtyard Mansion who likes to view herself as a noble lady?

“Even if my brain has gone rusty, it should still be enough for me to help Island Master look after the secret chamber and the Fishing Room, right? Perhaps you’re worried about my control over the secret chamber, and you’re afraid that I’ll grab everything and run upon seeing the dire situation of Cyan Gorge Island? You’re afraid that I’ll flee with all of the treasures? Go on, tell me which trusted subordinate you want to hand the secret chamber to. Rest assured, Island Master, I won’t insist on staying in my position. However, I’ll criticize Island Master one last time if I think the candidate is unsuitable.”

“Stop spewing nonsense!” Liu Zhimao scolded with a smile.

“Then what are you trying to achieve?” Zhang Ye asked slowly. “It’s not that I’m belittling myself, but I genuinely can’t provide much help with the current state of things. I won’t agree if you ask me to become a sacrificial pawn, and this won’t change even though I’m aware that I don’t have many years left to live. I still have at least sixty years left, and this can be viewed as an entire lifetime for mortal humans. I’ve enjoyed sufficient fortune and prosperity in my lifetime, but I’ve had to face my fair share of hardships as well. I don’t owe you or Cyan Gorge Island anything.”

Liu Zhimao didn’t answer Zhang Ye’s questions, and he suddenly sighed with emotion, “If everyone in Bamboo Scroll Lake was like Chen Ping’an, then wouldn’t the older generation like us be scolded as having committed far too many crimes to even record? Won’t we become detestable sinners who are still revered by many? How would we salvage our reputation? How would we still enjoy power and influence?”

“Island Master, there are few people like Chen Ping’an,” Zhang Ye replied with a smile.

Liu Zhimao turned around and looked at the elderly Dragon Gate Tier cultivator whose soul was already decaying and fading. He looked at him for a long time.

Zhang Ye simply remained silent.

In the end, Liu Zhimao said, “Zhang Ye, find an auspicious day at the end of this year to secretly leave Bamboo Scroll Lake. Don’t wait until the New Year, and make sure to go far away. Find a serene place with good scenery to enjoy the last sixty years of your life.”

Zhang Ye frowned deeply and asked in puzzlement, “Has the situation already become this dire?”

Liu Zhimao hesitated for a moment before revealing truthfully, “Judging from the situation right now, things haven’t reached the direst state yet. However, worldly matters are unpredictable, and the Great Li Empire taking over Bamboo Scroll Lake is an inevitability of the unstoppable trend. If the Great Li Empire suddenly becomes stupid one day, or if they suddenly feel like they’ve conceded too much to Liu Laocheng and want to regain something from me, then Cyan Gorge Island will be targeted at that time. The Great Li Empire will find an excuse to kill me, both satisfying everyone in Bamboo Scroll Lake and also gaining a dozen or so islands in the process. If I were an official of the Great Li Empire, I would one hundred percent do this as well. In fact, I might be starting to sharpen my blade right now.”

Liu Zhimao patted Zhang Ye’s shoulder and continued, “I’m not trying to win you over or anything. If you weren’t Zhang Ye and were instead a mediocre Dragon Gate Tier cultivator, then would I regard you with any sense of importance? Would I ramble on for half a day like this? If I had so much time, wouldn’t I cultivate in seclusion instead? After all, what if I accidentally advance to the Unpolished Jade Tier? Would the Great Li Empire still dare to sharpen their fucking blade? Would they be willing to execute a loyal servant after they’ve outlived their usefulness?

“I would be an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator just like Ruan Qiong, yet Ruan Qiong is almost praised to the high heavens by the Great Li Empire. However, it’s a pity that I’m a Nascent Tier cultivator who’s still half a step away from advancing to the Unpolished Jade Tier. I’m only half a cultivation tier weaker than Ruan Qiong. This is truly infuriating to think about.

“In any case, you were the one who taught me how to win people over back then.”

Liu Zhimao removed his hand from Zhang Ye’s shoulder, helping him fix his collar before smiling and saying, “I hope that I’ll have at least one old friend who can enjoy a peaceful death. This will take little effort, so there’s no need to thank me. Otherwise, you’ll be treating me as an outsider.”

Zhang Ye suddenly let loose a torrent of abuse, scolding, “Old bastard, what will I do if I’ve gone into hiding yet you’re genuinely hunted down and killed by the Great Li Empire or Liu Laocheng one day? After sixty years, how will I still catch up to you in the afterlife? How can I still accompany you for a chat?”

Zhang Ye shook his head and said quietly, “I’m not leaving.”

Liu Zhimao looked at the old man who was acting stubborn again, and he changed the topic and said, “Now that I think about it, you can become friends with our bookkeeper. When you guys do something smart, you appear so smart that it’s as if you’re not human. When you guys become stubborn, however, you appear like idiots who were dropped on your head as children.”

“There’s something off about your mental state right now, and it’s detrimental to your cultivation,” Zhang Ye said. “In a journey of one hundred li, ninety li is only the halfway mark[1]. If your breath of Qi becomes deflated now, then it will be incredibly difficult for you to ever summon it again. That being the case, how will you advance to the Upper Five Tiers? We’ve overcome so many hardships and challenges together, so are you not aware of how many opponents who died at our hands were simply lacking that breath of Qi?”

“Aha, not bad, Zhang Ye, you’ve started to lecture me again,” Liu Zhimao remarked. “In fact, you even dare to lecture me about cultivation. Do you seriously think we’re still the same naive Sea Observation Tier cultivators as before?”

Zhang Ye smiled and replied, “I could still be regarded as naive when I advanced to the Abode Tier, and you weren’t young either at that time. This can’t be helped, since vagrant cultivators like you are no different from wild dogs scavenging for food — vagrant cultivators like you lead a far more miserable life than official immortals like me.”

Liu Zhimao smiled in ridicule and jabbed, “You’ve lived as a vagrant cultivator for so many years in Bamboo Scroll Lake, yet in the end, you still prefer to view yourself as an official immortal?”

“There’s something that I’ve always kept to myself and not told anyone else,” Zhang Ye murmured. “On the first day that I arrived at Bamboo Scroll Lake with that person called Liu Zhimao, I dearly hoped that I could one day see Liu Zhimao establish a sect at Bamboo Scroll Lake as a vagrant cultivator.

“So, I’ve frequently visited a place these past few years, the place where Liu Zhimao and I first established ourselves in Bamboo Scroll Lake. This is a small island with the same name as the Hengbo Residence — Hengbo Island. It was a very small island, and it was eventually obliterated by the bonded treasure of a Golden Core Tier enemy whom we viewed as invincible back then. I was angered to death at the time, and I carried the unyielding Liu Zhimao on my back as I rowed to the ruins where I silently shed tears of pain.”

————

Chen Ping’an and Tan Yuanyi arrived at the Hengbo Residence at almost exactly the same time.

However, one arrived openly and one arrived in secret.

Liu Zhimao personally walked out and led the bookkeeper who was holding a charcoal basket into a secret room, a room whose walls and floor were surprisingly covered with snowflake coins. Apart from that, there were only four straw mats.

Millet Grain Island’s Island Master Tan Yuanyi was already sitting on one of the straw mats, resting with his eyes closed. After Liu Zhimao and Chen Ping’an walked in together, he opened his eyes and stood up, saying with a smile, “I’ve heard much about Mr. Chen’s impressive deeds.”

Chen Ping’an posed a strange question, asking, “Island Master Tan, is your colleague at the Green Ripple Pavilion, Li Baozhen who’s currently in the Azure Phoenix Nation, able to learn about the recent events in Bamboo Scroll Lake?”

“We engage in the exchange of critical intelligence every so often,” Tan Yuanyi replied. “If Mr. Chen doesn’t want to appear in the intelligence reports too many times, I can personally oversee some changes.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists and expressed his thanks.

Tan Yuanyi made some polite small talk, saying that Mr. Chen was a mighty figure in the Dragon Spring Prefecture and was even intimate friends with Wei Bo, the formal god of the Northern Mountain. Everyone in the Green Ripple Pavilion admired him and was impressed by his deeds.

In reality, Chen Ping’an didn’t feel any delight or gratitude at all. Instead, he started to feel worried about tonight’s secret meeting.

Those in the imperial court of the Great Li Empire — especially spies deployed in nations outside the Li Empire — viewed rules and laws with utmost importance. However, Tan Yuanyi’s promise to oversee some changes could be viewed as an act of breaking the rules. If he were a vagrant cultivator in Bamboo Scroll Lake, such a promise could naturally be viewed as an act of sincerity and a foundation to engage in further transactions.

However, Chen Ping’an was coincidentally someone who was extremely familiar with some certain rules of the Great Li Empire. This couldn’t be helped, seeing that one of his mortal enemies had been that imperial concubine, the original leader of the Green Ripple Pavilion. She was the most powerful woman in the imperial court of the Great Li Empire.

Since Tan Yuanyi dared to break the rules, even if very minor, this signified that he needed to secretly obtain some compensation from Chen Ping’an. This was part of his responsibility as a representative and negotiator of the Great Li Empire. Many friends turned against each other because of money, and it wasn’t necessarily the case that one’s so-called friends were being ungrateful. One might also be wrong in the sense that one wasn’t able to understand the situation properly. As for the notions of sequential order and the magnitude of right and wrong that should be discussed, these were often overlooked due to the influence of emotions. In the end, everyone would be hurt and suffer a negative outcome.

The three of them sat down together.

One was a passing dragon, a head spy of the Great Li Empire.

One was a local ruler, a Nascent Tier cultivator of Bamboo Scroll Lake.

One was a passer-by, a citizen of the Great Li Empire’s Dragon Spring Prefecture and the bookkeeper of Cyan Gorge Island.

Chen Ping’an sat cross-legged, placing his hands on his charcoal basket and asking bluntly, “The Great Li Empire’s Imperial Song Clan owes me some gold essence copper coins due to the events that took place in Old Dragon City. Is Island Master Tan aware of this matter?”

Tan Yuanyi nodded and replied, “This is a top-level secret in the Green Ripple Pavilion, and of all the hidden spies and pawns we have in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, I’m the only one who can obtain some information about this secret. I’m only aware of bits and pieces that were purposely described in a brief manner in the official documents, and I don’t have the right to learn about the finer details.”

“Is the military of the Great Li Empire — for example, the two armies of heavy cavalry that arrived on the borders of the Luminous Vermilion Empire one after another — very dissatisfied with Island Master Tan?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Tan Yuanyi’s expression changed slightly.

The Great Li Empire respected and promoted martial arts, and this was the case in the imperial court, in the cultivation world, and also in the mortal world. It wasn’t without reason that the people of the Great Li Empire were said to be tough and physical, and it was also because of this that they were always insulted as “northern barbarians” by the rest of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Most of the pillar clans in the Great Li Empire had their roots in the military, and these pillar clans all controlled armies of heavy cavalry that were very accustomed to warfare. No one clan could completely control the entire army of the nation, and it was oftentimes two or three powerful clans balancing out or forming alliances with each other. Of course, there were also pillar clans like the Yuan Clan and the Cao Clan who viewed each other as mortal enemies.

If it weren’t for Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan, the scholarly officials of the Great Li Empire would have never had the opportunity to shine. In fact, even after Embroidered Tiger had already managed the imperial court for one hundred years, the imperial court had still managed to produce a huge joke last year.

The messenger of an army engaged in the southward expedition angrily marched over to the Ministry of Revenue to demand silver, and the assistant minister who was an entire rank above the messenger personally came out to greet him. The assistant minister followed the normal procedures of the Ministry of Revenue, first complaining about their difficulties and crying poor before spreading his hands apart and saying that they had no silver to spare.

If there existed some sort of relationship between the officials, then the Ministry of Revenue would at most say in private that they would try their best to free up some funds. If there existed no relationship, then the officials requesting funds could scram and do whatever they wanted. If they were capable enough, then they were free to cause trouble at the Ministry of Revenue.

The messenger requesting silver from the Ministry of Revenue belonged to the latter group of officials who had no meaningful relationship with the ministry, so after enduring the excuses and listening for half a day, he finally exploded in anger and slammed the table, glaring at the assistant minister and pointing at his nose as he unleashed a torrent of abuse.

The messenger clearly listed out the contributions made by the army he belonged to, going through a list of enemy nations that they had defeated and conquered. Afterward, he recounted the bloody battles that the army had experienced, announcing the specific battle and nation and stating the number of casualties they had suffered. According to what Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan had said before, this was a case of martial artists also needing to speak in a refined manner that scholarly officials could understand.

In the end, the messenger asked the assistant minister if his conscience had been eaten by a dog, what with his mumbling speech and a myriad of excuses to avoid handing out pay for the soldiers. He then clearly revealed how many funds the Ministry of Revenue still had, going to such lengths that the assistant minister eventually sighed with emotion and remarked that the messenger should become an official in the Ministry of Revenue instead.

After all the back and forth, the messenger naturally returned with a healthy sum of silver. Not only that, but he was also given a pleasant surprise, with the assistant minister giving an additional sum of money to the army that had complex relationships in the capital.

However, before the messenger could leave the capital and deliver the good news, he was quickly summoned back along with the assistant minister and even the superior of the latter, the head minister who was regarded as the god of wealth of the Great Li Empire. The three of them were gathered together in a large hall.

Sitting on the main seat was Embroidered Tiger, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan of the Great Li Empire.

At the time, Cui Chan had sipped some tea and said with a faint smile, “The Ministry of Revenue doesn’t feel ashamed to delay payment to the teachers and poor scholars of the Great Li Empire? Didn’t you officials also start off as scholars? If I remember correctly, Right-Hand Assistant Minister Song Yan of the Ministry of Revenue also received his earliest education in a village school. Can you truly bring yourself to hold back these funds? Has the Great Li Empire already become so impoverished?”

Ignoring the assistant minister who was shaking in fear, Cui Chan then turned to the white-haired yet hale and hearty head minister and said, “God of Wealth Han, who should we blame for the Great Li Empire becoming so poor? Should we blame me? Or should we blame you?”

The elderly head minister was surprisingly unafraid, and he pointed at Song Yan and replied, “I wouldn’t dare to blame Imperial Preceptor. I might be old, but I’m even more obsessed with holding my official post. In any case, the Ministry of Revenue isn’t poor at all. We have large amounts of silver, and it’s just that we’re unwilling to spend them irresponsibly.

“In this sense, I’m not to blame either, and only Song Yan can be blamed for this incident. From the beginning to the end, the Ministry of Revenue abided by Imperial Preceptor’s request when moving those funds. We did everything in a clean and tidy manner, not giving one more copper coin and not giving one less copper coin.

“However, Song Yan’s actions led to the resulting incident. One should have the courage to bear responsibility for one’s own actions, so Song Yan, hurry up and display the backbone and integrity of an official from the Ministry of Revenue.”

The messenger who had asked for funds widened his eyes in shock. This was the conduct of a high-ranking official in the Six Ministries?! He didn’t seem any better than the unrefined soldiers from the army…

By the looks of it, all of the shameless people and shameless excuses in the world were actually the same?

Cui Chan took a sip of tea and smiled at the elderly head minister, saying, “Alright, stop beating around the bush and trying to plead for your subordinate. Song Yan’s mistake is indeed quite big, but it isn’t so big that he’ll lose his official position. He did quite well during the past few official evaluations, so his punishment will be to give up three years of pay and add it to that fund.”

Song Yan was going weak at the knees, and he felt a great sense of relief upon hearing this, saying, “This subordinate is willing to give up ten years of his pay…”

The elderly head minister slapped his forehead and lamented, “Foolish idiot, you’re seeking death now…”

Cui Chan didn’t become angry, and he held his cup of tea in one hand and waved his other hand with the cup lid at Song Yan, saying, “This isn’t a proposal befitting of officials. When you go back and return to your senses, calm down and diligently learn the way of officials from your head minister. Stop deluding yourself with the thought that your superior only established himself in the core of the imperial court thanks to his ability to make money.”

The elderly head minister left the hall with his assistant minister who had just experienced a close brush with death.

The two of them wiped away their sweat together, and the elderly head minister kicked Song Yan on the leg and scolded in a low voice, “If I were thirty or forty years younger, I would have kicked you until you shat your pants.”

Assistant Minister Song Yan smiled bitterly in response. Was this still the same head minister who always appeared so refined and scholarly?

1. This means the closer one is to success, the more one has to be careful, lest all previous efforts are undone. Li is a Chinese unit of measurement equal to 500 meters ☜