Unsheathed

Chapter 528 (3): The Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Present and Future

After stepping inside the building…

The young boy in white was seemingly treating the main hall of this building as a study, with a painting named Riding Across A Plank Road On A Windy Night lying unfurled across his large square table. The outlines were subtle, yet the painting possessed a sense of simplicity and spirit. It could be regarded as a divine work.

There was also a cultivation novel printed poorly by a private bookshop, and there were small bronze beast paperweights holding the pages down, with many notes written across the pages in red.

Song Jixin bowed and greeted, “Song Mu pays his respects to Imperial Preceptor.”

Cui Dongshan’s arms and head were resting on the table, while his legs were crossed under the table. Remaining in this lazy position, he turned around and glanced at Song Jixin before saying with a smile, “In the blink of an eye, many years have already passed since our last meeting in the small town. And now, we finally meet again.”

“If it weren’t for Imperial Preceptor’s benevolence, Song Jixin wouldn’t have had the opportunity to become a member of the Great Li Empire’s imperial family, much less become a feudal lord of Old Dragon City,” Song Jixin said respectfully.

Cui Dongshan spoke in a startling manner, saying, “In reality, Qi Jingchun gave both you and Zhao Yao a gift before. However, Zhao Yao made a transaction with me for the sake of survival, giving up the spring seal from Qi Jingchun. It’s still too early to draw conclusions regarding the gains and losses of this matter.

“As for you, the gifts from Qi Jingchun were those few books. However, you didn’t pay enough attention and were too lazy to read them. In reality, Qi Jingchun left his understanding of Confucianism and Legalism in those few books. If you were sincere enough, you could have naturally read the books and become aware of these matters. Qi Jingchun wasn’t a stubborn and pedantic person, and he had fairly high hopes for you. What kind of person needs to use Confucianism externally and Legalism internally? If you obtained that knowledge, your uncle and I might have allowed your official garb to have one more dragon claw.”[1]

Song Jixin was unfazed.

Cui Dongshan nodded and continued, “Your disposition is slightly better than Zhao Yao’s. It’s no wonder that Zhao Yao always admired you in the past and was inferior to you when it came to Go.”

Cui Dongshan pointed at a bench.

Song Jixin sat down on the bench wide enough for two people.

Cui Dongshan remained lying on the table the entire time, and it was as if he were having a casual chat about life as he chuckled, “Song Yuzhang truly died a pointless death. The previous emperor’s method of constructing the covered bridge stooped to a low level, what with the death of so many imperial descendants of the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan. Not only did Kiln Supervision Official Song Yuzhang not quit while he was ahead, hurriedly drawing a clear barrier between you and himself and enjoying the rest of his life at the Ministry of Rites, but he genuinely treated you, a prince, as his own illegitimate son. If this isn’t seeking death, then what can be regarded as seeking death?”

Song Jixin’s cheeks moved slightly, most likely because he was clenching his teeth.

Cui Dongshan laughed loudly and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, “You’re quite relaxed, Song Jixin, and you have a long-term view regarding whether or not you can ascend the throne. However, you’re also very unforgiving, and even until now, you’re surprisingly still unable to forget about Song Yuzhang, the measly mountain god of Downtrodden Mountain.”

Song Jixin clenched his fists and remained silent.

Cui Dongshan smiled and asked, “Are you unhappy about Ma Kuxuan’s attraction to your maidservant?”

Song Jixin nodded and replied, “I know Zhi Gui has no interest in him, but it’s still a repulsive thought no matter what. So, when the circumstances allow me to kill Ma Kuxuan, I’ll personally kill that lowly bastard from Apricot Blossom Alley.”

Cui Dongshan waved a hand and asked with a smile, “Lowly bastard? Don’t utter these kinds of bold and naive words. In the eyes of Ma Kuxuan, it’s actually people like you, royal descendants of the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan, that are lowly bastards. In any case, True Martial Mountain will definitely protect Ma Kuxuan no matter what. Apart from this, all of the Qi refiners in the continent have witnessed Ma Kuxuan’s incredible cultivation speed. Which is to say, the more time that passes, the less likely that your desired circumstances will materialize.”

Song Jixin shook his head and said, “He’s too full of intensity and vigor, and things will go downhill after reaching a certain limit. Since I’m a mortal feudal lord, with my status difficult to change, there’s no need for me to physically fight with him anymore. However, beyond using one’s own fists, there are many other ways to kill people in this world.”

Ma Kuxuan had killed two Golden Core Tier sword cultivators in the Luminous Vermilion Empire, taking things step by step one time and toying around with his opponent. The other time was different, and he had almost needed to fight with his life on the line. He had chosen to use his countless trump cards to face his opponent head-on.

Through the two deadly battles, the cultivation aptitude shown by Ma Kuxuan had vaguely turned him into the undisputed number one cultivation prodigy in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Before Ma Kuxuan, only two people over a span of several hundred years had been unanimously regarded as prodigious cultivation talents by those in the mountains. One was the Wind Lightning Field’s Li Tuanjing, and the other was the Wind Snow Temple’s Wei Jin.

If it weren’t for Li Tuanjing’s challenges with romance, those in the mountains had always believed that he could display his full talent after becoming an Unpolished Jade Tier sword cultivator. He would have a chance to advance to the Immortal Tier and perhaps even the Ascension Tier! At that time, even the Divine Edict Sect would be unable to suppress the Wind Lightning Field, to say nothing of Sun Scorch Mountain.

Thus, Li Tuanjing’s grudges, romance, and other relationships had all been very complicated at the time, and Sun Scorch Mountain definitely hadn’t been alone in targeting the remarkable cultivation prodigy. However, the truth behind these matters had all dissipated like passing clouds following the death of Li Tuanjing.

The wheels of fortune turned, and Sun Scorch Mountain, which had been suppressed by Li Tuanjing and his sword for a very long time, finally managed to breathe a sigh of satisfaction. It started to fight back and steadily suppress the Wind Lightning Field instead, and if it weren’t for Huang He, the new Field Leader, cultivating in seclusion and forcing the various forces to wait for him, the old sword cultivators of Sun Scorch Mountain who had held back their anger for a long time would have already charged over to challenge Wind Lightning Field again and again, especially since it was only being held together by Liu Baqiao right now.

Cui Dongshan lightly tapped the table with his fingers, falling deep into thought.

Song Jixin didn’t become impatient at all.

He had never once thought that becoming a feudal lord of the Great Li Empire would give him the right to straighten his back in front of this person. In fact, the same would be true even if he were to put on a yellow dragon robe and ascend the throne.

Cui Dongshan looked outside the building and said out of nowhere, “Birds born in a cage will think that beating their wings and flying is a sign of sickness.

“Chicken peck food from the ground, and when the shadows of hawks soar past overhead, they start to worry about their grains being snatched away.”

Song Jixin carefully ruminated on the deeper meaning behind these two remarks.

Cui Dongshan sighed and said, “Let’s not talk about these random matters. Apart from relaxing my mind, I’ve also come here to tell you about a proper matter. As a feudal lord, you can’t hole yourself in Old Dragon City forever, can you? The second major war involving the Great Li Empire is about to officially begin, so you need to travel to the Luminous Vermilion Empire to personally supervise the construction of the second capital. At the same time, you can also use this opportunity to improve your relationship with the Mo Clan. When it comes to a war wherein each battle is used to fuel a subsequent battle, only focusing on pillaging and ransacking will render the entire war pointless.”

“Dare I ask, Imperial Preceptor, what does the second war refer to?” Song Jixin asked in a quiet voice.

Cui Dongshan smiled and replied, “Destruction without the ability to repair and rebuild is a form of seeking self-destruction. It isn’t a sustainable Dao.”

Song Jixin was very intelligent, so he somewhat understood the deeper meaning behind the imperial preceptor’s words.

Cui Dongshan continued, “The southward expedition of the Great Li Empire’s heavy cavalry had shattered all of the old rules and regulations, as well as the legal systems of the empires and nations. This is only contained to battle on horseback. Afterward, martial artists of the Great Li Empire will dismount, and how we promulgate the laws of our empire will be of utmost importance.

“Laws are rigid and already written, so the key lies with the people. When determining the good and bad of given laws, half of the consideration should pertain to the written laws, and half of the consideration should pertain to the people upholding the laws. The first test for you and the emperor is how well the southern region and the northern region do, respectively. Don’t treat Old Man Guan and those pillar generals as idiots. All of them are observing the two of you with their eyes wide open.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Imperial Preceptor,” Song Jixin said in a solemn voice.

Cui Dongshan smiled and asked, “Do you know why the previous emperor clearly wanted you to ascend the throne, yet he ultimately asked your uncle to become a temporary ruler prior to his passing? Why did he insist on making it appear as if he were going to pass the throne to his younger brother?”

Song Jixin’s expression changed slightly.

Cui Dongshan pursed his lips and pointed at Song Jixin, revealing, “It was the previous emperor and Feudal Lord Song Changjing in the past, and it’s Emperor Song He and Feudal Lord Song Mu now.”

Song Jixin turned pale as his lips moved slightly.

“Your father already did very well when it came to ruling as an emperor, but when it came to acting as a father… I feel like he did quite okay as well. At the very least, the late emperor genuinely had very good intentions for you,” Cui Dongshan said. “However much you resent the empress dowager in the depths of your heart is however much the new emperor has a reason to resent the late emperor, no? In other words, the knot in your heart relating to Song Yuzhang is actually quite laughable. What’s laughable isn’t your feelings — people aren’t non-sentient trees and plants, so how can we not have feelings? Having feelings is very normal.

“What’s laughable is your complete lack of understanding regarding the rules. Did you truly think that the mastermind behind Song Yuzhang’s death was the refugee from the Lu Clan who killed him? Or your mother who placed Song Yuzhang’s head in a wooden box and sent it to the capital? Or the late emperor? This clearly can’t be the case either. Yet, you were unable to understand this matter? And you still dared to make bold proclamations here, talking about seizing the right circumstances to kill Ma Kuxuan, someone who seemingly has the Mandate of Heaven?”

Song Jixin stood up and bowed again, exclaiming, “Song Jixin humbly accepts Imperial Preceptor’s teachings!”

Cui Dongshan shot a sideways glance at him and said, “On the surface, the books that Qi Jingchun left you were seemingly teaching you to use Confucianism externally and Legalism internally. In reality, however, his teachings to you were the complete reverse. Of course, you don’t have the opportunity to understand these matters anymore.”

Song Jixin sat down and didn’t say anything.

Cui Dongshan waved a hand.

Song Jixin stood up and bade farewell, leaving the medicine shop.

He walked into the alley with his maidservant, Zhi Gui.

Cui Dongshan yawned and walked over to sit down on the door threshold.

The old shopkeeper, whom Cui Dongshan had casually forced to travel around with him, ran to the courtyard and asked with an obsequious expression, “Esteemed Immortal Cui, was that person truly the Great Li Empire’s Feudal Lord Song Mu?”

“That brat was lying. He was just messing around with you,” Cui Dongshan replied.

An awkward expression appeared on Immortal Colored Glaze’s face. Should he believe these words or not? This was a big problem.

Cui Dongshan waved his hand and instructed, “You can go back and continue to work as a shopkeeper.”

Immortal Colored Glaze hurriedly left the courtyard.

Cui Dongshan changed his posture and lay down on the door threshold, using his hands as a pillow.

Back then, the matters in the Colorful Garment Nation’s Blusher Prefecture had only been a small link amid many other plans and schemes.

Cui Dongshan had used the Golden City God, who had fallen to demonic ways, as a spark, allowing him to involve the entire Colorful Garment Nation. This had only been a small and open scheme. Meanwhile, what he and that old bastard had truly desired was something much more hidden. Cui Dongshan had wanted to use a tactful method that adhered to the rules and the Great Dao to release the pitiful individual who had been suppressed at White Emperor City by some Heavenly Master Talismans for one thousand years.

This individual went by the name of Liu Chicheng now, and he was forced to temporarily reside in the soul of a scholar. Moreover, he would have to return the favor in the future even if he didn’t want to. As for when Liu Chicheng returned the favor, this would depend on when Cui Dongshan decided to look for him.

There were many more hidden but ingenious moves like this on the Go board that was the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

To Cui Dongshan and Cui Chan, however, these moves couldn’t be regarded as ingenious at all. They were nothing more than ordinary moves.

For example, the old geezer had taken a fancy to the Azure Phoenix Nation’s Liu Qingfeng, Li Baozhen, and Wei Liang, with the actions of these three people in the nation having very significant implications. In fact, the effects of their actions might even go beyond the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in the future. It was just that the three people were oblivious to this. In the end, the first person to understand the significance of their actions might be Liu Qingfeng, someone who wasn’t even a cultivator.

Living in secluded areas for one hundred or so years and completing so many trivial tasks…

Cui Dongshan would sometimes question himself as well: what was the point of all this? If he stood back and allowed things to progress naturally, regardless of what destructive calamities took place and turned the world upside down, would the Majestic World have essentially suffered enough brutal lessons? Would the final outcome in that scenario actually be better?

Cui Dongshan opened his eyes and gazed at the scenery above his head.

The large majority of people in the world went with the flow.

Those who were smarter liked to take shortcuts when interacting with other people and dealing with worldly matters, seeking the most mentally and physically easy solutions. They also sought speed, hoping to achieve their goals as quickly as possible. This wasn’t wrong, and in reality, it was already quite impressive for people to achieve these aims.

However, just like the past sages had said, life was like a journey, where each person was a traveler. And thus, some sages had also said that the strange and magnificent sites of the world were often located in dangerous and faraway places, with only those determined enough able to slowly travel over and bear witness to their splendor.

Cui Dongshan heaved a faint sigh.

When pondering the myriad of matters in the world, it was seemingly the case that everything would always end up being boring.

There was Ma Kuxuan, whom Lu Chen had removed and then placed back on the Go board.

There was Song Changjing, the tenth tier martial artist.

There was Wind Snow Temple’s Sword Immortal Wei Jin.

There was the young sword cultivator from the Luminous Vermilion Empire who had obtained fortune amid the misfortune, with the remnant scholarly fortune and martial fortune of a nation lingering on his body.

There was Liu Xianyang, who had re-established himself after being broken, and was able to practice the sword during his sleep.

There was Gu Can at Bamboo Scroll Lake, with the young boy’s temperament remaining unchanged as he simply grew smarter and better understood the rules. He definitely had a chance at becoming a genuine vagrant cultivator who was even more experienced and steady than Liu Laocheng.[2]

There was Li Liu, the ruler of the cultivation world who was born with vast knowledge.

There was Ruan Xiu.

There was Wind Lightning Field’s Huang He.

There was the hidden Go piece carefully nurtured by the Divine Edict Sect and personally taught by Qi Zhen.

There was the exceptionally fortunate Xie Ling.

And there were also the youths who were yet to stand out or gain renown.

All of these people could potentially become central pillars as the formidable great trend swept through the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in the future.

Cui Dongshan sat up and was adrift for a while. He then walked to the square table and lay down again.

He shifted his gaze to the open cultivation novel on the table, one that he had taken from the Great Sui Nation’s Mountain Cliff Academy in the past. Cui Dongshan would read a few pages whenever he was bored, also making some notes as he read.

On the page that was currently open, there was a sentence reading, “Holding a sword and lifting up his clothes, jumping onto a roof and keeping the tiles quiet. The moon shone bright in the sky, and the man dashed forward like a nimble bird.” Next to this was Cui Dongshan’s note in red, reading, “Truly the demeanor of a sword immortal.”

Cui Dongshan pushed aside the paperweight and spat on his finger, gently flipping over the page before flipping it back. He glanced at the note and didn’t forget to praise himself, saying, “What brilliant words. As expected of Master’s student.”

Cui Dongshan looked up. Standing in the room next door was the dazed and naive little boy.

Cui Dongshan smiled widely and navigated around the square table, bending down and patting the little boy’s head as he said with a kindly expression, “You need to grow up quickly, Little Gao Cheng.”

1. In ancient China, the dragons on the emperor’s dragon robe had five claws, while the dragons of the robes of other imperial family members and officials had four claws. This was to symbolize the emperor’s supreme authority. ☜

2. Laocheng literally means experienced, mature, or steady. ☜