Unsheathed

Chapter 529 (2): Downtrodden Mountain’s Wealth

When they reached the waist of the mountain, Zhu Lian was already standing there and welcoming them with a smile.

They entered Zhu Lian’s residence together, after which Rong Chang bade farewell and took his leave. Zheng Dafeng led him to some other place to stay.

Rong Chang wasn’t worried about Sui Jingcheng’s safety at all.

One only needed to observe the mountains and waters of a region to determine a deity’s aura.

Wei Bo’s Great Dao would assuredly be long-lasting.

That person was a “senior” who had immediately become friends with Liu Jinglong, and he was also a young mountain master who had an extremely good relationship with Wei Bo. Taking these relationships into account, it was very easy to determine whether the culture of this place was good or bad.

Rong Chang and Zheng Dafeng came across a little girl in pink as they walked.

Zheng Dafeng smiled and said, “Little Gu, there’s no need to especially wake up to help around. The residence is definitely sparkling clean. Oh, that’s right. This here is Great Sword Immortal Rong, a guest from the Northern Complete Reed Continent.”

Chen Ruchu hurriedly bowed and greeted, “Downtrodden Mountain’s Little Maidservant Chen Ruchu pays her respects to Sword Immortal Rong.”

Rong Chang smiled in response.

A little fire python possessing abundant scholarly fortune?

This was another strange matter.

Chen Ruchu retrieved a large bunch of keys, adeptly picking out a smaller bunch before opening a door. She then handed the small bunch of keys to Rong Chang, carefully explaining to the sword cultivator from the Northern Complete Reed Continent which door each key corresponded to. However, she said that it wouldn’t matter even if he didn’t lock the doors during his stay, and that she would also come here twice a day to clean the rooms, once in the morning and once at night. Of course, it would also be fine if Sword Immortal Rong didn’t want to be disturbed. If he needed someone to serve tea or water, then she was living nearby, so he simply needed to give her a yell.

After explaining everything in a single breath, Chen Ruchu quietly followed Zheng Dafeng and Rong Chang into the residence. Sure enough, it was clean and refreshing. Even though it didn’t possess the immortal aura of immortal abodes, nor did it possess the extravagance of royal residences, it still appeared quite pleasing to the eye.

There was nothing for Rong Chang to be dissatisfied with.

Zheng Dafeng smiled and said to Rong Chang, “Zhu Lian is the senior steward at Downtrodden Mountain, and Little Chen is the young steward. However, there are times when Zhu Lian needs to be managed by her as well. In any case, I like Little Chen very much.”

Chen Ruchu smiled bashfully.

Rong Chang thought for a moment, and he was just about to retrieve a greeting gift from his minimization treasure to give to this adorable little girl.

However, Chen Ruchu was already preparing to bid farewell and take her leave.

Zheng Dafeng grinned and placed a hand on her head, forcing her to stand still.

Rong Chang retrieved a small and intricate spirit tool, a gold-gilded bamboo knot censer that didn’t cost very much. Of course, it was still worth a few lesser heat coins.

Chen Ruchu felt slightly conflicted. This gift was a bit too valuable, and she was able to roughly gauge the abundance of spiritual energy contained in immortal treasures.

However, Zheng Dafeng chuckled and said, “What are you standing there in a daze for? Hurry up and accept it.”

Chen Ruchu accepted the small censer with both hands before bowing and expressing her gratitude.

Rong Chang settled down in the residence.

When Zheng Dafeng left, he saw that the little girl in pink was still standing near the entrance.

He smiled and asked, “Where’s Chen Lingjun? How come I haven’t seen him around lately? Where has he run off to now?”

“He’s been messing around at Ao Back Ridge lately,” Chen Ruchu replied in a soft voice. “He’s always playing so much.”

Her young master owned many mountains right now.

This was disregarding Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain, three mountains that had been loaned to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect for three hundred years.

There was Downtrodden Mountain and True Jewel Mountain.

Apart from them, Chen Ping’an had later purchased Gray Veil Mountain, which was extremely large and located very close to Downtrodden Mountain, as well as Ox Horn Mountain which had been left behind by the Cloth Wrapper Shop, Cinnabar Mountain which Light Breeze City’s Xu Clan had moved out from, Ao Back Ridge, Exuberant Dawn Peak, and Sword Worship Plateau which was located in the westernmost region of the mountain range. These six mountains all belonged to Chen Ping’an now. Apart from Sister Xiuxiu’s immortal force, Chen Ruchu’s young master now owned the most mountains in the Dragon Spring Prefecture.

Zheng Dafeng hit the nail on the head, saying, “Chen Lingjun can’t bring himself to look at Pei Qian’s hardships and suffering while she practices fist techniques. Moreover, the comparison between himself and Pei Qian makes him appear even more frivolous and lazy. This doesn’t sit right with him, so he’s decided to run off and mess around somewhere else. After all, out of sight, out of mind.”

There was a downcast look on Chen Ruchu’s face.

Pei Qian was suffering far too much as she practiced fist techniques.

She was faring no better than Young Master Chen had in the past.

Chen Ruchu needed to prepare a medicinal bath each time, and after carrying the unconscious Pei Qian down from the second floor of the bamboo building, she would need to carry a bucket of water upstairs to clean away the bloodstains.

Both the floor and the walls would be smeared in blood.

Tears would stream down Chen Ruchu’s face whenever she saw this, and there were several times when she had continued to glance at the old senior sitting cross-legged on the ground and resting his mind with his eyes closed as she cleaned off the bloodstains.

However, it was a shame that the old senior simply played dumb.

Zheng Dafeng patted the little girl’s head and said, “You should go home and rest earlier. You always busy yourself with the same things every day, and it feels like you won’t grow tired of it even after one hundred years or one thousand years. Even I admire you for this. If Chen Lingjun were half as patient and kindhearted as you, he would have already been able to impress others with his own bloody abilities. Would he still need to borrow face from Chen Ping’an and borrow status from Wei Bo?”

“But my cultivation is too slow, and I’m not able to help with anything,” Chen Ruchu said in shame.

Zheng Dafeng sighed and reassured, “Don’t think like this. Downtrodden Mountain will lose half of its human touch without Little Chen.”

Chen Ruchu widened her eyes in surprise, with her expression becoming exuberant as she asked, “Really?”

“You shouldn’t become arrogant. Keep up the good work,” Zheng Dafeng chuckled.

The little girl in pink nodded earnestly.

The person who ran around Downtrodden Mountain the most each day was probably Chen Ruchu. She would run around by herself, quietly attending to all of the trivial and miscellaneous matters.

It was as if no one ever paid attention to her.

In reality, however, everyone cared about her.

At Downtrodden Mountain, if Lu Baixiang and the others suffered big misfortunes outside, Chen Ping’an’s stubborn personality would perhaps result in him dilly-dallying and slowly speaking reason with the other party after he learned of the situation.

If Chen Ruchu were the one who was bullied outside, however, would Chen Ping’an still speak reason?

Zheng Dafeng wrapped his hands behind his head and slowly walked away, not visiting Zhu Lian’s courtyard to discuss anything else. Even someone as meticulous as Chen Ping’an was willing to trust Zhu Lian’s abilities, so was there anything for a rough and crude man like Zheng Dafeng to worry about?

As for visiting that beauty wearing a veiled hat who had just arrived at Downtrodden Mountain? Zheng Dafeng was indifferent toward her after seeing her once.

This was similar to his time at Old Dragon City’s Dust Medicinal Shop.

The autumn moon hung high in the night sky.

Zheng Dafeng slowly walked down the mountain.

He was slightly eager to see Chen Ping’an leaving the mountains to speak reason with people in the future.

For example, speaking reason with those at Sun Scorch Mountain and those at the capital of the Great Li Empire.

Most interestingly, Chen Ping’an would definitely abide by his own principles and reasons when he decided to visit these places. The other parties would be forced to listen to his reason even if they didn’t want to.

Zheng Dafeng was also very eager to see what kind of people would take residence in the mountains beyond Downtrodden Mountain.

However, what he was most eager to learn about was what name would be chosen if an immortal force were eventually established at Downtrodden Mountain one day.

This matter had been mentioned during some casual conversations before, and he, Zhu Lian, and Wei Bo had all exchanged a knowing smile. They had smiled in a very impolite manner.

In the small courtyard atop the mountain…

Sui Jingcheng gave a detailed recollection to Zhu Lian and Wei Bo, with most of it relating to Chen Ping’an’s experiences during his travels.

Wei Bo accepted the hiking pole and prepared to deliver it to Cui Dongshan from Cloud Drape Mountain. This would be more appropriate than having Zhu Lian deliver it from Downtrodden Mountain.

Apart from the hiking pole, Sui Jingcheng had personally penned a secret letter as well. She was unwilling to tell Zhu Lian and Wei Bo the words that Chen Ping’an had asked her to deliver to Senior Cui.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Zhu Lian and Wei Bo, but rather, this was simply due to her personality.

She was very similar to Chen Ping’an in this regard.

Wei Bo accepted the secret letter.

Sui Jingcheng felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Afterward, before she met Mr. Cui, whom the senior sword immortal had described as extremely mysterious and ingenious, she only needed to feel at ease and “sightsee” around the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent under the protection of a Nascent Tier sword immortal senior brother.

However, she planned to stay at Downtrodden Mountain and the Dragon Spring Prefecture for a period of time first.

In any case, there were many excuses for her to use. For example, she wanted to meet Pei Qian, the senior sword immortal’s opening disciple, she wanted to visit the immortal shops at Ox Horn Mountain, and how could she not visit Mountain God Wei’s Cloud Drape Mountain? This place was the Jewel Small World, one of the thirty-six small worlds, in the past, so should she not wander around slowly to check it out? In fact, she could even travel north to visit the capital of the Great Li Empire first, after which she could take the immortal ship of the Palace of Eternal Spring to return to Ox Horn Mountain. That way, she could rest here again for a while.

An adorable little girl led Sui Jingcheng to her residence.

Wei Bo visited Cloud Drape Mountain first to deliver the hiking pole and secret letter, following which he returned to Zhu Lian’s courtyard.

Zhu Lian was slowly pacing around and contemplating some matters.

Wei Bo didn’t disturb him, pouring himself a cup of tea as he waited.

The cultivation base of a deity could be directly perceived through their godly body, while the cultivation base of a Qi refiner could be measured through the accumulation of spiritual energy in their acupoints.

Thus, in Wei Bo’s eyes, the four people from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land — Founding Emperor Wei Xian of the Southern Garden Nation, Demonic Sect Leader Lu Baixiang, Female Sword Immortal Sui Youbian, and of course, Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian — naturally had their own brilliant lives, once reaching the pinnacle of the world in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. When considering their mental state, however, none of the first three people could compare to Zhu Lian’s “completeness” and “flawlessness.”

Zhu Lian had been born into a top-notch noble clan, secretly learning martial arts while he studied. He was a child prodigy, and he had participated in the imperial examinations and placed first at a very young age. After patiently compiling the history books and lying low in the officialdom for several years, he had officially entered the imperial court and progressed smoothly, rapidly rising up the ranks and quickly bringing honor to his clan.

Afterward, Zhu Lian had entered the cultivation world and traveled far and wide, displaying an unparalleled demeanor as he casually enjoyed life. He even experienced the mire of the cultivation world and the bottom echelon of society, and in the end, he had unleashed formidable power and returned to the imperial court as his nation teetered on the brink of destruction. He had entered the battlefield and abandoned his peerless martial arts ability, instead using his status as a Confucian general to fight against the chaotic times by himself. In the end, he had once again returned to the cultivation world, transforming from an elegant young master into an unrestrained martial arts maniac.

This was why Zhu Lian showed little interest and excitement even after arriving at the Majestic World. To Zhu Lian, the world was still the world, simply changing from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to the larger Majestic World. However, the human heart was still the same, unable to bring him many surprises.

In other words, Zhu Lian had never truly been very enthusiastic after arriving in this world.

Sui Youbian hoped to genuinely ascend as a sword cultivator.

Wei Xian had the heart of an emperor, filled with wild ambition and maneuvering among political groups in the hopes of rising to the top once again. He wanted to command even more troops and power than a ruler of a blessed land.

Lu Baixiang wanted to slowly accumulate wealth and influence after entering this new cultivation world, allowing him to eventually establish a sect and one day leave Downtrodden Mountain to lead his own immortal force. He wanted to haughtily peer down at the immortals in the mountains as a pure martial artist.

The three of them each had their own desires. They had each found their own Great Dao in this new world.

As for Zhu Lian?

He desired nothing, and he sought nothing.

In reality, Zhu Lian’s mental state had already become unrestrained by the Great Dao a long time ago.

To put things bluntly, Zhu Lian could eat himself to death if he tore off his face mask and used his real appearance to get free food and drinks. In any case, Zhu Lian was already exceptionally skilled at musical instruments, Go, and calligraphy even though he had never put much effort into any of them.

To put things positively, the prodigiously talented Zhu Lian could also advance his cultivation in leaps and bounds and easily race through the cultivation tiers if he were to start refining Qi like Sui Youbian.

Zhu Lian came to his senses at this moment, stopping his pacing and saying with a smile, “Apologies, I got lost in thought just then.”

Wei Bo poured him a cup of tea, and after Zhu Lian sat down, he gently turned the teacup in his hand and asked slowly, “How are your discussions regarding the secret purchase of golden shards going with Cui Dongshan?”

This was a secret and critical matter that Zhu Lian, Wei Bo, and Zheng Dafeng had reached a consensus on before. Once the Lotus Root Blessed Land became the private property of Downtrodden Mountain and advanced to a middle-grade blessed land, they would need to install a large number of mountain gods and river gods in the blessed land. The more they installed, the better. This was because Downtrodden Mountain wouldn’t need to spend a single coin for these mortal incense offerings, yet they would be of critical importance to the Lotus Root Blessed Land.

However, obtaining the golden shards of deities was a matter that directly related to the imperial court of the Great Li Empire. As such, even having Wei Bo ask the imperial court about this matter would be less than ideal. It was with this in mind that they had settled on asking Cui Dongshan to keep the relationship balanced, having him perform deals under the table with the immortal forces in the southern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The imperial court of the Great Li Empire would turn a blind eye even if they learned of this matter, and this was already enough for Downtrodden Mountain.

“I’m still waiting,” Wei Bo replied.

He suddenly chuckled and continued, “After your young master’s student receives that hiking pole, I’m sure that his seventy percent effort will quickly shoot up to one hundred and twenty percent effort. He’ll do everything in his power to help us.”

Zhu Lian nodded and replied, “We need to be extremely cautious when we deal with Cui Dongshan.”

Zhu Lian was very wary and apprehensive of Cui Dongshan.

This was because they could be regarded as the same type of person.

Zhu Lian definitely wouldn’t become careless because of Cui Dongshan’s complicated relationship with Chen Ping’an.

Elsewhere, Zheng Dafeng had mentioned that a person knowledgeable in the rules and regulations of blessed lands would visit Downtrodden Mountain in the near future.

This was fairly good news.

Downtrodden Mountain wouldn’t gain any extra grain rain coins from this, but with each piece of information this person revealed, Downtrodden Mountain would essentially be saving a sum of grain rain coins.

Sun Jiashu had personally visited the mountain not long ago.

He had displayed deep sincerity.

Old Dragon City’s Sun Clan was willing to lend three hundred grain rain coins and only periodically collect interest, and Sun Jiashu and his clan didn’t need any split of the profit earned by the Lotus Root Blessed Land in the future.

The Fan Clan was also willing to lend three hundred grain rain coins under the same conditions as the Sun Clan. This decision wasn’t made by the clan leader of the Fan Clan, but instead by a young man called Fan Er. He would be the lender.

Of course, the two clans each had a list of many detailed requests as well. For example, Sun Jiashu had requested that Downtrodden Mountain provide the Sun Clan with a guest elder within fifty years, with this guest elder either being a Far Roaming Tier martial artist or a Nascent Tier Qi refiner. Moreover, this arrangement could be scrapped once the guest elder provided help a single time when the Sun Clan was facing disaster.

At the same time, the Sun Clan was also planning to establish a new flight route, starting from Old Dragon City in the south and terminating at Ox Horn Mountain’s ferry station in the north, not the Palace of Eternal Spring in the capital of the Great Li Empire. This would require some attention from Wei Bo and Downtrodden Mountain, and help was also required to forge some relationships with the imperial court of the Great Li Empire.

Even with the addition of these conditions that the two parties needed to slowly work through, and despite the fact that the Sun Clan was only collecting interest, Sun Jiashu’s decision to lend money was still guaranteed to receive a good return on investment for Old Dragon City’s Sun Clan.

However, the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was extremely unstable right now, with countless opportunities to grow wealth, so the Sun Clan’s decision to almost empty out their coffers to gamble on Downtrodden Mountain was definitely a less-than-ideal choice. The best choice in a business sense was to let their money grow legs, spreading it to the regions south of Lake View Academy and north of Old Dragon City like the other large clans had done. Interest would beget more interest, and money would grow more money.

Judging from the current situation that was gradually becoming clearer, however, the Sun Clan was not only going to earn a good return, but they could even build a good relationship with the new emperor of the Great Li Empire. Once the Great Li Empire conquered the entire continent, the Sun Clan’s hidden sacrifices would allow their descendants to enjoy greater avenues of growing wealth.

“If nothing unexpected happens, the new emperor of the Great Li Empire will actively send you a sum of gold essence copper coins or a pile of golden shards once the Cloth Wrapper Shop at Ox Horn Mountain reopens,” Zhu Lian suddenly said. “Cloud Drape Mountain can feel at ease and accept this, lest the young emperor overthink things. Smart people like to become suspicious when they have too much free time to contemplate matters, and this will cause things to become imperfect. However, let me say this first. Our relationship is one matter, and doing business is another matter. Downtrodden Mountain is still going to purchase these items from Cloud Drape Mountain at a low price.”

“Of course,” Wei Bo replied with a smile.

He then added, “It would be even better if you remove the words ‘low price.’”