Unsheathed

Chapter 529 (3): Downtrodden Mountain’s Wealth

From hosting the second Night Travel Banquet to opening the Cloth Wrapper Shop on Ox Horn Mountain, Wei Bo was not only going against his conscience to earn some immortal coins, but he was also… going against his conscience to earn some additional gold essence copper coins.

Since the great mountain god of the Northern Mountain needed to go this far to earn immortal coins to help him advance to the next cultivation tier, how could the imperial court of the Great Li Empire possibly sit back and do nothing? Right now, the new emperor of the Great Li Empire hoped more than anyone else in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that Wei Bo could advance to the Upper Five Tiers! The greater the commotion, the better! It would be best if a grand phenomenon of auspicious clouds appeared over a radius of five hundred kilometers. What would this signify? This would signify the legitimacy of Song He’s reign, with both heaven and earth celebrating his ascension to the throne!

Wei Bo was the only mountain god of the Five Mountains appointed during the previous emperor’s reign.

However, he was also the mountain god overseeing the Northern Mountain, the origin of the Great Li Empire’s dynasty, making him one of the most important deities. This was because the capital of the empire was right under the nose of Mountain God Wei Bo.

Thus, how to cleverly win over Wei Bo, an “old official of the previous emperor,” could very easily become a major headache for the new emperor of the Great Li Empire. If there were no communication between the two parties, then this would gradually become a thorn in the emperor’s side as time went on. With this in mind, Wei Bo and Cloud Drape Mountain needed to accommodate the imperial court and give them an easy way to rectify the situation. Not only that, but they needed to make sure the rectification was comfortable and natural.

When Zhu Lian and Zheng Dafeng had first mentioned this matter before, why had Wei Bo hesitated slightly before agreeing to their proposal?

This was because all three people in the courtyard at the time were exceptionally skilled at playing Go and were able to think many steps ahead.

Wei Bo hesitated briefly before asking, “You’re not going to ask me about how I suddenly learned of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land’s circumstances.”

Zhu Lian waved a hand and replied, “There’s no need to tell me. The three of us have already revealed everything we can disclose. Regarding the things we can’t disclose, there’s no need for the three of us to ask anything or answer anything. Doing so would be completely pointless.”

“We’ll toast some tea in place of wine,” Wei Bo raised his teacup and said.

Zhu Lian hurriedly raised his teacup with two hands and said with an obsequious smile, “I’m not worthy of a toast from Great Mountain God Wei.”

After they downed the contents of their teacups, Wei Bo smiled and remarked, “It’s a pity that Brother Dafeng isn’t here.”

Zhu Lian stroked the back of his head and said, “Both you and I are inferior to him when it comes to being a decent human.”

Wei Bo didn’t have any objection to this claim.

He wasn’t a human, in any case.

This was a free win over Zhu Lian.

It was truly difficult to get any wins over this old cook, whether that be playing Go or doing business.

Wei Bo stood up and said with a smile, “I won’t disturb you from making your midnight snack.”

Zhu Lian nodded and sighed, “I was feeling tough in the beginning, but now I’m starting to feel a little guilty. When Young Master returns to Downtrodden Mountain in the future, I surmise that I’ll need to hide at your place for a while.”

Wei Bo disappeared in a flash, taking slight pleasure in Zhu Lian’s misfortune.

Zhu Lian stood up and walked over to open the door.

Standing there was a tanned young girl whose arms were hanging limply by her side again. She had used her head to knock just then.

This was likely because she hadn’t called over her Right Guardian of Dragon Riding Alley.

Pei Qian swayed and wobbled as she walked inside, asking in a quivering voice, “Old Cook, I couldn’t fall asleep, so I came here to chat with you. Is that okay?”

Zhu Lian closed the door and replied with a smile, “Of course that’s okay.”

Pei Qian sat down and immediately grimaced as pain shot through her backside.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t fall asleep tonight, but rather that the intense pain was keeping her awake. She almost felt like giving herself a solid slap, what with her claim of blankets being her greatest natural enemy in the past. This had become a reality now, no? Placing the light and fluffy blanket on her body was like covering herself in sharp blades.

“You’re not hungry?” Zhu Lian asked. “Do you want some midnight snacks? It will take no time at all to prepare.”

Pei Qian shook her head and replied in a sickly voice, “I don’t have any appetite.”

“There’s something on your mind?” Zhu Lian asked.

Pei Qian nodded in response but didn’t say anything.

“You’re feeling agitated because your debt is steadily growing?” Zhu Lian asked.

Pei Qian nodded again, replying in a gloomy voice, “The old man said it will be a few more days before I can break through to the third tier. At that time, I’ll just barely be able to make transcriptions for a period of time. However, it will only be a few days, and it won’t be long before my arms and legs become uncooperative again. This is bloody annoying.”

Zhu Lian simply listened to the tanned little girl speak without interrupting.

Pei Qian gazed up at the large “jade plate” in the sky, continuing, “In the past, when I was still at Dragon Riding Alley, I always hoped that Master would quickly return home one day. I still want Master to return home now, but I’m also afraid of him returning. If Master learns that I haven’t transcribed texts for so many days… What if he suddenly gets angry and disowns me as a disciple? What should I do then?”

The tanned little girl scrunched her face and pursed her lips, with tears glistening in her eyes as she said in grief, “It’s not like Master hasn’t done something like this before. Not long after leaving the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Master already wanted to get rid of me once at a place called the Great Quan Empire in the Parasol Leaf Continent. Just think about this, Old Cook. What kind of person is Master? He’s someone who even keeps his broken straw sandals. However, he was willing to get rid of me just like that. I was still little and immature at that time, so Master could go back on his decision to get rid of me. However, I’m older and more mature now, so Master will genuinely disown me if he wants to get rid of me again.”

“Is this what you’re afraid of? So you haven’t dared to grow up this entire time?” Zhu Lian asked softly.

Pei Qian raised an arm with much difficulty, wiping the tears from her eyes as she replied, “How can I not be afraid? What’s so good about growing up?”

In reality, Zhu Lian had already explained the intention of transcribing texts to Pei Qian before, and she had definitely understood and accepted his explanation.

However, Pei Qian was unable to explicitly state the true reason, something that was forcefully buried at the bottom of her heart.

Zhu Lian was roughly able to guess what the true reason was, but he didn’t say it out loud.

In the past, Chen Ping’an had once personally told Pei Qian that the person whom he had genuinely wanted to bring out from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was actually Cao Qinglang.

To say nothing of liking Pei Qian, Chen Ping’an had even felt a sense of loathing toward her at that time, especially with her personality being at the opposite extreme of Cai Qinglang. Moreover, he hadn’t disguised his feelings at all.

In Zhu Lian’s eyes, growing up was a process of balancing an increasing number of gains and losses.

Pei Qian was stuck in a very awkward situation.

She wasn’t oblivious to the notion of balancing gains and losses, and on the contrary, the young orphan who had suffered a myriad of hardships was most skilled at reading expressions and weighing up gains and losses.

After following Chen Ping’an, however, Pei Qian discovered that her greatest skills would only cause her to drift further and further apart from her master.

It was because of this that she feared growing up. She was secretly emulating Chen Ping’an, attempting to become a version of herself who could win his acknowledgment and approval.

There was nothing bad about this.

After all, Chen Ping’an had enough patience to wait for Pei Qian to slowly grow up. He was even more willing to teach Pei Qian different principles and etiquette during different periods of her growth.

However, no one could have foreseen Zhu Lian and Pei Qian coincidentally witnessing that scene upon entering the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, which had split into four smaller blessed lands.

In reality, things should have been fine if Pei Qian had only visited the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and seen the more mature young boy in azure walking over with an umbrella.

The problem was that Pei Qian had once stood at an entrance in the small alley and seen Chen Ping’an holding an umbrella and walking along the alley in the rain with Cao Qinglang.

After arriving at the Majestic World, Cui Dongshan had shown her a Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll, and Pei Qian had witnessed another very similar scene, with the young boy wearing straw sandals walking alongside the scholar whom he respected the most. Moreover, that scholar had also been holding an umbrella in the rain.

This was the reason why Pei Qian had said that she could lose to anyone, but she definitely couldn’t lose to Cao Qinglang.

Pei Qian was afraid that the mature and exceptionally outstanding Cao Qinglang would take back what should have rightfully belonged to him.

She was afraid that a day would come when her master held an umbrella in the heavy downpour, walking side by side with Cao Qinglang and gradually disappearing into the distance, never once looking back.

With these thoughts weighing down on her, it was as if Pei Qian had returned to that small alley in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land even though she was now at Downtrodden Mountain in the Majestic World.

It was as if she had absolutely nothing.

The moment that Pei Qian had seen Cao Qinglang in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, it was as if she had instantly been plunged into an icy cave, with her hands and feet becoming freezing cold.

Not only that, but she had even developed killing intent!

However, between the option of killing Cao Qinglang and definitely losing her master, or choosing to grow up and striving to surpass Cao Qinglang no matter what…

After leaving the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and returning to the bamboo building at Downtrodden Mountain, Pei Qian, who had been gradually influenced by Chen Ping’an over time, chose the latter.

Zhu Lian carefully chose his words, asking, “If your master also sees Cao Qinglang when he returns to Downtrodden Mountain, and he likes Cao Qinglang very much, will you feel very sad?”

Pei Qian pondered for a moment before replying, “If he still likes me the most, then I’ll naturally be very happy. If he likes me the same as he likes Cao Qinglang, then I’ll feel a little bit unhappy. If he likes Cao Qinglang more than me, then… I’ll be very unhappy.”

Zhu Lian smiled and said, “Then you can rest assured. I don’t dare to say too much, but of the three scenarios, you can at least guarantee a choice between two of them.”

Pei Qian rolled her eyes and replied, “You’re not my master, so are your words of any use?”

Even though she said this, she actually felt a little happy on the inside.

Zhu Lian suppressed a smile and said, “It’s up to you whether you believe this or not. However, you’ve already practiced fist techniques for so long and accumulated so much debt, yet you still haven’t broken through to the third tier yet. This is not very ideal.”

Pei Qian heaved a heavy sigh, scrunching up her face that didn’t appear so tanned anymore as she concurred, “I know, right? The old man also said my aptitude is only so-so, being even inferior to my master’s. Isn’t this nonsense? How can I possibly compare to Master? How very worrisome!”

Zhu Lian could feel his heart quivering slightly.

He had only been joking with Pei Qian, yet he hadn’t expected for Old Senior Cui Cheng to be so brutal. Had his conscience been eaten by a dog? How could he bring himself to utter such absolute bullshit?!

Zhu Lian pinched his glabella.

He didn’t really want to speak anymore.

When it came to pure martial artists, the barrier to the third tier was the first major barrier. In fact, it could be said that this was the largest barrier that would decide the ultimate height a martial artist could reach.

The significance of this was identical to the significance of a martial artist at the peak stage of the Mountain Summit Tier breaking through one more large barrier and successfully advancing to the tenth tier, the End Tier.

If it were ordinary people learning fist techniques and advancing at such a terrifying speed, it could be explained as them not building a solid foundation, guaranteeing that they would never become the strongest of any given martial arts tier. Failing to stabilize one cultivation tier would mean failing to stabilize every subsequent cultivation tier. These martial artists would be as frail as paper.

However, the old man in the bamboo building?

It was as if there existed no such thing as the sturdiest martial arts foundation in his eyes. There could only be a sturdier foundation.

Pei Qian suddenly looked up and asked, “Old Cook, what tier are you at right now?”

“The eighth tier, the Far Roaming Tier,” Zhu Lian replied with a smile.

Pei Qian looked down and moved her fingers slightly, performing some calculations before sighing again and looking up, lamenting in disappointment, “Old Cook, doesn’t this mean it will be several more years before I can catch up to you?”

“That… seems to be the case,” Zhu Lian replied with a stiff smile.

He then asked in puzzlement, “Are you not aware of what tier your master is at right now?”

Pei Qian looked at Zhu Lian as if he were mentally challenged, replying, “My master is obviously at the sixth tier right now.”

Zhu Lian became increasingly puzzled, asking, “Isn’t Young Master also two tiers below me? Why don’t you talk about catching up to your master first?”

There was a dazed look on Pei Qian’s face, and it was as if she were asking Zhu Lian what was wrong with his brain. She shook her head and feigned an aura of maturity as she replied, “Old Cook, are you sleep-talking because it’s nighttime? Should my master’s cultivation tier not be multiplied by a certain factor?”

Zhu Lian was sincerely impressed by Pei Qian’s reasoning.

Pei Qian bobbled her head around in a brilliant mood.

She suddenly stood up and tapped her foot, gracefully leaping onto the wall before silently jumping onto the roof ridge. With another step, she arrived on the curved eaves and turned her gaze to the north.

Perhaps Pei Qian was still unaware of the notion of the true intent of one’s fists astonishing the ghosts and gods.

It presumably wouldn’t be long before she no longer needed to slap paper talismans onto her forehead.

Zhu Lian suddenly recalled a matter, and his expression immediately changed as he fell silent for a moment before asking with a serious expression, “Pei Qian, did the old senior say anything about you continuously burping those two times?”

Pei Qian continued to gaze north, answering in an irritated voice, “He said I deserved a beating.”

In reality, the old man had also remarked with a disdainful expression that her martial arts cultivation base was advancing as slowly as moving ants and crawling turtles. However, only she needed to know this, or else someone as big-mouthed as the old cook might make it such that the entire Downtrodden Mountain learned of this by tomorrow.

Zhu Lian slapped his forehead.

He truly regretted allowing Pei Qian to learn fist techniques so early.

Even if he thought with his knees instead of his brain, Zhu Lian still knew that neither he, Zheng Dafeng, nor Wei Bo would be able to flee when Chen Ping’an returned to Downtrodden Mountain and noticed the change with Pei Qian in the future. He would definitely scold them severely.

In the eyes of outsiders, Downtrodden Mountain was a place with many strange people and strange matters. In the eyes of those at Downtrodden Mountain, however, Pei Qian was most likely the strangest person.

Of course, Chen Ping’an was even stranger.

All of the masters in the world would feel happy about having a disciple as talented and clever as Pei Qian.

However, Chen Ping’an was not quite the same.

He wasn’t bad at analyzing matters and performing calculations, and quite the contrary, he had acted as the bookkeeper of Bamboo Scroll Lake for three entire years. He was most skilled at analyzing matter and performing calculations.

It was just that he hoped dearly for the people beside him, even if it were only a single person, to carry beautiful things like long grass and flying warblers on their shoulders during the period when they should be free from troubles and worries.

Only after that should they step into the vast world and embark on a distant journey on the path of the Great Dao.

Pei Qian lowered her head and said, “I’m leaving now, Old Cook.”

Zhu Lian nodded in response.

Pei Qian leaped up and landed on the wall, after which she dashed forward and vanished in an instant.

It was just like Cui Dongshan had read in the books.

Jumping onto a roof, the tiles remain silent. The moon shines bright in the sky, the person dashes forward like a nimble bird.