Unsheathed

”All of you who haven’t stood up to try and rebuke me tonight, from now on, you are all esteemed guests of the Sword Qi Great Wall,” Chen Ping’an continued. ”When it comes to doing business, I think information transparency is very important, and I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. Unless I dredge up everyone’s dirty secrets for everyone to see, I don’t think it’s possible to establish a long and productive business relationship. Mi Yu!”

Mi Yu stood up from his chair, then cast a cold gaze toward the female Nascent Tier cultivator and said, ”I’m sorry, I lied to you one last time just now. The truth is that I would have no qualms at all about killing.”

The female Nascent Tier cultivator’s heart instantly shattered into a million pieces.

Mi Yu then pulled a book out of his sleeve, and after looking around the room momentarily, he picked an administrator who didn’t stand up, but had almost done so, then rattled off an extremely comprehensive personal profile about them, including his origins, the names of his direct disciples and which one he thought the most highly of, a list of names of all of his descendants, the locations of all of his private residences, not just on Stalactite Mountain, but on his home continent, and even on other continents.

All of this information was casually laid bare by Mi Yu, and he even revealed the names of the celestial maidens who weren’t the administrator’s Dao partner, but had had romantic entanglements with him, nevertheless.

After that, Mi Yu did the same thing to two other administrators before Chen Ping’an finally raised a hand to stop him.

”That’s enough. Three is a good number to end off on for now.”

Mi Yu nodded in response.

Chen Ping’an then turned his gaze to another sword immortal and called out, ”Pu He.”

Pu He stood up with his gaze fixed on the Nascent Tier cultivator who had apologized to him earlier, and he sneered. ”Sometimes, I really don’t understand you people at all. Earlier, you were almost a dead man, and you had to beg and grovel on your knees for me to spare you, yet here you are now, throwing your life away again. Once I board your ship, I’m going to make sure that Leng Ran also grovels at my feet like a dog, just like you did!”

Chen Ping’an cast his gaze toward Wu Qiu and Tang Feiqian, who were clearly the unofficial leaders of all of the administrators present, and he said, ”You two have properties even on Temper Mountain of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, yet you tell me about how insignificant you are and how difficult money is to come by for you.”

Li Cai immediately rose to her feet and declared, ”I’m not leaving Stalactite Mountain, but I can send a messenger flying sword to Duckweed Sword Lake and the Great Emblem Sword Sect and tell them there are some rumors going around on Stalactite Mountain, stating that Wu Qiu and Tang Feiqian have been colluding with the demon tribe.

“By the way, Yu Juanfu and Zhu Mei are still around, aren’t they? Sword Immortal Ku Xia, can I trouble you to tell them to spread the word as well when they return to the Middle Earth Divine Continent?”

”Sure, that’s not a problem at all,” Ku Xia replied as he also stood up from his chair.

”You think I’m doing all of this to make enemies out of your sects and backers?” Chen Ping’an asked. ”If that’s what you think, then you’re wrong. The fact of the matter is that I simply do not like the look of all of you.

“However, rest assured, I’m very measured in everything that I do, and I’m going to kill off a select few of you who must be killed, and I’ll be offering apologies and compensation to all of your sects and backers, so from a long-term perspective, no one loses out.

”You really think I gathered all of these sword immortals just to keep you all company? They have much better things to do than waste their time with a bunch of worthless leeches like all of you.”

Sun Juyuan also stood up with a smile and said, ”I’m on decent terms with the sects and backers of just about everyone here, so I’ll personally be making the rounds and delivering apologies in Lord Hidden Official’s stead.”

Yan Ming stood up and said, ”As for compensation, our Yan Clan will take care of that, and I’m prepared to dole out compensation until our Yan Clan goes completely bankrupt.”

Nalan Caihuan remained seated in her chair. This was not how she had expected things to go at all.

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze to her and said, ”Don’t embarrass us in front of all of these people. Don’t forget that you’re representing not just the Sword Qi Great Wall, but also Nalan Shaowei and the Nalan Clan.”

Nalan Caihuan could only reluctantly stand.

At this point, Chen Ping’an’s smile had already completely faded, and he was staring intently at Nalan Caihuan, while the latter remained stoically silent.

”Has your chair been misplaced? I think you should be sitting further back so you’re not such an eyesore to everyone, Nalan Caihuan,” Chen Ping’an said.

A furious look appeared in Nalan Caihuan’s eyes, and she was just about to deliver a rebuke when Gao Kui rose to his feet and pinned her with a threatening gaze, forcing her to swallow the insults that were about to fly out of her mouth.

All of the administrators were completely dumbstruck. It seemed like Chen Ping’an was not just prepared to kill all of the administrators in the room, but even the likes of Nalan Caihuan if she refused to cooperate with him!

At this point, it had become abundantly clear to everyone that they were dealing with someone extremely ruthless, and that his threats were far from empty bluffs.

Finally, Wu Qiu stood up from his chair, then cupped his fist in a salute and said, ”There’s no need for this, Lord Hidden Official. At the end of the day, this is just business. Let’s all take a step back for our mutual benefit. I’m sure there’s a happy middle ground that we can reach.”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to Wu Qiu as he looked out at the falling snow, and it seemed as if he were talking to himself as he murmured, ”Do all of you really think that the Sword Qi Great Wall doesn’t have any connections and goodwill in the Majestic World? Just because the sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall don’t want to stoop as low as filthy roaches like all of you doesn’t mean that they’re all fools with no business acumen.

”Do you know why all of you who have chosen to stand up are still alive right now? To answer that question, let’s take a trip back through history. The first-ever intercontinental ship to visit Stalactite Mountain was a ship by the name of Water Pillow from the Southern Whirl Continent, and if I recall correctly, the second ship was from the Circling Ascension Continent, but the sect that owned that ship no longer exists. The third ship came from the Parasol Leaf Continent, which no longer has any intercontinental ships.

”That ship was the Paper Umbrella, and it eventually capsized out at sea, killing everyone onboard. After the news traveled to the Sword Qi Great Wall, all of the sword immortals collectively raised their swords in a silent vigil. This happened so long ago that even many of the native sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall most likely aren’t familiar with this event.

”In the beginning, the intercontinental ships that traveled to Stalactite Mountain didn’t aim to make profits at all, and they were practically giving money to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Since then, a lot has changed, but our Sword Qi Great Wall will still remember everything that all of the intercontinental ships from the Majestic World have done for us. Why is it that even though Nalan Shaowei was so furious at the time, he still didn’t go on a rampage in the Rain Dragon Sect? Do you know the reason now?

”It’s not because the patriarch of the Rain Dragon Sect was so smart, or that he was able to unite everyone to protect him. All of it would’ve taken was a single slash of Nalan Shaowei’s sword, and he would’ve been no more. While it’s true that all of you are making money, that still doesn’t change the fact that you’re transporting shipload after shipload of resources to Stalactite Mountain and, by extension, the Sword Qi Great Wall.

“Without all of you, the Sword Qi Great Wall would’ve fallen long ago. That is a fact that we have to acknowledge, and something that we do acknowledge.”

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an stood up with an amicable smile, then made a friendly hand gesture and continued, ”Take a seat! What’re all of you standing up for? I was just kidding about all of the threats that I made earlier! Surely you didn’t actually believe me? Sit, Administrator Jiang, and you too, Liu Shen. Everyone, take a seat. Peace and prosperity come hand in hand. There’s no room for violence in the field of business.”

Mi Yu didn’t sit, and no one else dared to sit.

Despite what Chen Ping’an had just said, the killing intent emanating from all of the sword immortals present hadn’t waned in the slightest.

Chen Ping’an casually strolled over to behind Nalan Caihuan’s chair, then gently laid a hand on her shoulder and threatened through his mind’s lake, ”Set an example and sit down, or you can go die. You’ve overstepped your authority so many times and made so many bad deals, and you thought you could just get away with it? Every single deal that you’ve made is clearly recorded in the secret files of the Hidden Official’s branch.

”You thought you were sneaky, but you’re nothing more than a clumsy fool. You really thought Nalan Shaowei is an inferior businessman to you? When it comes to doing business, you’re not even fit to lick the bottom of his shoe! Nalan Shaowei has already saved you once, but he won’t be able to save you a second time.”

Nalan Caihuan’s complexion instantly turned deathly pale, and she all but collapsed onto her chair.

Chen Ping’an remained standing behind Nalan Caihuan’s chair, looking at all of the hapless intercontinental ship administrators in the room, and a look of exasperation appeared on his face as he asked, ”What is it that you all want from me? I’ve already said and done everything that I can, yet you still insist on opposing me at every turn. I ask you to sit, yet you still stand in defiance. Maybe I really do need to kill a few of you to set an example, is that it?”

Everyone finally sat down.

They had no idea where this young Hidden Official had come from, but he was incredibly ruthless, calculating, and more than a little bit deranged!

Chen Ping’an returned to his seat, but didn’t sit down, and he declared, ”I can’t guarantee that you’ll all make more money than you did in the past, but what I can promise you is that you’ll be making good profits. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but the final numbers won’t lie.”

Mi Yu rose to his feet, and a series of books came flying out of his sleeve, one each for all of the intercontinental ship administrators present.

”All of the resources that the Sword Qi Great Wall requires are listed in those books,” Chen Ping’an said. ”They are all arranged into categories based on urgency and importance, and all of them have prices attached to them as well, but it’s all up for negotiation. I understand that there are many intercontinental ships that aren’t currently present on Stalactite Mountain, so I’ll have to trouble you all to spread the word to your peers when you return to your home continents.

”There are many resources that the Sword Qi Great Wall won’t be purchasing more of, but there are also some resources that the Sword Qi Great Wall has a near-insatiable demand for, and the prices for those resources will only increase over time. The eight continents each excel in producing different resources, so there’s money to be made for everyone.

”As for whether you allow our Sword Qi Great Wall to make purchases on credit, you can each come to discuss that with me in private, and we can even discuss things like whether the Sword Qi Great Wall can provide you benefits in other areas as compensation for the right to be able to make purchases on credit.”

All of the intercontinental ship administrators immediately began poring over the books.

Chen Ping’an turned a smiling gaze to Bai Xi and asked, ”You must be really surprised, right? Out of all of your secret plans, one of them was to have everyone unload their ship’s cargo and reload everything before arriving on Stalactite Mountain. That way, each intercontinental ship would only have a few types of resources onboard, and that would avoid competition between ships, thereby allowing everyone to charge higher prices.

”Well, you won’t have to worry about that now because our Sword Qi Great Wall has done the work for you. Our Sword Qi Great Wall has always been very open and fair with its business dealings, yet here you are, pulling all these sneaky moves with nothing to show for it. Was it all worth it in the end? As for who exposed your ploy to me, don’t even bother to try and find out.

”Given the abundance of resources on the Circling Ascension Continent and the abilities of your Mountain and Water Cave, you’ll be making money hand over fist, so why fret over something so trivial?”

Bai Xi’s expression instantly stiffened upon seeing a certain entry in the book before him.

The Sword Qi Great Wall is looking to purchase large quantities of snowflake coins? Why?!

The administrator from the Fu Clan of Old Dragon City had also taken a particular interest in a different entry in the book. The Fu Clan had a long-running alliance with Dawn Cloud Mountain, which specialized in producing Cloud Root Stone, which was a resource that had increased in price!

Even the intercontinental ship administrators of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, who were the most reluctant of the bunch to make money, were very bemused by what they saw. It seemed that they would have to sit down and have a good chat with the Flax Robe Sect once they returned to the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

”You can make as much money as you want as long as you have the resources that our Sword Qi Great Wall requires,” Chen Ping’an said. ”If you decide to throw a tantrum like a child and insist on not selling to our Sword Qi Great Wall, then that’s fine. If you change your mind in the future, you can always come back, but the terms may not be as favorable for you then. Also, outside of just doing business, all of you should start thinking about your Great Daos as well.

”If there’s anything you want from the alchemical pill market or any immortal treasures that you desire, you can put in a request with us, and if we can satisfy your request, then we’d be willing to provide what you desire in exchange for resources or immortal coins. I can promise you all that our Sword Qi Great Wall won’t overcharge for anything. Take that as a gesture of goodwill from us.”

Jiang Gaotai was flipping through the pages of the book as he asked through his mind’s lake, ”You’re really not going to kill anyone, Lord Hidden Official? You’re just going to focus solely on business?”

”I only look at the outcome, not the process,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile. ”From that perspective, I should be grateful to you, should I not? Someday, when we no longer share a business relationship, I’ll get my payback, but rest assured, as long as we’re still doing business, I will approach everything in a fair and unbiased fashion.

”The prices are all clearly stated, and if you cooperate well, perhaps I can even let bygones be bygones and let you off the hook altogether. After all, the world is a massive place, and once you leave Stalactite Mountain, I’m not even sure we’ll ever meet each other again.”

Jiang Gaotai remained skeptical.

Chen Ping’an was busy answering questions directed to him through his mind’s lake, and on top of that, he was also actively speaking to others.

”What’s Fu Nanhua’s cultivation base right now?”

”I was just spouting nonsense earlier, Celestial Maiden Liu. That junior sister of yours is very loyal and devoted to you, and there’s no way she would take your place even if we had made her such an offer.”

”Please don’t resent Sword Immortal Mi. There’s no way he could bear to kill you; he was just saying that because I forced him to. If you’re going to resent him for saying that, then you’re going to break his heart. His feelings for you remain as true as ever, and it would be a huge shame if you chose not to reciprocate his feelings over a misunderstanding.”

The entire time, he spoke in a very casual and conversational tone, as if he were chatting with friends.

However, all of the intercontinental ship administrators were carefully latching onto his every word, turning them over back and forth in their heads to make sure that they weren’t missing any subtle hints that Chen Ping’an may have been dropping them.

Even though none of the administrators were communicating with one another, there was one harrowing fact that they were all convinced of, and that was that for a moment in time, Chen Ping’an had fully intended to kill them all.

Perhaps it was true, perhaps it wasn’t, but what if it was true?

Chen Ping’an continued to look out at the falling snow, thinking to himself that by now, Liu Xianyang’s intercontinental ship was most likely almost back to the Southern Whirl Continent.

At this moment, Liu Xianyang was sitting in his room on the ship beside a lamp, and there was a seal placed on the table in front of him.

The inscription on the side of the seal read: ”From Great Sword Immortal Chen Ping’an, to Brother Liu Xianyang.”

The inscription on the seal read: ”Moving mountains, turning seas.”

An amused smile appeared on Liu Xianyang’s face, remarking internally that it seemed that Chen Ping’an had taken after him in the bragging department.