Dragon Canon

In the eastern part of the Shattered Realm, a convoy escorted by cavalrymen clad in vivid armor was slowly moving forward. Flags fluttered in the breeze, bearing the distinct word, “Zhao.”

At the center of the convoy was a boat-carriage three zhang long and one zhang high, its black body adorned with golden patterns. The wheels of the carriage did not touch the ground; instead, it hovered just above the earth, moving so smoothly that one could scarcely perceive its motion.

The windows were deep and shrouded by mystic energy, preventing anyone from looking in from outside. However, those inside could see out freely. Inside, a young woman was gazing quietly at the scenery when suddenly, she remarked, “This place is teeming with life. It’s not like what was described in the books, with miasma stretching for thousands of li and poisonous waters everywhere.”

Seated beside her was an elderly man holding an ancient scroll. His eyebrows were so long that they nearly reached his chest, and his age was impossible to guess.

Hearing the young woman’s words, he opened his somewhat cloudy eyes and replied slowly, “Had we arrived three months earlier, what you would have seen would be the scene described in the books. While this place still falls short of the true human realm, people can at least survive here now.”

“What happened during those three months?”

The old man tapped the sand table map on the table and said, “Over two months ago, someone erected a realm stone here. If I am correct, the stone is most likely the Qingming mentioned in the ancient texts. Shaman qi doesn’t arise out of nothing, it too must flow from high to low. But with Qingming standing to the west and blocking the Shaman qi flowing in from the east, this region gradually came back to life thanks to the influence of the Pure Realm of Humanity.”

The young woman asked, “Didn’t you say that Qingming, Kongling and more are all legends, Master? Legends that have existed since human immortals came to be?”

The old man replied slowly, “Perhaps a descendant had created an imitation based on the legend.”

The young woman felt that the explanation was somewhat flimsy, but her attention was quickly drawn to the spot the old man was pointing at. She said, “This place is far from the human realm, isolated and lacking any natural defenses. Why would anyone erect a realm stone here? This is completely different from the military strategies you’ve taught me!”

“Military strategies are meant for the wise, but there are always some in this world who aren’t so wise.”

The young woman extended a slender finger and traced several lines from the west—all possible routes of advance for the Shaman army. She then drew two more lines, one through the south and another through the north, that allowed the Shamans to bypass the established realm and form a complete encirclement.

She wore a thoughtful expression for a moment before saying, “Even if Western Jin were to send a massive reinforcement, the distance is too great and the terrain is unfavorable. If I were in command, I’d launch a pincer attack from the north and south to cut the Western Jin reinforcements in two. It would be very easy to capture this area then. Could it be that Western Jin has struck some sort of deal with the Shamans again?”

The old man replied, “The one who founded Qingming has no connections to Western Jin—at least for now. Therefore, not only did Western Jin fail to provide him support, they even cut off his supply lines”

“The Shamans didn’t attack the realm then?”

“They had launched three major offensives so far.”

The young woman looked puzzled. “How did he manage to hold this position then?”

“Indeed, how did he do it?” The old man replied half-consciously, his head drooping as he drifted back into his dreams.

The young woman picked up a robe and gently draped it over the old man. Then, she sat back down before the sand table and took out a military treatise, flipping through its pages while comparing them to the sand table. Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and she hadn’t lost focused for a single moment.

The interior of the massive boat-carriage was surprisingly simple. There were no paintings, calligraphy, gold or jade; instead it was filled with saber, spears, swords, and arrows. Hanging on the wall were two longbows, their frames so ornate they appeared to be purely decorative. However, hanging beside them were three quivers, all packed to the brim with long arrows.

The table in the carriage was not set with wine or delicacies either. Instead, it held a sand table map normally used for military campaigns. The map before her covered all of Western Jin.

Hanyang Pass.

In a secluded courtyard within a corner of the city, a middle-aged man was sitting in his study, his brush gliding across the paper as he wrote the words: “Benefits all things without contention[1].” The words flowed with a watery grace, resembling a meandering, misty stream.

After finishing the final stroke, the scholar examined his work closely with a look of deep satisfaction.

The scholar kept a short beard. He had eyes like precious jade and skin as smooth as cream. He was a very handsome man. Gazing at his calligraphy, which looked like a painting in its own right, he said smilingly, “There are always those who claim my calligraphy is too flashy, lacking discipline and the subtle charm of restraint. I, however, do not see it that way.”

An old Confucianist standing nearby remarked, “Although your calligraphy is missing the word ‘Water’, the essence of water is palpable. Moreover, the work itself looks more like a painting than calligraphy—it is pleasing to the eye if nothing else.”

The middle-aged scholar let out an involuntary chuckle. “You never have a kind word to offer, elder.”

The old Confucianist sighed. “It is simply that your calligraphy leaves me at a loss for praise, my lord.”

While picking up the paper and letting the ink dry slowly, the middle-aged scholar said, “If I hadn’t written it so plainly, I fear that most people in the world wouldn’t even recognize that I’m writing about ‘water’.”

The old Confucianist replied, “Calligraphy is a reflection of one’s aspirations. Your ambitions are grand, and true kindred spirits are naturally few in this world. Why go to such lengths, my lord?”

The middle-aged scholar said, “The pure are few, and the turbid are many. True kindred spirits are hard to find, and this Marquis cannot wait that long. Say, is this piece of calligraphy truly so poor?”

The old Confucianist forced himself to gaze upon the calligraphy that looked like a splashed ink landscape and sighed deeply. “I suppose it’s more refined than the work of those in the countryside who make a living selling calligraphy. When they write a ‘horse’, they must also draw a horse’s head. At least yours is a splashed-ink landscape.”

The middle-aged scholar laughed heartily and said, “Water benefits all things, but it can also be used to conceal an edge. Look at this piece I’ve written today—you can’t find a trace of killing intent in it, can you?”

For the first time, the old Confucianist opened his eyes and examined the calligraphy closely. After a moment, he nodded in agreement.

After the middle-aged scholar had put the calligraphy away, the old Confucianist asked, “Should we not pay the pacification commissioner a visit?”

“Nah. That guy is single-mindedly devoted to seeking the Dao; he’s not someone who can be won over. As long as he doesn’t interfere with my affairs, that’s enough. Besides, that old scoundrel claims to possess overwhelming powers, but in his early years, he actually consumed quite a few elixirs that burned away his lifespan in order to break through his cultivation bottlenecks. Thus, his foundation is unstable. Even if he manages to win this time, I think he’ll last a couple more years at most. When the time comes, sharing any connection with the Xu Clan might not be a good thing anymore.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door. An inexperienced-looking maidservant entered the room and handed a letter to the middle-aged scholar. She was just about to take her leave when the scholar called her back and said, “You should take a look too.”

He opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside, which was densely covered in tiny handwriting.

The middle-aged scholar read it carefully before passing it to the old Confucianist. After the old Confucianist had read it, he handed it to the plain-looking maidservant who looked like she was still in her teens.

The middle-aged scholar pondered for a moment and said, “Wei Yuan... I never would have thought his Dao Foundation would fuse with Qingming. Does this mean that he can’t stray too far from his domain?”

The old Confucianist replied, “Even though he’s fused with the immortal realm stone and gained incredible power, with great power comes great restrictions. I doubt he’ll be able to leave the realm at will until he becomes an Avatar.”

“No wonder the Left Counselor, with his keen intuition, has been turning a blind eye to him. He must have known this for quite some time.”

The maidservant asked timidly, “Isn’t becoming Avatar just a matter of time? Once Wei Yuan achieves it, won’t he be able to move about freely?”

The middle-aged scholar replied, “Becoming an Avatar is neither easy nor difficult, but no one knows when he will achieve it. By the time he can move about freely, it will all be a matter of the future. In the political arena, everyone is focused on the present. After all, what does the future matter if they can’t even get through the present? No matter how far-reaching one’s plans are, they’ll merely be working for someone else’s benefits. The Left Counselor holds many cards; he wouldn’t care if he has one more or one less.”

The old Confucianist asked, “In that case, should we continue?”

The middle-aged scholar smiled faintly and said, “The western regions may be fragmented and barren, but they still represent a source of profit. The best case scenario would be for him to be able to take it all, and we to be able to catch it all. If that happens, it would be a match made in heaven.”

1. A line in Tao Te Ching. Should be “Water benefits all...” but it’s missing water here for reasons you’ll learn a few paragraphs later. ☜