Unsheathed

That night, an unfamiliar visitor arrived at the blacksmith shop. The man appeared to be roughly 30 years of age, and he was quite tall and broad, with fair skin and a pair of sleek, long brows. His elegant and delicate appearance coupled with his imposing stature presented a rather peculiar contrast to behold.

After being informed of the man’s arrival, Ruan Qiong arranged a welcome that was far more formal than the one he had prepared for Cui Minghuang, where the two had only had a brief chat at the entrance to the swordsmithing room. On this occasion, he instructed Ruan Xiu to carry out a pair of bamboo chairs, and he even brought out two flagons of fine wine, one for each person.

The visitor gladly accepted the flagon of wine, removing the clay seal before taking a swig, then smiled as he said, “You’ve really made a bold statement with what you did earlier, Master Ruan. I don’t know how the imperial court is going to react for now, but as the newly assigned kiln supervision official and head official of Dragon Spring County, you’ve saved me a lot of trouble.

“I should’ve been the one to bring some good wine to visit you, but I heard about what happened on the way here, so I was in a hurry to get here, and in my haste, I passed by the shop on Dragon Riding Alley. I owe you two large urns of apricot blossom wine.”

Master Ruan waved a dismissive hand as he said, “There’s no need for these pleasantries. If our negotiation goes well here, we’ll have plenty more opportunities to chat over wine in the future, and if the negotiation goes awry, then you won’t have to bother trying to get on my good side.”

The man burst into laughter, and he appeared much more like a traveling hero than an official of the Great Li Empire’s imperial court. He dabbed at his own lips with his sleeve, then set his flagon of wine down onto his knee, and it seemed that he was about to discuss something serious with Ruan Qiong. “As I’m sure you’re already aware, the mountains here were sealed off by the imperial court during the Spring Crest Year.

“Of course, that’s only the official explanation given by the ministry of revenue. According to the local chronicles, the actual reason for the mountains being sealed off is because halfway up the mountain known as Dragonspine Mountain, a large piece of naturally formed Dragon Slaying Platform appeared. Prior to coming here, I had a meeting with His Majesty, and I was explicitly told that the Dragon Slaying Platform is to be shared between the Wind Snow Temple that you belong to, and True Martial Mountain.

“As for exactly what you do with the Dragon Slaying Platform, whether you choose to excavate it, split it up, keep it in its original place, or take it back to your respective sects, that is entirely up to your two sects, and our Great Li Empire will not interfere under any circumstance.

“In fact, if you require assistance from our Great Li Empire, for example, you need the two young Mountain-moving Apes under the Great Li Empire’s control to smash open the mountain and reveal the Dragon Slaying Platform, then just state your request, and we would be more than happy to oblige.”

“That’s a lot of sincerity being displayed by your Great Li Empire,” Master Ruan remarked with a smile.

The new kiln supervision official also smiled, and he was just about to say something, when Master Ruan continued, “Prior to coming here, our Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain had already arrived at an agreement on the Dragon Slaying Platform, with the Wind Snow Temple, True Martial Mountain, and myself each taking a third.

“I’m sure you’ve already heard from your emperor that I’m planning to establish a sect here, and that’s why both my daughter and I have already detached ourselves from the Wind Snow Temple. It won’t be very appropriate for me to establish my sect anytime in the next 60 years, but as long as your Great Li Empire doesn’t do anything to get on my bad side, I’ll select a mountain here at the conclusion of the 60-year period as the site for my future sect.”

The new kiln supervision official made no attempt to hide his elation upon hearing this. In fact, this seemed to have been what he was waiting to hear all along, and he immediately replied, “Rest assured, Master Ruan.

“Aside from Cloud Drape Mountain, there are 61 mountains in our Great Li Empire, and you can choose any three of them to serve as the site for your future sect. If you don’t want to make a decision right now, I can show you the new and old mountain topography charts for Jewel Small World, then take you to see the mountains before you make a decision. What do you think?”

It would be immensely beneficial for any empire to have a mighty cultivator of Ruan Qiong’s caliber settling within its boundaries. In particular, Ruan Qiong clearly had intentions of settling permanently here, rather than just staying in the Great Li Empire on a temporary basis as a guest elder, advisor, or imperial preceptor.

Hence, he was going to become an integral part of the empire, rather than just an accessory piece, and even if the emperor of the Great Li Empire were in the kiln supervision official’s place, he would’ve undoubtedly been ecstatic to hear this.

The Great Li Empire was filled with powerful martial artists, with Song Changjing leading the way, and it had by far the most martial artists in the Middle Five Tiers out of any empire on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. However, it had a pitiful number of immortal cultivators, far fewer than what a powerful empire like the Great Li Empire should’ve had, and that had always been an area of concern for the emperor.

Ruan Qiong smiled as he said, “I’m in no hurry to select any mountains. To be frank, aside from Cloud Drape Mountain, which you’re not willing to offer to me, none of the other mountains appeal to me at all.”

A slightly awkward look appeared on the young kiln supervision official’s face. Prior to coming here, both his master and the emperor of the Great Li Empire had speculated that there was a chance that Ruan Qiong would establish his sect in the Great Li Empire, but the chances were definitely rather slim.

The reason for this was because the Great Li Empire really didn’t have enough to offer to Ruan Qiong. When it came to the Dragon Slaying Platform, if it weren’t for the fact that Ruan Qiong was powerful enough on his own to negotiate with the Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain, there was no way that the Great Li Empire would’ve dared to cross those two sects just to appease Ruan Qiong. The consequences of doing something like that would’ve been far too severe for the empire to bear.

Ruan Qiong suddenly said, “Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain have never made this proposal, but I personally hope that your Great Li Empire can provide two sufficiently sharp weapons, whether that be swords or sabers.

“The type of weapon doesn’t matter, as long as they can be used to split the Dragon Slaying Platform. Bring them to me, and I’ll help you pass them on to the two Militarian cultivators who have been sent here. There’s no hurry in this matter, either, so you can relay my request to the imperial court and await a response from the emperor.”

The kiln supervision official considered the request for a moment, then declared, “I can make that decision, Master Ruan. Consider it done!”

Ruan Qiong nodded in response, then took a sip of wine, seemingly quite pleased with the kiln supervision official’s attitude and decisiveness. He was going to have to deal with this new kiln supervision official by the name of Wu Yuan for a long time to come, so he was very relieved to see that he wasn’t dealing with someone foolish or cowardly.

After a brief hesitation, Wu Yuan took a sip of wine, seemingly to bolster his own resolve, then said, “Master Ruan, firstly, all of the 30 or so dragon kilns outside the town will begin operation again, but from now on, they’ll only be producing ordinary chinaware to be used in the imperial court.

“Secondly, once the new county office is constructed on the eastern side of the town, the laws of the Great Li Empire will be released on a plaque for all to see, and we’ll also be sending out people to announce and explain these new laws. This is so that we can make the town’s residents aware that they’re now citizens of the Great Li Empire.”

A cold look appeared on Ruan Qiong’s face as he took a glance at Wu Yuan, and the other smiled and explained, “Of course, these laws only apply to the ordinary residents of the town. Within the next 60 years, your rules will still remain paramount in this town, followed by the rules of the four surnames and ten clans, and only after that comes the laws of the Great Li Empire.

“If there’s any conflict in those rules, the hierarchy that I just mentioned will decide which one takes precedence. Within a radius of 500 kilometers of the town, our Great Li Empire won’t interfere with anything that you do, and we’ll be giving you our unreserved support. I’m not sure if you recall that cultivator from Purple Smoke River.

“After you destroyed his physical body, he still didn’t learn his lesson and attempted to use his connections in the capital city to complain to the emperor. As soon as my master heard about this, he immediately sent someone to eradicate his soul.”

Ruan Qiong’s brows furrowed slightly with vexation. “Tell your master not to go around doing such unnecessary things. There’s no need to do things like this behind my back. I’m just a blacksmith, I don’t like all this funny business. If your Great Li Empire really wants to show me its sincerity, then give me actual, tangible benefits, and that’s enough. As for whether I accept those benefits, that’s up to me.

“Besides, if I really wanted to kill that piece of trash from Purple Smoke River, do you think he would’ve been able to get away? If I really want to kill someone, who in your Great Li Empire can stop me? Even if you can find someone capable of stopping me, would they be willing to oppose me?”

Wu Yuan’s face paled slightly as he said in a slightly strained voice, “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Master Ruan.”

Ruan Qiong didn’t want to make the conversation too hostile. After all, this was only their first meeting, and it would’ve been asking far too much to expect Wu Yuan to know exactly what he wanted and act accordingly.

Hence, he changed the subject to ease the tension in the air. “It should be an imperial court’s responsibility to construct wenchang pavilions and martial sage temples, assign official mountain and water gods, and ban all unofficial temples within their territory. How do you plan to carry out these tasks in the town?”

Having just been scolded by Ruan Qiong, Wu Yuan carefully considered his response this time before giving an answer. “With regard to the construction of the wenchang pavilions and martial sage temples, our Great Li Empire’s officials of astronomy and fengshui masters have two sites in mind, one of which is the mountain of porcelain situated to the north of the town, while the other is the immortal tomb in the southeast.

“The two people overseeing the ritual will be the pair of individuals who emerged from the town, and it just so happens that one of them is an accomplished scholar, while the other is a decorated martial artist, both of whom have also made significant contributions to our Great Li Empire. What do you think, Master Ruan?”

Ruan Qiong replied in a serious voice, “I have no objection to the two people you’ve chosen, but have you already decided on the locations? Have you consulted Old Man Yang for his opinion first?”

Wu Yuan was instantly stumped by this question, and he asked in a careful voice, “Master Ruan, may I ask who Old Man Yang is?”

Ruan Qiong was also quite taken aback to hear this, and he jibed, “Embroidered Tiger didn’t even tell you about Old Man Yang before sending you here to become the town’s kiln supervision official?

“Be honest with me, are you in a similar position to the one Qi Jingchun was in? Did you mess up in the imperial court and end up being banished here as a punishment? If that’s the case, then I’m going to have to revoke everything we agreed on earlier.”

Not only was Wu Yuan completely stumped by this situation, he had no idea how to explain himself.

Meanwhile, three people of around the same age were seated on the ground next to the well. Ruan Xiu was teaching Chen Ping’an the names of the acupoints in the human body and their purposes when it came to cultivation, while the other boy had approached them out of the blue. Initially, Ruan Xiu and Chen Ping’an had remained silent as they stared at the boy, who had a set of rather delicate facial features.

There was a small red birthmark on his glabella, and he had a very friendly and amicable appearance. However, both Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu had underestimated his tenacity and shamelessness.

His smile didn’t waver in the slightest as he looked back at Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu in silence, and after a stalemate that lasted several minutes, the boy seemed to have come to the realization that he had also underestimated the willpower of the two people beside him, and he finally broke the silence, speaking fluently in the town’s dialect, informing the two of them that he was from the capital city, and that he had come here with the kiln supervision official to see the scenery. In particular, he really wanted to see the mountain of porcelain.

“Why don’t you continue in your discussion of acupoints? Don’t be so stingy, I just want to hear what you were talking about. It’s not like I’ll suddenly become a terrestrial god from overhearing your conversation.”

After that, Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu continued their discussion, paying no further heed to this unwelcome guest.

“I must say, your handwriting is not great. It’s clear that you haven’t spent much time and effort practicing your handwriting. It’s very wishy-washy, like oil floating on the surface of water. Also, the explanation you offered here isn’t very complete. You only stated the ‘what’, but now the ‘how’ or the ‘why’, which are just as integral, if not more important.

“You’re just going to skip over this acupoint? Why didn’t you point out the Danzhong acupoint to him? Is it because it’s a little awkward? If you’re too embarrassed to demonstrate, I can point it out to him for you. Why are you looking at me like that? Ah, you must be misunderstanding my intentions. What I’m saying is that I’ll point it out on my own body, not on yours.

“Even an omnipotent being would struggle to find the Danzhong acupoint on your body, so there’s no point for me to try. Hey! Why did you hit me? Ow! Again? I’m sorry! Stop! Why did you skip the three integral acupoints on the back as well? As the saying goes, opening up the three integral back acupoints is half the work done, so they’re clearly very important.” [1]

In the end, it was Wu Yuan who stepped in to save Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu from the intrusive young boy, and the two of them departed from the blacksmith shop together.

Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu were seated on the edge of the well, and the latter took a glance at the pair of departing figures as she said, “The older of the two is an official, but I’m not sure about that boy. I didn’t sense anything special about him. Perhaps he’s that man’s scholarly attendant. There are many affluent scholars in the outside world who go around with scholarly attendants by their side.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

Shortly thereafter, Ruan Qiong made his way over to the well with a stern expression, then ordered, “Chen Ping’an, come with me.”

Chen Ping’an stood up with a puzzled expression. Ruan Xiu had told him that her father was willing to lend him money, but he was going to have to wait around 10 days. Could it be that Ruan Qiong had gone back on his promise?

Ruan Xiu was also a little concerned, so she trailed along behind Chen Ping’an.

Ruan Qiong sat down onto a bamboo chair, then gestured for Chen Ping’an to take a seat on the chair that had just been occupied by Wu Yuan.

Ruan Xiu cleared her throat, then smiled as she said, “Father, these two chairs were made by Chen Ping’an. They’re pretty comfortable, right?”

“I have something serious to discuss with Chen Ping’an, so don’t interrupt us, Xiuxiu,” Ruan Qiong said with a dark expression.

“Please go ahead, Master Ruan,” Chen Ping’an prompted as he hurriedly sat up straighter.

Ruan Qiong pulled what appeared to be roughly three or four taels out of his sleeve, then instructed, “Go to Dragon Riding Alley and buy me a flagon of premium spring peach blossom wine. You can buy some pastries with the leftover silver.”

Ruan Xiu was rather reluctant to do as she was told, so Ruan Qiong threatened to stow the silver away again as he said, “In that case, you can go to keep an eye on the fire in the furnace of the swordsmithing room.”

Ruan Xiu immediately grabbed the silver and rushed away.

After Ruan Xiu had disappeared into the distance, Ruan Qiong turned back to Chen Ping’an and asked, “Chen Ping’an, you have three pouches of gold essence copper coins, is that right?”

“I do,” Chen Ping’an immediately replied with a nod.

Ruan Qiong seemed to be rather pleased with Chen Ping’an’s honesty, and his expression eased slightly as he said, “No other resident of this town would have three pouches of gold essence copper coins in their possession. Even the Song Clan, which has the most pouches of gold essence copper coins among the four surnames and ten clans on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, only has two pouches.

“As for the rest, they only have one pouch at most. Aside from them, there are eight smaller households in the town that were able to secure a pouch of gold essence copper coins each in exchange for the treasures in their possession. At this point, most of the valuable old artifacts in the town have been taken, and there are only around seven or eight decent ones left. From now on, there are going to be more and more outsiders coming into the town.

“Of course, you don’t have to worry about your own safety, so I’m going to be open and candid with you. I hope that you can use your three pouches of gold essence copper coins wisely and effectively. Don’t squander them carelessly, but don’t just stubbornly hold onto them, either.

“Before I took over, the town would open its doors to the outside world once every 60 years, and around 20 to 30 outsiders would be allowed into the town to search for fated opportunities each time. From now on, that practice no longer exists, and this place will become just like any ordinary town in the Great Li Empire.

“Hence, your three pouches of gold essence copper coins will be particularly attention-grabbing, and ultimately, they’ll only attract trouble for you. I’m a man who tries to avoid trouble wherever possible, but if you get into trouble, I’ll have no choice but to stand up for you. I don’t want to have to act as a bodyguard for a brat like you all the time, so I have a piece of advice for you, but it’s up to you whether you follow my advice or not.

“Before I tell you my suggestion, let me make one thing clear to you: this is the time when gold essence copper coins are at their most valuable, but not just anyone will be able to spend them. The emperor of the Great Li Empire is planning to lift the restrictions on all of the 61 mountains aside from Cloud Drape Mountain to be sold to the powers and sects allied with the Great Li Empire.

“The prices of the mountains will vary depending on their sizes, and many people on the outside are salivating at this prospect. Even though Jewel Small World’s formation has been broken, and it’s been reduced to a blessed land, thereby resulting in a sharp decrease in the spiritual energy here, the mountains in this place are still far superior to those on the outside.

“In fact, they’re not inferior in the slightest even compared with mountain ranges that are overseen by official mountain gods. On top of that, the emperor of the Great Li Empire has declared that he will be assigning a great mountain god, three mountain gods, and a river god in this place.

“With so many mountain and river gods in such a small place, this blessed land will be sure to continue to thrive even 60 years from now. The spiritual energy here will remain abundant, so this is the best time to be buying some mountains, and it’ll definitely prove to be a profitable investment.”

“What if I buy a mountain today, but end up dead tomorrow?” Chen Ping’an asked.

This was a very realistic concern, and a rare smile appeared on Ruan Qiong’s face as he replied, “Firstly, as long as you continue to do the right things and don’t step out of line in this town, I guarantee you that you won’t just inexplicably end up dead someday. Qi Jingchun had to be careful with everything that he did because he was afraid that Jewel Small World would be shattered if he went too far, but such qualms are no longer necessary.

“If some trash like that Mountain-moving Ape dares to come after you now, I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave this place alive. Going back to the sale of the mountains, the Great Li Empire’s imperial court is selling these mountains for cheap in order to establish good karma with certain powers outside of the empire. Essentially, it’s like a merchant selling their wares at below cost price.

On top of that, they’ve made a promise that even if a buyer of a mountain dies and has no descendants to inherit the mountain, the Great Li Empire will still leave the mountain untouched for a period of 300 years from the date of purchase. The last thing I have to tell you is that I will be claiming three mountains with the best fengshui, and I advise you to purchase mountains neighboring mine.

“You may not have the ability to tap into the mountains for profit, but at the very least, you can rent your mountains for 500 years, and you’ll receive dividends every year. It’ll be passive income that you can enjoy while you’re here, and even after you’re gone, your descendants will still reap the rewards.”

This type of passive income was something that countless powerful clans and sects dreamed of, but Ruan Qiong refrained from telling Chen Ping’an this as it was unbefitting of a Sage like him to boast to a child.

“Can you tell me about the prices of the mountains, Master Ruan?” Chen Ping’an asked in a curious manner.

“The smallest mountain has been named True Jewel Mountain by the Great Li Empire, and the asking price is one gold essence copper coin, but it has to be a Greeting Spring Coin,” Ruan Qiong replied.

Chen Ping’an was stunned. “Just one gold essence copper coin?”

Ruan Qiong chuckled in response. “Don’t be fooled. They call it a mountain, but it’s actually just a little hill, and one Greeting Spring Coin is a very steep price. The only reason why it costs so much is because the Great Li Empire is unable to ask for half a gold essence copper coin.”

“Even if it’s only a hill, it’ll still belong to me for the next 500 years for just a single copper coin. No matter how I think about it, it seems like a fantastic deal,” Chen Ping’an murmured to himself.

Ruan Qiong continued, “The asking price for the medium-sized mountains, such as Wild Goose Mountain and Lotus Lantern Mountain, will be around 10 to 15 gold essence copper coins, while the most expensive mountains will be the Dry Spring Mountain Range, Incense Mountain, and Divine Elegance Mountain, will each cost 25 to 30 gold essence copper coins.

“Ultimately, what the Great Li Empire wants is not the gold essence copper coins. Instead, it wants to keep the four surnames and ten clans, as well as all of their connections on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. What they’re hoping to see is for the backers behind the four surnames and ten clans to emerge and initiate contact with the Great Li Empire.”

Chen Ping’an’s brows furrowed slightly as he said, “But Master Ruan, won’t I be drawing a lot of attention to myself by capitalizing on this opportunity? Won’t I make a lot of enemies?”

Ruan Qiong burst into laughter upon hearing this. “Don’t forget that you have a backer as well, and he’s sitting right in front of you.”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head and didn’t immediately offer a response.

Instead of being irked by Chen Ping’an’s hesitance, Ruan Qiong was quite pleased, and he remarked, “It’s good to see that you haven’t allowed things to go to your head, just because you have my backing. Go back to Clay Vase Alley and have a good think about what I just told you. Try to give me an answer by tomorrow because the longer you delay, the greater the chance that an unexpected turn of events could arise. I’m not bluffing you here, I’m telling you the truth.”

After departing from the blacksmith shop, Chen Ping’an was still in a state of shock even as he arrived at the stone bridge.

In the past, he had envisioned what it would be like for him to live a life of affluence, but his imagination had only been limited to things like being able to have meat-filled steamed buns and tanghulus every once in a while, repairing the ancestral house so that it actually looked like a house, putting up couplets and door gods during the Spring Festival, and offering some good wine and pastries to his parents’ graves.

Never would he have ever imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be able to own several mountains for centuries.

1. The Danzhong acupoint is located at the center of the chest, which is why it’s a little awkward to point out on a female body. ☜