Unsheathed

Cui Chan was drinking some tea in a secret chamber in the Autumn Reed Inn. At this moment, Liu Jiahui, the vastly renowned Mistress Liu among the upper class of the prefectural city, was currently standing beside him like a lowly maidservant. Having already been informed of the fact that he was the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, she was regarding him with a cautious look in her eyes.

The Purple Sun Residence that she belonged to was one of the sects in Yellow Court Nation that had already defected over to the Great Li Empire’s side, and this agreement was one that had been approved by the sect-founding patriarch, who very rarely showed himself for any purpose, so it was naturally an agreement that was taken very seriously by everyone in the Purple Sun Residence.

In particular, for a disciple like Liu Jiahui, who had no chance of attaining the Great Dao, she was especially attentive when it came to matters related to power struggles between the mortal empires.

The imperial Hong Clan of Yellow Court Nation had always held cultivators in extremely high regard, and it was able to convince the Spirit Charm Sect to pledge its allegiance to the nation, but it was simply too small a place to string the Purple Sun Residence as well. The figurative pond was too small, and the flood dragons lurking at the bottom of the pond yearned for larger territories to rule over.

In contrast with the Lurking Dragon Temple, which only wanted a “palace” suffix, the Purple Sun Residence had far loftier ambitions.

Liu Jiahui wasn’t so foolish as to believe Cui Chan that he was the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire just because he had said so. Instead, the reason why she believed him so easily was because the azure-robed man standing behind him was behaving even more like a servant than she was.

Liu Jiahui couldn’t think of anyone in Yellow Court Nation that would be able to subjugate the high and mighty Cold Food Great River God in such a comprehensive fashion.

After casually enquiring about the internal state of the Purple Sun Residence, Cui Chan suddenly smiled and said, “Prefectural Overseer Wei Li is your lover, right, Mistress Liu? He’s most likely going to become an obstacle to the Great Li Empire’s southern expansion in the future. If I ask you to kill him today, would you be able to do that?”

Liu Jiahui’s entire body instantly tensed up as her mind went completely blank.

“Look at how frightened you are! Do you think I’m the type of person who would be so cruel as to separate a pair of lovebirds like this?” Cui Chan chuckled.

Liu Jiahui raised her gaze slightly, and Cui Chan nodded with a smile as he answered his own question. “That’s right, I’m exactly that type of person.”

A hint of despair appeared in Liu Jiahui’s eyes as her face turned deathly pale.

Cui Chan raised a hand in a “thoughtful” gesture as he said, “However, forcing you to kill him yourself would be far too cruel. On top of that, the Purple Sun Residence is currently an ally of our Great Li Empire, and it would be unbecoming of me to force you into such a difficult situation when you’ve been diligently looking after this inn for all this time.

“The great river god standing behind me just so happens to not be on very good terms with Prefectural Overseer Wei, so I’ll get him to do the job.”

Liu Jiahui was doing everything in her power to hold back her tears as she lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, “Esteemed Imperial Preceptor, if Wei Li really must die, then I’ll be the one to kill him! There’s no need to trouble the great river god.”

Cui Chan put on a sympathetic facade as he heaved a faint sigh and mused to himself, “If I do that, you’ll definitely hold a grudge against our Great Li Empire, so how about this? After you kill Wei Li, I’ll get the great river god to kill you. At the very least, the two of you will be reunited as lovers in the afterlife.”

Liu Jiahui raised her head, and her eyes were burning with killing intent. It seemed that there was no way out of this predicament, so she was considering unleashing a self-sacrificial attack against Cui Chan.

The great river god took a step forward as he chuckled in disdain.

In his eyes, someone like Liu Jiahui was nothing more than an ant who didn’t know her own limits.

Liu Jiahui immediately snapped back to her senses as she took a few steps backward.

Cui Chan was seated on his chair with his legs crossed, and he was gently fanning the vapor that was rising up from the tea using the lid of the teacup. The fragrance of the tea wafted into his nose, and he inhaled deeply through his nostrils with an intoxicated look on his face.

He then slowly opened his eyes and turned his gaze back to Liu Jiahui as he smiled and said, “Life is difficult for everyone, but especially so for those with emotional ties to others. Seeing as you’ve offered me such a fantastic cup of tea, I’ll spare Wei Li. I’m serious this time.”

Liu Jiahui almost slumped down onto the ground, and she mustered up what little remained of her courage as she asked in a timid, sobbing voice, “Are you really not lying to me, esteemed Imperial Preceptor?”

“Where’s the fun in lying to you?” Cui Chan asked with an amused expression.

Liu Jiahui still didn’t dare to believe Cui Chan. Normally, she was an extremely intelligent and prudent woman, but at this moment, she was like a hapless little girl.

“Alright, get out of here now,” Cui Chan grumbled. “Make sure to keep a close eye on Wei Li from now on so he doesn’t do something stupid and irredeemable. Whether you’ll be able to receive an honorary title from the Great Li Empire and whether Wei Li will be able to rise up the ranks in the Great Li Empire’s imperial court will be up to you.”

Liu Jiahui was finally able to understand what Cui Chan’s intentions were. Prior to this, she was completely unable to keep up with Cui Chan’s erratic words and actions, and a sense of fear had already permeated deep into her bones.

On the surface, he appeared to have just been a frail young boy with an erratic personality, but in reality, he was the imperial preceptor of the almighty Great Li Empire, the one who stood above everyone else aside from the emperor of the Great Li Empire himself.

Thinking back to their first meeting, Liu Jiahui felt as if that had been a massive farce, and at the time, she had even accepted 2,000 taels of silver from him in a justified manner.

With the benefit for hindsight, she now realized that the silver that she had accepted from him could’ve easily spelled her doom.

Cui Chan was quite displeased to see that Liu Jiahui was still lingering in the room, and he said in a cold voice, “Piss off!”

Liu Jiahui hurriedly took her leave and departed.

Following her departure from the secret chamber, the great river god asked, “Esteemed Imperial Prector, are you really going to spare Wei Li?”

“Why don’t you take a guess?” Cui Chan asked with a sly grin.

A wry smile appeared on the great river god’s face as he said, “I am completely unable to fathom your thoughts, esteemed Imperial Preceptor. In any case, I just have to focus on following instructions and carrying out orders.”

Cui Chan slurped down a large mouthful of tea, then placed the lid back onto the teacup before setting the cup down onto the table as he finally revealed. “I’m going to spare him. Wei Li and that river guardian under your command are both bright talents that our Great Li Empire will be assigning important roles to in the future.”

The great river god was completely caught off guard by this. “The Great Li Empire wants to assign an important role to Wei Li? But why? He’s just a fourth-rank prefectural official of Yellow Court Nation with no significant background, how could he possibly factor into your plans?”

Cui Chan ignored the Cold Food Great River God’s questions as he gently tapped a fingertip against the table and mused, “The autumnal harvest is coming up soon, right? Employ the same methods that your Great Water Palace has always used to create some disasters in the prefecture.

“Make it so that the people are at a point where they’re struggling to get by, but right before public grievances boil over into a full-blown rebellion, give Liu Jiahui a chance and get her to pass a message on to Wei Li, telling him that you’ve agreed to help him put an end to those disasters. Wei Li will definitely be suspicious of such an offer, but that’s not an issue.

“You can pretend to ask him for money, or to get him to request a plaque from the ministry of rites in your stead. Once you do that, even if he still has some suspicions, he’ll agree to your offer all the same for the sake of the people. Keep playing with Wei Li like this until the army of the Great Li Empire is about to make its southward march.

“Once the army of the Great Li Empire reaches the foot of the city, Wei Li will be sure to pledge his eternal servitude to the city and vow to defend the city with his life. At this critical juncture, you can spread a rumor that Wei Li has been colluding with your Great Water Palace for the sake of enhancing his own reputation, and only by doing this was he able to reach his current position of power.

“When that time comes, every single one of the prefectural city’s 200,000 citizens will be denouncing him as the scum of the earth, and no one close to him would dare to trust him any longer.”

“May I ask why you want me to do this?” the great river god asked.

“Is it not obvious enough already?” Cui Chan scoffed as he rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I want Wei Li to suffer a fate worse than death! I have to say, you really aren’t any more intelligent than Liu Jiahui.”

At this moment, the almighty Cold Food Great River God was like a studious child, and he implored in an earnest voice, “Please enlighten me, esteemed Imperial Preceptor.”

Cui Chan sat back lazily in his chair as he said, “When it comes to scholars, do you know what would truly hurt them the most? It’s not becoming an official, only to serve an incompetent emperor. In that situation, they’ll be forced to stand up for the people and oppose the emperor’s rule, after which they’ll be executed for treason.

“That sounds like a terrible fate, but at the very least, they’ll be able to maintain a clear conscience, and perhaps they’ll even go down in the history books as a heroic martyr. You might think it’s watching their nation fall while being completely powerless to resist the turning tide, only able to watch helplessly as their the place that they once called their homeland becoming no more.

“However, even in that scenario, they can flee their former homeland and write some poems of grief and indignation to vent their emotions. None of these things will hurt them to their very soul, but here’s what’s truly unbearable to them…”

A wide grin appeared on Cui Chan’s face as he continued, “Wei Li is a true scholar, as as a follower of Confucianism, he’ll enter the realm of politics with the lofty aspirations of achieving world peace.

“He’ll constantly be working for the greater good until his entire body is riddled with wounds, giving the world the most effort and benevolence that he’s capable of giving, only to receive no equal measure of benevolence in return. Instead, he’ll be met with resentment and denouncement from all directions, and he won’t be able to obtain even the tiniest little bit of what he truly wants.

“Not only will all of the people closest to him abandon him, it’ll appear as if he’s failed his nation, and in reality, everyone will have failed him. This is the type of pain that I want him to experience.”

“Thinking from his perspective, that is indeed a fate worse than death,” the great river god mused.

He then thought of Liu Jiahui as he continued, “If Wei Li were aware of what we have planned for him, I’m sure he would’ve wanted Liu Jiahui to agree to kill him.”

Cui Chan continued to tap the table with his fingertip as he said in an expressionless manner, “After Wei Li has completely fallen into despair, I’ll find an opportune moment to reveal the truth to him. At that time, Liu Jiahui will ‘commit suicide’, leaving behind a note that reveals to him the entire truth.

“It’ll tell him that she’s actually a spy from the Great Li Empire and an esteemed guest of the Great Water Palace. It’ll express her guilt toward Wei Li and tell him that she’s sorry. At the end, it’ll probably say something about how she loved Wei Li very much.”

At this moment, all of the fine hairs on the great river god’s body stood up on end, and he felt as if his heart had been plunged into a glacial pit.

“Wei Li has a great deal of potential, and he’ll perhaps become one of my most prized disciples in the future, so don’t just stand by and watch him suffer for your own amusement. If the time comes and he’s determined to kill himself, you have to stop him.”

Cui Chan smiled as he rose to his feet, then turned to the great river god as he jibed, “Also, what are you so afraid of? Don’t forget that you have a great father.”

A myriad of complex emotions welled up in the great river god’s heart upon hearing this.

Cui Chan got up on the tips of his toes as he patted the great river god on the shoulder, smiling as he “consoled”, “There is killing intent lurking deep in your heart, and you may not even be aware of it yourself, but it doesn’t matter. In my eyes, you and your father are nothing more than slightly larger ants.

“When I’m in a good mood, I’ll perhaps cater to your emotions and offer you two some consolation, but when I’m in a bad mood… I’m not sure if you’ve heard of a type of rare flood dragon in the ancient Shu Nation that are cannibals by nature. If I’m not in a very good mood, I might just…”

A strange hint of gold suddenly appeared in Cui Chan’ eyes without any warning. There was a vertical pupil within the golden light, and he wore a pure and innocent expression as he concluded in a low voice, “Eat you both.”

The great river god gulped nervously as he remained completely still, and his back was drenched in cold sweat.

Cui Chan removed his hand from the great river god’s shoulder as he chuckled, “Look at how spooked you are! Go back to your Great Water Palace. From now on, you’ll be just like Wei Li in that you’ll both be esteemed guests of our Great Li Empire, so there’s nothing for you to be afraid of.”

The great river god didn’t say anything, and he remained completely still on the spot, refusing to move even a single inch.

Earlier, Cui Chan had remarked “look how frightened you are” to Liu Jiahui, and it seemed like no negative outcomes for her had arisen from that, but that was far from the reality.

The remark of “look how spooked you are” differed by only one word with the statement of “look how frightened you are”, so was there really any difference?

Cui Chan feigned an expression of realization as he consoled, “It was just a coincidence, don’t overthink it.”

The great river god raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Cui Chan was silent for a moment, then turned to pick up his teacup.

After finishing the final bit of tea in the cup, he set down the cup as he said in a quiet voice, “If you can successfully eat ‘that half’ in the future with the assistance of your father and me, then your very existence will be closely intertwined with the fortune of the Great Li Empire, and when that time comes, you’ll be able to truly rest assured.

“I’m sure you’re aware that in this all-important matter that’s almost more significant than the Great Dao itself, you have a superior natural advantage over your father, and the same applies to me as well. Only when that time comes will you truly be able to stand as my equal.”

The great river god faltered slightly upon hearing this, then lowered his head as he cupped his fist in a salute. There was a scorching look in his eyes, and he wasn’t saying anything as there was no need to verbally articulate his thoughts.

“Get out of here,” Cui Chan said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

The great river god was ecstatic, as if he had just been pardoned from the death sentence, and he flew out of the room as a cloud of azure water vapor.

Meanwhile, Cui Chan clasped his hands behind his back as he closed his eyes and paced back and forth in the spacious secret chamber.

He then raised his head and turned his gaze directly to one of the walls of the room, as if he were peering into the distance, and he mused to himself, “That old fart has finally left.”

A faint smile appeared on his face as he strode out of the secret chamber.

————

As Cui Chan snuck back into the courtyard, there was still a hint of triumph in his eyes.

So what if he had lost his cultivation base? He was still able to make those idiots dance on the palm of his hand!

Inside the courtyard, Chen Ping’an was in the process of asking Li Baoping about the rules and traditions that wealthy clans observed when constructing graves.

Chen Ping’an was asking these questions because he wanted to renovate those two tombstone-less little graves once he became wealthy in the future.

They weren’t far away from Great Sui Nation now, which meant that he would have to embark on the return journey soon, and that was definitely the first thing that he was going to do once he returned home.

Everytime Chen Ping’an entered the mountains, he would always carry a handful of soil to add to the graves of his parents. This was an old tradition passed down from the older generation of potters, but ultimately, it felt like an inferior option to constructing a better grave.

During this journey, Chen Ping’an had learned about many things that he had been oblivious to in the past, such as the concept that dead people should be treated exactly the same as if they were still alive, and that made Chen Ping’an feel even guiltier about neglecting his parents’ graves up to this point.

Li Baoping didn’t know a lot on this matter, and she was only able to answer some of Chen Ping’an’s questions before telling him that she would send a letter to her brother to ask him about the rest.

Chen Ping’an didn’t insist on prying into the matter. As long as he had money in his pocket, everything would be fine, and problems that had seemed completely insurmountable to him in the past could be easily resolved.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Chen Ping’an, and he asked Li Baoping how the “chan” character in Cui Chan was written.

Li Baoping gave him a demonstration by writing out the strokes of the character on the surface of the stone table with her finger.

“That’s a really complex character to write,” Chen Ping’an remarked, and even though he didn’t harbor any nefarious intentions, it was Cui Chan’s turn to sweat profusely as he eavesdropped on the conversation from not far away.

While it was true that he had just done something a little evil, wasn’t karma striking back a little too soon?

That old fart only just left, and this bastard, Chen Ping’an, is already preparing to construct me a grave and write my name on a tombstone!

Chen Ping’an turned to find Cui Chan completely rooted to the spot, and the latter was so frightened that he immediately ran away.

He sought out the terrified Liu Jiahui with an urgent look on his face, then dragged her over to a peaceful spot and put on as amicable and benevolent an expression as he could muster as he said, “You know, it just occurred to me that people should treat each other nicely.

“As long as you serve our Great Li Empire with diligence and loyalty, I can promise you that you and Wei Li will be able to live out happy lives, surrounded by a whole host of children and grandchildren!”

Liu Jiahui was so horrified to hear what she perceived to have been a veiled threat that she instantly fell to her knees. Cui Chan turned to depart as he waved a dismissive hand and grumbled, “It’s up to you whether you believe me or not!

“You were so eager to believe in lies, but you’re all skeptical now that I’m telling the truth! You and Wei Li should thank your lucky stars! I wish you two a long and happy relationship!”

After that, Cui Chan snuck back to the courtyard, only to find Chen Ping’an seated along on a stone bench, using the Dragon Slaying Platform to sharpen the Auspicious Talisman blade.

Cui Chan’s complexion paled even further as he murmured to himself, “What does he want? Is he only going to spare me if I spare the Great Water Palace as well? But I can’t do that! This is something that absolutely cannot be changed. I can do whatever I please to Wei Li and Liu Jiahui depending on my mood, but something that concerns the future of the Great Li Empire cannot be compromised or altered!”

Chen Ping’an turned around with furrowed brows as he said, “You’ve already been sneaking around behind me twice now. What do you want?”

Cui Chan pointed at the blade in Chen Ping’an’s hand as he asked, “What are you doing sharpening that blade in the middle of the day? It’s quite scary, don’t you think?”

“As long as you don’t step out of line, I won’t do anything to you,” Chen Ping’an said.

If these words had come out of the mouth of someone like himself, Cui Chan wouldn’t have believed them no matter what, but he knew that he could always trust Chen Ping’an to be true to his word on these matters.

With that in mind, Cui Chan’s footsteps were becoming faster and more confident by the second, and in the end, he rushed over to the stone table, resting his chin on the table as he said in a low voice, “Teacher, I just did a good thing for the benefit of two deserving people. I’m telling the truth! Do you believe me?”

Chen Ping’an turned to look into Cui Chan’s eyes with a serious expression, then nodded in response, and Cui Chan was so moved by this tiny gesture that tears were beginning to well up in his eyes.

It was clear from this alone that Cui Chan had undergone many trials and tribulations during this journey.

A fawning smile appeared on his face as he offered, “How about I sharpen this blade for you, Teacher? As your student, I feel very guilty constantly lazing around and doing nothing.”

“Piss off!” Chen Ping’an snapped with a disdainful expression.

Cui Chan pretended to heave a forlorn sigh, then stood up and extended a respectful bow toward Chen Ping’an, and only then did he depart, swaggering back to his room while whistling a cheery tune, clearly in a fantastic mood.

Chen Ping’an was rather perplexed as he looked on at Cui Chan’s departing figure, and he couldn’t help but wonder if water had leaked into Cui Chan’s head from staying at the bottom of the well for too long.