Unsheathed

Mao Xiaodong arrived in a peaceful courtyard to discover Cui Dongshan seated with his legs crossed on a stone stool, humming a tune to himself while facing the position laid out on the go board. His hands were spread open and placed on the edges of the black and white go stone boxes, and as he pondered the position, he was gently tapping the go stones with his fingers, causing them to clatter together audibly.

Following Mao Xiaodong’s arrival, Cui Dongshan asked, “How did it go? Did Li Er demolish the entire imperial palace?”

Mao Xiaodong arrived beside the stone table, then took a glance at the position on the board, which was gradually becoming more clear-cut. Even after observing the position for a while, he wasn’t able to glean much from it, so he didn’t bother analyzing it any further, and he sat down beside Cui Dongshan as he asked, “What are you plotting? Or should I say, what are the two of you plotting?”

Cui Dongshan’s gaze remained fixed on the position as he mused, “It hasn’t been long at all since you arrived here, and you’re already beginning to think for the sake of Great Sui Nation! I don’t want to chastise you for switching allegiances, but isn’t it a little unbecoming of you to switch allegiances this quickly?”

Mao Xiaodong slammed a palm down onto the stone table, and all of the stones on the go board sprang up before being suspended in mid-air.

The black stones were situated slightly higher than the white ones, making them appear like a layered image, but no matter how Mao Xiaodong examined the stones from whichever angle, he was unable to see any hidden meaning behind them. In the end, he gave a cold harrumph, and all of the stones instantly fell back to their original spots with unerring accuracy.

Meanwhile, Cui Dongshan remained completely still on his stool as he mused, “Mountain Cliff Academy should just do the same things that it always has and adapt to whatever situation that arises. Why worry so much about things that are outside of your control? Is Mountain Cliff Academy going to disappear if the Great Li Empire conquers Great Sui Nation?

“I don’t think so. Great Sui Nation is also unable to instate Mountain Cliff Academy as one of the 72 academies, so what does it matter if Great Sui Nation is conquered and the Mountain Cliff Academy becomes part of the Great Li Empire again? It makes no difference anyway.”

A stern look appeared on Mao Xiaodong’s face as he declared, “The heart of Mountain Cliff Academy lies in its students and teachers, not in its name! Even if we set aside the students of the academy from Great Sui Nation, those children who left the Great Li Empire with me are still very young and at a very delicate stage of their development. How are they going to feel with so much uncertainty and unrest around them?”

Cui Dongshan’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled and remarked, “You have lofty aspirations, but unfortunately, you’re limited by your lack of foresight. The way you see things is too shallow and near-sighted.”

A cold smile appeared on Mao Xiaodong’s face as he sneered, “Of course I don’t have as much foresight as someone as wise as yourself.”

Cui Dongshan rose to his feet, clutching a handful of go stones as he slowly paced around the stone stool and said, “Even if the monastery no longer exists, the monk will still be there. Even if the monk ceases to exist, the Buddhist scriptures will still prevail. Even if the Buddhist scriptures are lost, the teachings of Buddhism will still live on, and even if the teachings of Buddhism are no longer followed, the Buddha himself remains eternal.”

He then raised his hand and clasped one hand behind his back while gently flexing his other wrist, casually strolling through the courtyard as he continued, “Everything in this world is temporary and transient, and they should all be viewed as such.

“Whenever you truly come to understand the purpose for the academy’s existence, that’s when Mountain Cliff Academy will reach an unassailable position, and when that time comes, it doesn’t matter which territory or nation it belongs

“Do you think Mountain Cliff Academy is one of the schools of Confucianism?” Mountain Cliff Academy scoffed. “How could the academy possibly ever reach an unassailable position as you described?”

Cui Dongshan paused in his footsteps, casting his gaze toward Mao Xiaodong from across the stone table as he asked, “Why not?”

He then took a gentle step forward as he asked, “Why don’t you give it a try?”

“That’s easy for you to say when none of this rests on your shoulders,” Mao Xiaodong replied with a solemn shake of his head.

Cui Dongshan also shook his head as he sighed, “You really should meet my teacher, Chen Ping’an.”

The early winter sun was hanging high up in the sky, basking Mao Xiaodong in a warm glow, and he smiled as he said, “Chen Ping’an must naturally be an exceptional child for Qi Jingchun to have been willing to assign him such an important responsibility, but you’re constantly plotting something, like a dog who can’t shake the habit of eating its own shit.”

“Oi oi oi, don’t go around likening me to a dog when you’re the one with dog shit for brains,” Cui Dongshan chuckled.

Mao Xiaodong didn’t want to stay here and trade any more insults with Cui Dongshan, so he stood up to leave, but before doing so, he made sure to get the last laugh. “If my brains are dog shit, then your brains would be even more putrid and devoid of substance. Even a dog wouldn’t want to nibble at them!”

Cui Dongshan burst into laughter. “It sounds like someone’s green with envy.”

Mao Xiaodong began to depart from the courtyard, and his back was facing Cui Dongshan as he declared, “Li Er’s visit to the imperial palace went extremely well, achieving the desired outcome without taking things too far, so you better not take things any further than this. If any trouble arises in the future, I’ll hold you accountable. Don’t blame me for not warning you in advance.”

An exasperated look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face. “How could you hold me accountable for the things that Li Er could do? I’m nothing more than an insignificant little ninth tier ant! If my teacher were here, it wouldn’t be difficult to keep Li Er in check. He’s much more capable when it comes to reasoning with others than I am.”

Mao Xiaodong turned to Cui Dongshan with a “placid” expression and said, “If possible, I really want to smash open that head of yours to see exactly what’s in there.”

Cui Dongshan raised a hand in the orchid fingers pose, then put on a feminine display as he complained, “You’re such a meanie!”

Mao Xiaodong immediately turned to depart with a dark expression, looking as if he had just stepped into a pile of dog shit.

Following Mao Xiaodong’s departure, Cui Dongshan sat back down onto his stone stool, and he extended his fistful of go stones into the air above the go board, then gently released loosened his grip so that one stone after another came slipping out of his grasp.

Seven or eight stones fell onto the go board in succession, and all of them were white stones, thereby disrupting the balance of stones on the board. In the end, Cui Dongshan crouched down onto the stone stool with both hands empty, and he was resting his chin on his knees with a contemplative look on his face.

Just as Mao Xiaodong had said, there weren’t many people under the heavens who could tell what Cui Dongshan was thinking at any given time.

Perhaps Qi Jingchun was the only exception.

The sound of faint footsteps rang out from the entrance of the courtyard as Xie Xie returned from her lessons, and she set down her things before picking up a broom to sweep away the fallen leaves in the courtyard.

A gentle breeze blew through the air as she swept her broom over the ground.

“Xie Xie, do you prefer the Great Li Empire or Great Sui Nation?” Cui Dongshan suddenly asked.

This was the first time that Xie Xie had been asked such a serious question by Cui Dongshan, and she was momentarily at a loss for how to respond, clutching onto her broomstick in an uneasy manner. Thankfully, she was quite clever, and prior to this, she had already decided that while staying with Cui Dongshan, she wasn’t going to overthink anything.

No matter how much she tried, there was no way that she would ever be able to outthink him, so it was better to just be candid and straightforward, saying whatever sprang into mind. Even in the worst-case scenario, she would only receive a beating, and she really had nothing to lose.

With that in mind, she replied, “Great Sui Nation is better suited to someone wishing to lead a peaceful existence, and it’s a very comfortable place to stay. In contrast, the Great Li Empire is more suited to someone with lofty ambitions, and that’s why it’s a more powerful empire that’s thriving with vitality and itching to conquer those around it.

“What’s most remarkable about it is that the Great Li Empire has gradually begun controlling the cultivating powers within its territory, thereby getting closer and closer to establishing absolute supremacy within its own borders.”

Cui Dongshan nodded in response, refraining from commenting on whether he thought her assessment was correct or not, and in a rare display of mercy, he didn’t insult her for her views.

Xie Xie immediately became even more convinced that this was the right way to go. Yu Lu was right! In order to protect herself, she had to force herself to be more short-sighted and not think too much about the future.

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan asked, “Why have you still not hung yourself? I’ve already been waiting for quite some time to arrange your burial. After you hang yourself, I’ll carry your body down the mountain on my back while sheddings tears and accusing Cai Jingshen of being a shameless old bastard, stooping as low as to sneak into the academy to violate someone as hideous as yourself.

“I would claim that after he had his way with you, you were so humiliated that you ended your own life, and that would give me an excuse to pick another fight with him in order to avenge you.”

Xie Xie was completely dumbstruck upon hearing this.

Cui Dongshan turned to look at her as he continued, “After I declared to everyone that you were my disciple, I had no choice but to lend you a bunch of treasures, and I’m really beginning to regret that decision.”

Xie Xie immediately lowered her head as she continued to sweep the yard.

Cui Dongshan took a glance at her elegant figure, then suddenly added, “You know, if my grandson, Cai Jingshen, really were to sneak into your room to have his way with you at night, I’d say he’s doing alright for himself.”

Xie Xie raised her head to stare at Cui Dongshan with a blank expression.

Cui Dongshan looked straight into her beautiful eyes as he heaved a forlorn sigh. “Right now, only those eyes of yours are befitting the name of Xie Lingyue.”

Tears began to well up in Xie Xie’s eyes, and she lowered her head as she continued to sweep the ground.

Cui Dongshan heaved another forlorn sigh, then gently waved a hand to stow the go board and the go stone boxes into the pocket treasure jade seal up his sleeve as he mused, “What a terrible eyesore you are. Forget it, I’m going back to my room to read.”

Inside the empty main room was a thatch cushion sitting on top of a large woven straw mat, and with a sweep of his sleeve, Cui Dongshan pulled a Confucian scripture out of a small pile of books sitting in the corner of the room. The book landed in front of him, and it didn’t take long before a gust of book flipping wind began to circle around him.

The book flipping wind began to flip through the pages of the book, and Cui Dongshan began to read.

Whenever this happened, Xie Xie would always sit in silence at the entrance of the room, feeling very placid and tranquil as this was the only time that Cui Dongshan wouldn’t target her. Furthermore, this was the first time that she had ever personally witnessed someone able to conjure up such a bizarre and fantastic world just by reading. Prior to this, she hadn’t even heard of anyone else capable of doing something like this.

After the gust of book flipping wind flipped the book open to the first page, Cui Dongshan began to read aloud in an extremely expressive voice, and as he did so, it was as if droplets of rain were falling onto the page. Shortly thereafter, a lotus flower suddenly appeared between the pages, looking extremely vibrant and life-like.

One page was flipped over after another, and time slowly passed by.

An image of two opposing armies appeared between the lines and characters on the page. Each individual general and soldier was far tinier than even a grain of rice, yet their auras were completely unmatched. A cloud of yellow mist then appeared above the page of the book, as if a cloud of yellow dust had been raised over the battlefield.

After that, an elegant woman who was only just over an inch in height came walking out of the book’s pages in a graceful manner with a basket of flowers slung over one shoulder.

Then came a burly, bare-chested with a coarse beard, singing loudly as he vigorously beat a large drum.

The pages also contained an old woman who was folding clothes, and if one were to listen closely, they would be able to hear the faint rustling of fabric against fabric.

There were also children chasing each other while riding atop bamboo horses, skeletons armed with blades roaming through an eerie tomb, a scholar seated with a contemplative expression, as if he were pondering the text laid out before him…

……

Regardless of how much Xie Xie resented and feared Cui Dongshan, she had to admit that whenever he was fully focused on his reading, he was like a true breath of fresh air, the very embodiment of purity.

She simply couldn’t understand how such a terrible person could give off such a sagely visage while reading.

While Xie Xie was observing Cui Dongshan, she inadvertently fell into a daze, so she failed to notice that on this day, he was displaying a rather strange reaction as he reached the end of the book. There was an intense look in his eyes, but an expression of pain and conflict on his face.

As he was reading, yet another image appeared, this one depicting three people on the same page. It was impossible to make out the facial features of the three figures, but it was clear that their ages varied drastically.

There was an old man who was standing on the bank of a river, peering into the water with a look of intense concentration.

Nearby was a lonesome middle-aged man who was looking across at the opposite bank with a contemplative look on his face.

There was also a young boy riding atop an ox while looking up at the sky. There was a book resting on top of the ox’s horns, while the boy was beginning to nod off in a drowsy fashion.

In the end, Cui Dongshan suddenly threw up a mouthful of blood, and the image above the pages of the book instantly vanished.

Xie Xie turned to look at him with an alarmed expression, and he wiped the blood from his lips in an expressionless manner as he murmured to himself, “There’s no helping it, I’m simply too far away.”

“Are you alright, Young Master?” Xie Xie asked with a concerned expression.

Cui Dongshan clasped a hand over his own heart, while his other hand clenched into a tight fist, and he instructed in a strained voice, “Go and fetch me that Water Artwork that I lent to you. Hurry!”

Xie Xie hurriedly did as she was told, going back to her room to fetch an ancient artwork, and she spread it out in front of Cui Dongshan before quickly running back to the entrance of the room.

Cui Dongshan’s throat began to convulse slightly, and he hurriedly raised a hand before pressing the back of his hand firmly against his own lips. Only after a long while did he lower his hand before taking a deep breath.

There were a total of 12 Water Artworks, and they depicted 12 rivers across four worlds. This was the Water From the Heavens, and it depicted the spectacular scene of a sword piercing through a small world, sending water from a river within said small world cascading down from the heavens.

Back when Cui Chan was still the first disciple of the Scholarly Sage, he had played a game of go against the city lord of White Emperor City among the clouds, and he had been defeated, but had put up a very good fight. For his efforts, the city lord had bestowed upon him this extraordinarily precious artwork, and Cui Chan had always greatly admired the city lord of White Emperor City.

Cui Dongshan’s gaze was focused on the water, but his thoughts were with the mountains.

Thinking back, he had traversed the most difficult mountain terrain under the heavens on his own, and the journey had been even more arduous than ascending to the heavens.

As soon as this thought sprang into Cui Dongshan’s mind, he couldn’t help but slap his own thigh as he exclaimed, “What a steep and majestic mountain!”

All of a sudden, he noticed that a small cliff had appeared on the Water Artwork. The cliff itself was completely unremarkable, but there was a familiar figure of a young boy standing atop the cliff, facing the water as he peered into the distance.

Xie Xie was astonished to see this.

How had Chen Ping’an snuck onto this Water Artwork along with that stone cliff?

At this point, Cui Dongshan had already regained his composure, and he brought his palms together with a cheeky grin on his face as he said, “I pay my respects to my esteemed teacher.”