Unsheathed

According to the wishes of the young girl with the surname Fu, a group of people from Divine Edict Sect headed out to look for that illegal mountain god temple. However, the fortune of the mountains and rivers suddenly underwent a dramatic change halfway through their journey, and it gradually transformed from an impure and turbulent state into a pure and stable state. Zhao Qing, the old Daoist priest leading the group, was extremely astonished by this. He decided to continue to the illegal mountain god temple to check the situation.

However, what he discovered was the shattered gold statue of the illegal mountain god. Mountain God Qin was already dead. They were pleasantly surprised to find some shards of the shattered gold statue among the ruins, and even Zhao Liu was deeply astounded by this. He carefully retrieved the shards of the gold statue and put them away. Even though he eventually had to turn them over to the sect, it was still a good feeling to caress and examine these shards from time to time.

The old Daoist priest hesitated for a long time after returning to the small town, and he ultimately decided to visit the old residence by himself to repair his situation with Yang Huang.

Yang Huang and his wife had the support of Senior Aunt Fu now, so they no longer needed to worry about Divine Edict Sect causing trouble for them in the future. Moreover, not only was the formation around the old residence still intact, but they also had the chance to further their cultivation as well.

With Yang Huang’s impressive talent, perhaps he would have the opportunity to become a Middle Five Tier cultivator in the future. This was especially the case now that his wife, the ghostly tree spirit, was no longer a burden on him.

Zhao Liu could perfectly envision the future. For example, Yang Huang wasn’t a pedantic and stubborn person, and he had cultivated extremely good relationships with others in Divine Edict Sect back while he was still cultivating there. Thus, with a bit of effort, it was entirely possible that Yang Huang or his wife could be appointed as a formal mountain god by the imperial court. If it were the latter who succeeded, then things would truly become quite terrifying.

If both husband and wife were at the Abode Tier, who wouldn’t want to build a good relationship with them? In fact, even Divine Edict Sect would very likely go with the flow and show goodwill toward them!

And what would happen to him, Zhao Liu, at that time?

When that time came, even kowtowing and begging Yang Huang and his wife for forgiveness wouldn’t work. As such, he was better off bowing his head and actively expressing goodwill toward them now.

Zhao Liu made up his mind, so he no longer paced around in hesitation. He directly visited the old estate and congratulated the husband and wife on their good fortune. He apologized to them at the same time, and he drank three cups of wine as punishment. He also gave them a low-grade but very likable spirit tool.

Yang Huang was also a remarkable person, and was extremely polite and friendly toward the apologizing Zhao Liu even though they had just been engaged in a serious conflict not long ago. He started to drink with Zhao Liu, and he even accepted the small spirit tool. However, after Yang Huang became slightly drunk, he started to loudly scold and criticize Zhao Liu. In the end, even his ghostly wife was unable to watch on.

She persuaded him to stop, but Yang Huang insisted on continuing no matter what. Zhao Liu sat there and didn’t say anything at all. He simply endured Yang Huang’s criticisms.

Afterward, Zhao Liu stayed in the old estate and sent a message to the other disciples of Divine Edict Sect who were staying in the small town. The disciples could only stay in the small town for another day.

Things were harmonious and peaceful.

When Zhao Liu left, he knew that Yang Huang had done everything for show only. Yang Huang would only look down on him even more. Indeed, Yang Huang was the type of smart person who would prefer to criticize noble people rather than provoke scheming evildoers.

However, Zhao Liu was still satisfied with his trip. He was content that their relationship had been mended. They were far from being friends, and Zhao Liu didn’t need to dream about becoming friends with Yang Huang in his lifetime. However, they would no longer be enemies either. If he put in a bit of effort and cultivated this relationship well, traveling to Blusher Prefecture from time to time, perhaps he would have an opportunity to become acquaintances with Yang Huang in the future.

There were complicated emotions in Zhao Liu’s mind as he returned north with the group of disciples from Divine Edict Sect. However, he quickly discovered something abnormal about Blusher Prefecture after traveling a few dozen kilometers. Even so, the old immortal from Divine Edict Sect still remained silent.

That night, they camped in the open on a mountain peak. The young third tier sword cultivator found the old Daoist priest standing in front of the cliff, and he quietly asked, “Master, there’s clearly demonic energy permeating through Blusher Prefecture. It’s quite abundant and vigorous, and this is definitely the doing of powerful demons since they dare to act so openly and wantonly. Should we rush over to check the situation?”

Zhao Liu chuckled and replied, “Even you’re able to see the soaring demonic energy, so how can I not? Your master isn’t blind.”

The young sword cultivator carefully ruminated on the words of his master. “Then should we use a flying sword to inform our sect? Should we ask for reinforcements?” he asked in a hesitant voice.

The old man squinted his eyes and peered at the night sky above the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture. “Senior Aunt Fu ordered us to suppress the illegal mountain god, but the mountain god temple has already collapsed, and we’ve also retrieved three shards of his gold statue. In addition to this, you guys have also reaped many benefits and gained many advantages over your peers from this trip outside the mountains. How many Qi refiners at the Lower Five Tiers have seen the shards of a mountain or river god’s gold statue before? We can definitely obtain a grading of ‘high’ for our trip this time. If we’re fortunate, we might even obtain a grading of ‘very high’.”

Zhao Liu turned around and continued in a soft voice, “Xiping, you need to understand that doing too many good things can sometimes be a bad thing. If we decide to deliver a message using a flying sword, our sect will very possibly discover our decision to shirk from battle once they send people to Colorful Garment Nation to investigate this matter and match up the timelines. Master is only willing to tell the truth and say these things to you because you’re my most prized disciple. Remember not to say this to anyone else.”

The young sword cultivator was wholeheartedly convinced, and he lowered his voice and said, “Master is the wisest and most magnificent! Master always has the most comprehensive plans!”

Zhao Liu turned around to glance at the campfire in the distance. The three other disciples from Divine Edict Sect were sitting cross-legged while sleeping, and there were indistinct wisps of mist hovering around the ears and nose of the youngest disciple as he breathed. The aura of the siblings who had entered the sect earlier than him was far inferior.

The old man furrowed his brows and said in a low voice, “We need to discuss this matter with that little kid as well. He has extremely keen senses, so don’t be fooled by his fa?ade of naivety. We can trick that brother and sister, but we won’t be able to trick him. If we don’t clear things up with him, there’ll be big trouble for us if he goes around talking about this once we return.”

The young sword cultivator nodded in understanding.

Zhao Liu turned around to look at his direct disciple with a pleased smile, and he continued in a gentle manner, “Xiping, it won’t be easy to seal that mischievous child’s mouth. Didn’t you secretly take a shard of the gold statue? This is against the rules to begin with, and the sect will definitely punish you severely if they find out. Here, hand it over and I will help you give it to that little kid. Let’s see if he dares to accept this hot potato.

“If he does, then you and I will be partners in crime in the future. We’ll be able to look out for each other once we return to the mountain. In a sense, I am also paving a path for you. If he doesn’t accept it, however… Heh, Master is the leader of this group, so I’m naturally responsible for judging everyone’s performance. I need to write up a document for the external department once we return, so I can act within the rules to deal with the backer of this little kid. No one will be able to find any problems.”

The old man extended his open hand toward the young sword cultivator. “Come on, hand it over.”

An angry expression instantly spread across the young sword cultivator’s face. However, he quickly squeezed out a smile, and he didn’t try to hide anything as he retrieved a large shard of the gold statue and handed it to the old Daoist priest. There was no hint of unwillingness on his face.

Zhao Liu accepted the golden shard and chuckled, “Oh, it’s quite big. This one piece is the size of two pieces. By the looks of it, your luck is quite good. You managed to reap such a huge benefit.”

There was a stiff expression on Xiping’s face, and he forced a smile and replied, “After returning to the sect, I initially wanted to give it to you for your birthday next month, Master.”

“Mhm, thank you for the thought,” Zhao Liu said as he patted the young sword cultivator’s shoulder.

Afterward, the young sword cultivator silently returned to the campfire and sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes, and a faint smile remained on his face the entire time.

The old Daoist priest sat down in front of the cliff by himself. He practiced breathing techniques and refined Qi, and he remained silent for a long moment before suddenly ridiculing himself in a soft voice. “The Great Dao is beyond my grasp, so I can only come up with some small schemes. Haha, how pitiful.”

————

The young scholar Liu Chicheng left the prefectural city from the east gate. After walking along the official road for five kilometers, he stopped at the relay station to rest for a while. Commoners with no scholarly merit definitely couldn’t enter such relay stations to rest. There was a tea stall outside the relay station, and Liu Chicheng asked for a bowl of piping hot tea. This warmed up his stomach, and he softly murmured as if he were talking to himself.

“Don’t you always brag about how powerful you are? Are you truly going to ignore this dire situation? Young Mistress Liu is a really good girl. Not only did she give me money to spend, but she didn’t hesitate at all when giving it to me. Moreover, she let me hug her and caress her too. She solved one of my biggest issues regarding money. Otherwise, did you really want me to beg or sell my ass? If I starve to death, you won’t be any better off!

“Hah, isn’t it your great misfortune to come across a master like me? Why don’t you mention how you arrived here? It was thanks to me entering the abandoned tomb by accident and shattering that thousand-year-old formation. It was because of this that you were rescued from the prison and allowed to see the light of day again. Do you know? Because of your existence, I don’t dare to unleash my full power when playing around with women now. I only dare to touch their hands and kiss them. Otherwise, won’t I be benefiting you, a dirty old man?

“Immortal my ass! You’re always hiding like a homeless dog, and you didn’t dare to show yourself even when I was knocked to the ground with a single punch. And you call yourself an immortal above the Unpolished Jade Tier or whatnot? Then I’m a Golden Core Tier immortal as well! I’ve heard that only Golden Core Tier immortals are genuine immortals. When they’re bored, they can fly through the sky every day. When they feel like it, they can descend to the ground to drink some wine. Even emperors and officials have to treat them with utmost respect.

The owner of the tea stall was filled with worry as he looked at the impoverished scholar sitting in the distance. This young scholar wasn’t a retard, was he? Was he mumbling and speaking to himself? It didn’t matter if he was a retard, but it would definitely matter if he didn’t have any money!

Liu Chicheng widened his eyes and exclaimed, “What? The Golden Core Tier is nothing but shit? Do you believe me when I say that I’ll fart you out after finishing my bowl of tea? And then we’ll each go our separate way in the future?

“It’s not good to expose people’s shortcomings when arguing with them. So what if I’m an illegitimate son…? Even if I had no parents to raise me, I’m still better off than you, an old freak. You’re already so old, yet you still insist on wearing that pink Daoist robe. Tsk, tsk, tsk, how utterly shameless. Why don’t you beg me to buy some makeup for you…? Ah, fuck… Not again…”

The young scholar’s voice had already been quiet to begin with, and it eventually became so quiet that even he couldn’t hear himself. His eyes gradually lost focus and became murky, but they instantly became intense and full of spirit the next moment. It was as if a deity had possessed him, and his aura became completely different from before. He no longer appeared like an impoverished scholar, and he instead appeared like an… emperor in disguise.

There was a wide smile on Liu Chichengs’s face as he extended his hand and shakily lifted the bowl to finish the last mouthful of tea. He stood up and tossed a handful of copper coins on the table before striding away. His footsteps were slightly shaky and unstable at the start, and it was as if he had just drunk a bowl of wine instead of a bowl of tea. There was also a slightly intoxicated expression in his eyes.

However, his footsteps became increasingly stable and firm as he walked, and the young scholar eventually left the official road and entered a field that was filled with blooming rapeseed flowers. There was no one around, and he shrugged and caused the rope of his bag to automatically undo itself. The bag slid off his back and hovered in mid-air. At the same time, a beautiful and exquisite Daoist robe floated out from the bag.

Sure enough, it was pink!

The young scholar’s robe automatically undid itself and slid off his body, switching with the pink Daoist robe. It then obediently folded itself and flew inside the bag.

Apart from the exquisite pink Daoist robe that didn’t adhere to the rules of this world, there was also a golden hairpin in the bag that slowly hovered up and slid through his hair.

The bag then disappeared in a flash. It was clear that it had entered some pocket treasure.

Of course, it was also possible that it had entered a minimization treasure, or perhaps a legendary container treasure, which were referred to as “mystical small worlds.”

The young scholar spread his arms and gazed up at the sky. There was an intoxicated smile on his face, and his pink Daoist robe surprisingly appeared alive and excited as it suddenly opened up with a flutter and hovered to his back. As if there were a maidservant helping him, the pink Daoist robe automatically slid itself onto his body.

Liu Chicheng had already been handsome to begin with, and he actually appeared even more handsome after putting on this robe.

The carefree and elegant scholar strode forward through the air. He was carried by the wind, and he ascended higher and higher as he walked, all the way until he entered the clouds. “1000 years in the tomb, 1000 years also in the world,” he sang loudly.

Rapeseed flowers from another world bloomed on the ground under his feet.