Unsheathed

That night, Sun Jiashu was supposed to be meeting with a certain important figure from the Great Southeastern Continent, but he made a last-minute decision to cancel this meeting. This was a very rude and inappropriate thing to do, to the point that the steward, who barely ever raised any objections to Sun Jiashu’s decisions, couldn’t help but ask him to reconsider.

However, Sun Jiashu didn’t reconsider, nor did he offer any explanation. Instead, he severed the communication between the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence and the Sun Manor before making his way to the small ancestral hall in the back.

The steward was left at a complete loss for what to do, and the Sun Clan’s Nascent Tier patriarch knew that he had to step in.

Hence, he appeared in the Sun Manor for the first time in over a century, then personally instructed the steward on how to handle this matter, instilling within him a great deal of calmness and reassurance.

After taking a bath and changing into some new clothes, Sun Jiashu stood alone in the ancestral hall, offering up some incense before standing in silence, as if he were pondering his mistakes.

Aside from spirit tablets, there were also portraits of the Sun Clan’s past clan leaders hanging on the walls of the ancestral hall, most of whom were depicted wearing simple and unadorned attire like Sun Jiashu. Sun Jiashu had inherited the position of clan leader directly from his grandfather, while his father’s generation had been skipped.

After relieving himself of the position, Sun Jiashu’s grandfather had left to travel the Middle Earth Divine Continent. At the time, Sun Jiashu had only been in his early twenties, and with such a massive responsibility dumped onto his shoulders, he had suffered through a great deal of hardships over the years.

Sun Jiashu looked up at the portraits on the walls. Some of them had saved the clan during time of great peril, some had established new trade routes, some had befriended cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers for the sake of the clan’s prosperity, some had done nothing with their lives and had only negative impacts on the clan’s development, some had made terrible decisions, forcing the Sun Clan to part with much of its territory in the outer city, some had strayed down the wrong path, becoming obsessed with cultivation and leaving the duty of overseeing the clan to others…

Sun Jiashu really wanted to know how he was going to be seen by his descendants once he became one of the portraits on the walls. Was he going to be regarded as a shrewd and conscientious clan leader who had led the clan to new heights, an incompetent clan leader who had planted the seed for the clan’s descent into ignominy, or a fool who had passed up an exceptionally rare opportunity?

The Nascent Tier patriarch slowly made his way into the ancestral hall late at night, and after a long silence, he finally consoled, “Given the law of three strikes, it’s already quite remarkable that you had chosen to believe in that boy and bet on him four times, and there’s certainly no shame in losing on the fifth time.

“The fact that the guest elder with hopes of reaching the Nascent Tier was willing to entertain your bets four times indicates that he’s leaning more toward staying in the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence over defecting to Fu Donghai’s side.”

Sun Jiashu didn’t turn around as he continued to stare at one of the portraits on the walls as he nodded and replied, “I’ve already arrived at these conclusions myself, so I’m not overly bothered by these things.

“When it comes to those bets, they haven’t improved the situation, nor have they made things any worse, so I can accept that outcome. Even if we do miss out on a future Nascent Tier guest elder, that’s not something that will have a decisive impact on the fate of our Sun Clan.”

The Sun Clan patriarch wanted to say something, but ultimately refrained from doing so. What he wanted to ask concerned the foundation of Sun Jiashu’s Great Dao, and it would be inappropriate to pry into such matters, even for him.

Similarly, even though the three guest elders in the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence were on very good terms with Sun Jiashu and were very curious about Chen Ping’an’s cultivation base, they still chose not to directly ask Sun Jiashu, merely speculating about and betting on the subject instead.

Sun Jiashu spread open one of his hands as he said, “This entire time that I’ve been with Chen Ping’an, I’ve been treating our relationship as a business opportunity. It’s not that I don’t see Liu Baqiao as a friend, it’s just that Chen Ping’an is so strange and difficult to understand that I can’t help but want to make a big gamble on him. I can’t help it.

“At my core, I’m a businessman and the Sun Clan’s leader. I’ve only come to realize now that knowing too much can also have its drawbacks.”

Sun Jiashu turned around and raised his splayed-out hand as he continued, “Up to this point, the Fu Clan has taken no action against Chen Ping’an, and after he forced back those golden dragons a second time, my plan had entirely fallen through, leaving me to suffer the consequences.

“Only then did I realize just how terrible my decision had been, to the point that it had lost me an entire Old Dragon City.”

Even as a revered earth immortal, the Sun Clan patriarch wasn’t able to see anything special about Sun Jiashu’s hand, but he was certain that through it, Sun Jiashu had already glimpsed the final truth.

A grief-stricken look appeared on Sun Jiashu’s face as he continued, “If my decision had only cost me a friendship with Chen Ping’an, who was never my friend to begin with, and an Old Dragon City, then I would’ve been able to bear the consequences, no matter how bitter a fruit it is to swallow.

“So what if I missed out? I can just earn more money in the future to make up for it! When it comes to the ability to make money, I don’t lose to anyone!”

The Sun Clan patriarch remained silent, waiting for Sun Jiashu to continue.

Sun Jiashu slowly clenched his splayed hand into a tight fist, then continued in a trembling voice, “Before this, my way of making money was one that I had always firmly believed was the correct path, one that follows the Great Dao of Commercialism and fits perfectly with the ancestral teachings of our clan.

“However, in the wake of this ordeal, after knowing Chen Ping’an for only less than a month, it’s been exposed to be nothing more than an incorrect and terribly misguided path. The founder of Commercialism had long warned the followers of his teachings that money earned through unjust means was like flowing water, going just as quickly as it came, so it was definitely not to be pursued.”

Sun Jiashu turned to the side so that the Sun Clan patriarch wouldn’t be able to see his expression, and he also lowered his head slightly, seemingly not wanting to see the patriarch’s expression, either.

The Sun Clan patriarch slowly made his way over to Sun Jiashu’s side as he said, “The mistakes have already been made. Are you just going to allow yourself to be defeated and do nothing to make amends?”

Sun Jiashu raised his hands in front of himself before gently blowing onto them as he replied, “For some reason, the Fu Clan decided not to make a move, and that’s left me in a very difficult position. Most importantly, even now, I still don’t know what Chen Ping’an thinks of me and what kind of person he is. That is the main predicament that I’m facing.”

The Sun Clan patriarch’s brows furrowed slightly as he said, “It’s difficult to say what Chen Ping’an thinks of you, but have you still not come to understand what kind of person he is?”

A resigned look appeared on Sun Jiashu’s face as he sighed, “Before this, I thought I already had a good grasp on his character, so I was prepared to face the consequences. Even if he comes to realize the truth, I was prepared to compensate him, and the worst-case scenario would be a clean break, where our Sun Clan never crosses paths with Chen Ping’an again.

“However, I don’t know if I’m prepared to face the consequences now because I don’t know if Chen Ping’an is consistent in the way that he treats himself and the way that he treats others.”

The Sun Clan patriarch patted Sun Jiashu on the shoulder as he said, “Jiashu, you’re very intelligent, and you also possess immense talent, so your status as clan leader has never been questioned. Even now that you’ve made such a grave mistake, I still think you’re the best candidate for the job.

“Right now, I’m not a patriarch offering counsel and instruction to a clan leader. Instead, I’m going to give you a piece of advice purely as a senior to a junior. I think you should cast aside all of your schemes and disregard the fate of the clan and the state of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

“You are Sun Jiashu, Liu Baqiao’s best friend, and Chen Ping’an is a friend introduced to you by Liu Baqiao, so why don’t you just try to befriend him on a personal level and think about nothing else?”

“Will that work?” Sun Jiashu asked with a skeptical expression.

The Sun Clan patriarch smiled as he replied, “You may as well give it a try. It’s not like things can get any worse. On top of that, some things cannot just be avoided. When you encounter a hurdle, there’s nothing to fear because all you have to do is try your best to get over it.

“As for whether you’ll be successful, that’s another matter entirely. At the very least, you tried, and just as you said, it’s not going to have a decisive impact on our Sun Clan anyway.”

“Alright, I suppose I can give it a try,” Sun Jiashu said, but he was still looking a little hesitant.

The Sun Clan patriarch turned to look at the sky outside the ancestral hall as he said, “Go. Don’t forget that today is the day that the Mountain and Sea Turtle sets sail.”

Sun Jiashu took a deep breath, then departed from the ancestral hall. Even though he had already made a decision, his footsteps were still quite heavy.

“Jiashu really has suffered a terrible loss this time,” The Sun Clan patriarch sighed to himself. “He lost three times in a row, losing grain rain coins, losing a century of service from a guest elder with hopes of reaching the Nascent Tier, losing to the Fu Clan, and finally, losing his Dao Heart.

“The wavering of his Dao Heart is the most damning of those consequences, and if I were in his place, I would most likely only be faring even worse than him. In fact, my Dao Heart would’ve most likely already collapsed, leaving no chance for amends to be made. ”

The Sun Clan patriarch then turned his gaze back to the portraits hanging on the walls as he smiled and continued, “Having said that, I think this is a good thing. At the very least, the consequences are not too severe to bear, and they’ve taught him some valuable lessons.

“It’s never a good thing to have too smooth a journey and rely excessively on one’s own talents and intelligence, wouldn’t you all agree?”

All of the portraits on the walls fluttered audibly, as if they were expressing their agreement.

————

Inside the Fu city, Song Jixin was constantly accompanied by the assistant mountain master of Forest Deer Academy wherever he went.

The deal between Old Dragon City and the Great Li Empire had been decided long before Fu Nanhua entered Jewel Small World, and Song Jixin had only come to Old Dragon City as an obligatory visit to display himself to the outside world as a new prince of the Great Li Empire. He was doing this both as a part of Cui Chan’s plan and under the orders of the emperor.

Song Jixin had traveled southward to Old Dragon City from the ferry station in the Dragon Spring Prefecture. The emperor was still resting and recuperating in the capital city of the Great Li Empire, and he hadn’t made any demands of Song Jixin for this trip.

Hence, as Song Jixin stepped onto the ship, he couldn’t help but feel as if his maidservant, Zhi Gui, was the true focus for this trip.

Song Jixin was aware of some of the inner workings behind certain things that were still largely unfathomable to him, and he knew that there were many long-running plots that were unfolding in the shadows.

Ultimately, one side would descend southward, while the other would travel northward, and additionally, the Gao Clan of Great Sui Nation had expressed their willingness to compromise and forge an alliance with the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan.

In the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was Heavenly Lord Xie Shi of Complete Reed Continent, and he had severed the control that Lake View Academy had over the north.

Even though the academy had lashed out with a high degree of force and decisiveness, stamping out the stirrings of war that were beginning to arise within the dozen or so nations that included Colorful Garment Nation and Water Combing Nation, Song Jixin could still see a path along which the cavalry of the Great Li Empire could make its southbound march, encountering no meaningful resistance as it conquered everything en route to the south coast…

Song Jixin could see all of this, but he refrained from speaking about such matters.

Just because the state of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was beneficial to the Song Clan didn’t necessarily mean that it was beneficial to him. Not only did he not have interactions with the most important officials of the Great Li Empire, he also had a twin brother in the Palace of Eternal Spring, as well as a mother who displayed a high degree of favoritism for her younger son.

Upon returning to the capital city of the Great Li Empire, he had paid a visit to the Palace of Eternal Spring. It was customarily mandated that after a long separation between parent and child, the latter had to visit the former following their return.

However, no matter how much sorrow his mother displayed, Song Jixin discovered that he struggled to reciprocate those feelings. He felt as if he had been watching a complete stranger weeping before him, but while he remained as unmoved as a block of wood. In fact, that was an apt analogy as he had felt like a wooden puppet completely devoid of emotion at the time.

All he was able to do was squeeze out some tears, and he had nothing to say to his mother. Their conversation consisted solely of her asking him questions, to which he would respond, and it was more like a stiff and awkward briefing between superior and subordinate rather than a heartwarming reunion between mother and son.

On top of that, Song He had also been bawling his eyes out on the side, and Song Jixin felt like that reunion had been a very awkward one for all three of them.

Song Jixin was walking alone down a corridor in the Fu Clan’s courtyard. He had expressed a desire to take a stroll on his own, so the assistant mountain master of Forest Deer Academy wasn’t accompanying him.

On his stroll, Song Jixin encountered many handsome male servants and beautiful maidservants, none of whom were aware of his identity, but the Old Dragon Cloud-Flipping Pendant and the Old Dragon Rainbringer hanging from his waist granted him free passage anywhere in the Fu Clan.

On this day, Zhi Gui had gone off on her own again, and Sword Immortal Xu Ruo was also nowhere to be seen.

It was said that Xu Ruo was an extremely renowned Mohist figurehead of Middle Earth Divine Continent, and Song Jixin had always been trying to befriend him, but despite how perpetually pleasant and easygoing Xu Ruo seemed, Song Jixin felt like he was very difficult to form a true bond with, and their relationship remained one that was pleasant, yet distant.

In his mind, perhaps the situation would improve if he were to inherit the throne someday, so for now, he would just have to bide his time.

While on his stroll, Song Jixin was inspecting the surrounding scenery, which consisted of the immaculate maintained gardens and pavilions of the Fu Clan, but it didn’t take long before he grew bored of what he was seeing.

Back when he was strolling through the streets and alleys of the small town, the scenery had never been so unappealing to him, regardless of whether he was accompanied by Zhi Gui. As the thought of Zhi Gui entered his mind, his mood worsened even further.

He was terrified that one day, she would no longer be his maidservant, and that he would suddenly turn around to find that she was gone.

Just like now, as he turned around to face the empty corridor behind him. The only thing there was a parrot in the cage speaking in the dialect of Old Dragon City. Song Jixin made his way over to the cage, then tapped it heavily with his finger as he said, “Shut up!”

The parrot was an extremely fast learner, and it immediately copied Song Jixin as it replied, “Shut up!”

Song Jixin raised an eyebrow as he said, “I want to kiss Song Mu’s arse!”

The parrot turned around so that its backside was facing Song Jixin, and it replied, “You can kiss my arse!”

Song Jixin was very amused by this interaction, and his mood was lifted a little as he departed with a smile on his face.

————

The Fu Clan had a Dragon Scaling Platform that was a restricted area in Old Dragon City. It wasn’t in the Fu city. Instead, it was on the seaside cliff in the easternmost area of Old Dragon City.

The Dragon Scaling Platform was several hundred feet tall, and it was the tallest building in all of Old Dragon City, but it was completely empty, and a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner was constantly stationed here, cultivating in a thatch hut while preventing outsiders from stepping onto the platform.

On this day, Fu Qi was personally accompanying a guest onto the platform for sightseeing, and they were accompanied only by Fu Nanhua.

It was strange that Fu Qi stopped at the foot of the Dragon Scaling Platform, while the guests made their way up to the platform on their own.

The Golden Core Tier Qi refiner extended a respectful greeting to Fu Qi, then took a glance at Fu Nanhua before returning to his thatch hut to continue refining his soul by sensing the ebb and flow of the sea’s tide.

“Nanhua, did you choose to refrain from attacking Chen Ping’an because you thought that Sun Jiashu was smarter than you, so it had to be a trap for you?” Fu Qi asked.

“Aside from that, I was asking myself how I would treat this matter if I were the city lord of Old Dragon City. Would I use our clan’s resources to settle a private vendetta, or…”

Fu Nanhua’s voice trailed off here as an awkward look appeared on his face.

Fu Qi was very pleased to hear this, and he praised the young man. “Looks like you really did carefully consider the things that I told you that day. If you’re a member of the Fu Clan, then you can’t wait until the day you become the city lord before you finally begin acting like one.

“If you don’t even have that much foresight, then even if you’re the most powerful cultivator in the clan, it matters for naught. If all you do is make rash decisions to satisfy your own personal agendas, then you’ll eventually get what’s coming to you. In the face of an immortal of the Upper Five Tiers, our Old Dragon City is nothing more than a fart in the wind.”

Fu Nanhua gritted his teeth momentarily to muster up some courage, then asked, “Father, how can I inherit the position of city lord with my lowly cultivation base? How can I expect anyone to respect and accept me as city lord?”

Fu Qi burst into laughter. “Just use money to get yourself there! Our Fu Clan doesn’t have much else, but we have a ton of money! How do you think I managed to progress from the Golden Core Tier to the Nascent Tier?

“The amount of money and resources I went through are sufficient to purchase that entire street that the Sun Clan owns outside the city! How do you think I reached the pinnacle of the Nascent Tier thereafter? Sure, I was pretty conscientious in my cultivation, but most of it was thanks to money.”

Fu Nanhua was astonished to hear this.

It’s that simple?

Fu Qi clasped his hands behind his back, then cast his gaze toward the petite figure scaling the platform as he smiled and said, “While it’s true that I felt you were a worthy candidate to inherit my mantle, her opinion on the matter was the most decisive factor in the decision. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that she has the final say on this matter.

“There are some things that are out of your reach at the moment, but you’ll learn more and more about those things from here onward, and the true scenery at the pinnacle of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent will gradually be laid out before you.”

A look of excitement and yearning appeared in Fu Nanhua’s eyes.

A meaningful smile appeared on Fu Qi’s face as he continued, “Someday, you’ll come to realize that the entire world around you reeks of the stench of blood.”

As Zhi Gui stepped onto the Dragon Scaling Platform, her face was covered in blood, and more bloody tears continued to flow out of her golden eyes.

She stood on her own, cutting a lonesome figure as she inspected her surroundings.

The nine continents, the Five Lakes and Four Seas… All of them were riddled with tombs filled with her brethren!