Unsheathed

Chapter 395 (2): A Bowl of Chicken Soup, I Don’t Know

The young scholarly attendant grumbled and complained to Liu Qingfeng the entire time. Liu Qingfeng never talked back, and he definitely didn’t use his position as a county magistrate to scold the young scholarly attendant either. The two of them were still soaking wet when the ox-drawn carriage arrived near the Lion Garden, and it wasn’t long before they saw the Lion Garden’s silhouette after passing the stone cliff and the old trees. The young scholarly attendant immediately calmed down after seeing this. He had grown up in this place, and he liked his childhood friend, Zhao Ya, quite a lot…

Liu Qingfeng belonged to the Qing generation in the Liu Clan, and he was one of Assistant Minister Liu’s five children. From the eldest child to the youngest child, the last characters of their names were Feng, Ya, Shan, Qing, and Yu, respectively.

After changing into a set of new clothes, Liu Qingfeng immediately hurried off to visit his younger brother’s study. The young scholarly attendant had informed him that Assistant Minister Liu was already waiting for him there.

The father and his two sons sat facing each other.

Liu Jingting felt like a huge load had been lifted from his shoulders when he saw Liu Qingfeng. In fact, his sense of relief was no lesser than when he had personally witnessed the great demon being subdued and captured.

There was one thing that others wouldn’t be able to fathom, regardless of whether it was Chen Ping’an, Liu Boqi, or any other esteemed immortal from outside the Lion Garden’s Liu Clan. In fact, the large majority of people in the Lion Garden were oblivious to this fact as well. That was, the true backbone of the Lion Garden wasn’t Liu Jingting. Rather, it was actually Liu Qingfeng, someone with a mediocre official rank and seemingly ordinary scholarly talent.

Back then, Liu Boqi had spied on the three people drinking and chatting with each other, yet most of her attention had been focused on Liu Qingshan. Thus, she had failed to ruminate on their discussions and notice any clues. Moreover, the change in the mentalities of the father and his two sons had been subtle and gradual, and it wasn’t the case that Liu Qingfeng had purposely manipulated his father and younger brother to make himself the backbone of the Lion Garden. It was a very natural process that had eventually led to this outcome.

Liu Qingfeng was extremely pragmatic, and he was someone who strongly advocated pragmatism and rewarding results. He had acted as somewhat of a guest elder or adviser for Liu Jingting since a long time ago, and this was different from his younger brother Liu Qingshan who had mostly remained in the Lion Garden to study apart from his few journeys outside and his time away to attend the imperial examinations.

Indeed, Liu Qingfeng had accompanied Liu Jingting the entire time while his father was serving as an official in the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation, and this had allowed him to become involved in the official affairs managed by his father far before Liu Qingshan. As a result, he was much more familiar with the ebbs and flows of the imperial court of the Azure Phoenix Nation.

Liu Qingfeng smiled and said, “I’ve carefully read over the letter that Father sent to the county office already.”

Liu Qingshan noticed his older brother looking at him with a smile, and this immediately caused him to feel a little nervous and uneasy.

Liu Qingfeng suddenly broke into loud laughter.

“Brother!” Liu Qingshan exclaimed with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Liu Jingting sighed with emotion and said, “If I had listened to you earlier regarding Lady Liu Shu and had an open and honest conversation with her, then perhaps the relationship between us wouldn’t be so strained right now.”

“Father, regardless of whether it’s how a person conducts themself or how a deity accepts incense offerings, everything will be dictated by their fundamental nature. Truth be told, this isn’t something that we can change with a few words, and we couldn’t have avoided the unexpected disaster that befell the Lion Garden even if we persuaded Lady Liu Shu from the bottom of our hearts,” Liu Qingfeng consoled.

“Thankfully, Lady Liu Shu shares both glory and humiliation with the Lion Garden and the Liu Clan, so the calamity that we experienced can also serve as a warning to her. That we obtained fortune from misfortune, this is something that we need to thank the gallant Young Master Chen for. We also need to thank that Daoist nun whom Liu Qingshan is familiar with, Liu… what was her name again?”

Liu Qingshan’s embarrassment turned into anger, and he exclaimed, “Liu Boqi! Would you cut it out already, Brother?!”

Liu Qingfeng wiped the smile from his face and asked with a serious expression, “Do you genuinely like her?”

Liu Qingshan felt slightly embarrassed, and he couldn’t help but look around to avoid his brother’s gaze.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Jingting said in helplessness, “That Daoist nun is a cultivator from the mountains, after all, so regarding the help that she provided us in subduing the demon, we can never thank her enough. However, this pertains to the marriage of your younger brother, something that will shape the rest of his life. Ah… Everything is a mess right now.”

As the previous assistant minister of the Azure Phoenix Nation’s Ministry of Rites, Liu Jingting was no stranger to the immortal forces or traveling immortals in the nation. Moreover, the Imperial Tang Clan had always been fairly assertive toward immortals, so Liu Jingting was also able to stand up straight and remain relatively confident when he dealt with both official immortals and vagrant cultivators.

Regardless, even honest and upright officials would find it difficult to resolve family disputes.

Liu Qingfeng looked at his father and signaled with his eyes that he knew what he was doing. He then turned to Liu Qingshan and said, “Qingshan, I trust you, and if you say you like her, then I believe that you genuinely do like her. You have your own careful considerations regarding her appearance, background, and character, and I also trust your judgment. As your older brother, I’m not here to discuss these things with you, nor will I tell the two of you how to act.

“However, let’s assume that Liu Boqi, a Daoist nun from another continent, potentially marries into the Lion Garden’s Liu Clan in the near future and become Liu Qingshan’s wife. If that’s the case, then we’ll need to consider two things. Firstly, Liu Boqi is a cultivator, so we won’t force her to deal with trivial matters. However, will she be willing to stay in the Lion Garden to cultivate and genuinely interact with Liu Qingshan as husband and wife? Or will she start to view herself as a superior cultivator from the mountains after a while and place herself above Liu Qingshan no matter the situation or matter? If that were to happen, might she even try to interfere with the affairs of the Lion Garden?

“Secondly, Qingshan, has she ever revealed any intention or subtly hinted to you that she wants you to cultivate immortal techniques alongside her? Does she want you to abandon all of the sagely texts and leave the Lion Garden to enter the mountains with her?

“When it comes to romantic relationships, it’s often the case that everything appears beautiful and attractive in the beginning. Just like the Lion Garden, it’s as if the relationship is a paradise built among green mountains and limpid waters. Take Lady Liu Shu, for example. The Liu Clan has respected and revered her for generation after generation, yet how did she act when the situation became dire?

“If it weren’t for the fact that she can’t move away from this land, it’s very likely that she would have abandoned the Liu Clan and fled far away. Seven generations of the Liu Clan formed good karmic bonds with Lady Liu Shu and offered her incense, yet what did she say in front of their memorial tablets when we were sheltering in the ancestral hall? Were her words not incredibly insulting and hurtful?

“So, Liu Qingshan, I’m not asking you to abandon your relationship with Liu Boqi, and I simply want you to understand that the mountains and the areas beyond the mountains are two completely different worlds. Descendants from scholarly clans and cultivators from the mountains also view the world in two completely different ways.

“If the two of you get married, will Liu Boqi adapt and accommodate you, or will you adapt and accommodate her? Have you ever thought about this before? And if you have, have you ever thought about it carefully?

“Indeed, Liu Boqi is a great benefactor of the Liu Clan, and she not only subdued the demon and rescued the Liu Clan during a time of perilous danger, but she even offered us a huge sum of wealth afterward, giving us a significant amount of immortal coins. However, you need to understand something, Qingshan.

“The Liu Clan is willing to repay Liu Boqi for her enormous help, and your father, me, and the entire Lion Garden will all work together to achieve this aim. There’s no need for you to shoulder this responsibility by yourself. If the Lion Garden’s Liu Clan is unable to repay this debt of gratitude in one generation, then we’ll repay it in two generations, three generations, or even more. We’re willing to keep repaying this debt of gratitude as long as Liu Boqi is willing to wait.”

Liu Qingfeng sighed with emotion and continued, “Don’t blame me for being so philistine, and don’t think that I’m trying to project our shortcomings onto someone else. You have to realize that the more we think and plan today, the less we’ll have to worry about in the future. To put things simply, I merely hope that you, Liu Qingshan, can enjoy a happy life in the future. Of course, I also have my own selfish reasons. As your older brother, I concede that I’m not capable enough to maintain the knowledge, traditions, and values of the Lion Garden’s Liu Clan. We still require you to inherit and maintain these things.”

Liu Qingshan stood up, with his shoulders appearing crooked because of his crippled leg. He appeared at ease as he bowed and replied, “I’ll go and ask her straight away.”

A complicated look flashed past Liu Qingfeng’s eyes, and he said softly, “There are many deities and immortals in the world, so rest assured, Qing Shan, we can definitely heal your leg. Your older brother can promise you this.”

Liu Qingshan simply regarded this as a statement of consolation from his older brother, and he smiled as he took his leave.

Liu Jingting was extremely perceptive as someone who had worked in the imperial court before, and he was also most familiar with his eldest son’s extraordinary character, maturity, and open-mindedness. Thus, his expression changed slightly at this moment.

After Liu Qingshan left the study and closed the door…

Liu Qingfeng looked tired out as he smiled and revealed, “I coincidentally ran into Chen Ping’an on my way here.”

Liu Jingting suppressed the fear in his mind and asked with a smile, “What did you think about him?”

Liu Qingfeng nodded and replied, “He’s a very rare breed of cultivator from the mountains. In fact, he appears more like a legitimate scholar who’s walked out from a wealthy scholarly clan.”

“That’s indeed the case,” Liu Jingting concurred with a smile.

Liu Qingfeng wanted to say something, yet he couldn’t help but hesitate.

Liu Jingting stood up and placed a hand on his eldest son’s shoulder, saying, “There’s no need to treat your family as strangers and keep any secrets. Liu Qingshan will understand your good intentions in the future. As for your father… Truth be told, I don’t think you’re wrong, but I don’t think you’re right either.”

There was a downcast expression on Liu Qingfeng’s face.

“Go and visit Qingqing,” Liu Jingting said. “She has a close relationship with Qingshan, whereas she respects and fears you on the other hand. However, this also means that it’s more effective for you to deliver some certain messages.”

Liu Qingfeng nodded and replied, “I’ll stay here for a little longer and then head off to visit my two teachers. When I’m done, I’ll head over to visit Liu Qingqing at her residence.”

Liu Jingting sighed and said, “This is only right.”

The old assistant minister left the study before Liu Qingfeng.

Sitting in the study by himself, Liu Qingfeng turned around to look at the couplet stuck on the wall.

A formation of a thousand soldiers under my brush, an army of ten thousand cavalry in my poems. Upholding virtue to match the sages, collecting books to educate our descendants.

In reality, this couplet hadn’t been written by Liu Qingshan, the owner of this study. Instead, Liu Qingfeng had personally written this couplet and offered it to his younger brother as a gift during Liu Qingshan’s coming-of-age ceremony.

There was a look of melancholy on Liu Qingfeng’s face as he walked out of the study and made his way over to the Liu Clan’s private school to visit the old scholar, Fu Sheng, and the middle-aged scholar, Mr. Liu. The former wasn’t present, and only the latter was still in the private school. Liu Qingfeng used this opportunity to ask Mr. Liu a few questions pertaining to the scholarly study before bidding farewell and taking his leave. Only then did he walk over to his younger sister’s residence.

Fu Sheng suddenly materialized in the private school following Liu Qingfeng’s departure.

“Teacher, is Liu Qingfeng’s act of dragging Liu Qingshan into the whirlpool between the three teachings in the Azure Phoenix Nation right or wrong?” the middle-aged scholar asked.

Fu Sheng smiled and replied, “Didn’t someone say this before? The matters of the past became irrelevant yesterday, and the matters of the future begin from today. What’s right or wrong today won’t necessarily remain right or wrong in the future. Everything depends on the individual.

“In any case, this is a private matter for the Liu Clan, and I can coincidentally borrow this opportunity to gauge just how many of those sagely texts Liu Qingshan has truly absorbed. When it comes to the integrity and moral courage of scholars, only through hardships can these qualities be refined.”

The middle-aged scholar felt slightly exasperated. His teacher was using the principles of Buddhism to judge the actions of a Confucian disciple, and this was an act that naturally didn’t conform with etiquette. However, just how lofty was his teacher’s status in the official Confucian temple in the Middle Earth Divine Continent?

Moreover, Mr. Liu was also aware that his teacher could see very far ahead. Thus, his teacher wouldn’t interfere in Liu Qingshan’s journey unless it pertained to the young man veering off the correct path of the Great Dao.

Back then in the ancestral hall, if Liu Qingshan hadn’t stepped forward to retort Lady Liu Shu, then he would have only ever known that two teachers, Mr. Fu and Mr. Liu, had stayed in the Lion Garden to teach for many years. One day, however, they would have suddenly disappeared without a trace, never to be heard from again.

In reality, many fated opportunities in the world were like this. These fated opportunities might be big or small, and different immortal clans and schools of thought would all have different requirements and provide different opportunities when taking disciples. Fundamentally speaking, however, everything was the same. It was up to the individuals being examined to grab these opportunities with both hands.

Immortals from the Daoist Sect were especially fond of examining potential disciples, and compared to how Fu Sheng had gone with the flow and observed Liu Qingshan’s actions, Daoist cultivators would prepare examinations that were much more complicated and challenging. There would be glory and humiliation, life and death, familial and romantic relationships, and all kinds of attachments and temptations. It was possible that all of these things would be examined.

In fact, there were some renowned examinations throughout history that had taken an exorbitant amount of time and involved reincarnation as well as journeys through blessed lands.

These were soul-stirring and awe-inspiring stories.

“Truth be told, Liu Qingshan is a suitable candidate to become your direct disciple,” Fu Sheng suddenly said.

Mr. Liu, the middle-aged scholar, shook his head and replied, “I’m aware of his decent character and grand ambitions, and I’m also aware of his ability to properly complete cumbersome tasks. However, it’s a shame that he isn’t suited to inheriting my minor branch of knowledge.”

Fu Sheng smiled in response and didn’t say anything else.

He didn’t divulge the truth.

A master educating their disciple…

Was this truly as simple as the disciple respectfully listening to the teachings of their master?

Were disciples truly unable to rectify the mistakes and make up for the shortcomings of their master’s knowledge?

However, these principles couldn’t be explicitly revealed by outsiders. One needed to reach this understanding by themself for it to be of any use.

The Paramount Sage had once been worried about the knowledge of Confucian sages growing too profound and lofty, with the status of the sages also rising further and further above the mortal world. If this continued, then what would happen to the world?

The Etiquette Sage, the Second Sage, Fu Sheng—or Fu Sheng, to be more accurate—and the two assistant sages of the Confucian Sect had each offered a solution to this problem.[1]

However, the brows of the Paramount Sage had still remained tightly knitted together.

Afterward, the impoverished old scholar had suddenly appeared from nowhere and soared up the ranks of the Confucian Sect.

That had been a brilliant age for Confucianism.

The old scholar had participated in two debates between the three teachings, and during those occasions, a fair few innate Bodhisattvas and Dao Seeds from the incredibly talented group of Buddhist monks and Daoist priests had resolutely defected to the Confucian Sect.

A young immortal participant from White Jade Capital had once asked, “Since Confucianism posits that human nature is fundamentally good at birth, implying that everyone is already flawlessly good to begin with, then in what sense is Confucianism educating and enlightening people?”

Mr. Liu, the middle-aged scholar, suddenly asked, “What if Liu Qingshan first embarks on a long journey with Daoist Nun Liu Boqi from the Daoist Saber Room? And what if they eventually become husband and wife?”

Old Scholar Fu Sheng—or Great Sage Fu Sheng, to be more accurate—smiled and replied, “What does this matter? The sectarian views between the three teachings only pertain to disagreements in a scholarly sense.”

Mr. Liu became slightly puzzled again.

Fu Sheng nodded and continued, “Liu Qingfeng has roughly guessed our true identities already. It’s because the Lion Garden has a backup plan and a path of retreat now that Liu Qingfeng has engaged in this gamble of scholarly fortune with the Great Li Empire’s Embroidered Tiger.”

Mr. Liu humphed coldly in response.

Meanwhile, Fu Sheng sighed with emotion and remarked, “If there were more people like Cui Chan and Liu Qingshan among the old scholar’s disciples back then, then he might not have lost… At the very least, he wouldn’t have lost so comprehensively and pitifully.”

1. Although the same in English, the second character of Fu Sheng’s name is written differently in Chinese (昇 has now become 胜). Fu Sheng (伏胜 or 伏生) was a Chinese philosopher and writer. He was a Confucian scholar of the Qin and Western Han dynasties of ancient China, and he is famous for saving the Confucian classic Shangshu (the Classic of History) from the book burning of the First Emperor of Qin. ☜