Unsheathed

The commotion at the bow of the ship was loud but largely inconsequential.

This was because a sword cultivator had summoned his bonded flying swords, not one, but an abnormal two. Yet, not a single drop of blood had been spilled in the end?

The onlookers were quite disappointed by this result.

There were two hundred or so passengers on the immortal ship, and many of them engaged in spirited discussions at this moment. To citizens of the Azure Phoenix Nation, it wasn’t strange for all kinds of people to travel on immortal ships. There were official immortals traveling around the world, vagrant cultivators wandering around to seek fame and fortune, and officials and wealthy individuals bringing their families around to broaden their horizons.

While traveling on the immortal ships, the passengers would eventually grow accustomed to the rolling sea of clouds and the sight of immortal cranes soaring through the sky. These beautiful sceneries would no longer appear as special as before. On the other hand, they would feel reinvigorated if they were able to personally witness a conflict like the one that had just taken place at the bow of the ship.

The passengers all held their own views regarding the conflict, and compared to Chen Ping’an’s nonchalance and the group of martial artists’ cowering, the passengers were much more spirited in their discussions of the conflict. Their views were quite complicated, but they were still able to reach a rough consensus in the end, concluding that the young sword cultivator was far too domineering in his response.

The matter was very minor, so was it necessary for the young sword cultivator to lash out and injure the other party? He could have solved the problem simply by revealing that he was a sword cultivator, yet he had insisted on kicking the burly man so hard that he couldn’t stand up afterward. Was this not a case of being too arrogant and overbearing?

Only a little girl who was traveling around the world with her parents remarked in confusion, “Didn’t the injured martial artist provoke the sword cultivator first?”

However, including her parents who were a perfect match for each other among the wealthy clans of the Azure Phoenix Nation, all of the adults discussing the matter with excitement and vigor turned a deaf ear to her naive remarks. They continued to speculate the identity of the young sword cultivator, trying to figure out whether he was from Li Tuanjing’s Wind Lightning Field, Sun Scorch Mountain that was soaring with sword qi, or some other force.

Of course, there were also those who spoke in a mocking manner, saying that young sword cultivators were indeed very impressive just like the rumors said. This person was very young, yet his temper was already quite big. However, he might come across an even more unreasonable earth immortal one day, so it was only a matter of time before he got a taste of his own medicine.

Upon hearing this, the little girl timidly said, “If that big brother dressed in white and carrying a sword on his back wasn’t strong enough, then wouldn’t he have already been bullied and beaten up by that big group of people?”

The adults once again ignored the naive remarks of this little child. After all, what could a little child like her understand?

The little girl was slightly angry about being ignored by everyone, so she ran to a section of the railings near the bow where there were relatively fewer people. She stood on her tippy-toes and gazed into the distance, feeling like the clouds in the sky were the biggest and fluffiest balls of cotton candy in the world. This made her crave some cotton candy, so she reached out with her little hand and pretended to grab the large clouds, after which she pretended to stuff them into her mouth. She then patted her belly in satisfaction, no longer feeling angry at those adults.

In reality, she wanted to look for that tanned little girl who was around the same age as her to play with. However, she had felt a little shy before, and her parents had also warned her that she couldn’t be as carefree on this immortal ship as she was at home. Following the conflict between the young sword cultivator and the group of martial artists, the little girl was even less daring to go over and look for the tanned little girl.

At this moment, the little girl suddenly noticed an extremely handsome man standing in front of the railings nearby. In fact, he was even more handsome than the big brother who had protected the tanned little girl just then.

The handsome man was around thirty years old, yet the impression that he gave others was still a little fuzzy. He still appeared young and full of vigor.

He turned around and caught the little girl’s gaze, causing the latter to hurriedly turn around and pretend that she was enjoying the scenery.

The handsome man smiled before copying the little girl’s action from before, reaching out at a mountain-shaped cloud near the immortal ship. The snow-white cloud trembled slightly, and a white thread that dazzled with brilliance under the sunlight immediately hovered into the handsome man’s palm. He used his hands to roll the thread into a ball, after which he smiled and offered it to the little girl, seemingly asking her whether she wanted to have a taste. The young girl vigorously shook her head, so the handsome man tossed the white ball into his own mouth.

The little girl gasped in admiration.

This person is a handsome immortal!

The handsome man was bored with nothing better to do as he leaned on the railing.

He had taken leave and gone on this trip for two reasons. Firstly, he wanted to relax and clear his mind. Secondly, he wanted to observe from up close that young man who was very likely from the same teaching as him.

This handsome man was none other than Chief Military Governor Wei Liang of the Azure Phoenix Nation.

He was the person who had fomented the plan to encircle the yellow earth bull in order to draw out the vagrant cultivators and kill them, and he was also the gatekeeper for the capital during the grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism.

In reality, the grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism was yet to truly finish, so Emperor Tang Li had been extremely reluctant to give Chief Military Governor Wei Liang his requested leave. Wei Liang was even older than the Azure Phoenix Nation, and he was once a trusted subordinate of the founding emperor and also the chief strategist in the past.

With the situation in the capital as complicated as could be at this moment, it would feel as if there were voracious tigers and wolves lying around the emperor’s bed if Wei Liang wasn’t present. Even so, Emperor Tang Li had no option but to grit his teeth and agree to Wei Liang’s request.

After the Azure Phoenix Nation was founded, the founding emperor of the nation constructed pagodas and commissioned paintings for each of the twenty-four founding ministers who had provided outstanding service. “Wei Qian” wasn’t ranked very high among the twenty-four ministers, yet the twenty-three other ministers had already passed away. In fact, even the great-great-grandchildren of these ministers had already passed away. Meanwhile, Wei Qian had merely changed his name to Wei Liang.

The immortal ship they were on was called “Azure Garb,” and its exterior appearance was no different from the battleships of mortal empires that sailed across giant lakes and large rivers. The immortal ship wasn’t quick, and it would also take detours so that the passengers could disembark and visit the immortal mountains along the way to entertain themselves.

There was the Fishing Platform that soared above the clouds, and one could use special fishing rods refined from unique wood to fish for sparrows and flying fish that were worth an exorbitant amount of money; there was the lofty mountain peak with countless inns where one could enjoy the magnificent sight of sunrise and sunset; there was some immortal force where they could spend a small fortune to purchase seeds, following which they could hand the seeds to Agrarian cultivators and have them raised into all kinds of strange and wonderful plants to decorate their residences with or use as elegant bribes.

There were also some mountains that purposely raised immortal beasts, and wealthy guests could enter these mountains and be accompanied by cultivators the entire time. While in the mountains, the wealthy guests could traverse mountains and cross rivers and face all kinds of “dangers” to capture the immortal beasts.

Wei Liang had a colorful history in the Azure Phoenix Nation, yet in reality, he had been single and alone the entire time.

Several weddings had been held in the chief military governor’s office, yet all of them had guises to deceive others. Thus, Chief Military Governor Wei Liang didn’t have any offspring.

In the blink of an eye, so many years had already passed.

Wei Liang squatted down and asked with a smile, “What’s your name, little girl?”

The little girl hesitated for a moment before replying, “My name is Yuan Yanxu.”

Wei Liang nodded and said, “Speech with substance and speech with cogency—by the looks of it, a senior in your family was once an admirer of the Tongcheng School’s Yifa Philosophy.[1] However, this literary school has already fallen silent for many years. That being the case, I surmise that it wasn’t your father who chose your name, but instead your grandfather. Am I correct?”

The little girl’s eyes widened in astonishment, and she felt even greater admiration for this handsome man. He had even managed to guess this?

Wei Liang smiled and suggested, “Why don’t we have a chat?”

Yuan Yanxu jogged over and squatted down beside him, saying, “Please go ahead, Mister, I’m listening.”

In the distance, there was a look of anxiousness on the face of the little girl’s mother, and she was just about to walk over to bring her daughter back.

Her husband was an elegant middle-aged scholar, and he was also planning to bring his daughter back. After all, no one on an immortal ship would be simple.

However, the old guest elder from their clan accompanying them on this trip shook his head at the middle-aged scholar, saying in a quiet voice, “Perhaps this is a fated opportunity pertaining to immortals from the mountains. It’s best that we stay put and observe the situation.”

Only after hearing this did Yuan Yanxu’s parents feel slightly more at ease. At the same time, they also felt a slight sense of anticipation.

Wei Liang decided to sit down and cross his legs, placing his palms on his knees. The immortal ship sailed over a blanket of clouds, making it look like they were sailing through a snow-white river. It was as if they were genuinely sitting on an ordinary ship traveling through some river.

Wei Liang first asked Yuan Yanxu for her thoughts about the conflict that had taken place at the bow of the ship just then, and the little girl revealed her honest thoughts to the handsome man.

Yuan Yanxu felt a little happy when she saw the immortal nod in approval—there was finally someone who agreed with her opinions.

Wei Liang’s voice was slow as he said, “Little children like you who have had little interaction with the world are… How should I say this? You’re like the most beautiful yet most fragile porcelain ware in the world. Whether this porcelain ware becomes a centerpiece in an elegant hall, or whether it transforms into a cracked jar by a well, this all depends on whether one is educated and brought up properly. If one’s education and upbringing are good, then one will be shaped into a wonderful piece of art. If the opposite is true, then one will end up crooked and astray.

“Teaching is accomplished through words and deeds, with the latter being more important than the former. Teaching through words is theoretical, while teaching through deeds is practical. This is especially the case since children won’t necessarily understand the principles being expounded by their elders. However, children are most curious about the world around them.

“Thus, it’s extremely difficult for children to listen to and remember the principles being taught to them. On the other hand, children see many things with their eyes, allowing them to more easily gain a rough understanding of the world through their observation. Even so, their understanding is still shallow and relatively black-and-white. This is childish yet precious.

“As children grow up, they’ll be oblivious to the gradual change that’s taking place inside them, little by little, year by year. The worldview in their mind will gradually solidify, and this is a view that will be incredibly difficult to change in the future.

“That’s why it sometimes appears like adults are acting in a mysterious manner that’s completely out of character for them, yet in reality, there would have been clues and signs all along. The speech and actions of a child’s parents are fundamentally important in the early stages of a child’s life. Perhaps a parent might miss the mark when scolding their child for doing something wrong, or a parent might directly turn a blind eye to their child’s mistake and dismiss it as a result of their child being too young. In the end, however, is this not a case of harming others, harming themselves, and harming their children?

“Parents should learn how to establish rules for their children. Benevolence and righteousness are the most important characteristics of reason, while punishment and penalties are the least important characteristics of reason.”

Wei Liang spoke in a calm and unhurried manner.

Yuan Yanxu listened carefully, and she occasionally blinked her eyes as she looked at the handsome immortal speak.

“As such, when children are still young, parents should use their deeds and actions to teach them the principles of benevolence and righteousness,” Wei Liang continued. “When the children are slightly older, teachers should educate them and expound the principles of benevolence and righteousness according to the sagely texts. The two should complement each other, with parents teaching their children in a practical manner and teachers elevating the knowledge of the children. Both are indispensable, and the two being in opposition is even worse.”

Yuan Yanxu remained silent the entire time, and it was unknown whether she understood Wei Liang’s words or not.

Regardless, the little girl understood that she should listen carefully and not interject when other people were speaking.

Wei Liang looked at her and asked with a smile, “Do you know what kind of person is more willing to listen to other people speak reason?”

Yuan Yanxu shook her head.

Wei Liang answered his own question, saying, “In the beginning, children listen to their parents. Afterward, they become students who listen to their teachers. When they grow up, they’ll enter a world where the weak listen to the strong, the poor listen to the rich, the subjects listen to their emperor, those outside the mountains listen to those in the mountains, and those in the mountains listen to those at the peak.

“However, a new problem then arises. What if the strong are incorrect, yet the weak loyally hold their words as gospel? What can we do then? At that time, the principles of morality and righteousness will already have little effect. Thus, it becomes necessary to have law. There needs to be something in the world that’s even loftier than all of the immortal techniques in the mountains, something that can command even more respect, something that can restrain even the so-called strong individuals.

“This is something that can make the strong cower like disobedient children who are being scolded by their parents. It can make them feel pain like a student who has done wrong and is being struck on the palm by their teacher’s ruler.”

There was a dazzling smile on Wei Liang’s face as he asked, “You don’t entirely understand this, right?”

Yuan Yanxu naturally didn’t understand this, with her little brain completely muddled as she nodded and replied, “Mhm!”

Wei Liang laughed and said, “In reality, you’ve already committed my words to memory, and it’s just that you don’t understand them for the moment. However, the fact that you’ve accepted my words and committed them to memory already makes you more impressive than many adults. After suffering losses, many adults only learn some small tricks that help them in trifling mortal relationships.

“Little girl, even though your cultivation aptitude is nothing special, your family circumstances are good and there’s no need for you to worry about food or shelter. As such, it’s unlikely that you’ll encounter an event that will significantly alter your personality and character. You can marry a good man in the future, and you won’t suffer many hardships in your life.”

Yuan Yanxu felt a little embarrassed.

She had indeed played house and conducted mock weddings with her friends before, and they would find a piece of red cloth to place on the head of the “bride” each time. If her “husband” were the little bookworm from the Liu Clan next door, then she would smile more as they carried out the mock wedding ceremony. If it were the little fatty from the Ma Clan, however, she would be completely unwilling to smile.

Wei Liang raised a finger and said, “Seeing that you’re so clever and sensible, here’s one more thing for you to keep in mind. When you grow up, if you face a huge challenge that you feel like your clan can’t overcome, remember to visit the chief military governor’s office located in the southern region of the capital. You can look for someone called Wei Liang there. Mhm, if the matter is urgent, you can simply send a letter to the chief military governor’s office.”

“Mister, that will be something very far away in the future, won’t it? Maybe we should forget about this?” Yuan Yanxu replied in a timid voice.

Wei Liang shook his head and said with a smile, “You shouldn’t think like this. Time flows like rushing water, and you’ll be all grown up in the blink of an eye. Another blink of the eye, and…”

Perhaps you’ll have already died from old age.

However, Wei Liang naturally didn’t speak these inappropriate words.

He smiled faintly and continued, “If kindhearted people are harassed by others, should they stop being kindhearted people? When sinister people are challenged by other sinister people, will they change their ways and stop being sinister people? There’s a saying that noble people can be deceived through means within reason. However, does this mean that deceiving noble people is correct? Of course not.

“It’s far too difficult to simply categorize people as good or bad. Even if we have proper definitions of what’s correct and what’s incorrect, it still remains a huge challenge to determine what the consequence of each action should be. Take for example the commotion that took place at the bow of the ship just then.

“If that young man with a sword on his back had remained calm and patiently explained the principles and reasons to those people, do you think they would have listened? Perhaps they would nod and agree on the surface, but would they truly agree in their minds? That being the case, what difference does it make whether he explains the principle and reasons or not?

“At the end of the day, those people weren’t willing to listen to the genuine principles and reasonings. Instead, they were only willing to respond to their changing circumstances. Once the two sides parted ways and their circumstance returned to normal, would their personality have changed at all? Naturally not.

“A leopard can’t change its spots, and those people will continue to conduct themselves in the same manner as always. If the young man with a sword on his back had instead chosen to sit down and expound his principles and reasoning, then that might have provoked those people even further and caused them to eventually develop killing intent…

“Forget about it, let’s not talk about these things. Looking at the sea of clouds and enjoying the view here is far more relaxing.”

In reality, Wei Liang was speaking to himself more than he was speaking to Yuan Yanxu. He certainly didn’t expect her to understand anything either.

Truth be told, there would be little difference even if Wei Liang were speaking to Yuan Yanxu’s parents instead of the little girl herself. It wasn’t that they wouldn’t understand him, but rather that they would feel like this was only normal. This was how the world worked, after all. Thus, rather than discussing these things, it might be slightly more realistic to discuss some absurd ideas and mystical principles that were already far enough detached from reality.

Wei Liang had become an earth immortal more than two hundred years ago, yet for the sake of promoting his own teachings, he had decided to use the transformation of a nation’s people and customs to act as his Dao observation and Dao attainment catalyst. As such, he had used the pseudonym of Wei Qian and traveled to the southeastern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent back then, assisting the founding emperor of the Azure Phoenix Nation to build up his country.

Afterward, Wei Liang had assisted many generations of emperors to establish the rule of law. Before the grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism, he had never used his power as an earth immortal to target the officials and cultivators in the Azure Phoenix Nation either.

Because of this, his job was not only tiresome and time-consuming, but progress was also extremely slow. In fact, a lot of his previous work had also been undone during the rule of two different emperors.

This had greatly disappointed Wei Liang.

In the end, Wei Liang smiled and left, simply reminding the little girl to keep secret his mention of the letter as well as the chief military governor’s office.

Only after Wei Liang disappeared did Yuan Yanxu’s parents and the guest elder from the clan walk over to the little girl’s side, asking her about the contents of her discussion.

Yuan Yanxu didn’t dare to conceal too much, but she had initially wanted to honor her agreement with that handsome man and keep secret his comments regarding the letter and the chief military governor’s office.

However, she accidentally slipped up, and the old guest elder from her clan astutely picked up on her comments. Her parents and the guest elder interrogated her with warm expressions and hidden motives, and Yuan Yanxu battled with herself for a long time before ultimately acquiescing to her parents’ relentless questioning and revealing everything that was said.

The old guest elder was delighted, and he chatted quietly with the little girl’s father, saying that the man from just then was definitely a guest elder and cultivator from the chief military governor’s office! Perhaps he was even a favored subordinate of Chief Military Governor Wei!

The Yuan Clan had struck fortune!

The old guest elder reminded the middle-aged scholar—Yuan Yanxu’s father—that the temper of immortals from the mountains was often unconventional and unpredictable. They couldn’t be viewed through ordinary lenses. Thus, it was critical that he didn’t gild the lily and visit the chief military governor’s office to thank the man or whatnot. That was sure to backfire, and it was best that the Yuan Clan pretended to not know anything.

Yuan Yanxu’s parents were extremely thrilled and emotional.

However, the little girl felt a strong sense of guilt for having betrayed that handsome immortal, and she couldn’t help but feel a little downcast as she squatted beside the railing.

Already far away in the distance, Wei Liang sighed softly in response.

This was a trivial matter, so Wei Liang wasn’t necessarily disappointed by the outcome. He certainly wouldn’t break his promise to the little girl because of this either. However, there was nothing to be pleasantly surprised by. In the future, Wei Liang would still assist the Yuan Clan—a second-rate clan in the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation—one time even if they failed to deliver a letter to the chief military governor’s office.

However, the little girl called Yuan Yanxu had already lost a fated opportunity, one that would have allowed her to embark on the path of cultivation.

Even so, Wei Liang was aware that this wasn’t necessarily a bad outcome for Yuan Yanxu.

After all, it was already difficult enough to enjoy a peaceful life in this world.

Things would be very different after entering the mountains and becoming a cultivator, and this was especially the case once one started to challenge the heavens.

Disregarding the good and evil of other people, those who didn’t have a strong enough resolve would often suffer miserable deaths.

1. The Tongcheng school was a Chinese literary school that flourished during the Qing dynasty advocating the philosophy of the Neo-Confucian values that rose to prominence during the Song dynasty. Wei Liang is referring to the characters in Yanxu’s (言序) name that means speech (言) and cogency (序), respectively. ☜