Unsheathed

Cui Dongshan casually set down the chopsticks in his hand, then lowered his head and placed the two chopsticks neatly side by side. After that, he raised his head again and smiled as he said, “It seems like you’re convinced that I won’t do any killing here.”

He then clapped his hands together as he rose to his feet and continued, “You made the right gamble. I’m not going to just do whatever I please and go on a killing spree here. After all, I still have to return to Mountain Cliff Academy. So be it then. As your ancestor, this is the extent of what I can do for you, so all of you will have to fend for yourselves from now on.”

Cai Jingshen raised a hand, indicating for Cui Dongshan to return to his seat, then asked, “How can you prove to me that you can call the shots in the imperial courts of both the Great Sui Nation and the Great Li Empire?”

Cui Dongshan leaned back against his chair in a lazy manner, playing with his own hair as he replied, “I have no way to prove that to you.”

Cai Jingshen could only take a step back, asking, “In that case, how are you going to get Cai Feng out of this mess? I need you to do so while also eliminating all potential trouble that he could encounter and ensure that his future political career isn’t negatively affected. I have to remind you that you can’t allow Cai Feng to sell out his own allies for personal glory. If he does such a thing, then his path to becoming an official god will be impeded after he dies.

“Cai Feng is going to have a vital impact on the fortune of the Great Sui Nation for the foreseeable future, and if he does something so vile, then he’s going to be rejected by the heritage of the Great Sui Nation following his death.”

Cui Dongshan smiled as he replied, “I have my ways. Rest assured, I guarantee you that Cai Feng will become minister of one of the six ministries during his lifetime, with the exception of the Ministry of Rites, which is too important a position for him to fill. As for after his death, I can ensure that he becomes the city god of a large province within a hundred years, with the exception of the province of origin of the Gao Clan.”

“What about the reputation of the Cai Clan and myself?” Cai Jingshen asked.

Cui Dongshan smiled as he replied, “I’ll get you and the Cai Clan to put on a convincing act, and by the end, everyone will be full of praise for you, so you’ll be sure to receive glowing praise in all of the history books.”

Cai Jingshen wanted to say something, but seemed a little hesitant.

“Are you thinking about signing an official agreement with me?” Cui Dongshan scoffed. “I advise you not to think about such unnecessary things, Cai Jingshen.”

The thought of that pair of vertical, golden pupils sprang into Cai Jingshen’s mind, sending a jolt of fear running through his heart. At the moment, he and the Cai Clan were completely at Cui Dongshan’s mercy, and that was naturally not a good feeling, but he would just have to bear it for now.

The alternative was for the entire clan to be dragged down a path of no return by Cai Feng, one that could affect even his own cultivation base, and compared with that catastrophic outcome, this was a small price to pay.

Seeing as they had become temporary allies, Cai Jingshen decided that it was best to display a little sincerity.

With that in mind, he said, “Some time ago, an assassination attempt was made on your life in the academy, but you were able to survive thanks to a substitution talisman. Would you like to know the mastermind behind that assassination attempt? Alternatively, are you of the opinion that it was a group of people?”

Cui Dongshan glared at Cai Jingshen out of the corner of his eye, and the latter was immediately struck by a sense of unease, but he didn’t know what he had said that had raised Cui Dongshan’s ire.

Cui Dongshan rose to his feet, then picked up the unopened flagon of wine on the table as he said, “Back then, I was so bored in the academy that I almost went to the mountain summit to hang myself! I was ecstatic to have finally had something so interesting happen to me. Didn’t you see what I did after that assassination attempt?

“I waited for them to come after me again, but they didn’t, so I made my way to the Green Cloud Ferry Station and stuck out my neck, begging for someone to try and kill me, but no one dared to even make an attempt. In the end, all I could do was haul several cartloads of bamboo from the Green Cloud Ferry Station back to the academy to use as flooring material, and I paid the full price in the form of lesser heat coins.

“Why did I do that? Because I was grateful to them for spicing up my life a little! I planned extensively in preparation for the second assassination attempt, and even though I didn’t get a chance to put any of my plans into practice, the process of hatching those plans was certainly more entertaining than sitting around to twiddle my thumbs all day.”

Cui Dongshan made his way around the table, then patted Cai Jingshen on the shoulder as he said, “You’re still too young, Little Cai. You don’t understand my personality. Over time, you’ll come to realize that I’m a good ancestor.

“Any day now, the deceased ancestors of your Cai Clan are going to come to you in a dream and tell you about how grateful to me they are. Just tell them that they’re welcome. Helping others has always been a source of immense joy for me.”

Cai Jingshen remained silent with a stoic expression, pretending not to have heard anything.

Meanwhile, the yellow earth bull had already gone to rest in its “pen.”

Wei Xian remained seated at the same table with Cui Dongshan and Cai Jingshen, but all he did was drink in silence.

After that, Wei Xian returned with Cui Dongshan to the latter’s residence, and after the two of them had both taken a seat, Cui Dongshan used that golden flying sword to conjure up a barrier, ensuring that Cai Jingshen wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on them.

Cui Dongshan then kicked off his boots and sat down on his chair with his legs crossed as he smiled and said, “Give me a summary of what you think of Cai Jingshen.”

“Like countless others have done before him, he will ultimately perish to his own greed,” Wei Xian surmised.

In his eyes, Cai Jingshen was someone who didn’t matter at all in the grand scheme of things.

In the face of the tide of fortune, even the power of a Nascent Tier earth immortal would be far too little to have any substantial impact.

Prior to entering the provincial city, Cui Dongshan had shown Wei Xian many pieces of intelligence pertaining to internal secrets of the Great Sui Nation, and compared with the secrets harbored by the Gao Clan, Cai Shen’s plan was all too insignificant.

The Gao Clan of the Great Sui Nation was able to join forces with the Lu Empire to delay the rise of the Great Li Empire for several decades, and that was not just a simple matter of the emperor of the Great Sui Nation possessing brilliant foresight.

The Great Li Empire’s White Jade Capital replica was constructed by Mohist cultivators with the help of that master Naturalist from the Lu Clan, and at the time, the Great Sui Nation and the Lu Empire were also receiving guidance from powerful cultivators of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

Cai Jingshen was a deeply concealed and also relatively important pawn.

Even though Cai Jingshen had behaved in a very timid and submissive manner on this night, placing himself completely at the mercy of Cui Dongshan, in reality, he was nowhere near as vulnerable as he made himself appear. In fact, even his decision to move his entire clan out of the capital city in a supposed fit of rage and embarrassment had most likely been made under the counsel of a powerful mastermind.

Up to this point, the Great Li Empire and the Great Sui Nation had established an alliance of the highest caliber. It seemed that this had been a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties. The Great Sui Nation didn’t have to contend with the army of the Great Li Empire, earning itself over a century of precious time in which it could rest and recuperate, and all it had to do was give up some insignificant border nations like the Yellow Court Nation.

As for the Great Li Empire, it was able to preserve its power and continue its southward expansion, reaching the border of the Luminous Vermilion Empire like an unstoppable juggernaut.

However, beneath this jovial and peaceful exterior, both the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan and the Great Sui Nation’s Gao Clan were hatching their own plots.

In particular, even though the Great Li Empire had ensured that the death of emperor Song Zhengchun had been kept secret, the Great Sui Nation had most likely already detected that something was amiss, and that was why it was so eager to make a move.

Even though the Great Li Empire’s army had already conquered half of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and appeared completely unstoppable, its hold over its newly gained territory was still rather tenuous, so if the Great Sui Nation were to stage a concerted resistance along with Lake View Academy and the Luminous Vermilion Empire, then the tables would be instantly turned, and not only would the Great Li Empire be forced to cough up all of the new territory that it had countered, even its original territory would be under threat. In the blink of an eye, the entire empire could crumble into an unsalvageable catastrophe.

Wei Xian didn’t dare to say that Cui Dongshan would definitely be able to emerge victorious over the figures pulling the strings behind the scenes from the mountain summit, but Cai Jingshen was definitely not worthy of any concern for him, and that was why Wei Xian had proclaimed that Cai Jingshen was ultimately going to fall to his own greed.

Cui Dongshan shook his head as he said, “The Great Sui Nation has only accepted this current arrangement because it holds lofty ambitions for the future.”

Wei Xian’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he asked, “Is the Great Sui Nation really going to revoke the agreement? Could it be that it’s aiming to take the Great Li Empire’s place?”

Cui Dongshan burst into laughter as he pointed at himself.

Wei Xian faltered slightly upon seeing this, then cupped his fist in a salute as he said, “Your foresight is truly unmatched, Imperial Preceptor.”

“Just call me Mr. Cui from now on. You were the founding emperor of the Southern Garden Nation, so when you refer to me as imperial preceptor, it makes it sound like you’re my superior,” Cui Dongshan complained.

“The Southern Garden Nation is only the size of a few counties of the Great Li Empire. I was fortunate enough to have met some otherworldly immortals, and it was only under their guidance that I sent out people to explore the world beyond our small world, but if I hadn’t come to the Majestic World myself, I would’ve never been able to imagine just how vast a place it is,” Wei Xian sighed.

“There’s a scholar of a very high level of prestige on the Middle Earth Divine Continent, and he once said that entire seas and continents are nothing more than specks of dust in the grand scheme of things. If the opportunity ever arises, I’ll take you to meet him,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile.

He then grabbed onto the armrests of his chair and began wiggling his own body from side to side, causing the chair to move in a rickety fashion. It was as if he were riding atop a horse, presenting a rather comical sight to behold.

However, Wei Xian had already grown accustomed to this from the time that he had spent with Cui Dongshan, acclimating himself to Cui Dongshan’s bizarre mannerisms far faster than the likes of Yu Lu and Xie Xie.

It seemed that as a former emperor, he had a much keener eye for the bigger picture, thereby allowing him to overlook many trivial details.

“Right now, the Great Sui Nation and the Great Li Empire are competing against one another to see who has more firepower hidden up their sleeves. Regardless of what decisions are made by Cai Feng and Cai Jingshen, they won’t have any substantial impact. The reason why I’m choosing to stay in the provincial city rather than the academy in the capital is not actually as complicated as you think it is.

“My teacher cherishes Little Baoping more than anyone else, and Mao Xiaodong is a huge blabbermouth, so he’ll be sure to tell my teacher about this rather unglamorous plot hatched by the Great Sui Nation. If I were to go to the academy now, my teacher would definitely denounce me for getting involved in this mess,” Cui Dongshan explained.

“If I were to talk to my teacher about the greater good and the bigger picture, that would only make him detest me even more, and I may not even be able to continue as his student. However, this is still something that I have to do. I can’t just placate my teacher and tell him that Little Baoping, Li Huai, and the others will be fine.

“At this point, my teacher has already developed a relatively mature set of principles, laying out everything from the sequential order of one’s original intentions to the good or bad nature of one’s final objectives, and all of the choices that one can make in between. Compared with him, I have a much more cold-blooded and expedient way of doing things, and my philosophies will not be agreeable with him.

“Hence, it’s much better for me to hide here for now and do some things to make up for my transgressions, and only after that will I return to the academy to accept my punishment. Hopefully, the worst outcome is that I receive a beating from my teacher. At the very least, that would be better than having my teacher completely lose hope in me.

“If that happens, then I’m screwed. If he deems me to be beyond redemption, then even the old scholar may not be able to convince him to keep me,” Cui Dongshan continued.

Wei Xian thought about this for a moment, yet right as he was about to say something, he was cut off by Cui Dongshan.

At this point, Cui Dongshan had already shuffled all the way to the window on his chair, and he had his back facing Wei Xian as he waved a hand and said, “For now, you have no right to comment on the disputes between me and my teacher, so just keep your mouth shut.”

He then heaved a faint sigh before continuing, “Wu Yuan of the Dragon Spring Prefecture, Wei Li of the Yellow Court Nation, Liu Qingfeng of the Azure Phoenix Nation, Chief Military Governor Wei Liang, and you are all bright future prospects in my eyes. Among those, you and Wei Liang are the ones with the highest starting points, but it’s still yet to be seen what you’ll be able to make of yourselves.

“There’s no point in talking about Wei Liang. He’s a complete nomad, so he doesn’t really count as a pawn. However, Wu Yuan and Liu Qingfeng were carefully nurtured by him, while you and Wei Li were chosen by me, and the four of you are going to have to fight for us in the future.”

Wei Xian didn’t quite understand what he was being told, but he still committed it to memory, nonetheless.

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan slapped a hand down onto the armrest of his chair as he yelled, “Even now, that idiot, Shi Rou, probably doesn’t know that the message I left for her in that brocade pouch came straight from my heart!

“I poured my heart and soul into that message, hoping to provide her with the most valuable experience that I have to offer! If she hasn’t made any progress the next time I see her at the academy, I’m going to make sure that she receives a good boot up the backside!”

Wei Xian took his leave before departing, and Cui Dongshan dispelled the barrier that he had conjured up with a sweep of his sleeve.

Wei Xian was filled with genuine admiration and veneration toward Cui Dongshan.

He admired Cui Dongshan for elevating the Great Li Empire to its current heights from what was nothing more than a tiny subsidiary nation of the Lu Empire no more than a hundred years ago.

However, that was not enough to evoke veneration in Wei Xian’s heart. What truly impressed him the most about Cui Dongshan was that even while establishing this empire, he was already thinking painstakingly about how he was going to defend that eventual empire, something that very few people had the foresight to accomplish.

Following Wei Xian’s departure, Cui Dongshan drew the wine flagon on the table into his grasp with a flick of his wrist, then began taking small sips of wine.

Throughout his life, he had experienced and witnessed far too many people and things. He had read countless books, and he had seen just as many pieces of stunning scenery.

During the riveting battle between third and fourth, a completely insignificant scholarly official had said something that had most likely gone largely ignored by everyone, but it had resonated with Cui Chan, and he remembered it clearly, even to this day.

“Heaven and earth have bestowed life upon us, and with life, there must be death, just as all plants must eventually wither after they flourish. That is the law of the heavens! All of you Qi refiners and self-proclaimed immortals have gone against the law of the heavens and regard mortals as mere ants! How are you any different from the barbaric demons that you look down on?!”