Unsheathed

At the Cai Clan’s manor in the capital.

At the moment, a large gathering of important figures was taking place.

After securing second place in the imperial examination, Cai Feng was currently considered to be a bright future star, but out of the seven or eight people gathered on this night, he was the one with the lowest official rank.

There was Left-Hand Minister Guo Xin of the Ministry of Rites, Right-Hand Minister Tao Jiu of the Ministry of War, General Miao Ren, who was a descendant of one of the nation’s founding generals,Vice Commander Song Shan of the Infantry Commander’s Office…

They were all very young officials of the Great Sui Nation, and even the oldest one among them, Tao Jiu, was only forty-five years of age.

Cai Feng was a tall and handsome young man with a very dignified aura, and he didn’t appear out of place at all among these high-ranking officials.

He derived his confidence from two sources, namely his scholarly accomplishments and his family background. As the old ancestor of the Cai Clan, even if Cai Jingshen had already been reduced to a laughing stock, he was still a Nascent Tier earth immortal who had protected the capital city for many years.

Everyone was drinking either tea or wine, and all of the official matters between them had already been discussed. There was a very good chance that the future direction of the Great Sui Nation and even the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent could be decided by the outcome of this discussion.

The Thousand Elders Banquet was going to be held by the emperor in just five days, and this was the perfect time to strike!

Cai Feng rose to his feet as he said, “I worked so conscientiously in my studies so that I could ensure that my nation and its people are not oppressed by external forces. As scholars, this is when we must make a stand and prepare to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good!”

The newly crowned Zhuangyuan of the past imperial examination was also present, and he also sprang to his feet before hurling his cup to the ground, smashing it into pieces as he declared, “A son can have no second father, just as a subordinate can serve no second master! Death must come before dishonor! Don’t forget that most of the thirty-six founding officials of our Great Sui Nation were Confucian scholars!”

Adrenaline was pumping through everyone’s veins, and someone yelled, “Death to Mao Xiaodong!”

Someone else was shedding tears as he slammed a hand heavily down onto the armrest of his chair, and he yelled, “How could our Great Sui Nation bow down to the savage Song Clan? We conceded defeat without even putting up a fight! This is an utter disgrace!”

Shortly thereafter, everyone parted ways, and Cai Feng didn’t escort anyone out of the manor as that would attract too much attention.

Song Shan had taken measures to ensure that all of the nightly patrols near the manor had been replaced with his most trusted subordinates, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.

In the wake of everyone’s departure, Cai Feng sat alone in the guest hall with a fervent look in his eyes.

In the Great Sui Nation’s time of need, I must be the one to rise to the occasion!

Miao Ren and the newly crowned Zhuangyuan were departing in the same carriage, and as the two of them sat across from each other in the carriage, a self-deprecating look appeared on Miao Ren’s face at the sight of the composed young man.

Even though he was many years the young man’s senior, the latter was far more calm and collected than he was. As expected of someone who had been deemed to possess the makings of a prime minister. Alongside Li Changying of Mountain Cliff Academy, Chu Tong of Phoebe Creek, and Cai Feng, the four of them were referred to as the four spirits of the capital, renowned as the brightest prospects of the younger generation.

On top of that, there were also the four stars, which included the likes of Pan Yuanchun, the son of the deceased general, Pan Maozhen. However, they were all descendants of generals, and after the youngest Pan Yuanchun left the academy to join the border army, all four stars had officially become men of the military.

Out of the four spirits and four stars, four of them came from privileged backgrounds, such as Chu Tong and Pan Yuanchun, while the other four had to work their way up from nothing, such as Zhang Dai and Li Changying.

Miao Ren knew that there were as many as three of these brilliant young men with bright futures ahead that had been swept up in this plot, so he felt like all of the heroic spirits of the Great Sui Nation would grant them their blessings.

Miao Ren lifted the curtain of the carriage to take a glance outside, upon which he discovered that it was already very late at night, but still a very long time away from daybreak.

————

On the way back, Chen Ping’an was still contemplating what he had been told by Lin Shouyi, but no matter how he racked his own brains, he couldn’t think of anything that he had done that warranted so much gratitude from Lin Shouyi.

Chen Ping’an wouldn’t have been surprised at all to hear that Little Baoping and Li Huai had missed him greatly. After all, they were still very young.

However, Lin Shouyi was different. Perhaps it was due to his sensitive background, but he had always had great attention to detail and mental fortitude. On top of that, he harbored lofty ambitions, so Chen Ping’an wasn’t taken aback at all to hear that he had set foot on the path of cultivation so early during his education.

Zhu Lian had a very sharp intuition, and instead of immediately returning to his own guest room, he followed Chen Ping’an into the latter’s room before asking in a quiet voice, “Is something wrong?”

Having endured multiple battles of life and death together, the two of them had developed a great deal of tacit understanding with each other, and Chen Ping’an kept no secrets from Zhu Lian here, pouring out two bowls of wine before nodding as he replied, “Mountain Master Mao told me that some people in the Great Sui Nation’s capital will be targeting the students of the academy in the near future, taking advantage of the timing of Thousand Elders Banquet to make their move.

“There will be envoys from the Great Li Empire in attendance, so if something goes wrong in the academy during this time, then the perpetrators will be able to pit the two nations against each other, thereby ruining the tenuous peace between them, and there’s a very good chance that his could lead to a full blown war. All of the officials of the Great Sui Nation have already become very disgruntled by the policy of appeasement adopted by the emperor.

“Not only that, but countless scholars across the nation are also furious, while the ordinary citizens of the nation are unable to understand why their nation is bowing down to the Great Li Empire. The stage is already set, and all that’s required is a catalyst to set things into motion…”

“If that happens, then the Great Sui Nation’s hand will be forced, and the emperor will have no choice but to revoke the alliance between the two nations,” Zhu Lian mused.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care about these political matters. While I’m against the notion of instigating conflicts, I can understand that these officials are only doing what they think is best for their nation, so there’s nothing reprehensible about their actions. However, their plot is going to affect Baoping and the others…”

Chen Ping’an’s voice trailed off here as he downed the wine in his bowl in one go, and Zhu Lian couldn’t help but be a little taken aback by the intense killing intent currently emanating from Chen Ping’an’s body.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it.

Chen Ping’an poured himself another bowl of wine, then said, “I’m aware of the situation that I’m in. I’m a very cowardly person, and I’m always afraid to entertain my own whims, but after that near-death ordeal in the face of Du Mao and my subsequent encounter with Li Baozhen, it became clearer and clearer to me that something has gone wrong with my mental state.

“In fact, there’s a very good chance that this can be traced all the way back to the breaking of my bonded porcelain. In any case, it’s a very troublesome situation for me to deal with.”

“What do you plan to do about it, Young Master?” Zhu Lian asked in a concerned manner. “This seems to concern the so-called knots in one’s heart, or what cultivators refer to as internal demons.”

“I just have to read more books,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile as he raised his bowl before touching it to Zhu Lian’s.

Looking at Zhu Lian’s flabbergasted expression, a wry smile appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he said, “That’s not a joke.”

Zhu Lian took a sip of wine as he shook his head.

If that’s not a joke, then there are no jokes under the heavens!

“Even prior to arriving at the academy, I had already begun reading deeply into various books that contained sagely teachings,” Chen Ping’an continued. “Why do you think it was that I had looked into Legalist books back in the Azure Phoenix Nation? It was because I had discovered that solely reading Confucian books didn’t shed light on some of the concepts in my mind that I couldn’t clearly identify and articulate.

“It was Cui Dongshan who suggested to me that I should cross-compare the teachings of Confucianism to the fundamental principles of Legalism, and looking back now, this has indeed been a worthwhile endeavor. Only upon arriving at the academy and seeing the inscriptions on the ruler hanging from Mountain Master Mao’s waist was I struck by a moment of enlightenment and came to the realization that I was on the right path.

“In the past, I had only been forging ahead instinctively without any sense of direction, and I had no idea where I was going. You may not be aware of this about me, but the type of mental state that I fear the most is…”

Chen Ping’an’s voice trailed off here as he began searching for words.

“One of aimlessness and directionlessness?” Zhu Lian suggested.

“That’s roughly what it is,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile. “All I need is to see someone standing in a distant or high-up place. No matter how distant or high-up they are, I’ll feel a sense of reassurance as long as I can see something to aim for. As a wise sage once said, follow your heart, but don’t overstep your boundaries, and all will be remedied.”

Zhu Lian was holding his bowl of wine aloft, but it didn’t feel right to drink from it, nor did it feel right to not drink.

“There’s no reason required to drink wine! Drink up!” Chen Ping’an encouraged, and the two of them downed the contents of their bowls.

For martial artists, battles of life and death were the best catalyst to spur advancements in one’s cultivation base. Hence, now that he was a Qi refiner, why couldn’t he advance his cultivation base through honing his own mental state, much like a sword sharpening itself on a chunk of Dragon Slaying Platform?

Back on the Central Mountain in the Sky Holding Nation, Zhu Lian had thrown a punch at Pei Qian on the immortal ship, only for the latter to evade his punch.

Shi Rou wasn’t a pure martial artist, so she didn’t understand what was so brilliant about Pei Qian’s ability to instinctively dodge that punch.

Similarly, Zhu Lian wasn’t a cultivator, so he didn’t understand just how much Qi refiners feared internal demons, and he couldn’t comprehend the heights that Chen Ping’an was striving for.

After having some wine, Zhu Lian said, “I heard from Shi Rou that you almost got into a fight with Liu Boqi on top of the wall in the Lion Garden. At the time, Shi Rou was behind you, and she noticed that as soon as you grabbed onto the hilt of your longsword, you immediately suffered burns on the palm of your hand, forcing you to conceal your hand up your sleeve so that Liu Boqi couldn’t see what had happened, is that true?”

“That did indeed happen,” Chen Ping’an confirmed with a nod. “Unfortunately, pseudo-celestial weapons can be very difficult to please sometimes.”

A perplexed look appeared on Zhu Lian’s face upon hearing this.

“Even though the Lasting Qi sword that I told you about is a sword of a higher caliber, most of the restrictions on it had already been undone by that old sword immortal. Otherwise, there’s no way that I would’ve been able to pull it out.

“As for the Sword Immortal sword that the Fu Clan had given to me as part of their reparations, on one hand, they intentionally wanted to place me in a difficult situation, bestowing upon me a pseudo-celestial weapon that I won’t be able to use at all in the near future. On the other hand, they can proclaim that they were doing this for my benefit.

“They could’ve removed all of the restrictions on the sword before giving it to me, but that would be like giving me a courtyard without a lock on the front door. I would be able to use it, but if it were to fall into someone else’s hands, then they would also be able to use it against me,” Chen Ping’an explained.

He then made a grabbing motion with one hand, drawing Sword Immortal into his grasp as he continued, “I’ve been using basic refinement methods to strip away the restrictions in the sword this entire time, but progress has been extremely slow.

“I’ll most likely have to become a seventh tier martial artist before I can unravel all of the restrictions in the sword and wield it as I please. At the moment, it’s a double-edged sword that hurts me almost as much as my foes, so I’m only going to use it as a last resort.”

An enlightened look appeared on Zhu Lian’s face as he took a large swig of wine, then said, “Li Baoping, Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, Yu Lu, and Xie Xie, are all from the Great Li Empire. There’s not much point in assassinating Yu Lu.

“As for Xie Xie, she has already revealed herself to be a former citizen of the Lu Empire, specifically a cultivation prodigy from the number one immortal manor of the Lu Empire, but this status of hers has decided that she’s not of sufficient significance to be targeted. Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi all came from the Jewel Small World, and they were personally taught by Mr. Qi.

“Among them, Little Baoping and Li Huai are of particular importance. The patriarch of Little Baoping’s clan is a Nascent Tier guest elder of the Great Li Empire, while Li Huai’s father is an End Tier master martial artist, so if something happens to either of them, the Great Li Empire will be sure to turn on the Great Sui Nation.”

Chen Ping’an poured Zhu Lian another bowl of wine, then said with an amused smile, “It feels like you haven’t been able to spend even a single day in peace ever since you’ve been with me.”

Zhu Lian gulped down a large swig of wine, then wiped the back of his hand across his lips as he chuckled, “You wouldn’t say that if you had visited the Lotus Flower Blessed Land earlier and seen me during my prime. Back then, I led an even more hectic and perilous life than I do now.”

“Honestly, I was only able to defeat Ding Ying in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land because he took me too lightly. If I had encountered someone as ruthless as you, then I would’ve most likely been the one to perish in that battle,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

Zhu Lian hurriedly finished the wine in his bowl, then extended his bowl toward Chen Ping’an in a shameless manner as he said, “Indeed, a ruthless barbarian like myself needs to be punished with an extra bowl of wine.”

Chen Ping’an duly obliged, pouring another bowl of wine for Zhu Lian as he sighed, “I hope that you and I will often have chances to drink and chat like this over the next decade, or even the next century.”

“I’m certainly always keen for a drink,” Zhu Lian replied with a grin.

On this night, Chen Ping’an drank far more than normally did.

After the two of them parted ways, Chen Ping’an paid a visit to Mao Xiaodong’s study to discuss the matter of his next bonded item refinement. This was an extremely important matter, so it had to be discussed extensively.

————

Meanwhile, in Li Baoping’s dormitory room.

“Big Sister Baoping, I have to warn you that I’m a bit of a restless sleeper,” Pei Qian said in an embarrassed manner.

Li Baoping thought about this for a moment, then picked up a small mountain of transcriptions, which had taken up an entire bed, before placing it onto another small mountain of transcriptions.

After each of them laid down onto their own beds, Li Baoping declared, “Time to sleep.”

Immediately thereafter, she fell sound asleep in an instant, while Pei Qian tossed and turned for a long while, only falling asleep very late into the night.

Upon waking up the next morning, Pei Qian discovered that she had been wrapped up in a snug cocoon of blankets like a zongzi. [1] She took a glance at Li Baoping’s bed to discover that her blankets had been folded up to a ridiculously neat standard, looking like a large block of tofu that had been meticulously cut out with a knife.

A pang of guilt welled up in Pei Qian’s heart as she thought of the messy state that she always let her blankets in, but the thought quickly drifted out of her mind as she nodded off once again. Only after having a good sleep would she be able to continue fooling Li Huai and his two friends, who were even dumber than him.

As for competing against Li Baoping, Pei Qian decided that could wait until she was the same age as her. After all, there was no shame in losing to Li Baoping, considering she was the younger of the two.

Next year, she was going to be twelve years old, while Li Baoping was going to be thirteen, so Li Baoping would still be a year older than her, but that didn’t matter to her. There was always next year, then the year after that. Eventually, she would catch up to her.

As soon as she woke up in the morning, Li Baoping immediately rushed off to visit Chen Ping’an. However, he wasn’t in his guest room, so she rushed to Mountain Master Mao’s courtyard, where she waited by the entrance.

As the Confucian sage presiding over the academy, Mao Xiaodong was able to see everything that took place in the academy at any given moment, so he informed Chen Ping’an that Li Baoping was waiting outside for him.

Chen Ping’an left Mao Xiaodong’s study to pick up Li Baoping, and on the way back to the study, he told her that he wasn’t going to have time to go on a tour of the capital city with her on this day.

After learning that Chen Ping’an was planning to stay at the academy for at least a month, she decided that there was no hurry in taking Chen Ping’an on a tour of the city, so she had a change of plans to visit some of the places that she had never been to instead. Chen Ping’an suggested that she could take Pei Qian on a tour of the academy, the scripture library, and other notable attractions on Eastern Splendor Mountain.

Li Baoping felt like this was a good idea, and she rushed away like a cat on a hot tin roof even before reaching Mao Xiaodong’s study, telling Chen Ping’an that she was going to have breakfast with Pei Qian.

“You must be facing quite a predicament. You’re worried that an assassination attempt could be made on Li Baoping if you leave the academy with her, but you also don’t want to disappoint her, right?” Mao Xiaodong asked with a smile, and Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“Are you not going to ask me if I know which of the prominent figures in the Great Sui Nation are responsible for hatching this plot?” Mao Xiaodong asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head in response.

“We may be in the academy right now, but this is still the Great Sui Nation’s territory.”

“Forget about all of that,” Mao Xiaodong said with a dismissive wave. “Right now, our top priority is your bonded item refinement. The teachings of Buddhism tell us that if we can discard our worldly fixations, then what we currently regard as adversity and suffering will no longer appear that way to us, thereby achieving a state of perpetual bliss.

“Similarly, Daoists pursue peace and tranquility, and they regard adversity and suffering as a vessel that can take one away from the mortal world to the ultimate promised land of transcendent freedom.

“In contrast, us Confucians believe in facing adversity and suffering head-on. We struggle our way upstream against the tide of hardship, and along the way, the sagely teachings of our Confucian predecessors serve as beacons that light our path.”

“Even if the entire world is in opposition, one must still strive toward what they believe is right,” Chen Ping’an mused.

“That’s exactly right!” Mao Xiaodong agreed with an earnest nod.

1. A zongzi is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. ☜