Unsheathed

Of course, Mountain Cliff Academy was obligated to launch a thorough investigation in the wake of such a major incident. All the trouble had begun when that assistant mountain master of the academy had invited Zhao Shi to the academy to deliver a lecture, so Mao Xiaodong had approached the assistant mountain master for a chat, which ultimately concluded on a very sour note.

The assistant mountain master in question had come from a major clan of the Great Sui Nation, and he felt like Mao Xiaodong was intentionally trying to target him by pinning the blame on him in order to eliminate dissenters from the academy.

Hence, he quit his position of assistant mountain master on the spot, declaring that he was going to stay in his own study and accept whatever punishment came to him, whether that be a private punishment handed down by the academy, or even if Mao Xiaodong could convince the Great Sui Nation’s imperial court to execute his entire clan.

In the end, he concluded by all but spitting in Mao Xiaodong’s face, and Mao Xiaodong was so incensed by the incorrigible old fart that he set Cui Dongshan onto him.

Cui Dongshan was very happy to take on the task, and he paid the assistant mountain master a visit before gleefully returning to Mao Xiaodong’s study no more than an hour later, declaring that the assistant mountain master had no further issues, nor did Zhao Shi, and that both of them had agreed that this was an unforeseen incident with no one to blame.

Mao Xiaodong couldn’t help but feel concerned, seeing as Cui Dongshan was looking like a smug mongoose that had just managed to sneak a fat chicken out of a pen, and he warned him that this matter concerned the safety of Little Baoping and the other children, so if he dared to play any tricks… Before he even had a chance to finish his threat, Cui Dongshan had already promised him that he had done everything in accordance with correct protocol.

Mao Xiaodong remained skeptical.

After that, Cui Dongshan swaggered out of the academy, then made his way into a new relay station set up by the Great Li Empire in the capital city using the facade that he had recently peeled off the Nascent Tier swordsman’s face, in conjunction with some special disguise techniques. That relay station was where the envoys of the Great Li Empire were staying.

Mao Xiaodong briefly contemplated following Cui Dongshan, but ultimately decided not to.

Chen Ping’an was still missing two items from the list of natural treasures required to refine his scholarly core, and those items would have to be obtained through some private connections.

On top of that, they also had to continue visiting the Confucian temple, but at the moment, the most important thing that had to be done was to gauge the attitude displayed by the emperor of the Great Sui Nation in response to all of this.

Was he going to stand up for the academy by doing something concrete like throwing Cai Feng, Miao Ren, and the other people behind the assassination attempt into prison, or was he going to play the role of mediator and try to downplay the incident? Mao Xiaodong had already decided what he was going to do in response to both of these outcomes.

Even if the Great Sui Nation were to try and brush this incident under the rug, the academy had already been built on Eastern Splendor Mountain, and it wasn’t going anywhere. Mao Xiaodong had decided that under no circumstances would he pressure the Geyang Gao Clan by threatening to move the academy elsewhere, but that didn’t mean that he would allow the Great Sui Nation to walk all over him.

He had been attacked by five assassins right under the emperor’s nose, while a Nascent Tier swordsman had blatantly staged an assassination attempt within the academy’s walls. Was this supposed to be the capital city of the Great Sui Nation or an unguarded courtyard that any bandits and thugs could enter and leave as they pleased?

If the Great Sui Nation refused to provide a satisfactory outcome, then Mao Xiaodong was not opposed to the idea of going to the Confucian temple and other places in the capital city where scholarly fortune converged to do some pillaging. If the Geyang Gao Clan decided to take the shameless route, then two could play at that game.

Cui Dongshan didn’t linger in the relay station for too long before returning to the academy.

Chen Ping’an was at Mao Xiaodong’s study, discussing matters related to his bonded item refinement, particularly the matter of borrowing scholarly fortune from the Great Sui Nation, which has to be reconsidered. Lin Shouyi had gone to Dong Jing to seek enlightenment on some problems that he was facing in his cultivation, while Li Baoping and Li Huai had begun attending their lessons again.

Pei Qian was dragged along by Li Baoping to her lessons, and Li Baoping told her that her teacher had given permission for Pei Qian to attend. On the surface, Pei Qian put on a grateful display, but in reality, she was very reluctant to go.

Zhu Lian continued to wander the academy on his own, so the only ones left in the courtyard were Xie Xie and Shi Rou.

As Cui Dongshan returned to the courtyard with a beaming smile on his face, both of them were instantly struck by a sense of foreboding.

The Li Fire flying sword in Shi Rou’s stomach had already been removed, and the experience had been so painful that it had felt akin to childbirth to her. She suspected that Cui Dongshan had intentionally made the process as painful as possible, but of course, she didn’t dare to raise such accusations.

Cui Dongshan kicked off his boots and made his way up the steps, then laid down onto the walkway as he complained, “With great power comes great responsibility. The more capable I am, the more people depend on me.”

Xie Xie and Shi Rou were both sitting nearby on the walkway, absolutely petrified with fear.

Cui Dongshan sat up as he ordered, “Go bring me my go board and my jars of Vibrant Cloud Stones.”

Xie Xie’s complexion immediately turned deathly pale, but she still did as she was told, fetching the go board and the jars of stones with Shi Rou.

Cui Dongshan opened one of the jars, then picked out a stone and blew onto it before carefully polishing it with his sleeve. All of a sudden, his eyes widened as he held up the Vibrant Cloud Stone high above his head, inspecting it closely under the light of the sun.

The stone was glowing radiantly under the sunlight, and as he gently massaged it between the tips of his fingers, a faint cloud of mist began to appear around the stone, much like the vibrant clouds of White Emperor City.

Cui Dongshan turned to stare at Xie Xie, who was absolutely horrified.

Could it be that Li Huai and Pe Qian really had managed to chip one of the stones?

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan burst into laughter as he praised, “You did very well, Xie Xie! You’ve really put me in a good light! Otherwise, given your terrible performance in manning the formation this time, I would’ve been really tempted to kick you out. You’re supposed to be a generational cultivation prodigy of the Lu Empire, are you not?

“Aren’t you supposed to possess potential that’ll all but certainly allow you to reach the Upper Five Tiers someday? In my opinion, you’re no better than Lin Shouyi. Even if you are a prodigy, you’re certainly a very mediocre one.”

“Are you not angry at me for allowing Pei Qian and Li Huai to play with your Vibrant Cloud Stones, Young Master?” Xie Xie asked in a timid manner.

Cui Dongshan slapped a hand to his own forehead as he lamented, “You’re so stupid! I suppose there’s bliss to be derived from ignorance.”

If Xie Xie were to be too stingy and petty, then that would reflect badly on Cui Dongshan for failing to discipline and educate her, and Chen Ping’an would surely be displeased with him for it.

In the eyes of Chen Ping’an, these two jars of Vibrant Cloud Stones were completely worthless compared with Li Baoping, Pei Qian, and Li Huai.

With that in mind, Cui Dongshan’s mood improved significantly, and he tossed the Vibrant Cloud Stone back into the jar with an audible clack. In doing so, he seemed to have triggered some type of restriction, and a mirage of a colorful cloud emerged from the jar, above which the outlines of a miniature White Emperor City could be seen.

There was also a rainbow hanging in the sky, while a series of majestic cranes the size of grains of rice soared through the air.

Shi Rou was mesmerized by this enchanting sight, and she couldn’t help but wonder just how many secrets Cui Dongshan was hiding.

For the first time, Cui Dongshan flashed Xie Xie a genuine smile as he said, “I’ve always been very fair in both reward and punishment. You’ve done very well here, so you can ask for a reward from me. What would you like?”

A strange mix of emotions welled up in Xie Xie’s heart at the sight of this unfamiliar Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan heaved a faint sigh as he rose to his feet, then pointed a finger at Xie Xie as he scolded, “An offer like this from someone as powerful as myself should be enough to have most people weeping for joy, yet it seems like you’re not very grateful.”

Xie Xie immediately felt as if she had been plunged into a glacial pit.

Her entire body was petrified with fear as Cui Dongshan strode over to her side, then slapped a hand against her cheek, but not with very much force.

“It’s alright. You’ve already improved significantly from back when I first found you, and that’s enough.”

He then raised a hand before spreading it open, and the Li Fire flying sword appeared over the palm of his hand, slowly circling around in the air. The sword was entirely bright red in color, and there were bursts of pure flames burning over its surface.

Cui Dongshan smiled as he said, “Right now, this bonded flying sword is without an owner, so you can have it. Don’t try to refine it into a bonded item of your own as that would be far too difficult. Just nurture it in secret in one of your acupoints, and you can use it as a surprise trump card in battle.

“You’re not a swordsman, so the element of surprise will be particularly potent. Make sure you don’t embarrass me. Lin Shouyi’s cultivation base may not be anything special right now, but that’s only because Dong Jing has been intentionally suppressing it. If you don’t work hard, you’ll eventually be outstripped by him.”

It didn’t seem like Cui Dongshan was making a joke, so Xie Xie carefully drew upon her spiritual energy to draw the Li Fire flying sword onto the palm of her own hand.

This was the bonded flying sword of a Nascent Tier swordsman.

Essentially, it was the culmination of almost all of a Nascent Tier swordsman’s wealth and lifeblood.

If it were to be sold for immortal currency, then it would’ve been able to fetch a hundred grain rain coins at the very least!

Xie Xie couldn’t help but compare that with the annual tax revenue received by the Lu Empire during its heyday prior to its fall, and she was moved to the point of tears.

Due to the fact that she was wearing a facade, she currently had a hideous face with a dark complexion, and Cui Dongshan sprang back in alarm as he yelled, “Don’t cry, you idiot! You’re already hideous enough as it is, are you trying to scare me to death?!”

Xie Xie was extremely embarrassed and hurriedly turned her face away as she wiped away her tears.

Cui Dongshan then curled a finger at Shi Rou as he said, “Come with me, my dear Shi Rou, I want to have a good heart-to-heart conversation with you. You did well protecting my teacher along his journey, and you captured a Li Fire flying sword for me this time, so I have to reward you too.”

Shi Rou shook her head vigorously as a chill ran down her spine.

Her instincts told her that approaching Cui Dongshan now would subject her to a fate that was worse than death.

Cui Dongshan grinned as he suddenly flipped a hand over, and an expanding patch of blood instantly appeared over Xie Xie’s abdomen as a Dragon Restricting Nail was torn out of her acupoint in an extremely rough and barbaric fashion. He then made a grabbing motion to forcibly drag Shi Rou to him, following which he slammed a palm into Shi Rou’s forehead, driving the Dragon Restricting Nail into her glabella.

Xie Xie slumped to the ground as she clasped a hand over her own abdomen, and even though she was in excruciating pain, Cui Dongshan had done her a massive favor, so her heart was soaring with elation.

Cui Dongshan grabbed onto Shi Rou’s head with his fingers, looking down as the soul inside her body howled in agony, but not a single sound came out of her throat.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he asked, “How does it feel?”

Du Mao’s immortal body began to tremble violently, reflecting the state of Shi Rou’s soul inside.

Cui Dongshan looked into Shi Rou’s pleading eyes as he asked, “Do you need me to tell you what to do?”

Shi Rou’s consciousness was on the verge of fading, and if Cui Dongshan were to continue with what he was doing, there was a very good chance that her soul would be destroyed entirely, and her Daoist side branch would be completely erased with her demise.

Cui Dongshan gave a cold harrumph as he gently pressed down with his hand, slamming Shi Rou down onto the bamboo walkway as he threatened, “If you dare to tell anyone, then this will only be a small appetizer for the punishment that I’m going to put you through.”

Shi Rou’s body spasmed over and over again as she laid on the walkway, and Xie Xie was wondering what Shi Rou had done to deserve this, but didn’t dare to ask any questions.

With a casual kick, Cui Dongshan sent Shi Rou flying into the main room, following which he turned to Xie Xie as he instructed, “Make some preparations to welcome our guests.”

Shortly thereafter, Li Huai appeared at the entrance of the courtyard along with an old scholar and that white deer.

The scholar was none other than the real Zhao Shi, the mountain master of the private academy and a student of Swan Lake Academy under that Confucian sage on the Southern Whirl Continent.

Cui Dongshan stood barefoot on the steps with more than a hint of schadenfreude on his face as he chuckled, “You must’ve forgotten to check the horoscope before you went out, Zhao Shi! Not only were you knocked out by a blow to the head and thrown into a rucksack, you’re going to lose your most precious treasure now!”

Zhao Shi’s forehead was still a little red and swollen, but he smiled as he replied, “If it’s meant to be, then it will be.”

“Are you really willing to give your white deer to Li Huai?” Cui Dongshan asked as he feigned a surprised expression.

Zhao Shi nodded in response.

“In any case, I was used as a part of the assassination plot, so I am at fault, and I should apologize for this role that I’ve played, even if it was only an involuntary one. Hence, seeing as this white deer has taken a liking to Li Huai, it would be wrong of me to try and keep it.”

Cui Dongshan nodded in a slow and methodical manner, then smiled as he asked, “I’m really curious about where they dumped you after they knocked you unconscious, and how did the Great Sui Nation find you?”

Zhao Shi was a man of great patience and composure. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been instated as the mountain master of the private academy by the Luminous Vermilion Empire. However, Cui Dongshan was repeatedly bringing up a less than pleasant subject for him, and he couldn’t help but feel a little displeased.

“Those who survive major ordeals are sure to be blessed with fortune. Looks like you’re a man of fortune, Zhao Shi!” Cui Dongshan chortled.

Li Huai was unable to stand listening to him any longer, and he glared at him as he protested, “How can you speak to Mountain Master Zhao like this, Cui Dongshan?! I’m going to tell Chen Ping’an that you were disrespectfully referring to Mountain Master Zhao directly by his name!”

An enraged look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face as he countered, “Have you no sense of gratitude, Li Huai?! Who was it that brought this massive blessing to you? I ought to convince Li Baoping to remove you from your post as division leader for your ingratitude!”

Li Huai hurriedly snuck Cui Dongshan a look, indicating to him that he was only standing up for Zhao Shi because he was afraid that Zhao Shi would take the white deer away in a fit of indignation.

Cui Dongshan’s expression eased slightly upon seeing this, and he made his way down the steps as he said, “Come and have some tea, Mountain Master Zhao.”

Xie Xie immediately carried the tea set over to the stone table upon hearing this.

Cui Dongshan took a glance up at the sky.

At this point, Xue Ruo should’ve already met the mastermind behind all of this.

If their discussion went well, then all would be swell, but if it didn’t go well, then the Geyang Gao Clan should consider themselves immensely fortunate if even half of the Great Sui Nation’s capital city could remain intact.

In any case, it had nothing to do with Mountain Cliff Academy.

Right now, Cui Dongshan was no longer Cui Chan, and he wanted to secure a peaceful paradise for himself, one that was untouched by worldly affairs.

————

While Cui Dongshan was drinking tea with Zhao Shi, a tall old man had just finished discussing some matters with someone, and he was accompanying Mr. Fan out of the city.

Mr. Fan smiled as he asked, “Did the discussion go well?”

“It did, for the most part,” the old man replied with a nod. “It’s just that we had a rather unpleasant argument over some private matters.”

“Oh? Would you care to elaborate?” Mr. Fan asked in an intrigued manner.

“It’s all just a bunch of trivial nonsense, I wouldn’t dare to dirty your ears with such measly affairs,” the old man replied with a smile, and Mr. Fan also smiled as he fell silent.

His ears were far from a holy sanctum that was free from defilement.

Instead, he had been receiving verbal abuse for many years, and his abusers were either Confucian sages or old ancestors from other prominent schools of thought. If the average person had been in his place, they would’ve already been reprimanded to death.

The old man seemed to have arrived at this realization, and he didn’t hide the details any longer as he smiled and asked, “Mr. Fan, I’m sure you’re aware that Xu Ruo has always had close ties with that man, right?”

Mr. Fan nodded in response.

“I’ve heard that Xu Ruo thinks very highly of that man.”

The old man burst into laughter as he said, “That’s why I said that A’Liang is nothing special, and that he’s nowhere near as powerful as the rumors suggest, and I made it a point to say those things right in front of Xu Ruo!”

“Why would you say that?” Mr. Fan asked.

A proud look immediately appeared on the old man’s face, as if he had just thought of the heroic and boastworthy thing that he had ever done, and he smiled triumphantly as he replied, “Back when the ten of us hatched a plot to kill him together, I was the only one who managed to escape alive!”

Mr. Fan faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied in an exasperated manner, “I have no response to that.”

————

Outside the entrance of Mountain Cliff Academy at the foot of Eastern Splendor Mountain, a young man and woman who appeared to have been a master-and-servant duo were standing together, seemingly hesitating about whether to go in.

He wanted to go in and see if the academy was better than Forest Deer Academy back home on Cloud Drape Mountain, while she was reluctant, saying that she detested academies even more so than schools.

In the end, he scaled the mountain to enter the academy alone, while she remained at the entrance by herself.

The academy gatekeeper with the Liang surname was pretending to nap the entire time, intentionally making it appear as if he hadn’t noticed the two.

However, he could sense immense Dragon Qi in the young man, and it was even more potent in his female companion.