Unsheathed

It was said that Xun Yuan and Gao Mian, two like-minded people from different continents, had only become acquainted with each other after almost coming to blows. Various people used enchanted picture scrolls in the cultivation world of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and among them was someone with the nickname Handsome Chivalrous Young Man and the title Tenth Tier Martial Artist. He was none other than Gao Mian, the sect leader of the Invincible Divine Fist Sect. Indeed, they shared the same manner of speech and the same short temper.

The Handsome Chivalrous Young Man always liked to scold other people, especially those celestial maidens who were pretentious and materialistic. He especially disliked those celestial maidens who would pick out one or two generous donors and earnestly make eyes at them and try to please them, flirting openly and completely ignoring all of the other viewers.

Meanwhile, Xun Yuan went by the nickname Foot-Long Spear and would silently donate huge sums of immortal coins to his favorite performers. He wouldn’t say anything about those whom he disliked either.

However, as the two of them donated more and more money and became increasingly famous, they eventually butted heads regarding who was the number one celestial maiden in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Was it the Divine Edict Sect’s He Xiaoliang, or was it Sun Scorch Mountain’s Su Jia? The two of them came to figurative blows, with each rebuking the other with each lesser heat coin that they donated.

Both of them donated a huge sum of immortal coins, and the other viewers couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. Everyone started to speculate about their identities, wondering if they were the old ancestors of some immortal sect seeing as to how generous their donations were. They were spending lesser heat coins as if they were snowflake coins, yet there had never been any news about them having affairs or romantic relationships with the celestial maidens.

In order to win business for their forces, many female cultivators from smaller forces would go under the knife of those Qi refiners who were skilled at the heretical methods of bone morphing, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. They would alter their original appearances and body shapes, and they would care little about whether this affected their fate or ruined the foundation of their Great Dao. They had no choice but to ignore these matters, and they would allow those heretical cultivators to freely alter their looks.

One time, the Handsome Chivalrous Young Man and Foot-Long Spear had coincidentally come across each other in another stream. During this stream, many perceptive viewers immediately noticed the significant transformation that the celestial maiden from some third-rate force had undergone. Her looks were completely different from before, and this invited a torrent of ridicule and vitriol, with many other viewers also commenting in a derogatory manner.

The celestial maiden had felt so embarrassed that she wanted to die, yet she hadn’t dared to talk back to the viewers at all. Instead, she continued to apologize the entire time.

However, apologizing to the viewers had simply empowered them and invited even more wanton mockery and abuse.

Unexpectedly, however, the Handsome Chivalrous Young Man had suddenly piped up in a righteous manner and started to donate a large sum of immortal coins. He furiously scolded the offending viewers, and Foot-Long Spear had quickly followed suit. To everyone’s surprise, the two archenemies actually teamed up to scold the other viewers together.

In the end, after donating all of the immortal coins that he had prepared, the Handsome Chivalrous Young Man had continued to scold the other viewers, jeering, “Earning money isn’t easy, and cultivation isn’t easy either. Is this young lady fighting you people for the Great Dao, or has she perhaps killed your entire family? Why do you people insist on insulting her? You bastards shouldn’t have been born in the first place. If I were powerful enough, I would travel back in time and smash your parents’ beds to smithereens while they were doing the deed with each other.”

Afterward, the Handsome Chivalrous Young Man said to Foot-Long Spear, “At least you seem to have some balls. However, it’s a shame that your tastes are a little lacking. You actually like He Xiaoliang more than Su Jia? It’s clear that you’re not a very successful cultivator.”

Following this event, Foot-Long Spear had essentially become the Handsome Chivalrous Young Man’s lackey, acting in a very obsequious manner every time they came across each other in the streams.

Gao Mian and Xun Yuan were sitting together at the table and yet to donate any immortal coins. Some viewers had already started to tease the celestial maiden, and they were confident enough to do so because everyone remained anonymous when communicating through the enchanted picture scrolls. The veil of anonymity also enabled viewers to become more wanton than normal, causing many people to become especially debauched. While they were enjoying the streams through their enchanted picture scrolls or enchanted bowls, some viewers would even be reading a few steamy romance novels that were extremely popular in the mortal world.

Perhaps due to her presence in the stream, the maidservant grinding ink for the celestial maiden was also targeted by the viewers.

The maidservant’s name was Shi Qiu, and she was an unofficial disciple who had only joined the immortal force very recently. She would occasionally appear in the picture scroll while her mistress was performing, and she would either be bringing over tea or some other items to serve her mistress. She was responsible for these lowly and trivial tasks.

In reality, she had a better figure than the performing celestial maiden, but when it came to cultivation in the mountains, it was always one’s talent and cultivation base that determined one’s status.

Gao Mian and Xun Yuan had both interacted with the cultivation world for a long time, so they wouldn’t say anything about the comments of the other viewers as long as they didn’t take things too far.

However, Shi Qiu was most likely still unaccustomed to the humiliating remarks made by the viewers, so the rims of her eyes became red as she stood there and bit her lips.

Calamities never came alone. From the angle that Gao Mian was viewing the stream at, he was coincidentally able to catch the subtle action of the celestial maiden. Perhaps angry at her maidservant for ruining the mood, the celestial maiden quickly stomped on Shi Qiu’s foot.

Gao Mian was already prepared to donate immortal coins, yet he immediately tossed the snowflake coins back to the pile beside him after catching sight of the celestial maiden’s behavior.

He grabbed his pot of wine and took a swig, humphing coldly, “It’s this kind of woman again. What a waste of the minor scholarly aura that she brought to the mountains from her powerful mortal clan.”

Xun Yuan smiled faintly upon hearing this.

Gao Mian’s mood was slightly ruined, so he turned his focus to the pot of wine instead of the celestial maiden’s stream.

“Old Gao, you should take it easy,” Liu Laocheng advised. “You’re a member of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent before you start drinking, yet you become the owner of the entire continent after you’ve had too much to drink. In any case, this is my ancestral residence, and it can’t withstand your drunken antics!”

Gao Mian humphed coldly and suddenly asked, “Young Ascended Immortal, what do you think about the name of my sect, the Invincible Divine Fist Sect?”[1]

Xun Yuan was still staring at the enchanted picture scroll, and he replied without hesitation, “Powerful, invincible, domineering, and completely unrivaled and unique in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!”

Gao Mian nodded and said, “At least you’re tactful enough to be honest with me.”

Liu Laocheng tried to restrain himself, yet he ultimately couldn’t help but say to Xun Yuan, “Senior Xun, what are you trying to achieve? So be it if you give Old Man Gao a free rein regarding other matters, but the name of his sect is so rubbish that all of the sect disciples hang their heads in shame when it’s mentioned. Senior Xun, why are you going against your conscience to praise the name of his sect? I… truly can’t tolerate this anymore!”

Liu Laocheng from Wasp Tail Ferry Station was the most powerful vagrant cultivator in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and he had overcome many challenges and life-and-death battles on his way to becoming a powerful Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator. This was a process through which he had come across many strange people and encountered many strange matters.

Even so, the relationship between Xun Yuan and Gao Mian was still a special case. The former was an Immortal Tier cultivator and the leader of immortals in the Parasol Leaf Continent, while the latter was the old ancestor of a sect in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and had already fallen back to the Nascent Tier. Perhaps they had immediately become like old friends after their first meeting, what with birds of a feather flocking together. In reality, however, such a situation was already very rare.

Regardless, Liu Laocheng could somewhat understand this if he ignored the gap of two cultivation tiers between them and the even bigger gulf in power between their two immortal forces. However, was it truly necessary for Xun Yuan to support Gao Mian, a crude old man who had no literary skills, all the time?

In the beginning, Liu Laocheng had been afraid that Xun Yuan was harboring ulterior motives. However, Xun Yuan had gone as far as to oppose Daoist Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen, and he had even used his pseudonym of Young Ascended Immortal to travel beyond the sky and discuss the ownership of the shattered blessed land with the Confucian sages overseeing the area.

Moreover, the three of them had nothing better to do, so they had decided to meet up and travel around the cultivation world together. Even as meticulous and over-cautions as Liu Laocheng was, he had to admit that Xun Yuan was indeed acting obsequiously around Gao Mian, while Gao Mian was indeed ordering Xun Yuan around.

The two of them were… surprisingly sincere.

Xun Yuan smiled faintly at Liu Laocheng and said, “I truly feel like the Invincible Divine Fist Sect is a very good name.”

Liu Laocheng sighed before cupping his fists and saying with a wry smile, “I’m impressed by your tastes.”

“Liu Laocheng, you’re better than Young Ascended Immortal in all other areas, but when it comes to aesthetics, you’re truly no match for him at all,” Gao Mian said.

Xun Yuan patted his knee and concurred, “Yes, yes, yes, Handsome Chivalrous Young Man’s words have allowed me to come to a sudden realization. I initially didn’t understand why I was always so lonely on the path of cultivation, yet Handsome Chivalrous Young Man has hit the nail on the head today. It’s because of my tastes being too refined and profound that I’m always so lonely! If it weren’t for meeting the Handsome Chivalrous Young Man…”

Gao Mian smacked the table and exclaimed, “Do I need you to flatter me? I’ve heard these words of praise so much in the Invincible Divine Fist Sect that my ears have already grown calluses!”

Xun Yuan had no option but to shut his mouth.

There were no other streams to watch today, so Gao Mian stopped channeling his mystical ability and glugged down wine until he became drunk. He then went to sleep.

Only then did Xun Yuan dare to toss a few lesser heat coins toward the enchanted picture scroll and make a comment, saying that Foot-Long Spear would be willing to donate every time if Lady Shi Qiu were allowed to host her own streams in the future.

Xun Yuan put away the enchanted picture scroll after doing this.

There were all kinds of joys and sorrows in the world, and Xun Yuan wasn’t willing to interact with the troublesome mortal world because of these matters. As such, he never went overboard with his involvement.

Liu Laocheng hesitated for a long time before asking, “Senior Xun, as Gao Mian’s friend, please excuse me for asking this question. Senior Xun is the Jade Tablet Sect’s sect leader, so do you truly have no ulterior motives in your interactions with Gao Mian?”

Xun Yuan smiled and shook his head, replying, “I indeed have no ulterior motives. Stillness begets movement, and I simply wanted to take a stroll around the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Gao Mian was my only friend here, so who else could I seek out if not him?”

Liu Laocheng nodded in understanding.

“Of course, I do have some selfish reasons as well,” Xun Yuan continued. “Qi refiners yearn to reach the Upper Five Tiers so they can integrate with Dao and therefore defeat their powerful internal demons. How should I put this? This is akin to borrowing something from the heavens but needing to return it after advancing to the Immortal Tier. Furthermore, if a cultivator at the Immortal Tier wants to advance even further, then their only choice is to cultivate Dao and seek truth. Of these two matters, seeking truth is of critical importance.”

Liu Laocheng stood up and said in a respectful voice, “Thank you for your guidance.”

Xun Yuan shook his head and replied, “With how extraordinarily talented you are, how can these overused words be viewed as guidance? Moreover, is there really anything that I can teach you?”

Liu Laocheng smiled and sat back down, saying, “If it weren’t for Gao Mian, then I suppose that I wouldn’t have had this chance to sit down and drink with Senior Xun?”

Xun Yuan nodded and replied, “That’s right, because we’ll never be like-minded people. However, that won’t stop me from approving of you depending on how the relationship between us plays out.”

“It’s my good fortune to have this opportunity!” Liu Laocheng said.

“I plan to establish a lower sect of the Jade Tablet Sect in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in the next one hundred years,” Xun Yuan suddenly said. “Jiang Shangzhen will be appointed as the first sect leader, so are you willing to join as the chief guest elder?”

Liu Laocheng was astonished, and he asked, “Does Gao Mian know about this?”

Xun Yuan shook his head and replied, “I didn’t tell him because I view him as a genuine friend. However, you’re different, so it’s okay for us to discuss this.”

Liu Laocheng started to weigh up the pros and cons of Xun Yuan’s proposal.

Xun Yuan smiled and said, “You don’t need to answer me straight away. You only need to give me a definitive response before I leave Wasp Tail Ferry Station. I won’t make any unreasonable requests of you. In any case, you’re already quite powerful to begin with.”

Liu Laocheng nodded and replied, “Please allow me to think over this.”

Even though Xun Yuan was a profoundly powerful immortal, he was still unaware of the impact of his comment in the stream just then.

After the small immortal force notified the young maidservant, Shi Qiu, that she could host her own streams and earn some immortal coins for herself, she first stood still and endured more than a dozen slaps from the celestial maiden whom she had been working with. The celestial maiden called her a lowly bitch countless times, yet Shi Qiu remained silent the entire time, only daring to wipe the wisps of blood from the corners of her mouth after the celestial maiden finished venting her anger and walked very far away.

After returning to her cramped room, Shi Qiu closed the door and squatted down, carefully retrieving an embroidered pouch and gripping it in her hand. She covered her mouth with her other hand, yet the sound of sobbing still seeped through the cracks between her fingers.

————

In the Azure Phoenix Nation, Assistant Minister Liu suddenly went from the leader of the scholarly world and the embodiment of decorum to nothing more than a joke in the imperial court. His reputation suddenly hit rock bottom.

Even the street peddlers and ordinary soldiers became filled with interest as they chatted about the illicit affairs of the Confucian scholars.

The Lion Garden remained closed to guests the entire time, and Liu Jingting didn’t put out a single public comment either.

Li Baozhen successfully completed his task, causing the scholars who had migrated from the north to lose their so-called alliance leader of the scholarly world. They were forced to look for another alliance leader who could satisfy everyone and bring them all together. However, Liu Jingting’s downfall caused many ambitious scholars to feel a strong sense of apprehension.

Because of this, the powerful clans that had migrated to the Azure Phoenix Nation had no option but to take a step back and try to search within themselves for a new alliance leader. However, this greatly complicated the situation. Many of the clan leaders were actually just as renowned as Liu Jingting, yet they were all outsiders who had migrated to the Azure Phoenix Nation at the same time, so who would be willing to concede the position of alliance leader to someone else? Who wouldn’t be worried about the new alliance leader using their newfound power to achieve selfish goals?

The scholarly world of the Azure Phoenix Nation immediately fell into chaos. The newly migrated clans who had initially wanted to support Liu Jingting and use him as a puppet to rival the Imperial Tang Clan also continued to scheme and quibble among themselves.

Li Baozhen went to the county office to visit Liu Qingfeng today, and the two of them went on a stroll under the evening sun. Li Baozhen smiled and offered a conclusion on the leaderless scholars from the north, saying, “A rebellion staged by scholars will yield no results even after they try for three years.”[2]

Liu Qingfeng smiled and nodded in response.

There was a wide smile on Li Baozhen’s face.

However, there was an ice-cold chill in his heart.

After Liu Qingfeng left that night, Li Baozhen had quickly checked for flaws and oversights in Liu Qingfeng’s plan, allowing him to significantly improve the plot to weaken the scholars from the north.

Back then, the pig heads and useless sacks of straw in the imperial court had all felt great admiration toward Li Baozhen, lavishing praise on him and showing a slight sense of sincerity while doing so.

However, this made Li Baozhen feel an even stronger chill in his heart.

This was because he was smart enough to know that Liu Qingfeng had purposely left those flaws and oversights in the plan for him to pick up. They were nothing more than some scraps thrown out to him.

They were an opportunity for him to establish his reputation in the imperial court.

Indeed, this was a case of Liu Qingfeng silently holding back and not burning all of the bridges.

When leaving the county office, Li Baozhen couldn’t help but turn around and glance at the archway, mumbling to himself with a smile, “Fortunately, those climbing the ranks in the imperial court can’t cultivate the Great Dao and achieve immortality.”

Upon thinking of the petty officials and servants who had sincerely admired County Magistrate Liu in the past looking at him with complicated and distant expressions now — with some even failing to conceal their sense of pity — Li Baozhen immediately started to feel happy again.

A spring appeared in his step as he briskly left the county office.

Liu Qingfeng returned to his residence and carefully read through the official documents and reports. While doing so, he suddenly thought of Wang Yifu who was standing outside. Wang Yifu was a martial secretary from the Great Li Empire, and he had once been the most courageous general of the Lu Empire located in the northernmost region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Now, however, he was about to become a county lieutenant responsible for the law and order of an entire county. Wang Yifu was talented enough to become a pillar official of the Great Li Empire, yet he was actually reduced to nothing more than a county lieutenant in the Azure Phoenix Nation?

County Magistrate Liu chuckled to himself as he thought about this.

1. Reminder that Young Ascended Immortal is an alternative nickname pseudonym for Xun Yuan. ☜

2. This saying insinuates that scholars are weak, cowardly, and always swaying in their positions, resulting in their perpetual failure to achieve anything significant. ☜