Unsheathed

It was a calm and serene day on Cyan Gorge Island, and the surface of the lake around the island resembled that of a mirror. The surrounding, subsidiary islands were covered in lush greenery, with the occasional cry of a crane ringing out from the immortal manors.

A streak of light or two would also race through the air from time to time amid bursts of faint rumbling, and it was truly a breathtaking sight to behold.

Senior Sister Tian Hujun was wearing a short-sleeved red outer garment that was embroidered with divine clouds designs in golden thread, and she was walking along in an elegant manner while holding a stack of files in her hands.

She was on her way to the room near the entrance of Cyan Gorge Island, and all of the cultivators that she encountered along the way stepped aside to make way for her while extending respectful salutes, none of which she returned.

At the moment, she was a very important figure on Cyan Gorge Island. Over the past few years, Cyan Gorge Island had gone from strength to strength, and Tian Hujun had accompanied Liu Zhimao and Gu Can on many battles across Bamboo Scroll Lake, advancing her cultivation base while also securing bountiful spoils.

Additionally, she had also received many rewards from Liu Zhimao, and those factors had allowed her to reach the Golden Core Tier at the end of autumn the previous year. At the time, an opulent banquet had been arranged to celebrate her breakthrough.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the room, Tian Hujun knocked on the door before entering, and she was greeted by the sight of the young man sitting behind the desk looking up at her.

The young man was wearing a hairpin and a long, azure robe, and there was a red wine gourd placed beside the desk. The gourd seemed rather unremarkable in appearance, but as a Golden Core Tier earth immortal, Tian Hujun was able to tell after repeated visits that there was definitely more to the gourd than met the eye.

It was most likely the case that some powerful figure had cast an illusion onto it. Something that warranted such treatment had to have been an extremely prized treasure, such as a Sword Nurturing Gourd.

Tian Hujun and Liu Zhimao had once had a conversation about the wine gourd in secret, and Liu Zhimao had confirmed her suspicions, revealing to her that the gourd was indeed a premium Sword Nurturing Gourd.

What intimidated Tian Hujun even more than the Sword Nurturing Gourd was the longsword that Chen Ping’an had left in the room next to Gu Can’s residence. According to Liu Zhimao, that was an untamed pseudo-celestial tool.

Liu Zhimao had instructed Tian Hujun to keep all of the cultivators on Cyan Gorge Island in check throughout the duration of Chen Ping’an’s stay, ensuring that they exercised restraint and didn’t simply do whatever they pleased as they normally did.

This was the first time that Tian Hujun had ever seen Liu Zhimao exercise any type of restraint.

As she entered the room, Chen Ping’an rose to his feet and cleared the desk for her.

Tian Hujun gently sent the large stack of files onto the table, then said in an apologetic manner, “This is the third batch of secret files that I’ve sourced from the incense room of our Cyan Gorge Island, Mr. Chen. The people at the incense room have grown very complacent over the years, so the files have not been maintained very well, and many of them have been damaged by vermin and insects.”

Chen Ping’an waved a hand as he said, “Please don’t punish the people at the incense room for this. After all, they’ve already done me a great favor by compiling these files for me.”

Tian Hujun had already made up her mind to hand down some stern punishment to the three people managing the incense room, but she immediately decided against that after hearing this request from Chen Ping’an. However, she then considered the idea of punishing the trio in question in private.

At the moment, Bamboo Scroll Lake appeared to have been quite peaceful on the surface, but the Cyan Gorge Island cultivators had grown accustomed to the frequent battles that had taken place over the past few years, and they had become rather disgruntled from inactivity of late.

Tian Hujun was once just a superfluous disciple of Liu Zhimao’s, someone who had once been prophesied by a powerful Naturalist cultivator that had previously passed through Bamboo Scroll Lake to have no chance of becoming an earth immortal in this lifetime, yet she had experienced a meteoric rise, earning sole ownership of the conquered Brow Immortal Island thanks to her accolades on the battlefield.

Essentially, she was like a feudal lord that had been granted her own territory. Liu Zhimao had always been very fair when it came to dishing out rewards and punishments, and that was one of the foundational reasons why he had been able to transform Cyan Gorge Island into such a dominant force on Bamboo Scroll Lake.

Liu Zhimao was never stingy when rewarding those who had made meritorious contributions. As long as one was willing to put their life on the line and contribute to the betterment of Cyan Gorge Island, then they would be rewarded equally and fairly, regardless of their status.

“I may have to go and enquire about some things with the people managing the incense room, so please notify them ahead of time,” Chen Ping’an said.

All lingering thoughts of administering any punishment upon the trio managing the incense room instantly evaporated from Tian Hujun’s mind upon hearing this, and she smiled as she replied, “You can feel free to go at any time, Mr. Chen. It would be an honor for our incense room to be graced by your presence.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response, but after waiting for some time, Tian Hujun still wasn’t displaying any intention of leaving, so he asked, “Is there something else you want to discuss with me?”

Tian Hujun selected her words carefully, drafting up a script in her mind before replying, “The ruler of the cultivation world in Bamboo Scroll Lake is about to be elected on Palace Willow Island soon, and my master has instructed me to ask if you would like to attend the event.”

“This is a splendid state of affairs that your Cyan Gorge Island has worked hard to achieve, and it’s also a private matter of your Bamboo Scroll Lake, so I won’t meddle in it. However, I will be watching the proceedings from here,” Chen Ping’an replied.

Tian Hujun was very relieved to hear this. This was a satisfactory response that she should be able to report to Liu Zhimao with no issues.

After that, Chen Ping’an stepped out from around the desk and escorted Tian Hujun to the entrance of the room.

Even though he did this every time she visited, Tian Hujun still couldn’t help but feel like this was an honor that she was unworthy of. She wondered to herself why this was the case. After all, Chen Ping’an was still the same person that he had always been. Perhaps it was because his status had been elevated in her heart upon her discovery of the fact that he was in possession of a Sword Nurturing Gourd and a pseudo-celestial tool.

Chen Ping’an returned to the table and began to flip through the files one by one.

They contained names, birthplaces, birth dates, and the names of their masters, relatives, and clans.

Many of the names had already been crossed out in red ink in accordance with the old rules of the incense room in an act known as redaction.

Whenever Chen Ping’an came across a name that he was searching for, he would write it down in an empty book that he had intentionally left blank. Aside from the aforementioned basic information, the files also contained the official duties that these people had previously undertaken on Cyan Gorge Island.

The thicknesses of the files of the cultivators and servants on Cyan Gorge Island were directly related to their cultivation bases. The higher one’s cultivation base, the more records would exist of them, and for the ones with the lowliest of cultivation bases, their files contained only their names and birthplaces, amounting to fewer than ten characters.

There were also many deceased individuals whose files had already been disposed of by those in the incense room.

From there, Chen Ping’an paid a visit to the incense room to enquire about the feats and reputations of the people whose names he had recorded in his book. He also followed whatever leads that he could to pry some names out of the mouths of the cultivators, manor stewards, and open collar ladies on Cyan Gorge Island, and those names were recorded in his book as well.

Just as he had troubled Tian Hujun to fetch files for him from the incense room, he had also made some request of some other important figures on Cyan Gorge Island during this time, and even though it wasn’t exactly a stressful process, it was certainly a time-consuming one.

Tian Hujun was on the way to report this matter to Liu Zhimao when she just so happened to run into Gu Can.

With the meeting between island masters fast approaching, everyone was busy at work, including her other junior brothers and sisters, as well as the ten honorary elders residing on the twelve islands. The higher-ups of Cyan Gorge Island had to serve as lobbyists for Liu Zhimao, and they were like Diplomatists, constantly going around recruiting allies through any means necessary.

As usual, Gu Can had his hands tucked up the opposite sleeves of his dark green official garb, looking much like a farmer boy as he smiled and said, “Have you gone to see Chen Ping’an again, Senior Sister? I should give you a friendly reminder not to get any funny ideas about seducing Chen Ping’an. Otherwise, things may not end so well for you.”

A wry smile appeared on Tian Hujun’s face as she replied, “I’m not so delusional that I would attempt to do something so foolish, Junior Brother. Besides, Mr. Chen wouldn’t have eyes for a woman as mediocre as me.”

Gu Can was quite pleased to hear this, and he said, “You’re certainly right about that. Chen Ping’an is really picky when it comes to women. Back in our hometown, he had a really good-looking lass called Zhi Gui as his neighbor, yet he wasn’t attracted to her at all. It’s very good to see that you know your place so well, Senior Sister.”

Whenever she spoke to Gu Can, Tian Hujun would always lower herself in a subtle fashion so Gu Can wouldn’t have to look up at her, and it had become a habit of hers over time.

“Also, make sure to keep that matter regarding the open collar ladies a secret for me,” Gu Can continued. “If anyone else lets it slip, then that could be chalked down to their foolishness, but given how smart you are, if you let that secret slip, then I’ll have no choice but to suspect you of ulterior motives.

“Back then, Master wasn’t able to save Senior Brother, and if you cross me, he won’t be able to save you, either. I’m well aware that that slutty third senior sister of mine isn’t on very good terms with you. If it wasn’t for her terrible cultivation aptitude, perhaps she would’ve already become our master’s concubine by now.”

Tian Hujun’s smile stiffened as she said, “I wouldn’t do that, Junior Brother. You know what type of person I am.”

Gu Can nodded as he replied, “It’s exactly because I know what type of person you are that I have to issue you this friendly reminder. It would be a great pity if you were to lose your life to me just because you were trying to secure some measly benefits from our master. You’ve been so great to me over the years, it would truly sadden me to see you suffer such a terrible fate.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Tian Hujun said with a wry smile.

Gu Can reached out and gently slapped Tian Hujun’s cheek as he said, “Go on then, Master is still waiting to hear back from you.”

Following Tian Hujun’s departure, Gu Can turned to the little catfish and said, “I can’t just keep calling you little catfish all the time. Let’s go to Chen Ping’an so he can give you a name.”

The little catfish was a little embarrassed.

“What are you getting embarrassed about? It’s not like he’s giving you your kindred name,” Gu Can chuckled.

On the way to the room that Chen Ping’an was staying in, Gu Can said with tightly furrowed brows, “Chen Ping’an told me that the commotion from his room that night was due to a minor hiccup in his cultivation. Do you think that’s true?”

The little catfish shook its head in response.

As a Nascent Tier cultivator, it was severely overqualified to speak on the cultivation of a fifth tier Qi refiner, and it knew that Chen Ping’an had withheld the truth from Gu Can.

“It’s definitely not that simple. In fact, the ordeal that he suffered was only a little better than Qi deviation. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason. Chen Ping’an was once a pure martial artist, and he’s reconstructing his bridge of immortality, so he’s not like us.

“Hence, I can’t tell exactly what happened to him, but definitely sustained some severe injuries that night. I’m sure you can tell as well. The damage wasn’t just physical, even his mental state has been…”

The little catfish didn’t dare to speak any further on the matter.

Gu Can fell silent and stopped in his tracks as a suffocating aura began to emanate from his body.

He was the dreaded harbinger of death in Bamboo Scroll Lake, and he hadn’t reached this point by solely relying on the little catfish and Liu Zhimao.

“How do we rectify the situation?” Gu Can asked with a wry smile.

The little catfish scratched its head as it replied, “Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything, so I don’t think you should try to do anything. Aren’t you always scoffing at the ants who’ve been backed into corners about how the more they do, the more they go wrong?”

“That’s true,” Gu Can replied with a nod.

Upon reaching Chen Ping’an’s room, Gu Can carried a little stool over to the doorstep before taking a seat with a smile on his face, and he disclosed the purpose of his visit, which was to have Chen Ping’an give the little catfish a name, one that had nothing to do with the demons and flood dragons of the world.

Chen Ping’an set down his brush and gave it some thought, then said, “Let’s go with Tan Xue. Snow and coal, water and fire, black and white. A beautiful name.” [1]

Gu nodded vigorously in response, then turned to the little catfish with a wide smile as he asked, “What do you think?”

An embarrassed look appeared on its face as it replied, “It’s too fancy, isn’t it? I don’t even know how to read, wouldn’t people mock me for having such a poetic name?”

“If anyone dares to mock you, I’ll…”

Gu Can’s voice abruptly trailed off here as he caught himself before sneaking a furtive glance at Chen Ping’an, only to discover that the latter had already returned to his writings.

After spending some time basking in the warm autumn sun, Gu Can was feeling very relaxed and lethargic, almost on the verge of falling asleep.

He was seated on his little stool, and even if the sky were to fall, there would be Chen Ping’an to catch it before it fell upon him, so he wasn’t afraid.

Gu Can stretched lazily, then turned to Chen Ping’an and said, “My mother says she’ll be doing some home cooking tonight that’s even more authentic than last time. Are you free tonight?”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“Please thank your mother for me and tell her that I’ll be coming over for dinner. Oh, and also, tell her that I won’t be drinking.”

“Alright, I’m off then!” Gu Can said with a bright smile.

As Gu Can placed the little stool back in the corner where he had grabbed it from, Chen Ping’an suddenly said, “Tell Tian Hujun I want to gather some local chronicles from Bamboo Scroll Lake. In addition to all of the prized books of the islands in Bamboo Scroll Lake, I also want copies of the local chronicles of the neighboring Pond Water City and perhaps some places that are even further away. I’ll cover all of the costs.

“Also, tell her to include all additional, intangible costs when giving me the final quote, including the manpower and resources of Cyan Gorge Island that had to be recruited to fulfill my request. This is purely a business transaction, and it should be treated as such.”

“No problem!” Gu Can replied with a smile. “Right now, there are a bunch of sly bastards on the twelve islands who do absolutely nothing but make themselves appear useful. This would be a perfect opportunity for them to actually do something useful for once. Also, I’ll make sure to tell them to do things the right way so they don’t abuse their power as Cyan Gorge Island cultivators while gathering the materials that you requested.”

“If any mishaps occur, make sure to come and tell me right away, and I’ll take care of it myself,” Chen Ping’an said.

“Don’t worry, there won’t be any mishaps,” Gu Can replied with a radiant smile. “This is Cyan Gorge Island and Bamboo Scroll Lake. There are many rules here, and also many people who like to break the rules, but everyone knows what price has to be paid for breaking which rules.”

Shortly thereafter, Gu Can and Tan Xue departed, while Chen Ping’an looked on with a rather peculiar expression.

“Why do I get a strange feeling from the way that Chen Ping’an was looking at us at the end? Were you feeling scared as well at the time?” Gu Can suddenly asked.

“A little,” Tan Xue replied in a timid manner.

Gu Can broke into a swagger as he said, “See what I was telling you? Chen Ping’an is perfect here at our Bamboo Scroll Lake! With him here, he’ll be the only person that I’m afraid of, but I won’t have to be scared of anything else, so this is ultimately a great deal for me!”

“Tan Xue agrees,” the little catfish replied with a shy smile.

Gu Can turned to Tan Xue, who was nervously fiddling around with its collar, and he scoffed, “You shameless little wench! You were complaining about how the name’s too fancy for you, but it seems like you’re eager to use it!”

A sullen look then appeared on his face as he continued, “From now on, we’re going to have to exercise some restraint when it comes to killing. Chen Ping’an may have become an accountant, but he’s been keeping a constant eye on us.”

“I’m not hungry for now,” Tan Xue replied as it patted its belly.

Gu Can rolled his eyes in response.

“You just ate that Golden Core Tier woman! If you’re still hungry, who am I supposed to fetch for you? My master?”

Tan Xue’s eyes immediately lit up at the idea.

Gu Can tucked his hands in their opposite sleeves as he looked up at the sky and said, “I’m really happy right now, Tan Xue. Even more so than when I’m killing people.”

“Before I get hungry, I’m happy as long as you’re happy,” Tan Xue replied in a candid manner.

“What exactly do you think Chen Ping’an is up to?” Gu Can asked.

Tan Xue shook its head in response.

“I don’t even dare to approach Chen Ping’an and his desk, and I don’t like to think about things, so I don’t know.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter. As long as I get to see Chen Ping’an every day, I’m satisfied,” Gu Can sighed.

1. Tan (炭) translates to coal, while Xue (雪) translates to snow. ☜