Unsheathed

The altercations between scholarly and military officials, the trend of the scholars of the younger generation abandoning their scholarly pursuits to join the military, the blurring of the lines between scholarly and military officials of the imperial court… These were all good things as far as he was concerned.

The Ministry of Works, which had the closest ties with the foreign Mohist cultivators, was also a significant contributor behind the scenes.

In contrast, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, which were supposed to have been the two most prestigious ministries of the six, were going to be in a rather awkward position when it came time to rate contributions and assign rewards.

This was why the officials of the Ministry of Rites were so eager to involve themselves in the matters concerning the new Northern Mountain of the Great Li Empire and the forging of the alliance with the Great Sui Nation. With the battlefield drawing closer and closer, the Ministry of Rites was inevitably going to lose ground over the next century, and there was a very good chance that it would be infiltrated and eroded by the other five ministries.

After all, the Ministry of Justice was still making undeniable contributions when it came to gathering intelligence and recruiting cultivators.

Hence, the Ministry of Rites was doing all of this because it was afraid that while all of the other ministries were expanding their territories, it would be completely left behind in the dust when it had once been the most prestigious of the six ministries. If that were to happen, then how would it be able to continue to enjoy the power and wealth of serving as the Great Li Empire’s number one ministry?

That left only the Ministry of Personnel, which was already in a state of internal turmoil. However, due to the supervision of the Guan Clan’s patriarch, regardless of how fiercely the officials bickered and argued with one another behind closed doors, they remained professional and reserved in the presence of outsiders in public.

On the subject of the Peace and Safety Tablet, the Ministry of Rites was vehemently requesting that all of the procedures, including nomination, inquisition, certification, file-keeping, and evaluation, be placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.

At the moment, the Ministry of Justice was responsible for overseeing roughly half of these procedures, and the Ministry of Rites was very eager to change that, but the Guan Clan patriarch refused to give a present a definitive stance on the matter, resorting to all types of stalling tactics to maintain his ambiguity.

In the end, he had even gone as far as to apply for sick leave. Everyone knew that he was as healthy as an ox, and that he was even fitter than some of the officials of the Ministry of Rites that were in their prime years, so it was very apparent that this was nothing more than a stalling tactic. It seemed that the older the fox grew, the more shameless it became.

The minister of the Ministry of Rites was technically half of the disciple of the Guan Clan patriarch’s, yet it was said that even he couldn’t help but erupt into a fit of rage upon hearing this news, accusing the Guan Clan patriarch of shamelessly using his age and seniority to his advantage.

The imperial court of the Great Li Empire had become very lively and busy, and there were many funny stories arising from this special time period.

During the first month of the year, many officials were paying new year’s visits to one another in Yichi Alley and on Chi’er Street.

When it came to these private dealings between officials, Song Changjing didn’t have much interest. It was only to be expected that these dealings would take place, and he saw no reason to intervene as long as the parties involved didn’t overstep their boundaries. In any case, there was no need for a martial artist like him to concern himself with such affairs.

Song Changjing had to admit that the Embroidered Tiger had made very significant contributions to ensure that the southward march of the Great Li Empire’s army had gone as smoothly as it had.

Right at this moment, a faint glimmer of light appeared over the ground as a young swordsman emerged from hiding on a mountain before sending his bonded flying sword racing directly toward Song Changjing, whose position in the fleet clearly indicated that he was a figure of a very lofty status. The flying sword was giving an aura of fury and indignation while also reflecting its owner’s resolve to lay down his own life.

Song Changjing waved off the accompanying earth immortals who were poised to swoop in to protect him. The flying sword of a mere sixth tier swordsman posed no threat to a tenth tier pure martial artist like himself.

With a casual punch, Song Changjing sent the bonded sword flying back down to the ground, where it pierced into the earth right beside the young swordsman. The young man’s complexion turned deathly pale as he swayed unsteadily on his feet, but he refused to fall as he continued to glower intently up at the unfathomably powerful man above.

The young swordsman lacked the power to unleash any further attacks, and he slumped to the ground in a helpless manner as the almighty fleet passed him by overhead.

From there, the fleet of Mohist ships intentionally flew over the Southern Mountain of the Luminous Vermilion Empire.

Over a thousand swordsmen who had already resolved themselves to lay down their lives joined the Southern Mountain God to oppose the enemy.

Countless flying swords rained down from the dozen or so sword boats in the fleet, and two storms of flying swords clashed as the sword boat flying swords that had been crafted at the expense of astronomical sums of immortal currency clashed against the bonded flying swords of the swordsmen below.

Occasionally, a bonded flying sword or two would slip through the cracks, only to be vanquished by the immortal treasures unleashed by the Great Li Empire’s native and recruited Nascent and Golden Core Tier cultivators. The entire sky above the Southern Mountain was illuminated by a stunning display of lights, giving it the appearance of an immortal paradise.

The Dao Manifestation of the Southern Mountain God appeared on the mountain summit, wielding a giant sword that had been forged for him using an imperial secret technique, and it swung the mighty sword at Song Changjing’s ship, only for the sword to be destroyed with just a single punch. With a second punch, Song Changjing shattered the Southern Mountain God’s godly body, then descended onto Southern Mountain God Temple.

The Southern Mountain God was just about to reform its godly body to continue its resistance when Song Changjing declared in an authoritative voice, “That’s enough! Our Great Li Empire has no intention of hunting all of you down. Those of you who are below the Golden Core Tier, you’re free to leave.

“As for the earth immortals among you, those of you who are willing to surrender can accompany me on my southbound journey, while those who are unwilling to surrender are to stay on this Southern Mountain. I can assure you that there won’t be any senseless slaughter, and everyone will get the chance to buy their way out without having to sacrifice anything integral to your foundation as earth immortals and swordsmen.

“As for all of your non-essential belongings, you’ll have to hand them over in exchange for your lives.”

The entire summit of the Southern Mountain instantly fell deathly silent.

All of a sudden, Song Changjing launched himself through the air, and most of the Southern Mountain God Temple collapsed violently beneath his feet. An earth immortal swordsman was in the process of trying to rally his comrades to continue resisting the Great Li Empire’s forces when his body and golden core were both destroyed with a single punch from Song Changjing, leaving behind only his yin soul and his waning nascent soul.

If someone were looking up from the foot of the mountain, they would see an immortal manor near the summit of the Southern Mountain collapsing into a pile of rubble, raising up a huge puff of dust that hung over the mountain summit like a yellow cloud.

Song Changjing returned to the temple on the mountain summit, and the Southern Mountain God was waiting for him there, standing on the plaza. Song Changjing gave him a nod as a gesture of appreciation, then sprang up into the air and returned to his flying ship.

All the while, the Southern Mountain God looked on with a series of conflicted emotions in his eyes. In the end, he extended a deep bow toward Song Changjing, and only then did many of the young swordsmen on the mountain summit realize that the mountain formation hadn’t even been activated this entire time.

The Southern Mountain God had no intention of meeting his demise here, and he was also worried that if he were to resist to the bitter end, then all of the swordsmen that had gathered on the mountain would also perish with him. As for why he had allowed all of these swordsmen to gather on his mountain for this collective resistance, there were multiple factors of consideration.

Essentially, he had done this so that he could answer to both his former masters and new masters. The fall of the Luminous Vermilion Empire was inevitable at this point, and with that, he would almost certainly be stripped of his status as the Southern Mountain God.

However, by rallying all of these swordsmen in this spirited resistance, he would be praised by the citizens of the Luminous Vermilion Empire for his valiance, rather than be denounced for cowardice and lose the worship of the people.

At the same time, by gathering all of these swordsmen in one place, he had spared the Great Li Empire some trouble, and hopefully, that would at least secure him the position of mountain god of one of the Great Li Empire’s more prominent mountains after he was stripped of his status as the Southern Mountain God.

In the wake of the Luminous Vermilion Empire’s inevitable demise, he had to take measures to ensure he didn’t meet his demise as well.

Upon returning to the ship, Song Changjing rested his hands on the railing as he cast his gaze into the distance. The reign title of the Great Li Empire was about to change soon.

————

Bamboo Scroll Lake, Pond Water City, Fan Clan’s manor.

Some visitors had come, bearing a name slip, and they requested an audience with General Guan Yiran.

The porter immediately reported this matter without delay.

At the moment, there were four individuals from the Great Li Empire of a similar level of status and power stationed in the cities, and over the past year, Guan Yiran of Pond Water City had seen a gradual elevation in his status, placing him slightly ahead of his three peers.

The other three often had to come to Pond Water City to discuss important matters, while Guan Yiran never had to leave the city, and these subtle signs were enough to tell the whole story.

There were even rumors stating that Guan Yiran was Su Gaoshan’s son-in-law, and those rumors were not entirely unsubstantiated.

On top of that, the porter was struck by a sense of familiarity at the sight of a young man among the visitors. However, the young man was dressed in a gray, cotton robe, and he was looking slightly emaciated. In the end, the porter was unable to identify him.

The trio was quickly led to General Guan, who had set up his office in the Fan Clan, and each of the three of them was carrying a large, bamboo box.

Guan Yiran had taken off his armor and was standing under the eaves of a row of rather shabby buildings in his office, looking rather taken aback.

The wine that he had been waiting a very long time for hadn’t come. Instead, he had been met with someone that he wasn’t very fond of, Gu Can.

Guan Yiran naturally wasn’t a fan of the way that Gu Can had carried himself in Bamboo Scroll Lake. This was both due to his own personality, as well as the subtle influence that the Gu Clan had had on him.

There were rules that had to be followed in all walks of life, and it was nothing short of a miracle that a reckless fool like Gu Can, who relished in breaking rules, had been able to survive to this day in such a chaotic and unpredictable world. A friend of a friend wasn’t necessarily also a friend, but they were certainly not to be shunned, either.

Now that the main forces of the Great Li Empire’s army had already left Bamboo Scroll Lake, Guan Yiran had become the unofficial ruler of the martial arts world, wielding even more power over Bamboo Scroll Lake than Liu Zhimao once had.

Gu Can was looking quite calm and composed in Guan Yiran’s presence, while the accompanying Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi were looking and feeling far more uneasy.

The two parties drew to a halt across from one another in the courtyard, and Guan Yiran smiled as he asked, “You must be Gu Can, right? Can I help you with something?”

Gu Can smiled as he pulled out a flagon of osmanthus wine from Old Dragon City, then offered it to Guan Yiran as he said, “Chen Ping’an has asked me to deliver this flagon of wine to you. He says that he owes you this flagon of wine.”

Guan Yiran accepted the flagon of wine, but he was looking rather exasperated as he scoffed, “The wine has arrived, but he hasn’t. What’s that all about?”

A self-deprecating look then appeared on his face as he mused, “I suppose that’s better than having him here to see me without any wine.”

Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi were very relieved to see this. It seemed that Guan Yiran really was on very good terms with Mr. Chen.

“Gu Can, do you know why Chen Ping’an asked you to deliver this wine to me?” Guan Yiran suddenly asked.

Gu Can nodded as he replied, “I do. He wants me to take this opportunity to become acquainted with you. Even if you’re not going to explicitly look after me, as long as you accept this flagon of wine, I’ll be spared some trouble on my return journey to Cyan Gorge Island.”

“So you’re not stupid, after all,” Guan Yiran chuckled. “In that case, why were you so reckless and arrogant in the past?”

“I was immature back then and felt like I was surrounded by idiots that I could take advantage of as I pleased, but I don’t dare to think that now,” Gu Can replied in a candid manner.

Guan Yiran nodded as he said, “If you encounter any minor problems in the future, you can come to me for help, but if you run into any major problems, then I suggest you don’t bother coming here. I don’t have a very good impression of you, so I’m not going to help you with anything that requires too much effort on my part.”

Gu Can cupped his fist in a salute as he said, “In that case, I’ll be thanking you in advance, General Guan. I’m in a lot of debt at the moment, but if I do require your help with anything, I’ll make sure to bring a flagon of wine with me whenever I come to visit.”

Guan Yiran gave a curt nod as he replied, “I’m very busy with official matters, so I won’t keep you company any longer.”

Gu Can cupped his fist again, this time in a parting salute, then departed with Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi.

As he walked along the streets of Pond Water City, Ma Duyi complained, “He sure does act high and mighty for such a young man!”

Gu Can disagreed, shaking his head as he said, “The fact that he was willing to grant us an audience shows that he’s already plenty down to earth. We’re going to need his help with the two major events set to take place at the end of this year and the middle of next year. If you don’t want to come to General Guan’s office again, then you can visit Ape Crying Street with Zeng Ye the next time I come to see him.”

A hint of lingering unease appeared in Ma Duyi’s eyes as she said, “There’s too heavy an official air about this place. In particular, the two Great Li Empire door gods plastered on the gates of the Fan Clan’s manor were looking at me in a very hostile and forbidding way. I don’t want to have to come here and suffer through that ordeal again.”

Zeng Ye nodded vigorously as he chimed in in agreement, “I also felt like the two door gods were looking at me in a very unfriendly way. Honestly, as a ghostly cultivator, I’m very surprised that they even let me in at all.”

The three of them rented a boat that now belonged to the authorities of the Great Li Empire. According to the recently established rules, anyone who wished to enter Bamboo Scroll Lake, regardless of whether they were cultivators, officials, merchants, or tourists, had to display passports at the ferry station in order to be granted entry.

However, anyone in possession of a Peace and Safety Tablet from the Great Li Empire was exempt from this, regardless of what caliber their tablet was. On top of that, the ferry station was to provide them with boats free of charge.

There were very few people in the entirety of Bamboo Scroll Lake who enjoyed such a privilege, and even the likes of Tian Hujun, Yu Gui, and the earth immortal couple on Oriole Island were still without Peace and Safety Tablets. This was a clear indication of just how precious a Peace and Safety Tablet was, even one of the lowest caliber.

Recently, two pieces of astonishing news had been making the rounds in Bamboo Scroll Lake, the first of which didn’t have much to do with Bamboo Scroll Lake, but had massive connotations for the entire continent as it was the news that the emperor of the Great Li Empire had passed away.

The second piece of news hit much closer to home for all of the islands and cultivators of Bamboo Scroll Lake, and only in the wake of this stunning revelation did the cultivators of Bamboo Scroll Lake finally come to understand why there had been so much uncertainty in the past few years.

As it turned out, the current most powerful immortal sect on the Parasol Leaf Continent, the Jade Tablet Sect, had chosen Bamboo Scroll Lake as the site for its lower sect on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Hence, ever since the arrival of spring, the entirety of Bamboo Scroll Lake had been obsessed with any and all pieces of news pertaining to the Jade Tablet Sect, regardless of big or small.

However, none of that had anything to do with Gu Can anymore.

Chen Ping’an had assigned him with the task of arranging the Heavenly Worship Ceremony and the Liberation Rite of Water and Land.

In addition to passing all of his account books onto Gu Can, Chen Ping’an had also written out for him extremely detailed documents pertaining to the two major events, spanning tens of thousands of characters.

Following a discussion, it was decided that Chen Ping’an and Gu Can would shoulder the costs equally between them.

That was not a small sum of money, and it was far more than what Gu Can’s mother had been able to take with them from the Spring Courtyard Mansion, so Gu Can would just have to be indebted to Chen Ping’an for now.