Unsheathed

Wei Bo raised his head to look up at the full moon in the sky.

It was only after he had become a mountain god in the Divine Water Nation had he learned of the existence of another world in which there were three moons. To this day, he struggled to imagine just how different the laws of that world had to have been compared with the Majestic World, given the presence of those two additional moons.

Chen Ping’an removed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist and began to sip on the wine inside. At the same time, he was considering burying all of the fine wines in his pocket treasure and minimization treasure somewhere on Downtrodden Mountain with a solid foundation and an abundance of water fortune. Now that he was making a tally, he realized that he had quite a few fine wines in his possession.

There was the osmanthus wine personally brewed by the Lady Gui of Old Dragon City, the well-water immortal wine of the Wasp Tail Ferry Station, the crow caw wine of Bamboo Scroll Lake, the the Blooming Water Wine gifted to him by the Burial River Goddess, the Old Flood Dragon Yearning Wine that had been gifted to him by Wu Yi of the Purple Sun Residence, and the calamus wine produced in Hong Su’s hometown, which Chen Ping’an had found to be quite mellow and extremely smooth on the way down.

He had also considered that Pei Qian and the little girl in pink could have a few drinks during festivals, and with that in mind, he had specially purchased a batch of fine, aged wine during his journey. It was all mortal wine anyway, so it hadn’t been very expensive.

Only with his bookcase, sword, horse, and wine to keep him company did he not feel lonely during his travels.

The journey to the Northern Complete Reed Continent had already been postponed by three years, so it couldn’t be delayed any longer. His plan was to set off at the end of the year and visit some friends and acquaintances in the Colorful Garment Nation and the Water Combing Nation, following which he would travel to the Northern Complete Reed Continent on an intercontinental ship.

Wei Bo lowered his gaze as he peered over Downtrodden Mountain and Go Table Mountain all the way to Red Candle Town. As a mountain god, he could clearly see everything within his territory. In fact, he could even see every single pedestrian on the streets of River god in exceptional detail if he so wished.

As the Dragon Spring Prefecture became more and more prosperous, as was Red Candle Town, particularly considering the fact that it was where the Embroidered Flower River, the Fine Wine River, and the Rushing Tranquil River all intersected.

The child who does not know the moon calls it a white jade plate.

Does the immortal on the moon sit with their feet dangling down?

Why is the osmanthus tree on the moon so round?

This was part of a poem that had been passed down from the ancient Shu Nation, and it had since become a folk poem of Red Candle Town, one that was regularly recited by the town’s residents, regardless of demographic.

Even though he had become the Northern Mountain God of the Great Li Empire, the boat dwellers over in the Fu Inlet of Red Candle Town were still considered “lowly citizens.”

Aside from the woman who was cultivating in the Palace of Eternal Spring, the descendants of the five surnames of the Divine Water Nation were still considered lowly citizens, even after so many years and so many generations.

They were strictly prohibited from setting foot ashore, so they were permanently relegated to the Fu Inlet.

Wei Bo had been watching over the five surnames of the Fu Inlet for many years, but even after he became the Northern Mountain God, he had never considered requesting more favorable treatment for them from the Great Li Empire.

Wei Bo had made many significant moves since becoming the Northern Mountain God. Given his status, he could easily put in a word with the Great Li Empire’s Ministry of Revenue and the brothel division under the Ministry of Rites, requesting them to move the register of the Fu Inlet boat dwellers.

As for whether the request would be approved, that would simply be a matter of whether the Minister of Rites and Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan were willing to give the nod, but for some reason, Wei Bo had never made the request.

After a long silence, Wei Bo smiled and said, “That was a very bold and inspiring declaration, Chen Ping’an, but it’s time that we discussed some official business.”

Earlier, as the two of them had scaled the mountain following Chen Ping’an’s return, they had kept their conversation firmly within the realm of small talk, and that was due to the existence of the mountain god temple on Downtrodden Mountain, which was clearly a nail that the Great Li Empire had planted.

The Song Clan hadn’t made any effort to conceal their intentions, and their silence on the matter was already very telling. If Wei Bo had created an isolated small world, then that would’ve undoubtedly aroused suspicions. Mountain God Song had been loyal to a fault to the Great Li Empire during his lifetime, and that hadn’t changed even in death, so he would’ve been sure to report the matter to the Ministry of Rites.

Chen Ping’an had already prepared a rough script in his mind, and he asked, “If everything goes smoothly, and the Great Li Empire signs the deed, which mountain should we assign to become the ancestral mountain that will be home to the ancestral hall? Downtrodden Mountain has the best foundation, but its geographic location is rather lackluster. I’m a complete novice when it comes to geography and geomancy, so I’m going to need your advice.

“Right now, I have two formations, both of which are of a very high caliber. One of them is a sword formation suited to attacking and warding off enemies, while the other one is a mountain-protection formation, which is much more defensively oriented.

“Once the formations are set up, they’ll be extremely difficult to move, so should we place both formations on the same mountain from the very beginning, or would it be better to set them up separate mountains and have them complement one another from afar? Also, there’s another issue that must be addressed.

“At the moment, I have the blueprints for both formations and enough immortal currency to support them, but I’m still missing items that would be fit to serve as the cores of the formations, so even if we can set them up in the near future, they’ll be nothing more than hollow vessels.”

Seeing as Chen Ping’an wasn’t bothering to hide anything, Wei Bo asked in a direct and straightforward manner, “How high a caliber are these two formations that you speak of?”

Chen Ping’an smiled as he replied, “Aside from the jade tablet minimization treasure that was given to me by Zheng Dafeng, I actually also have another minimization treasure in the form of a parasol leaf that I received from the Parasol Leaf Sect. However, upon receiving the leaf, I was warned not to open it, and I’ve heeded that warning for all this time.

“The minimization treasure contains a large sum of compensatory grain rain coins from the Parasol Leaf Sect, as well as the blueprints for the formations, one of which is a replica of Peace and Tranquility Mountain’s offensive sword formation, while the other is a replica of the Planchette Writing Sect’s mountain-protection formation.

“The grain rain coins in the parasol leaf will be sufficient to construct the two formations and keep them running for a hundred years. However, the core items required to support the operation of the two formations are nine top-tier sword artifacts and five godly body puppets, all of which I’ll need to find or purchase on my own.

“Even if I’m fortunate enough to encounter someone selling these two things, it’ll most likely be for an astronomical price, which could easily clear out all of the grain rain coins in the parasol leaf. That way, even if we can construct the two formations, we won’t be able to fund their operation, and I may have to sell off my possessions just to ensure that the two formations can continue operating.

“Whenever I think of this, my heart throbs with pain, and I’m struck by the urge to travel to broken blessed lands to search for fated opportunities or venture into perilous regions to hunt for treasures as vagrant cultivators often do.”

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze to Wei Bo, who reassured, “There won’t be anyone spying on us.”

Only then did Chen Ping’an pull out the yellow parasol leaf, which appeared quite unremarkable, but upon closer inspection from a cultivator, they would discover that there was far more to the parasol leaf than initially met the eye.

Chen Ping’an handed the leaf to Wei Bo as he said in a quiet voice, “The reason why I didn’t dare to open it is because it contains two colored glaze golden body fragments that fell upon the Parasol Leaf Sect in the wake of Du Mao’s failed ascension.

“One of them is the size of a thumb, while the other one is the size of an infant’s fist, both of which are quite small compared with the other colored glaze golden body fragments that fell upon the Parasol Leaf Continent and the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

“Once the minimization treasure is opened, the auras of the two colored glaze golden body fragments will be exposed, and perhaps that would attract the attention of some cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers.”

Wei Bo clasped the parasol leaf between his index finger and his thumb as he raised it up high and examined it through narrowed eyes, then said, “It’s a good thing that you didn’t open it. The colored glaze golden body fragments of an Ascension Tier cultivator are priceless treasures that even I sorely yearn for.

“You can see that the veins of this parasol leaf have already taken on a translucent, golden coloration just from being basked in the aura of the fragments for a few years from the inside. If you had opened it, then there would’ve been no end to your troubles.

“Many Naturalist cultivators make their living by gleaning noteworthy secrets through divination before selling those secrets to powerful cultivators, so you definitely made the right decision to heed the warning.”

After observing the parasol leaf for a moment, Wei Bo returned it to Chen Ping’an as he explained, “There’s a very good chance that this leaf came from the tree that serves as the foundation of the Parasol Leaf Continent. No one knows where that ancient parasol tree is, and it almost never sheds any leaves.

“It is the embodiment of the fortune of the entire continent, so every single leaf or branch that falls from it is extremely precious, and it’s considered an immense blessing for anyone to come into possession of such appendages, granting them the protection of the Parasol Leaf Continent in subtle ways.

“To put it in the words of mortals, it’s like receiving a blessing from the heavens. You still remember that small bamboo garden that I was nurturing on Go Table Mountain, right?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and nodded in response.

Of course he did. Even now, Chen Ping’an was still considering asking for a length of bamboo from Wei Bo to forge a bamboo saber each for himself and Pei Qian. That way, they would have matching sabers, one big and one small, and if the length of bamboo were of a sufficient size, he could also craft another bamboo sword for Pei Qian.

When it came to Wei Bo, Chen Ping’an didn’t feel embarrassed to ask for anything.

The bamboo forest on Go Table Mountain actually only consisted of the descendants of courage bamboo, one of the ten celestial bamboos of the vastly renowned Bamboo Sea Small World.

Back then, A’Liang had cut down a huge swathe of them with a single slash of his saber, and aside from what little had been used by Chen Ping’an to craft bamboo bookcases and bamboo slips, the majority had been used to construct the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain. The construction of the bamboo building had been carried out in accordance with Wei Bo’s wishes.

Courage bamboo had a very potent nourishing effect on pure martial artists and Militarian cultivators, and in addition to that, Li Xisheng had inscribed talismans all over the exterior of the bamboo building, so it was no wonder that Cui Chan’s grandfather spent virtually all of his time meditating and cultivating on the second floor of the bamboo building.

In hindsight, Wei Bo had made an exceptional decision, one that had earned him the title of Northern Mountain God of the Great Li Empire.

Only after his trip to Bamboo Scroll Lake had Chen Ping’an come to realize that it was possible to make a transaction so genuine and natural. It was often the case that transactions were unable to escape the negative influence of money, but Wei Bo had made this feel like a gentleman’s deal, and that was a display of his exemplary people skills.

Wei Bo was unaware of Chen Ping’an’s intentions of securing more bamboo from him, and he was still explaining to Chen Ping’an just how precious the parasol leaf was.

“Make sure to keep it safe. As a cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers traveling through the Great Li Empire, it makes a world of difference whether you have a Peace and Safety Tablet or not, just as having this parasol leaf in your possession will make a world of difference when you return to the Parasol Leaf Continent.

“If I wasn’t aware that your mind was already made up and that you had a sworn enemy on the Parasol Leaf Continent, I would be advising you to go around the Parasol Leaf Sect and travel straight to the southern region of the Parasol Leaf Continent to try your luck.”

“I won’t be going to the Parasol Leaf Sect anytime soon. As for why, my reasons are not just limited to Du Mao and the Parasol Leaf Sect.”

After a brief hesitation, Chen Ping’an ultimately decided to tell Wei Bo about Sui Youbian’s decision to travel to the Jade Tablet Sect to become a swordsman, as well as how he had been followed by Li Fuqu.

At this point, it was already common knowledge that the Jade Tablet Sect had chosen Bamboo Scroll Lake as the site for its lower sect.

However, this was the first time that Chen Ping’an had revealed Jiang Shangzhen’s relationship with Xun Yuan to Wei Bo as he hadn’t felt comfortable including such sensitive information in the flying sword letters that he had sent from Cyan Gorge Island to Cloud Drape Mountain.

Wei Bo was rather taken aback by this revelation, and after some contemplation, his brows furrowed slightly as he analyzed, “The Jade Tablet Sect is most likely taking advantage of this opportunity to display goodwill toward the Middle Earth Confucian Temple, but at the same time, they don’t wish to make an enemy out of the Scholarly Sage.

“Hence, the cultivator that defected from the Parasol Leaf Sect to the Jade Tablet Sect was sent out as a scout, as opposed to immediately sending Jiang Shangzhen to Bamboo Scroll Lake. If they manage to kill you, then they would have a scapegoat.

“Even if they fail, the fact that they made an attempt at all allows them to answer to the accompanying sages of the Second Sage’s branch, thereby serving as a gesture of reciprocation for their support in the Jade Tablet Sect’s establishment of a lower sect.

“However, that cultivator from the Parasol Leaf Sect was no fool, and he wasn’t willing to be used, so he sent Li Fuqu after you instead. Li Fuqu’s cultivation base may have been inferior to his, but she was no fool, either, and only after following you all the way to the Plum Glaze Nation did she decide to reveal herself before putting on an act with you.”

Chen Ping’an was instantly enlightened upon hearing Wei Bo’s shrewd analysis of the situation.

Why had the Jade Tablet Sect always been so erratic? Why was it that Xun Yuan, Jiang Shangzhen, and Palace Willow Island had been so cold and callous?

It was all because it concerned the long-term future of the sect.

Chen Ping’an swirled his Sword Nurturing Gourd around as he heaved a faint sigh, and he was no longer in the mood to drink.

He wondered what roles Xun Yuan and Jiang Shangzhen played in this plot.

At the moment, the one who was most familiar with the western mountains of the Dragon Spring Prefecture was undoubtedly Wei Bo, so the transference of mountain and water fortune was not going to be a difficult task.

However, the problems that Chen Ping’an had just raised were not so easy to address, and Wei Bo advised, “Those two formations are of an extremely high caliber, and they’ll incur immense operation costs. Seeing as you’re currently still missing the key items that will serve as their core, I suggest you delay your decision if you’re not in a hurry.

“The establishment of mountain-protection formations is absolutely vital when it comes to founding sects, so it’s best to complete the whole process in one go once you have everything ready, rather than go in ill-prepared and drag out the process into an uncertain mess.

“In any case, you don’t have to worry about your mountains as long as I’m still in the Dragon Spring Prefecture, and even if some dire situation does arise, I’m sure Sage Ruan will also intervene.”

Chen Ping’an could feel a headache developing at the mention of Ruan Qiong.

Following that joking remark about Ruan Qiong, Wei Bo continued in a serious manner, “It may not be easy to find powerful Mohist cultivators well-versed in formations and mechanisms elsewhere on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but there’s no shortage of them in our Great Li Empire.

“I advise you to begin searching for the right personnel in advance so you don’t get caught off guard when the time comes. The average Mohist cultivation wouldn’t dare to take on the task of constructing these two formations, so you have to find the suitable people first, then decide on a date, rather than do things in the reverse order.

“Hence, I suggest that you make some time to get into contact with Xu Ruo. He is an extremely important figure pulling the strings behind the Great Li Empire, and he’s completely unfathomable to me. Rest assured, I’ll arrange a meeting between you and Xu Ruo. Otherwise, you may not even be able to find him.”

Wei Bo was concerned that Chen Ping’an was possibly going to rush things in order to have the formations constructed before he set off for the Northern Complete Reed Continent, so he cautioned, “The journey of cultivation is a long and winding one.

“There are many opportunities that must be fought for, but there are also many good things that can only come from waiting. I understand that you had to endure a very tortuous few years in Bamboo Scroll Lake, and it must’ve felt like an eternity, but time does not always pass so slowly.”

“I understand,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

A relieved smile appeared on Wei Bo’s face upon hearing this.

“I thought I was going to do a bit more preaching to get through to you, but it seems like I was mistaken.”

“Honestly, I really want to have a spectacular and ostentatious mountain. Even if I’m on a journey far away on the other side of the world, I can be content in the knowledge that I have such a mountain to return to. It’s something that makes me very happy just thinking about it. However, I respect your advice, so I’ll just have to shelve my ambitions for now and take things slowly,” Chen Ping’an said in a resigned manner.

A smile then suddenly appeared on his face as he returned the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist, then asked, “Do you have courage bamboo to spare, esteemed Mountain God Wei? Just one length will do.”

“Does this count as extortion?” Wei Bo asked with a smile.

A sheepish look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he said, “Just charge me according to the market price, and I’ll repay you at some point. I only just returned to the Dragon Spring Prefecture, but I have to leave again soon, so I feel a little sorry for Pei Qian. Hopefully, she won’t cry if I can craft a bamboo sword and a bamboo saber for her as a parting gift.”

Wei Bo raised a finger as he declared, “Arranging a meeting with Xu Ruo for you is one favor.”

He then raised another finger as he continued, “Giving you a length of courage bamboo is another favor.”

He raised one final finger as he prompted, “Go on then, let’s make it three.”

“I actually do have a third favor to ask of you,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “Right now, I only have a pouch of gold essence copper coins left, so I have to save it for the four picture scroll martial artists.

“My Golden Sweet Wine dao robe can continue to evolve as long as it’s fed more gold essence copper coins, and I was told that it would be best for me to feed it into a pseudo-celestial artifact in one go. Even if it becomes a hindrance to me once I reach the Vajra Body Tier, I could simply sell it for an astronomical price, so it’ll definitely be a worthy investment either way.

“However, according to our current agreement with the Great Li Empire, they won’t owe me any additional gold essence copper coins once they’ve sold those mountains to me, so I was wondering if you could pull some strings for me and squeeze at least a few more pouches of gold essence copper coins out of the Great Li Empire. Even if worse comes to worst, I’ll just have to owe them for now.”

A bright smile appeared on Wei Bo’s face as he asked, “Could it be that you accidentally dropped your sense of shame somewhere during your journey and forgot to pick it back up before returning to the Dragon Spring Prefecture?”

“Don’t be like that,” Chen Ping’an objected in a serious manner. “Not only is it hurtful, most importantly, it’s unbefitting of a revered deity like yourself.”

“I thought Mr. Zhu and Pei Qian were suck-ups, but the biggest suck-up on this mountain is you!” Wei Bo sighed in an exasperated manner.

Chen Ping’an remained silent, waiting for Wei Bo to go on.

After some thought, Wei Bo said, “You can have the length of bamboo free of charge. It’ll serve as a gift from me to Pei Qian. However, the matter of requesting a few more pouches of gold essence copper coins from the Great Li Empire is not going to be so simple.

“It’s not a significant matter in itself, but by making this request on such a last-minute basis, we’re breaking the rules, so I’ll have to have a good think about how I bring up this matter to the Great Li Empire.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fist in a grateful salute.

A serious look appeared on Wei Bo’s face as he said, “You may think that I’m exaggerating things, but regardless of whether one is a mountain or water deity or a cultivator, there are some rules that one should take care not to break, particularly the most insignificant-looking ones, the ones that appear as if they can be broken without any consequences. Those are the rules that you should actually respect the most.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“I’ve considered this during my time in Bamboo Scroll Lake, and I’ve arrived at the same realization during my journey after leaving Bamboo Scroll Lake.”