Unsheathed

Those in the righteous faction regarded those in the demonic faction as cruel and underhanded scoundrels, while the demonic faction saw the righteous faction as a congregation of pretentious false gentlemen who were just as evil, but concealed their heinous transgressions beneath a veneer of justice.

However, all of these concerns were far away, while they had each other within reach. It was the dead of night, and there was no one around, so they inevitably began getting a little physically affectionate with one another.

The woman was holding a tree branch, and as he walked along, she casually performed a few of her fist and sword techniques.

It immediately occurred to Chen Ping’an that her father, the leader of the Magnificent Sect, was most likely one of the three martial artists that had survived to the very end on the lake. One of them had displayed very similar fist techniques to hers, and at the time, they had a flexible sword, which they normally wore around their waist like a belt, but they could lash out with the sword at any moment to decapitate their enemies.

The two of them snuggled up against each other, and it didn’t take long before they began running their hands over one another’s bodies.

If that were the extent of it, then Chen Ping’an could simply turn a blind eye and continue cultivating. He could only hope that they didn’t go any further than this.

However, his worst fears were quickly realized. The couple circled around to behind the tree, and the woman said that they had to pick a well-concealed spot up in the tree. Otherwise, he would have to keep his hands off her for the night.

The man smiled and agreed, and the woman grabbed onto the man’s shoulders, preparing to launch herself up into the tree.

Chen Ping’an looked around in exasperation for a moment, then flicked a finger through the air, and a stone beneath the tree was shattered.

The couple was greatly startled and hurriedly turned to the source of the sound, while Chen Ping’an sprang out of the tree and vanished into the night, giving the couple the privacy that they desired.

However, the couple wasn’t able to stay for long following Chen Ping’an’s departure, and they were only fool around briefly before hurriedly making their way back to the suspension bridge. For some reason, all of the households in the Magnificent Sect had suddenly become brightly lit, and everyone rushed to the entrance as if they were welcoming some esteemed guest.

Chen Ping’an could see that a thin fiery dragon had appeared on the small mountain path, and it was very similar in appearance to the fiery flood dragons conjured up by Liu Zhiqing.

It seemed that a large unit of troops was visiting the Magnificent Peak.

Chen Ping’an had actually already detected some signs the night before. He spotted several martial artists that appeared to be scouts sneakily traversing through the area, seemingly assessing the terrain.

After some contemplation, Chen Ping’an rose to his feet and took the long way around to the mountain cliff, doing his best to stay far away from the lights of the sect. He took a few steps back, then gave himself a running start, launching himself through the air before grabbing onto the steep mountain face of the Magnificent Peak with one hand.

From there, he climbed horizontally along the mountain face until he was concealed beneath the suspension. He had one hand dug into the mountain face, holding him in place as he swayed gently in the wind, and he was casually sipping wine out of his gourd, which he held in his spare hand.

On one end of the suspension bridge stood Lin Shu, the leader of the Magnificent Sect. His complexion was slightly pale, indicating that he had sustained some injuries during the battle on the lake, but he had gambled big to win big, so despite his less than ideal physical condition, he was in a fantastic mood.

There were three esteemed guests visiting the Magnificent Sect on this night, the first of which was the foremost general of the nation, Du Ying. He was accompanied by that unfathomable eunuch, the Directorate of Imperial Horses, and to round out the trio was Zheng Shuizhu, an esteemed guest among esteemed guests from the Great Seal Script Empire.

She was an excellent swordswoman, and her master was the gatekeeper of the Great Seal Script Empire’s imperial palace.

Zheng Shuizhu was one of the five disciples of the female Far Roaming Tier martial artist of the Great Seal Script Empire, and she was the youngest of the five disciples. Furthermore, she possessed the most outstanding aptitude of the five, so she was her mistress’s favourite. She was only tagging along on this encirclement operation to broaden her horizons, and she had been assigned with another mission by her mistress.

Lin Shu was among the earliest martial arts masters of the old martial arts world to pledge his loyalty to the new emperor, and he had been serving as a mole in the martial arts world for over ten years. He had some very good sources of intelligence, and they had informed him that there was an extremely formidable black flood dragon residing in a river outside the capital of the Great Seal Script Empire.

The flood dragon had been coexisting with humans peacefully for over a thousand years, but for some reason, there had been mass flooding taking place of late, to the point that even the capital city was at risk of being submerged. Hence, Lin Shu’s guess was that Zheng Shuizhu’s presence here most likely had something to do with the saber that was worshipped in the martial sage temple in the capital of the Golden Gate Nation.

Zheng Shuizhu’s mistress was a Far Roaming Tier martial arts master who possessed an exceptional sword, but she was missing a suitable immortal weapon that would allow her to subjugate the rampaging flood dragon.

That prized blade of the Golden Gate Nation had been bathed in the blood of over a hundred members of the former imperial clan. Prior to that, it had claimed the head of the previous foremost general of the nation. That almighty general had been the pillar of the previous imperial clan, and he had served as the biggest obstacle in the current emperor’s path to the throne.

It could be said that this blade had put an end to the previous imperial lineage.

On the other side of the suspension bridge stood Du Ying, still clad in that suit of white Militarian armor, and his hands were resting atop the hilt of the blade as if he were using it as a cane.

Zheng Shuizhu was roughly in her mid-twenties, and she was carrying on her back a longsword by the name of Moonvoid. The sword was a beloved piece of her mistress’s collection, and it had been with her throughout her Physique Refining and Qi Refining Tiers, serving as her companion for the first six tiers of her martial arts journey.

It was only after she reached the Spirit Refining Tiers that she gifted the sword to Zheng Shuizhu, and none of the four senior brothers and sisters that came before her were granted this honor. At the time, Zheng Shuizhu had only been six years of age, and the sword had been even longer than she was tall.

Her mistress had always been a very serious person, but she couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight of Zheng Shuizhu holding up the disproportionately long sword above her head with both hands. Zheng Shuizhu had always been very intelligent and observant, even as a child, and even back then, she noticed that her four senior brothers and sisters had been far from amused.

Meanwhile, Zheng Shuizhu was inspecting her surroundings. The brightly lit small town constructed atop the lone peak resembled a vibrant lantern in the night.

As for the old eunuch, he was gently rubbing his hands together. Even though he had a head of white hair, his skin was very fair and smooth, looking as if it belonged to someone many years his junior. This was no surprise, given that he was a Vajra Body Tier martial artist and was known as the night-wandering deity of the Golden Gate Nation’s capital.

The old eunuch was actually superior to Zheng Shuizhu in cultivation base, but over the course of their entire journey together, the old eunuch maintained a reverent and respectful demeanor to her. Even though she was only at the fifth tier, her sword qi and combat prowess matched those of a sixth tier swordsman, and that was the benefit of having a powerful master.

Furthermore, her master’s name was essentially a life-saving tasliman for her, and she could kill anyone that she pleased in the Great Seal Script Empire’s many subsidiary and neighboring nations, as long as they weren’t equivalent or superior in official rank to the prime minister.

However, this was her first time leaving the capital of the Great Seal Script Empire, and she had also been assigned a secret mission, so she was nowhere near as renowned as her four senior brothers and sisters.

The three esteemed guests had stopped in their tracks, so Lin Shu could only do the same.

“I’ve been tasked with searching for the missing prince of the previous imperial clan for over ten years,” Du Ying suddenly said. “I’ve personally seen all of the young men of roughly the right age in over a hundred martial arts sects, as well as the officialdom and the martial arts world of neighboring nations. I’ve even searched through many immortal powers. Back when he first went missing, he was only four years old, yet now, he’s already a young man.

“I am the foremost general of a nation, yet I’ve been forced to travel non-stop for over ten years in search of this scoundrel. I have a home, but I cannot return to it, and it’s been a very grueling ordeal. Even a parent searching for a missing child could be forgiven for giving up by now. Wouldn’t you agree, Sect Leader Lin?”

“You have certainly worked hard, General Du!” Lin Shu said as he cupped his fist in a respectful salute. “Now that you’ve completely eradicated all of the opposing forces in the martial arts world, I’m sure…”

Du Ying waved a hand to cut Lin Shu off as he interjected, “However, it’s only after joining forces with you on this occasion that I’ve realized an oversight on my part. If I recall correctly, even after all these years, I’ve never personally searched the Magnificent Sect.”

Lin Shu instantly began sweating profusely.

“Of course, the spies of the imperial court planted by your side have conducted thorough investigations, and the two have no connection to one another, but they both reported that your sect isn’t harboring anyone of interest,” Du Ying said with a smile.

Lin Shu was very relieved to hear this, and he cupped a fist in the direction of the capital city as he said, “You can rest assured, General Du. I, Lin Shu, and my Magnificent Sect, pledge our undying loyalty to His Majesty! May the heavens bear witness to my vow!”

Du Ying slowly drew his blade, then pointed it at the small town on the mountain summit as he said, “Right now, there is a surefire way for you to prove your loyalty to His Majesty. The ages listed on the genealogical records of the Magnificent Sect and the local records of the prefectural city can all be faked, so in order to make absolute certain that no one slips through the cracks, let’s round up all of the men between eighteen and twenty years of age, as well as all those who appear to be within that age range, and have them all executed.

“That way, all our suspicions and concerns can be completely put to rest. Of course, those people won’t die for nothing, and I can’t repay your kindness with ingratitude. Once I return to the capital, I’ll personally meet with His Majesty to request a reward for your Magnificent Sect.

“For each man that is killed tonight, you’ll be compensated a thousand taels of silver, and for every ten men killed, your Magnificent Sect will be given a chunk of territory from the territories of all of the sects and factions that were eradicated today.”

A wry smile appeared on Lin Shu’s face as he asked, “Could it be that you’ve been fed some lies by some dastardly individual in our Magnificent Sect, General Du? Is that why my loyalty is being questioned?”

“There was indeed a dastardly individual. Two, in fact,” Du Ying confirmed with a nod. “One of them is your pathetic disciple. He feels like he won’t be able to inherit the position of the sect leader from you under normal circumstances, and he still harbors some resentment toward you, seeing as you almost banished him from the sect in the past.

“Hence, he wanted to take this opportunity to usurp your position and become the sect leader himself. I agreed to his request, but you can just kill him. I have no use for such an incompetent and disloyal fool.”

Du Ying pointed the tip of his saber at the entrance of the small town on the other side of the bridge as he said, “The other guy is a young man who was very close to a spy of the imperial court. That spy was once a schoolteacher in your town, and the young man has the makings of a scholar.

“He seems to be in a romantic relationship with your daughter, but you’ve always regarded him as unworthy of your daughter for his lack of martial arts aptitude. Prior to the old spy’s passing, he passed down his position of schoolteacher to the young man, deeming him to be someone with potential to become a competent official.

“From there, he began corresponding with the imperial court in secret. In fact, he was the one who suggested killing all of the young men in the Magnificent Sect that fell into the suspicious age range. I agreed to the idea, and not only did I promise to keep his secret and ensure that he would be able to secure your daughter’s hand in marriage, I also arranged for him to take part in the imperial examination, where he’ll be sure to do well.

“Perhaps in a decade or two, he’ll have already become an official of a very lofty rank in the Golden Gate Nation.”

Lin Shu was furious, and he spat through gritted teeth, “That ungrateful little shit! He was orphaned at a young age after his parents passed away, and even before they passed, they were a pair of lowly shit carters! If it wasn’t for the monthly compensation provided by our sect, he’d have grown up eating shit all his life!”

“None of what’s been mentioned so far is the main reason for our visit,” the old eunuch interjected. “According to a secret report from another spy, there has been a powerful cultivator among your ranks for many years. However, he has concealed himself very well and avoided exposure for all this time.”

Lin Shu was stunned.

Zheng Shuizhu’s brows furrowed slightly as she asked, “Are we just going to keep standing here like this, General Du? All you need to do is draw your blade to find out if that scoundrel from the previous imperial clan is on the mountain. If there really is a Qi refiner from the Golden Scale Palace hiding here, then they’re most likely that prince’s Dao guardian, and we’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone by getting rid of both of them.”

Among their ranks was a slow-looking man holding a long box in his hands.

“What if that lurking cultivator from the Golden Scale Palace is one of an extremely lofty cultivation base?” Du Ying countered with a smile. “In that case, the hundred or so soldiers we have here will be no match for them. Even if the three of us can join forces to ward him off, we won’t be able to do anything if he takes the prince and flies away. It’s not like we can jump off the cliff to go after him.”

Zheng Shuizhu turned to glance at the box-bearing man, then scoffed, “Isn’t he supposed to be the eldest disciple of that Daoist imperial preceptor? If he’s here with us, surely we don’t have to fear some Qi refiner that’s been hiding on the Magnificent Peak for over a decade?”

The branch of pure martial artists that Zheng Shuizhu belonged to and the branch of cultivators led by Daoist Imperial Preceptor Liang Hongyin had always been on terrible terms with one another, even though they were both tasked with protecting the imperial clan of the Great Seal Script Empire.

There was a great deal of mutual distaste between the two branches, and they had gotten into many conflicts behind the scenes. The Great Seal Script Empire was an enormous place, and the emperor made no effort to mediate the conflict between the two branches, allowing them to do as they pleased as long as they didn’t encroach upon the Golden Scale Palace’s territory. As a result, more and more bad blood had been accumulating between them.

Zheng Shuizhu had a senior brother that was once an exceptionally talented prospect. That was until he was ambushed by three Qi refiners of the Sea Observation Tier and the Dragon Gate Tier, and both of his legs were broken in that battle, reducing him to a wheelchair-bound cripple. After that, a direct disciple of Daoist Imperial Preceptor Liang Hongyin mysteriously vanished on a trip, and his remains were still yet to be found.

The box-bearing man was wearing a facade, and he took a cold glance at Zheng Shuizhu from behind. She had always been extremely arrogant, and even back in the capital, she had been up to no good. Emboldened by the backing of her mistress, she had become entangled with a prince of the Great Seal Script Empire, and it seemed that she was already envisioning herself as the future empress of the empire.

“So, what do you say, Sect Leader Lin?” Du Ying asked.

There was a pained and infuriated look on Lin Shu’s face as he replied, “I can round up all of the men within that age range on the mountain to be killed, but I have two requests to make in exchange. Firstly, that traitorous disciple of mine must die, and that ungrateful cur is even more deserving of death!

“The torture methods that our Magnificent Sect reserves for traitors may not be quite as effective as the Golden Gate Nation’s, but they’ll certainly more than suffice for making one wish they had never been born!”

Du Ying shook his head as he said, “He is nothing but useless trash, so you can kill him as you please, but the latter possesses lofty ambitions and sharp intelligence in equal measure. Over the years, he’s sent many secret letters to the imperial court, containing his suggestions and proposed plans for the imperial clan to follow, and after going through all those letters, I’ve been mightily impressed.

“I presume that His Majesty has also read all of his secret letters. I guess this is what’s being referred to when they say that a shrewd scholar can have a good grasp on all the world’s affairs without even leaving their home.”

Lin Shu had to suppress his fury as he said with a dark expression, “But General Du, that man is in his twenties, so he’s not far away from twenty years old!”

Du Ying was rather amused to hear this, and after a brief silence, he shook his head as he said, “I’ve come here tonight as a safety precaution and to help you eradicate any suspicious individuals among your ranks that can impede your rise to the top of the martial arts world, but I’m not one for killing innocents.”

“There’s no hurry. Looks like we’ll have a good show to watch tonight,” the Directorate of Imperial Horses remarked with a smile.

Du Ying turned his gaze to the suspension bridge as he said, “What I’m worried about right now is that there really could be a Golden Scale Palace cultivator lurking in the shadows. What if they sever the bridge while we’re still only halfway across?”

“That is indeed a valid concern,” the old eunuch replied with a nod.

“Rest assured, General Du. If they dare to try and make a move, I can assure you that the bridge won’t snap, but that person will be sure to meet their demise,” the box-bearing man interjected.

“Are you sure?” Du Ying asked with a smile.

“I wouldn’t make jokes on such a serious matter,” the man replied with a nod.

Du Ying was not just the foremost general of the nation, he was also the adopted son of the emperor of the Golden Gate Nation, so while ensuring his survival was a bit of a hassle, it would be much more troublesome if he were to die.

After all, the new emperor of the Golden Gate Nation had claimed the throne thanks to a plan hatched by the imperial preceptor’s office of the Great Seal Script Empire. As the general who had paved the new emperor’s path to the throne, Du Ying was very useful to the Great Seal Script Empire as an executioner that they could use to kill whoever they wanted.