Unsheathed

There was a huge piece of news being hotly discussed in the mountains of the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

While returning to the Refreshing Sect, Sect Leader He Xiaoliang had mysteriously become engaged in a huge conflict with the lovestruck Xu Xuan.

They should have been a match made in heaven, but not only did Xu Xuan’s persistence fail to move He Xiaoliang, but he even managed to say something that surprisingly triggered a violent response from He Xiaoliang. The two of them circled out an area in some unpopulated region of the Tail Feather Empire, after which their fight reshaped the terrain in a radius of fifty kilometers, with the spiritual energy of the mountains and waters becoming incredibly chaotic.

Xu Xuan had fled after suffering severe wounds, but this was not before having two of his personal maidservants directly killed by He Xiaoliang. Not only had his Golden Core Tier maidservants been killed, but even his saber, Jewel Speech, and his sword, Talisman Suppression, had been snatched by He Xiaoliang and taken to the Refreshing Sect. She had then casually tossed the two paramount treasures outside the sect entrance, telling Xu Xuan to retrieve them if he were capable enough. If he weren’t capable enough and brave enough, then he could ask his master, Bai Shang, to retrieve the two weapons.

Xu Xuan entered seclusion to heal and recuperate after returning to the mountains, and it was said that his imminent and certain advance to the Upper Five Tiers was delayed by at least ten years due to his battle with He Xiaoliang. That being the case, the Great Emblem Sword Sect’s Liu Jinglong would overtake Xu Xuan’s cultivation base once he succeeded in breaking through and withstanding three challenges from other people, including Li Cai and Dong Zhu. At that time, not only would Xu Xuan’s cultivation fall behind by ten years, but even his position among the top ten young cultivators in the Northern Complete Reed Continent would switch around with Liu Jinglong’s.

Bai Shang, the number one sword immortal in the northern region, didn’t ignore this matter. However, he didn’t rely on his status and Immortal Tier cultivation base to reprimand the Refreshing Sect and He Xiaoliang either. Instead, Bai Shang only offered a single remark, saying that He Xiaoliang didn’t need to think about advancing to the Ascension Tier as long as he was still at the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

And thus, the two sects that should have been linked by marriage were now life and death enemies.

Including the Jade Forest Sect, many wavering fence sitters started to sever their ties with the Refreshing Sect, with many business relationships also becoming increasingly hostile and difficult for the Refreshing Sect.

The emperor of the Tail Feather Empire and many other forces in the mortal world started to secretly regret their decisions, and many cultivation talents who were initially destined for the Refreshing Sect started to turn back, even if they were already halfway to the immortal force.

Whether intentionally or not, many immortal forces located near the Refreshing Sect started to distance themselves from the young sect that was yet to properly establish itself, strictly forbidding their disciples from having too many links with the sect.

One of Heavenly Lord Xie Shi’s direct disciples angrily visited the Refreshing Sect, yet He Xiaoliang displayed a complete lack of understanding and caused the two parties to part ways in displeasure. Afterward, the Refreshing Sect became increasingly isolated, with no helping hand from any external force. Their allies were no longer allies, and the neutral forces were now potential enemies putting up barriers and roadblocks. No one thought that a newly established sect, which had deeply offended Great Sword Immortal Bai Shang, could enjoy longevity in the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Moreover, there was also internal unrest at the Refreshing Sect.

Half of the guest elders severed their ties with the Refreshing Sect, sending out a swathe of secret letters. Looking at the ancestral hall, five seats were vacated in a single night.

However, He Xiaoliang was also a strange person, and she didn’t smash those vacated chairs into pieces. Instead, she moved them out of the ancestral hall and placed them under the eaves outside.

The Refreshing Sect already had few disciples to begin with, and it appeared increasingly quiet and deserted following Sect Leader He’s row with Sword Immortal Bai Shang.

Thankfully, the nine unofficial disciples that He Xiaoliang had recruited during her trip through the Northern Complete Reed Continent were relatively calm and composed, with not a single one of them choosing to defect from the Refreshing Sect yet. In the eyes of outsiders, this was simply because these nine unofficial disciples were completely oblivious to Bai Shang’s status and might. They were even more oblivious to the immense dangers arising from the animosity between immortal forces in the mountains.

The nine disciples belonging to the first generation of the Refreshing Sect’s disciples following its founding were gradually brought back to the mountain by He Xiaoliang. Most of them had started off as mortals outside the mountains with no prior cultivation experience, and the range of their ages was also relatively small, with the oldest being around thirty and the youngest being around five or six.

He Xiaoliang recruited disciples in a very strange manner, looking at their cultivation aptitude but not treating it with much importance. It was okay as long as they could embark on the path of cultivation. What she cared about more was whether these disciples were to her liking.

He Xiaoliang left the small world where she had cultivated alone. The Refreshing Sect was located on a treasured land, but it didn’t undertake many construction projects, only using a small piece of land on the ancestral mountain to construct several neighboring thatched cottages. The nine disciples all lived in these thatched cottages. Only the building that was used for teaching and guidance looked slightly more extravagant, appearing similar to the ancestral halls of wealthy clans outside the mountains that were used for both honoring ancestors and hosting lectures.

He Xiaoliang had only taught her disciples a Daoist mantra that didn’t have any notion of level or mastery, not doing anything more beyond this. However, she did recruit an outsider to teach these disciples, and this outsider had already taught the nine disciples at the Refreshing Sect for several years even though they weren’t a guest elder. This person didn’t limit themselves to the mystical teachings of the Daoist scriptures, and they also expounded the knowledge of the Three Teachings and the Hundred Schools of Thought.

He Xiaoliang seemingly had great trust in this Mr. Li, not worried that his teachings would lead the disciples astray. She was even less worried that he would cause the Refreshing Sect, which she had announced wouldn’t recruit any new disciples for the next one hundred years, to become an immortal force with no clear tenets and principles.

The nine disciples, who were temporarily still unofficial disciples, were extremely respectful toward the young Mr. Li. They only knew his surname but not his name.

He Xiaoliang arrived outside the window of the lecture room.

Mr. Li was teaching the poems and essays of the Confucian Sect, having just explained the good points of the lines “Spring grass grows in the pond” and “The bright moon illuminates the tall building.” He remarked with emotion that these seemingly direct and simple lines of poetry were the best representation of skill, causing future generations of poets to regret the fact that they had been born hundreds or thousands of years too late.

Afterward, he talked about the wealthy clans outside the mountains as well as the immortal forces in the mountains, describing how the characters and demeanors of the founding ancestors could influence the traditions and teachings of a clan or force. In the end, he told the nine unofficial disciples how they should conduct themselves to make fewer mistakes and do more good if they were to become founding ancestors in the future.

One of the disciples saw their master arrive, and they were just about to stand up to bow in respect. However, He Xiaoliang extended a hand and gestured for them to remain seated, silently expressing that teachers were the loftiest beings inside a classroom.

The young-looking Mr. Li posed a question for the nine disciples to think about, after which he walked out of the lecture room to meet with He Xiaoliang.

“Sect Leader He, you clearly didn’t need to act like this… So be it. An outsider like me won’t ask about the reasons. However, I can say with confidence that Bai Shang always keeps his word,” Mr. Li said.

He Xiaoliang was the direct disciple of that Daoist Branch Master, but there was ultimately an entire world between them, after all.

In any case, would the sword immortals of the Northern Complete Reed Continent care about these matters when they became angry and attacked with ferocity?

Bai Shang made it clear that he didn’t care about these matters.

It was said that long ago, during the earliest period of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, an ancient sword immortal had once had an interaction with a disciple of the Paramount Sage, pointing his sword at the scholar and asking him with a smile whether he would dare to slash down with his sword.

The answer was naturally yes, he would slash down without hesitation.

In the end, however, that sword immortal had battled to death at the Sword Qi Great Wall, while the Confucian sage had established the Great Cormorant Academy in the Northern Complete Reed Continent. While alive, the Confucian sage had provided much care for the descendants of the sword immortal.

“Mr. Li, I’ve only been at the Unpolished Jade Tier for a few years, so I’ll need at least several hundred years to advance to the Immortal Tier and reach the next barrier. Bai Shang can wait if he’s willing to,” He Xiaoliang said with a smile.

“That disciple of Heavenly Lord Xie Shi was quite aggressive and overbearing just then,” the scholar whom He Xiaoliang had referred to as Mr. Li commented.

“He received Bai Shang’s guidance when traveling and training in the past, meaning that he owes a debt of gratitude to Bai Shang,” He Xiaoliang replied. “In addition, the establishment of the Refreshing Sect has taken a portion of the Northern Complete Reed Continent’s Daoist fortune, so this person naturally has an inclination to support Xu Xuan and Bai Shang.”

Mr. Li shook his head and said, “If principles can be indiscriminately borrowed and mechanically applied like this, then I have to say that Heavenly Lord Xie Shi’s Dao teachings have huge issues.”

He Xiaoliang couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Am I wrong?” Mr. Li asked in puzzlement.

To self-reflect and identify one’s own mistakes regardless of the matter — this was the fundamental principle being studied by Mr. Li.

He Xiaoliang shook her head and replied, “I hope Mr. Li can personally say this to Heavenly Lord Xie one day.”

“I can try if I get the chance,” Mr. Li chuckled in response. “However, judging from the actions of Heavenly Lord Xie and his sect, such a comment might not get a good reception.”

He Xiaoliang didn’t focus on this issue any longer, afraid that she couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud. At the same time, she also felt slight pity for the disciple of the heavenly lord.

She turned her head, looking at the young boy standing outside the thatched cottage in the distance. His name was Cui Ci, and he was a scholarly attendant who had accompanied Mr. Li across the continents for many years.

“It’s time for me to head down the mountain,” Mr. Li said.

He Xiaoliang bowed in respect and replied, “I don’t dare to take any more of Mr. Li’s time.”

Li Xisheng then bowed according to the etiquette of Confucian disciples before taking his leave.

He Xiaoliang stepped to the side even though Mr. Li was bowing as a Confucian disciple, evading his gesture of respect. However, she was at the Unpolished Jade Tier, after all, and she was also at her own sect. Thus, her movement was subtle and quick, and at the very least, it appeared to Cui Ci that the female sect leader had remained standing in the same spot and accepted a bow from his master.

————

Inside the imperial study at the capital of the Great Li Empire…

The small imperial meeting drew to a close.

However, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan didn’t leave immediately in a rare sight.

This had never happened before.

Emperor Song He didn’t open his mouth to ask questions, instead waiting quietly for the imperial preceptor to state his intentions.

Cui Chan stood up from his chair, placing his index finger and middle finger together before lightly swiping them through the air. A long map appeared in the imperial study, showing the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Northern Complete Reed Continent, and the Parasol Leaf Continent.

The young emperor hurriedly stood up and walked next to Cui Chan.

“During large imperial meetings, the ruler of a nation discusses current matters with his scholarly officials and military generals, not discussing anything beyond three to five years,” Cui Chan said slowly. “During small imperial meetings, the ruler of a nation discusses long-term matters with his subjects, with the timespans of these matters ranging from thirty to fifty years. And now, I’m going to privately discuss a matter of one hundred years with Your Majesty. Your Majesty might be able to observe a part of the process, but Your Majesty might not be able to personally witness the final outcome.”

“Just like how father wasn’t able to see the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire march across the shores of Old Dragon City?” Song He asked in a quiet voice.

“Pretty much,” Cui Chan replied bluntly.

Not only did Song He not become downcast, but he even beamed with delight as he chuckled, “Mr. Cui, I’ve actually been waiting for this day the entire time.”

As long as there wasn’t any other official or subject present, the young emperor would always interact with the imperial preceptor like a student interacting with their teacher.

There was no need for the empress dowager to guide him regarding this matter.

“When the dust settles in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, it’s inevitable that the Imperial Hanlin Academy will be responsible for composing the records of loyal officials and disloyal officials in the various vassal states,” Cui Chan explained. “This most definitely isn’t an undertaking that will be finished while Your Majesty is still ruling the empire, lest the records offend anyone in the imperial court. In other words, only the next emperor can oversee the release of these records. These are internal matters for the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and the Great Li Empire, and Your Majesty can give them some thought first. Your Majesty can create a plan first, and I can review it afterward to see if anything needs to be amended or added. Mending the human heart is just as important as repairing the mountains and waters.”

After saying this, Cui Chan pointed at the Northern Complete Reed Continent that was located further north of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, continuing, “What does Your Majesty think when looking at the vast territory of the Northern Complete Reed Continent?”

“Very empty compared to the past,” Song He replied.

The sword cultivators of the continent had already soared to Stalactite Mountain in an impressive manner.

Cui Chan nodded and said, “I have a suggestion for Your Majesty. The Great Li Empire’s Imperial Song Clan should never think about conquering the territory of other continents. It’s not possible.”

Song He felt slightly disappointed. He had initially thought that his teacher, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, would have even wilder ambitions than he had imagined.

Cui Chan chuckled. “Being ambitious but untalented is also a sign of internal emptiness.”

An awkward expression spread across Song He’s face.

Cui Chan then pointed at Skeleton Shoal, which was located in the southernmost region of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, and asked, “If a long bridge were to be constructed between Cloud Drape Mountain and Skeleton Shoal, how does Your Majesty think this should be done?”

“By relying on immortal coins,” Song He replied with a smile.

Cui Chan nodded but followed up by asking, “And what is the true source for these immortal coins?”

Song He swept his gaze across the map, looking at the large continent to the south of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent as he replied, “The Parasol Leaf Continent, which is destined to fragment into pieces?”

Cui Chan didn’t nod in approval, nor did he shake his head in disapproval. Instead, he simply asked, “Delving down into the fundamentals, how should one earn money, and how should one spend money?”

Song He shook his head in response. This question was too lofty.

“Making sense of how to earn money is for the sake of how to spend money,” Cui Chan said. “Otherwise, what’s the point of leaving money in the imperial treasury of the Great Li Empire? Can these mountains of gold and silver be eaten like food? This is how the Great Li Empire’s Imperial Song Clan can save itself after transforming an entire continent into its territory.”

Cui Chan raised his sleeves and pointed at the Northern Complete Reed Continent and the Parasol Leaf Continent, one located to the north and one located to the south of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He then offered his answer, saying, “Considering how to rightfully earn money from the Northern Complete Reed Continent is for the sake of figuring out how to justifiably mend the shattered territories of the Parasol Leaf Continent. It might appear like the Great Li Empire is enjoying no benefit as the money flows in and out, but in reality, it will be accumulating power and wealth the entire time.

“At the same time, it will also receive acknowledgment from the Confucian temples. This isn’t because Your Majesty or I are good at dealing with people, but rather, it’s because the strategy of the Great Li Empire truly aligns with the rules and etiquette of the Confucian Sect, allowing it to be pushed forward by the great trend. At that time, even if Your Majesty or I offend certain people with our actions, and even if these people have the ability to hurt us or the Great Li Empire, there’ll naturally be sages from the Confucian Sect keeping watch and punishing them once they attempt to do anything.”

Cui Chan retracted his hands and turned around to look at Song He, with the Embroidered Tiger’s expression slightly cold as he continued, “Me saying this to Your Majesty doesn’t imply that Your Majesty is already wiser and more capable than the late emperor. Rather, Your Majesty simply enjoys better fortune and was able to become emperor slightly later, inheriting a slightly loftier throne. However, Your Majesty doesn’t need to feel frustrated or angry. The previous merits and mistakes were all attributed to the late emperor, so the future merits, no matter their size, should rightfully be attributed to no one else but Your Majesty. There’s no need for Your Majesty to compete with the late emperor with respect to ruling the empire. If Your Majesty can’t recognize this fact, then it seems like I’ve said these things to Your Majesty too soon.”

Song He bowed and replied, “This student will remember Teacher’s words.”

“The previous emperor has already passed away, and the new emperor has already ascended the throne, so will it be difficult to erase some of the late emperor’s traces in the empire?” Cui Chan asked. “Head Minister Guan and the other wily old foxes will only laugh at you for being a petty emperor, but in reality, there’s no need for you to say or do anything extra. After a few years, the scholarly officials and military generals of all ages will naturally come to their senses but not reveal their feelings.

“Becoming the emperor of the Great Li Empire and having ambitions of ruling over the entire continent, with the seas being the borders, is already a remarkable feat with no precedent in the Majestic World. That being the case, it’s only right to display a matching disposition and might as a ruler. You, Song He, will only be truly capable when the old officials from the previous rule still show loyalty and respect even when I’m not present at the small imperial meetings. Similarly, you can only be regarded as a genuine ruler for the ages when even I, Cui Chan, don’t dare to regard you as a student anymore.”

Cui Chan paused for a moment before continuing, “These two things are naturally very difficult to achieve, but Your Majesty can give them a go. It’s often said that the thoughts of rulers are difficult to guess, and this is a skill that can’t be ignored altogether. Even if the rule of the Imperial Song Clan ends one day, future generations can still give deserved attention to Song He when they write about the Great Li Empire in the history books. They can’t skip over this period of history even if they want to, and if it’s not to lavish praise, then it will be to heap criticism.”

In the end, Cui Chan smiled and said, “I’ll explain to Your Majesty some schemes and existing Go pieces of the two continents. Your Majesty is the emperor after all, and I’m just the imperial preceptor.”