Unsheathed

The god of the Great Li Empire’s new Central Mountain, Jin Qing, had once been the most revered mountain god of the Luminous Vermilion Empire. Halfway up the mountain was a natural sword washing pond that was nothing short of a blessing from the heavens. Many swordsmen flocked to the mountain from far and wide to wash their swords, and Wei Qing often served as their Dao guardian in secret.

Hence, not only was he on very good terms with the swordsmen of the Luminous Vermilion Empire, but he was also close with many of the continent’s Golden Core Tier swordsmen as well. Among them, he was closest with Li Tuanjing of the Wind Lightning Field. In the past, Li Tuanjing had visited the Luminous Vermilion Empire and gotten into many conflicts, even irking the Northern Mountain God at the time, placing him in grave peril.

However, he was saved by Jin Qing, who insisted on escorting Li Tuanjing safely out of the empire. At the time, Li Tuanjing had only been at the Dragon Gate Tier, yet Jin Qing had been willing to oppose both the Northern and Southern Mountain Gods of the Luminous Vermilion Empire to ensure his safety.

Wu Yuan burst into laughter, then turned around and pulled out a stack of papers from the desk behind him. The papers were laden with small and neat text, and he handed them to Wei Bo as he declared, “It’s all here.”

Wei Bo read through the contents of the papers as he mused, “On the way here, I overheard many of the local residents talking about how their prefecture has been assigned an overseer who never seems to be around, but it seems like you’ve been much busier than people have been led to believe.”

There was not much point in listening to errant rumors, and they could easily lead one astray.

However, all of the records kept by Wu Yuan presented reliable accounts of the concrete feats of Mountain God Jin Qing throughout history.

The records denoted specific feats of Jin Qing with their corresponding years, and on top of that, there were also annotations made in red. It was as if Wu Yuan were posing as a passive observer, writing down his own observations and insights while reading through some historical records.

He included rumors and stories about Jin Qing in his records as well, but in those instances, he made sure to specify the unsubstantiated nature of those accounts so that they weren’t confused with the more concrete and substantial stories.

Wei Bo read through the records very meticulously, but also very quickly, and after going through the entire stack of papers, he returned them to Wu Yuan with a smile as he remarked, “Looks like my gift did not go to waste.”

He then got up onto the tips of his toes and glanced at the stack of papers on the desk as he continued, “What a coincidence! It seems like you’ve been looking into the origins of many of the Auspicious Cloud Prefecture’s inkstone quarries! Are you looking to publish a book?

“Surely it’s not a good look for the overseer of the Late Spring Prefecture to be secretly earning such quick pocket change through the specialty local product of the Auspicious Cloud Prefecture!”

“I didn’t really have much to do, so I wanted to use this as an incision point to look into the changes that took place in the officialdom of the Luminous Vermilion Empire,” Wu Yuan explained in a candid fashion. “The secret files of all fallen nations and empires are sealed away, making them inaccessible to me, so if I want to find out this information, then I have to do so in some other, more roundabout way.”

Wei Bo gave a nod of approval as he said with a sigh, “It’s a real shame that you weren’t assigned the new governor of our Dragon Province.”

“Everyone should be punished and rewarded accordingly for their transgressions and merits,” Wu Yuan replied with a smile. “I’m already very satisfied that I was able to retain my position of prefectural overseer at all.

“On top of that, now that I’ve been sent here, I’m out of the line of sight of certain powerful figures of the imperial court, and I won’t run the risk of getting into the way of some people, so I’d say this is a blessing in disguise. It’s a nice and peaceful life here.”

Wu Yuan could tell that Wei Bo didn’t seem to have any intentions of staying for too long, so he said, “I’m assuming you must intend to visit Xu Ruo on this trip as well, right? I suggest you pay a visit to the Central Mountain Temple first before you go visit your old friend.”

“That’s the plan,” Wei Bo confirmed with a nod. “Prior to this, I was in seclusion on Cloud Drape Mountain, and Mr. Xu kept a lookout for me, only to depart without a word right as I was about to emerge successfully from seclusion, returning to Purple Draw Mountain. He has done me a massive kindness, and it would be far too ungrateful of me not to go and thank him in person.”

“In that case, I bid you farewell, Mountain God Wei,” Wu Yuan said with a smile. “I would like some alone time to appreciate my new inkstone.”

Wei Bo smiled and departed without another word, simply vanishing into thin air.

As it turned out, right as Wei Bo left the ship and appeared in the Auspicious Cloud Prefecture, the golden eyes of the deity in the temple on the summit of the Central Mountain had opened in response to his presence. However, Mountain God Jin Qing ultimately chose to turn a blind eye to Wei Bo’s visit.

Only when Wei Bo arrived at the foot of the mountain in the Late Spring Prefecture did Jin Qing finally emerge from his deity statue, revealing himself to be a tall and imposing man wearing a purple robe and a jade belt around his waist. There were many worshippers on the mountain, but he remained invisible to them all.

Jin Qing made his way directly through the crowds of worshippers, then made his way out of the temple, only taking a single step to reach the relatively more peaceful summit of Purple Draw Mountain’s secondary peak.

All of the Five Mountains in all nations in the world consisted of many individual mountains and peaks, often spanning enormous territories that encompassed entire mountain ranges. For example, Purple Draw Mountain consisted of eight peaks, and its main peak was once revered as the master of all mountains in the central region of the Luminous Vermilion Empire.

The Central Mountain Temple had been constructed on the main peak’s summit, and it was where generations upon generations of emperors, officials, and normal citizens had come to pray.

The secondary peak’s name was the Folded Cliff Peak. There was no temple on its summit. Instead, there stood a mountain god residential palace that Jin Qing had constructed a very long time ago. At the moment, there were only several of his female envoys staying there to look after the place, while Jin Qing himself rarely visited.

Back when the palace first came into existence, Jin Qing hadn’t been the Central Mountain God yet, but Purple Draw Mountain was already the Central Mountain of the Luminous Vermilion Empire even back then.

After the former mountain god’s godly body was destroyed, the role of Central Mountain God fell upon Jin Qing. At the time, the prime minister of the Luminous Vermilion Empire had erected a thatched cottage on the Folded Cliff Peak, where he stayed for many years to study and practice martial arts.

Jin Qing wore an indifferent expression as he looked down upon the landscape, viewing the world before him with a sense of cold detachment.

He then turned his gaze slightly to the Old Lord Cave on the Sealed Dragon Peak. That was where Xu Ruo was staying on his own. He proclaimed that he was staying there for a peaceful place to cultivate, but in reality, all of the mountain and river deities in the territory of Purple Draw Mountain knew that he was there to supervise the Central Mountain.

Compared with the new Eastern Mountain, Moraine Mountain, where countless cultivators from both sides had perished in a brutal conflict, Purple Draw Mountain had gotten through relatively unscathed. All Jin Qing knew was that Xu Ruo had left the territory of the Central Mountain on two occasions, the most recent of which was to visit Cloud Drape Mountain to ensure Wei Bo’s safety during the latter’s seclusion. However, the purpose of his first departure from Purple Draw Mountain remained a mystery.

Jin Qing assumed that he had gone to seek out the old sword immortal who served as the backbone of the Luminous Vermilion Empire. The fact that the old sword immortal hadn’t made an appearance this entire time perhaps had something to do with Xu Ruo. Or at least, that was what Jin Qing presumed.

If Xu Ruo really had intercepted the old sword immortal, then Jin Qing would feel a little better.

Xu Ruo’s cultivation base was a mystery to everyone. If Ruan Qiong of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect were currently the most renowned Upper Five Tiers cultivator of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, then Xu Ruo would be his most mysterious and enigmatic counterpart.

The only clue that provided any indication of Xu Ruo’s true power came from when Wei Jin of the Wind Snow Temple challenged Heavenly Lord Xie Shi. Some rumors came out after the event, claiming that had Xu Ruo intervened, Wei Jin may not have been a match for him.

Hence, even though Xu Ruo was cultivating right under Jin Qing’s nose, the latter had no choice but to turn a blind eye.

Jin Qing took a glance at the new Late Spring Prefectural Overseer, and a cold sneer appeared on his face.

Now that the Northern Mountain God had visited Wu Yuan, it stood to reason that he was going to visit Xu Ruo on the Sealed Dragon Peak to express his gratitude next.

After that, he would have much more confidence when he came to see Jin Qing.

However, to Jin Qing’s surprise, Wei Bo appeared directly on the Folded Cliff Peak, slowly approaching him with a smile as he said in greeting, “Wei Bo pays his respects to Mountain God Jin. Please pardon my intrusion.”

“There’s no need to be so formal and polite,” Jin Qing said. “We are both equal in position, so neither of us is below the other. If you have something to say, then make it quick. If not, then I must take my leave.”

Wei Bo nodded as he declared, “I came here on this occasion to deliver you a warning: I am not very pleased with how you have been conducting yourself as the Central Mountain God, and I urge you to change your ways.”

Jin Qing turned his gaze away from Wei Bo and cast his gaze into the distance as he asked, “What are you going to do about it?”

“If you refuse to comply, then the Central Mountain is going to be sealed away,” Wei Bo replied with a smile.

Jin Qing turned his gaze back to Wei Bo as he raised an eyebrow.

“Do you have a secret edict from the emperor of the Great Li Empire, or are you carrying an official order from the Ministry of Rites?”

“Of course…” Wei Bo began with a nod, then concluded, “I don’t.”

Jin Qing sneered. “So you just came here on a whim to order me around?”

That was indeed what Wei Bo had done.

Wei Bo extended a hand toward him, and the fortune of the Northern Mountain instantly began to converge toward the central region in a frenzy like an unstoppable force of nature, much like the mighty troops of the Great Li Empire.

It seemed like this was not just an empty threat.

Jin Qing knew that a clash of fortune between two of the Five Mountains would result in catastrophic consequences, and he yelled in an enraged voice, “Wei Bo! Consider the consequences of your actions!”

“That’s Mountain God Wei to you!” Wei Bo said with a smile as he clasped his hands behind his back.

Jin Qing didn’t waste any more time with words. An enormous deity Dao Manifestation emerged from the Central Mountain Temple on the main peak of Purple Draw Mountain, then raised its hand up high, preparing to strike down upon the Folded Cliff Peak.

An almighty Dao Manifestation appeared behind Wei Bo on the summit of the Folded Cliff Peak as well. Even though Wei Bo was at a natural disadvantage, seeing as he was on Jin Qing’s territory, his Dao Manifestation was still over five hundred feet taller than the Central Mountain God’s.

The Northern Mountain Dao Manifestation grabbed onto the Central Mountain Dao Manifestation’s raised arm before pressing its other hand down onto the latter’s head. After that, it took a powerful step forward, and Jin Qing’s Dao Manifestation was forced to stumble back in retreat, falling back toward the Sealed Dragon Peak. Even after gaining the advantage, Wei Bo refused to relent.

A golden halo appeared behind his enormous Dao Manifestation, and it grabbed onto the halo before preparing to swing it down upon the Central Mountain Dao Manifestation’s head.

Fortunately, both of them were holding back, and their Dao Manifestations were insubstantial in form. Otherwise, countless buildings on the three peaks of Purple Draw Mountain would’ve already been destroyed.

Right at this moment, Xu Ruo made his way out of a thatched cottage in the Old Lord Cave on Sealed Dragon Peak, holding his sword horizontally behind him in a rather strange position. He shook his head with an exasperated expression, and he grabbed onto the hilt of the sword behind him before gently drawing his sword several inches out of its scabbard.

A mountain range instantly appeared between the pair of clashing Dao Manifestations.

“If the two of you really must settle your differences, then I urge you to find a more diplomatic way to do so,” he advised. “It’s completely unbecoming of a pair of mountain gods of your lofty status to be throwing hands like a pair of brutes. You’ll be reduced to laughingstocks in the eyes of the gods of Moraine Mountain and Ganzhou Mountain, and I’ll also be implicated for my failure to keep things civilized.”

Jin Qing dispelled his Dao Manifestation with a dark expression, and Wei Bo did the same.

However, the fortune of the Northern Mountain was still crashing ahead with full force.

“I advise you not to take things too far, Wei Bo!” Jin Qing snapped in a cold voice.

Wei Bo refused to relent.

“Jin Qing, if you continue to do things as you please without any regard for long-term consequences, then you won’t be able to ensure the peace and prosperity of the Central Mountain. The people of the Great Li Empire’s imperial court aren’t idiots, and they know full well that you’ve never truly pledged your loyalty to the Great Li Empire.

“If you’re too foolish to even realize something so simple, then I may as well do the Great Li Empire a favor and get rid of you so someone else can take your place! In any case, I really don’t like the look of you, so that would be a task I would take to with relish. Xu Ruo has already done you a huge favor by stepping in here.”

Jin Qing cast his gaze toward the north, where some unnatural phenomena had already begun to appear on the border between the territories of the two mountains.

“Fine,” he conceded in a defeated manner. “What do I have to do for you to back down?”

“How can you convince anyone that you have even an ounce of loyalty for the Great Li Empire when you don’t even respect the Northern Mountain?” Wei Bo said with a sneer. “Do you think the officials of the Great Li Empire are all naïve children? Do I really need to tell you what to do? Go to Cloud Drape Mountain and apologize! Make sure to come with some hefty gifts!”

Xu Ruo clasped a hand to his forehead as he returned to his thatched cottage, wondering to himself how he had made such an uncouth friend.

“That’s all I need to do?” Jin Qing asked with a puzzled expression.

“What did you think?” Wei Bo asked. “If you’re already going to the Northern Mountain, you may as well pay a visit to the capital of the Great Li Empire as well. As long as all remains peaceful and well in the territory of the Central Mountain, the Great Li Empire has no reason to go on a massive killing spree. They’re not madmen. Ultimately, they want the same thing as us, which is to ensure the peace and prosperity of our territories.

“How do you not understand something so simple? By remaining so ambiguous in your allegiances, you’re giving false hope to many of the former citizens of the Luminous Vermilion Empire. They will look to you as a leader to start a rebellion and recapture the glory days of old. If that’s really what you want to do, then honestly, I would praise you as a hero.

“However, if you’re not willing to do that, and you’re willing to soil your own reputation in order to ensure the safety of the people, then why continue to remain so ambiguous and hesitant? You’re giving false signals to both sides, and ultimately, that’s only going to lead to destruction and ruin.”

Jin Qing fell into a despondent silence.

“Make sure you don’t forget to bring gifts with you when you come visit me on Cloud Drape Mountain,” Wei Bo reiterated. “People always say that it’s the thought that counts, but that’s nonsense. The value of your gifts shows how much you care.”

After that, Wei Bo departed from the Folded Cliff Peak and made his way to the thatched cottage outside the Old Lord Cave.