Unsheathed

With the ancestral hall established on the Sky Blue Peak, it naturally stood to reason that other buildings also had to be constructed on the peak as accompanying pieces.

Zhu Lian had already mapped out a plan. Starting from the archway at the foot of the Sky Blue Peak, going all the way up to the summit, there were going to be over thirty buildings of different sizes constructed along that straight line. Some were going to be constructed like palaces and temples, while others would have a greater emphasis on natural beauty and greenery.

There were even detailed plans for what was to be written on the individual plaques and couplets. Zheng Dafeng and Wei Bo had also helped in the planning process, raising different concepts and ideas, but ultimately, it would of course be up to Chen Ping’an to make the final decisions.

The copy of “Treatise on Architectural Methods or State Building Standards” that Chen Ping’an had brought back from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had come from the Southern Garden Nation’s Ministry of Works, and it was a book that he thought very highly of. He gave the book to Zhu Lian along with a bunch of blueprints made in accordance with the buildings in that immortal abode in the Northern Pavilion Nation.

When it came to all of the buildings to be constructed to complement the ancestral hall, Chen Ping’an only had one small requirement, which was that there had to be a mountain and water pavilion that served as a replica of the one in Song Yushao’s villa. It could be named the spring pavilion or the dragon pavilion. Aside from that, Chen Ping’an had no other requests.

An amused smile had appeared on Zhu Lian’s face after receiving the copy of “Treatise on Architectural Methods or State Building Standards,” and only then did Chen Ping’an recall that this was an official book promulgated by the imperial court of a certain nation in the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

Zhu Lian burst into laughter and admitted that he had indeed once contributed to the writing of the book, and that he was responsible for around 20% to 30% of its contents.

Chen Ping’an jokingly asked him why the residences on Downtrodden Mountain were so crude and completely failed to reflect the building standards outlined in the Treatise on Architectural Methods or State Building Standards. In response, Zhu Lian had replied that Downtrodden Mountain was very short on funds at the time, so there was only so much he could do.

Furthermore, as the mountain master, Chen Ping’an was living in a humble bamboo building, so it would’ve been entirely inappropriate to construct a bunch of lavish residences nearby.

The buildings that were to complement the ancestral hall served as the face of Downtrodden Mountain, so much more care and effort had to go into their construction. Zhu Lian assured Chen Ping’an that he would personally oversee the construction efforts to ensure the best possible outcome.

In the words of Zhu Lian, in times of poverty, one should focus one’s thoughts on how to earn money. Poverty on its own was something to be embarrassed about, and pretending to be rich in spite of one’s bare pockets was even more shameful. However, once there was money in one’s pocket, they had to be shrewd and prudent in how to spend the money.

Chen Ping’an felt like this made a lot of sense, but he still had to put on a stern expression to suppress his amusement as he warned Zhu Lian not to do this again, telling him that building such shabby residences for those on the mountain would only demoralize everyone.

Pei Qian was also with him at the time, and she felt like that was just about the most insincere thing she had ever heard her master say.

In response, Zhu Lian had been extremely apologetic, only stopping just short of flogging himself to make up for his transgression, but Pei Qian felt like she could’ve put on a much more convincing act.

At this point, all of the guests had already left Downtrodden Mountain, and that included Du Wensi and Pang Lanxi. Even though they were both technically guest elders of Downtrodden Mountain, they had both set off on a return journey back to Skeleton Shoal.

Chen Ping’an had gifted Pang Lanxi two calligraphy pieces, ones that he had purchased from the young county lieutenant of a small county city in the Plum Glaze Nation at the cost of a few flagons of immortal wine. He told Pang Lanxi to pass the pieces to his great-grandfather.

Lu Baixiang also came to see Chen Ping’an with Yuan Bao and Yuan Lai, declaring that they were returning to the border of the Luminous Vermilion Empire.

Chen Ping’an gifted each of the two ancestral hall direct disciples a suit of Militarian treasured armor from the Three Official Attendant Temple.

Zhong Qiu and Cao Qinglang were going on a journey throughout the Lotus Root Blessed Land. Once they were done, they would return to Downtrodden Mountain, then explore the rest of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent from there.

While seeing Cao Qinglang off, Chen Ping’an gifted him the Spring Grass Dao Robe, which he had spent a hefty amount of immortal coins to restore to its original condition. Additionally, he also gifted Cao Qinglang many of his engraved bamboo slips, along with a piece of parting wisdom: Learn principles from books, learn conduct outside of books.

Outside the bamboo building, Cao Qinglang extended a parting bow, and Chen Ping’an responded in kind.

Sui Youbian had already departed and set off for the True Realm Sect. Even though Sect Leader Jiang Shangzhen had been on Downtrodden Mountain this entire time, posing as Zhou Fei, Sui Youbian didn’t speak to him at all, nor did she tell anyone about her vendetta in the Jade Tablet Sect.

During her brief stay on Downtrodden Mountain, she had spent virtually all of her time indoors, and the only time she went out was to explore all of Downtrodden Mountain’s subsidiary mountains, including Gray Veil Mountain and Yellow Lake Mountain. Only then did her mood seem to have improved slightly, and she seemed to have chosen a certain location and decided on certain plans.

Chen Ping’an originally intended to ask her about where Deep Infatuation had gone. Had she broken it in battle, or had it been taken from her?

However, Sui Youbian didn’t bring up the matter herself, and Chen Ping’an felt like it would be too intrusive to ask.

Wei Xian had taken Pei Qian to the Lotus Root Blessed Land. According to him, he was doing this to settle the score once and for all and show Pei Qian whether there truly was a golden shoulder pole in his house.

Pei Qian asked him what would happen if they arrived, only for her to discover that there was no gold shoulder pole after all. In response, Wei Xian told her that he would give her a gold shoulder pole in that case. Pei Qian’s eyes instantly widened with excitement as she gave Wei Xian a massive thumbs-up.

She praised Wei Xian for becoming a lot more charitable now that he was a corps commander of the Great Li Empire, and she proposed that he give her a gold shoulder pole anyway, regardless of the outcome of their bet. Wei Xian merely grinned and offered no response, refusing to take her bait.

As the leader of the True Realm Sect, Jiang Shangzhen should’ve been the busiest one out of all of the guests, but he had shamelessly stayed on Downtrodden Mountain this entire time. Not only that, but he even picked out a certain residence halfway up the main peak. Zhu Lian told him that all of the residences already had owners, and that there were no vacant ones at the moment.

He proposed that if Jiang Shangzhen insisted on staying, then he would construct a new residence for him, one that he was entitled to anyway, given his alternate identity as Guest Elder Zhou Fei. Jiang Shangzhen immediately jumped at the offer, making a counter-proposal for Zhu Lian to construct many residences at once instead of just one.

There was a lot of vacant land on Downtrodden Mountain anyway, and all of that unutilized land may as well be made useful. Furthermore, all of the subsidiary mountains, such as Gray Veil Mountain, should be fully decked out as well.

He declared that he would cover all of the expenses for these construction projects, and Zhu Lian had insincerely tried to turn him down, saying that it would be far too inappropriate to make him pay for such things. However, Jiang Shangzhen insisted, giving Zhu Lian a bunch of grain rain coins while declaring that it was his obligation as a guest elder of the mountain to make some contributions.

Zhu Lian carefully counted the grain rain coins to discover that there were fifteen, an inauspicious odd number, so he proposed that he return one to Zhou Fei in order to make an even number.

A guilty look instantly appeared on Jiang Shangzhen’s face, and he immediately pulled out three more grain rain coins to make a total of eighteen.

Zhu Lian carefully stowed the grain rain coins up his sleeve while thinking to himself how great it would be if everyone on Downtrodden Mountain were so wealthy and charitable.

Recently, Cui Dongshan had been busying himself with forging subjugation treasures and protective formations for all of Downtrodden Mountain’s subsidiary mountains. For example, the pair of Dragon King Baskets that Chen Ping’an had obtained from the Northern Complete Reed Continent had been mended by Spiritual Master Fire Dragon, and they were perfectly fit to serve as subjugation treasures for Yellow Lake Mountain.

Chen Ping’an gave the two Dragon King Baskets to Chen Lingjun and Chen Ruchu for them to refine, but initially, Chen Lingjun refused, advising Chen Ping’an to give his Dragon King Basket to the black python from Go Table Mountain, which was about to attain a human form.

Chen Lingjun was worried that if he were to meet his demise while traversing Plenty River, then one of the Dragon King Baskets would be lost, and that would harm the fortune of Yellow Lake Mountain while also denting the power of its protective formation.

Chen Ping’an assured Chen Lingjun that this wasn’t something that he had to be concerned about, and that he could refine the Dragon King Basket as a bonded item of his without any qualms. If he wished to do so, then he could reciprocate in kind to Downtrodden Mountain once he successfully completed his river journey.

Chen Lingjun was still rather hesitant, so Chen Ping’an told him that the Dragon King Basket was too precious a treasure for him to feel comfortable giving to anyone else, and that Chen Lingjun and Chen Ruchu were the only ones he felt comfortable entrusting them to.

Only then did Chen Lingjun finally accept the Dragon King Basket, and there was a spring in his step as he departed.

On this day, Chen Ping’an was drinking with Jiang Shangzhen by the bamboo building, and the latter was about to leave Downtrodden Mountain.

Of course, they were drinking immortal wine from Jiang Shangzhen’s collection.

“Are you really going to give my True Realm Sect 15% of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land’s profits? And this is going to be an eternal arrangement?” Jiang Shangzhen asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head as he corrected, “I’m not giving the profits to the True Realm Sect, nor the Jade Tablet Sect. Instead, I’m giving it to you, Jiang Shangzhen, or alternatively, Guest Elder Zhou Fei.”

“In that case, I guess I’m going to have more passive income,” Jiang Shangzhen said with a smile. “Just the mere thought gives me a headache!”

There was no reason for Jiang Shangzhen to turn down such a lucrative offer, just like how Zhu Lian had accepted his injection of funds into Downtrodden without any hesitation.

It was simply a matter of reciprocation.

In the beginning, Jiang Shangzhen had asked for an eternal cut of 20% of the Lotus Root Blessed Land’s profits. In exchange, the True Realm Sect was willing to give Downtrodden Mountain three loans. The first loan would consist of one thousand grain rain coins for the purpose of elevating the Lotus Root Blessed Land into a mid-grade blessed land.

The second loan would be of two thousand grain rain coins for the purpose of consolidating the Lotus Root Blessed Land’s fortune and elevating its spiritual energy. Once it became a high-grade blessed land, Jiang Shangzhen would need to fork out an additional three thousand grain rain coins.

There would be no interest repayments on the three loans, and Downtrodden Mountain would just have to return the loans in full in a hundred years, five hundred years, and a thousand years, respectively.

Otherwise, the True Realm Sect would begin charging hefty interest rates. Downtrodden Mountain could sell its subsidiary mountains to the True Realm Sect at discounted prices as a form of repayment. Alternatively, if they didn’t want to give up any territory, then they could use people as a form of debt repayment as well.

This was strictly business.

Jiang Shangzhen was a very wealthy man, and he could give out money to whoever he pleased, but when it came to earning money, that was a different matter altogether, and certain rules had to be followed.

During this time, not only would Jiang Shangzhen gift six of Bamboo Scroll Lake’s islands to Downtrodden Mountain, but he would also take capable personnel out of the vastly renowned Cloud Cave Blessed Land and send them into the Lotus Root Blessed Land to oversee its operation. As for how much jurisdictive power his people would have in this new blessed land, that would depend on how much power Downtrodden Mountain was willing to give them.

However, at the time, Zhu Lian had insisted that Downtrodden Mountain could only give the True Realm Sect a 10% cut.

The almighty Mountain God Wei Bo had done so much for Downtrodden Mountain, yet even he had only received a 10% cut of the profits, so the True Realm Sect was clearly asking for too much. If Zhu Lian were to agree to these conditions, he would run the risk of hurting Mountain God Wei’s ego.

Everyone knew that Wei Bo was very vain and easily offended, and if he were to become alienated with Downtrodden Mountain over this matter, then that would be a massive loss.

Jiang Shangzhen never really expected to secure a 20% cut. However, he wasn’t willing to go any lower than 15%, and if Zhu Lian refused to compromise on his proposal of a 10% cut, then that would be far too little for Jiang Shangzhen to accept.

Furthermore, there was one thing that Zhu Lian had said that really resonated with Jiang Shangzhen. The Lotus Root Blessed Land wasn’t a big place. The Southern Garden Nation had a population of twenty million people, among other living beings, all with complete souls, and in addition, there was also the Pine Song Nation, the Northern Jin Nation, and the outside grasslands.

Even though all of the people and living beings in those places had become “faded,” as long as Downtrodden Mountain managed the blessed land well, its population would eventually exceed fifty million. Once that happened, the Lotus Root Blessed Land would have a very sizable population for a mid-grade blessed land.

The Cloud Cave Jiang Clan was one of the few high-grade blessed lands in existence, yet even after generations of operation under the Jiang Clan, its population was still unable to crack the ninety-million mark. Of course, Jiang Shangzhen’s past reckless actions were a contributing factor to this.

Throughout its history, the Cloud Cave Blessed Land had suffered five major calamities, with each one wiping out a good chunk of the population. Three of those calamities had come during Jiang Shangzhen’s tenure, and all of them had dealt major blows to the total population.

This was Zhu Lian’s most intriguing quality.

He was constantly spouting nonsensical rhetoric, but there were always a few nuggets of wisdom concealed within his nonsensical ramblings.

Chen Ping’an gently drummed his knuckles against the surface of the table as he mused, “Immortal coins, gold essence copper coins, emperors of mortal empires.”

These three things were all necessary elements in a successful blessed land.

Furthermore, particular care and attention had to be paid to all of the major demographics, namely cultivators, mountain and river deities, and non-cultivators of the mortal world.

If something were to go awry with any of those three demographics, then the entire system would fail, and a blessed land would become much more of a curse than a blessing. Instead of a place meant to reap profits and accumulate wealth, it would become a bottomless pit that constantly required injections of wealth just to remain afloat. In particularly bad cases, such a blessed land could even severely weaken the foundation of an immortal power.

In private, Wei Bo had said something very meaningful and heartfelt to Chen Ping’an, “Now that you’ve obtained this Lotus Root Blessed Land with a temporary population of forty million, you’re going to have to take care to remain true to yourself.”

Chen Ping’an reassured Wei Bo and told him not to worry.

“In the beginning, it’ll only be a matter of spending money,” Jiang Shangzhen said with a smile. “However, as time passes, many difficult conundrums will begin to arise in the blessed land, all of which will have to be resolved by you, so you have to be mentally prepared.”

The amount of immortal coins invested into a blessed land determined the number of cultivators in said blessed land, as well as the upper limit imposed on all cultivators. Even if a cultivator possessed incredible aptitude, it would still be very difficult for them to even reach the Abode Tier in a low-grade blessed land.

Yu Zhenyi of the Lake Mountain Faction would’ve almost definitely been able to reach the Upper Five Tiers in the Majestic World, but back in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, he had also been stumped by his Dragon Gate Tier bottleneck. Only in mid-grade blessed lands could cultivation prodigies realistically look forward to becoming earth immortals.

The first major calamity in the history of the Cloud Cave Blessed Land had taken place when an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator, who had made a breakthrough in secret, had called up several earth immortals to forge an alliance, setting aside their differences to attempt to assassinate Jiang Shangzhen.

They knew that Jiang Shangzhen was the figurative god of their blessed land, and that the only way to completely escape the Jiang Clan’s control would be to kill him. Essentially, they would be slaying god and taking His place.

Of course, some enemy factions of the Jade Tablet Sect had also been involved in the orchestration of this plot. Otherwise, there was no way that a group of cultivators native to the blessed land could have accomplished something like this.

Jiang Shangzhen didn’t shy away from the incident, instead giving Chen Ping’an a detailed recount of events.

“I was furious, and I went on a rampage throughout the Cloud Cave Blessed Land, but deep down, I harbored no resentment for the group of cultivators who tried to assassinate me. Instead, I felt only pity, sorrow, and respect for them. I pity them because all of them had cultivated arduously for centuries, and one of them had even reached the Unpolished Jade Tier, the first person in the history of the Cloud Cave Blessed Land to ever do so, only to fall to their demise on what was essentially a suicide mission.

“I respect them for their courage and resolve, but I also felt a sense of sorrow for them because they were all under the false impression that what they were doing would actually make a difference. They thought that if I died, then everyone in the Cloud Cave Blessed Land would be free. Little do they know that the leader of the Jiang Clan can be easily replaced, and even a puppet could be instated on a temporary basis if I died.

“Once a new clan leader was selected to take my place, they would have to return favors and repay debts to those who had helped them secure the position, which means that the Cloud Cave Blessed Land would’ve had to have suffered for at least a century. However, there’s no way that I could’ve convinced them of the futility of their actions. The fact that such advice is coming from me means that it would’ve instantly been disregarded.

“I don’t think those people did anything wrong. In fact, I would’ve done the same thing had I been in their shoes. The only difference would’ve been that I would’ve been more patient, developed a more thorough and foolproof plan, and tried to secure more benefits for the blessed land from those pulling the strings behind the scenes.

“The world is an unpredictable place. Good things may not necessarily come to you, but bad things definitely will. This is not me being pessimistic; it’s simply a realistic and pragmatic way of looking at things. It may seem early, but I advise you to begin thinking about strategies that you can implement to deal with future troubles. If you do not plan ahead, then it’ll be very difficult for you to reap major profits.”

“One of the few good habits that I have is to always think about what could go wrong before I do anything,” Chen Ping’an said.

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and nodded in response, then finished his wine and prepared to depart.

Over these past few days, he had managed to collect around a dozen Dragon Spring Sword Sect sword talismans through various different avenues, all of which he had purchased for exorbitant prices.

Ruan Qiong’s two direct disciples, Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao, were tempted to forge a bunch of sword talismans to sell to this unknown vagrant cultivator. However, their idea was met with a torrent of abuse from Ruan Qiong, which was quite a rare display from someone like him, who very rarely even scolded his disciples.

Before Jiang Shangzhen could depart, Chen Ping’an raised a hand to stop him, then pulled out that Daoist abstinence plaque from his minimization treasure.

“Is this a benefit for serving as a guest elder of Downtrodden Mountain?” Jiang Shangzhen exclaimed.

“It’s a gift for the child,” Chen Ping’an explained with a smile.

Jiang Shangzhen accepted the slightly weathered abstinence plaque, then mused, “You’ve given a single gift in exchange for two favors. You are a far better businessman than I am, Mountain Master.”

“Make sure you don’t raise a demon in human skin,” Chen Ping’an cautioned.

“There’s no place for another Gu Can in the current Bamboo Scroll Lake,” Jiang Shangzhen assured.

“I certainly hope so,” Chen Ping’an said in an indifferent manner.

“Vagrant cultivator Zhou Fei has a great deal of free time on his hands, but I’m afraid the leader of the Jiang Clan is still a very busy man,” Jiang Shangzhen said with a sigh. “Hence, once I return to Bamboo Scroll Lake, I may have to send someone to take part in the meeting of allies in my stead. It may be Liu Laocheng or Li Fuqu. In any case, I can assure you that it won’t be Liu Zhimao.”

“Either of those two is fine,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile and a nod.