Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze away from Jiang Gaotai, then glanced over Wu Qiu, Tang Feiqian, and Bai Xi one after another as he continued, ”Rest assured, our Sword Qi Great Wall is very earnest in its desire to do business with you all. Dai Hao has spoken, as has Jiang Gaotai, and I can allow one more person among all of you to speak to the Sword Qi Great Wall on everyone’s behalf.

”After that, we can begin discussing business. I can promise you this: If you’re going to make less money than you have in the past, then not only will that be an undesirable outcome for all of you, the Sword Qi Great Wall and I will also find that unacceptable.”

Chen Ping’an then turned his gaze to the lineup of sword immortals and asked, ”Sword Immortal Xie, you’re not going to keep Administrator Jiang company alongside Sword Immortal Shao?”

Xie Songhua rose to her feet, and a rare look of guilt appeared on her face. She hated owing favors to others, and the fact that she was unable to repay Chen Ping’an for the two major battlefield accolades that he had helped her accumulate was very vexing for her.

Chen Ping’an shook his head with a smile, indicating that she had nothing to feel guilty over, and she didn’t dwell on those emotions.

Instead, she turned to Jiang Gaotai and said, ”Once I step out of this room, I will only be Xie Songhua of the Pure White Continent, and I will no longer have any ties to the Sword Qi Great Wall. What do you say Shao Yunyan and I accompany you on a tour of the Spring Banner Inn?”

Jiang Gaotai’s mind was racing, and he asked, ”Lord Hidden Official, were you being sincere when you said that you’ll make sure none of us lose money today?”

Chen Ping’an remained silent with a faint smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Shao Yunyan had already walked out of the main hall, and the sword in the bamboo sword case on Xie Songhua’s back was buzzing in a menacing fashion.

Tang Feiqian stood up from his chair, then cupped his fist in a salute toward Chen Ping’an and implored, ”Please allow Administrator Jiang to stay, Lord Hidden Official. It’s never good to part ways on hostile terms. Instead, wouldn’t it be much better to salvage the business relationship between the Southern Winnowing Basket and the Sword Qi Great Wall?”

Tang Feiqian wasn’t saying this to save Jiang Gaotai. Instead, he was doing this for himself and all of the intercontinental ship administrators in the room. For now, they had to hide their gripes and frustrations, and they would be free to vent as they pleased once they left the Spring Banner Inn and were far away from Stalactite Mountain.

”You’re all familiar with the intricacies of the cultivation world of the Majestic World, and the same applies to me as well,” Chen Ping’an said. ”Do you really expect me to believe that you don’t know what fate awaits Administrator Jiang after he walks out of this room, or do you think that Administrator Jiang is oblivious to this himself? How do I allow him to stay? Why should I allow him to stay?

”You are the third person to speak to me, so I’ll listen to what you have to say, but you better present some compelling points to make it worth my time. We’re all here to do business in this room, and if we want to do business, then there are certain rules that we must follow, rules that override any authority I may have as Hidden Official.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about money. Once you’ve known me for a while, you’ll come to realize that I am at least one of, if not the fairest businessman on the entire Sword Qi Great Wall.”

”That I can definitely agree with,” Sword Immortal Xie Zhi chimed in with a smile.

”No one’s going to believe it if you’re on my side to begin with,” Chen Ping’an chuckled.

”That’s a completely unreasonable statement, Lord Hidden Official!” Xie Zhi protested. ”I’m from the Circling Ascension Continent, so my allegiance lies with these people instead of you or the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

Wei Jin had been sitting expressionlessly with his eyes closed this entire time, but he couldn’t help but feel a little amused upon hearing this. Surely Chen Ping’an hadn’t taught Xie Zhi to say this in advance, so these words had most likely come directly from the heart.

After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Tang Feiqian said in a cautious manner, ”As long as you’re willing to allow Administrator Jiang to stay, I can give the Sword Qi Great Wall a ten percent discount the next time my ship returns to Stalactite Mountain.”

Chen Ping’an picked up the jade tablet on the table, then attached it to his belt before sitting down on his chair as he scoffed. ”Why should I allow an insolent fool like him to stay and continue to serve as an eyesore for me? Do you really think that my title as Hidden Official isn’t even as valuable as the Southern Winnowing Basket, whose true objective is to steal Dragon Qi from the Flood Dragon Trench? Ten percent?

”You think I don’t know that the Liu Clan of the Pure White Continent is selling Dragon Qi to your backers in secret? Is that Dragon Qi only worth ten percent to you? Not only are you insulting me, but you’re also making a mockery of Jiang Gaotai’s life!”

Tang Feiqian’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. How did the Sword Qi Great Wall know about the secret Dragon Qi trade?

”Sword Immortal Ku Xia,” Chen Ping’an called out.

”I’m here,” Ku Xia replied as he rose to his feet.

Compared with Xie Songhua, he owed Chen Ping’an an even bigger favor. As a future pillar of the Shaoyuan Empire, Lin Junbi had an incredibly bright future ahead, and it was all thanks to Chen Ping’an. Ku Xia was a very simple man. He owed Chen Ping’an a favor, and he was determined to return it. That was all.

If he couldn’t return the favor, then he would make a request to Zhou Shenzhi to return the favor in his stead. He had never asked Zhou Shenzhi for anything in his life, but he wouldn’t be opposed to having Lin Junbi make the request for him once he returned to the Middle Earth Divine Continent. As for whether that would be enough for Zhou Shenzhi to do something, that was not something for Ku Xia to think about.

Bai Xi knew that Ku Xia was the most easygoing one of all of the sword immortals present, so if even he were to start making threats, then that would undoubtedly be a very daunting prospect for everyone present.

Thus, he knew that he couldn’t allow Ku Xia to speak, even if he had to put his life on the line. He had come to realize that when it came to doing business with Chen Ping’an, trickery and deception were not the way to go.

With that in mind, Bai Xi rose to his feet, then declared with a look of resolve in his eyes, ”If you insist on making Administrator Jiang leave, then allow me to go with him.”

A mocking sneer then appeared on his face as he continued, ”My only hope is that Sword Immortal Xie and Sword Immortal Shao don’t think that someone of my paltry cultivation base is unworthy of accompanying them.”

”You’re definitely not worthy, but it’s fine; there’s plenty of sword qi in my sword case to go around,” Xie Songhua said in a casual manner.

Shao Yunyan was still standing at the entrance of the main hall, while Ku Xia turned his gaze to Chen Ping’an.

In response, Chen Ping’an smiled and made a calming hand gesture, indicating that there was no need to get worked up.

With Bai Xi unexpectedly stepping up to oppose Chen Ping’an, the intercontinental ship administrators were suddenly nowhere near as passive as they had been just a moment ago, and it didn’t take long before other cultivators from the same continent as Bai Xi stood up to join him in a united front.

Even the Nascent Tier administrators that had been tossed out of the Spring Banner Inn by Pu He earlier, the one who was forced to grovel and apologize to Pu He like a dog, had stood up with a determined expression to join Bai Xi.

”Administrator Liu Yu of the Temple Bell would also like to enjoy a tour of the Spring Banner Inn, and I would be honored to see Sword Immortal Xie’s sword qi for myself.”

Not only that, but there was also a female Golden Core Tier cultivator who was the administrator of a rather insignificant intercontinental ship.

Her chair was very far back, so she wasn’t far away from Shao Yunyan, and she also stood up and said, ”Administrator Liu Shen of the Rainbow Raiment would also be honored to go on a tour of the Spring Banner Inn with Sword Immortal Xie and Sword Immortal Shao.”

Not only was she a female cultivator, but her cultivation base was also the lowest of everyone present, so killing her would make the sword immortals appear very depraved and inhumane.

The final one to stand was the Nascent Tier female cultivator from the Middle Earth Divine Continent who had spoken to Mi Yu through her mind’s lake earlier.

As she stood up from her chair, she turned to Mi Yu with a smile and greeted, ”Long time no see, Sword Immortal Mi. I wonder if your swordsmanship has improved since we last met.”

”Even if it has, I couldn’t bring myself to raise my sword against you.” Mi Yu sighed.

The woman merely looked back at him with a cold sneer.

Wu Qiu had remained seated this entire time, but he was extremely pleased with this outcome. In the face of a common enemy, all of the administrators had set aside their differences to form a united front.

If these sword immortals wanted bloodshed, then that was exactly what they were going to get! Right now, all of the administrators were openly challenging the sword immortals to kill them, confident that the sword immortals wouldn’t dare to take them up on their challenge.

”Thank you, everyone!” Jiang Gaotai said as he cupped his fist in a grateful salute.

Tang Feiqian was also still seated in his chair, but he was feeling just as pleased as Wu Qiu with the way things were going.

Did this young Hidden Official really think that having these sword immortals on his side and that jade tablet in his grasp would allow him to impose his will on everyone as he pleased? What an insolent little brat!

Li Cai’s lips curled up slightly at the corners, and she was very much tempted to just kill everyone here and be done with it.

However, Chen Ping’an’s voice rang out in her mind’s lake, and once again, he was telling her to stand down. Only then did she reluctantly suppress her killing intent.

Wei Jin had already opened his eyes, and the two administrators from Old Dragon City were just about to stand up as well, but they immediately decided against it in the face of Wei Jin’s hostile gaze.

The administrators from the Southern Whirl Continent were still sitting on the fence, while the administrators from the Northern Complete Reed Continent had no intention of getting involved at all.

The administrators who had stood up were feeling so excited and triumphant that they were only just beginning to realize that Chen Ping’an’s reaction to this turn of events wasn’t what they had expected at all. They had anticipated that Chen Ping’an would become extremely agitated and be at a complete loss for what to do, but instead, he remained as composed as ever, casually watching everyone with a smile on his face as if he were watching an amusing performance.

The Northern Complete Reed Continent, the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and the Southern Whirl Continent were the easiest ones to deal with.

The first one had always had an eye for the bigger picture, the second one didn’t really have any speaking rights, and the third one was too close to Stalactite Mountain, and it was also home to the Pure Confucian Chen Clan. It was important to remember that Chen Chun’an had only left the Sword Qi Great Wall not long ago.

On the flip side, the Middle Earth Divine Continent, the Pure White Continent, and the Circling Ascension Continent were the most difficult ones to deal with.

The first was extremely arrogant and looked down on all eight of the other continents, the second valued money above all else, while the third was very familiar with doing business with Stalactite Mountain and knew how to maximize profits.

As for the Golden Armor Continent and the Flowing Dawn Continent, whether they were easy to deal with or not was dependent on the situation, and in the current situation, they were not going to be so easy to deal with.

Finally, Chen Ping’an’s gaze settled momentarily on the two intercontinental ship administrators from Old Dragon City.

All of the intercontinental ships on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent belonged to Old Dragon City, and they consisted of the Fu Clan’s Treasure Swallowing Whale and the floating mountain known as miniature Stalactite Mountain, the Sun Clan’s Mountain and Sea Turtle, the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island, and the Ding Clan also had an intercontinental ship.

Of the two administrators present in the Spring Banner Inn, one was the administrator of the Fu Clan’s Treasure Swallowing Whale, while the other oversaw the Ding Clan’s intercontinental ship.

Chen Ping’an had visited Old Dragon City on several occasions without ever running into these two, and even if the two administrators had heard of him, they were most likely of the opinion that it had to be someone else of the same name.

”What’s going on all of a sudden?” Chen Ping’an asked with a lazy smile. ”We’re all here to do business, are we not? Why are you suddenly all up in arms? There’s no need to get so worked up and defensive.”

”How can we not get worked up when you’re threatening our lives and assembling all these sword immortals to intimidate us?” Tang Feiqian sneered.

”I’m just an inconsiderate young man who let a bit of power get to his head,” Chen Ping’an said. ”If you feel threatened by anything I’ve done or said, I assure you that was not my intention.”

Wu Qiu took a sip of tea, then set down his teacup with a smile and said, ”In terms of status and future potential, none of us can even begin to compare with you, but that doesn’t give you the right to push us around as you please. Sometimes, if it’s not meant to be, then it’s simply not meant to be. All of us work very hard and have to regularly put our lives on the line, all for the sake of money.

”How about this? Let’s continue this discussion another time at some other place? Next time, there’s no need to trouble all of these sword immortals to come here from the Sword Qi Great Wall. As a matter of fact, even being in the presence of the Hidden Official is too much of an honor for us. Instead, you can simply have Clan Leader Yan or Sword Immortal Nalan attend to us next time. For a bunch of nobodies like us, they will more than suffice.”

”I told you all earlier that there are rules to everything,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. ”There are rules that you have to follow if you choose to leave this place, just as there are rules that must be followed while you’re sitting here. At the end of the day, everything can be resolved through money. To tell you all the truth, I came here on this occasion fully intending to kill a bunch of you and have you replaced. For example...”

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze to the female Golden Core Tier cultivator sitting near the back and continued, ”Liu Shen, if I recall correctly, you are the administrator of the Rainbow Raiment. I am willing to spend two hundred grain rain coins or resources from the alchemical pill market equivalent to that price to have your junior sister take over the Rainbow Raiment. It may not be a fair price, but if you’re already dead, then what can they do?

”Are they just going to stop coming to Stalactite Mountain and give up on all the profits that they could make here? Even if you’re gone, the ship is still unharmed, and at the very least, they’ll be making two hundred grain rain coins for your head. Why am I picking you first? It’s very simple; because you’re the weakest link here. Even if I kill you, your sect and your seniors wouldn’t even dare to so much as bat an eyelid in my direction.”

Liu Shen’s complexion instantly turned deathly pale.

”How many grain rain coins is my head worth in your eyes, Lord Hidden Official?” Jiang Gaotai asked with a smile.

”Your fate is already sealed, so I won’t bother to spend even a single snowflake coin for your head,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head. ”If the Liu Clan of the Pure White Continent tries to seek justice for you, Sword Immortal Xie will answer to them in my stead, and Sword Immortal Ku Xia will put in a request with Zhou Shenzhi to smooth things over with Tang Feiqian and his backers.

”You’re all businessmen, so I’m sure you’re aware that everything has a price, even the lives of Upper Five Tiers immortals. Sword Immortal Xie, don’t bother going anywhere. Just stay here and keep an eye on Administrator Jiang. Another word from him, and it’s off with his head. Otherwise, everyone will think that I don’t even dare to kill anyone to set an example.”

This was what Xie Songhua had been waiting for this entire time. Finally, it was time to start killing.

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze to Bai Xi of the Mountain and Water Cave, then continued, ”The patriarch of your clan has a long-standing vendetta against our Sword Qi Great Wall. The past Hidden Official never did anything about that, so I’ll do her job for her.

“I must regrettably tell you that you won’t be leaving this room tonight. I’ll get Sword Immortal Xie Zhi to make a trip to the Circling Ascension Continent to deliver the Clay Pot back to the Mountain and Water Cave, and he’ll explain the situation to your patriarch.

”Once you’re dead, all of the past differences between the Sword Qi Great Wall and the Mountain and Water Cave will have been settled. From there, it’s up to the Mountain and Water Cave whether they want to continue doing business with our Sword Qi Great Wall, and if they choose not to, then they’ll have to bear the consequences.”

Sword Immortal Xie Zhi stood up from his chair with an eager smile and mused, ”Finally! It’s been a long time since I last killed an official immortal.”