Unsheathed

The battle was merciless, with far too many people losing their lives.

In fact, Sword Immortal Chou Miao, Pang Yuanji, and Lin Junbi had chosen a period of respite in battle to drag the corpse of the Ascension Tier great demon to the city wall, saying that the great demon had concealed itself at Stalactite Mountain and was attempting to sow chaos. However, the three of them had followed some traces and discovered its hiding spot, after which they had joined forces with Lu Zhi and several other sword immortals to kill the great demon out at sea.

Slaying an Ascension Tier great demon naturally wasn’t an insignificant matter, and commotion immediately spread through the Sword Qi Great Wall, with countless people clapping and cheering loudly.

In the end, Lin Junbi couldn’t bring himself to behead the corpse of the Ascension Tier great demon and return the Savage World’s ”kind gesture,” so he gritted his teeth and decided by himself to keep the entire body of the great demon, dragging it back to the summer palace.

The young Hidden Official smiled widely when he returned and saw the complete corpse of the great demon, and he immediately stored its true body inside his minimization treasure despite scolding Lin Junbi for being stingy and dragging down the reputation of his lineage. He patted Lin Junbi’s shoulder in a firm manner and smiled widely as if he were a stingy child who had just found some money on the streets and hurriedly stuffed it into his pockets.

Gu Jianlong exchanged a glance with Wang Xinshui, knowing that the Hidden Official would definitely record this as a merit for Lin Junbi, a little lackey.

When Chen Ping’an left the great hall of the summer palace to take a walk today, Lin Junbi also followed behind him.

”You have some thoughts?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

”Things are progressing relatively smoothly at the moment, but the biggest problem isn’t regarding the transactions between the two parties, but rather, it pertains to the views of the Confucian schools and academies in the Majestic World,” Lin Junbi replied.

There was a seemingly curious expression on Chen Ping’an’s face as he said, ”Care to explain?”

Lin Junbi was filled with worry as he replied, ”If the intercontinental ships of the eight continents hadn’t changed their transactional methods with the Sword Qi Great Wall, continuing to act independently in a scattered manner, then perhaps the scholarly temple wouldn’t have become overly involved. However, the situation has been altered by us now, so it’s possible that the scholarly temple might push back. Truth be told, we’ve affected quite a number of fundamental interests of the Majestic World, and each additional resource received by Stalactite Mountain is one less resource received by the Majestic World.”

”That’s indeed the case,” Chen Ping’an concurred with a nod.

”What should we do when the scholarly temple issues a command to restrict the intercontinental ships of the eight continents, only allowing them to transport goods around the Majestic World?” Lin Junbi asked.

Even though Lin Junbi was a sword cultivator, he was actually skilled at a wide array of different techniques. He formed a hand seal and used an earth element talisman to gather soil and form a small mountain, using this to then shape a world map that hung in the air and slowly followed the two of them around. Lin Junbi pointed at the map and condensed vapor into water, using this to draw several brand-new routes that crisscrossed over the various different continents.

”The goods transported by the intercontinental ships from the Middle Earth Divine Continent and the Pure White Continent are only allowed to be delivered to the Southern Whirl Continent, while the Flowing Dawn Continent and the Golden Armor Continent will reinforce the Circling Ascension Continent in the southwest. Intercontinental ships from the Northern Complete Reed Continent and the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent are only allowed to sail to the Parasol Leaf Continent in the southeast.

”Constructing and reinforcing the defensive lines along the coasts of these three continents is ten to twenty percent cheaper than reinforcing the Sword Qi Great Wall. In fact, it might even be up to thirty percent cheaper. I believe that the intercontinental ships from the eight continents will have no option but to obediently follow this strategy. As for the intercontinental ships from the Southern Whirl Continent and the two other continents, they most definitely won’t set sail for Stalactite Mountain.”

Chen Ping’an continued to stroll around with Lin Junbi, and he said, ”You’re describing the worst possible outcome of this matter, and Sword Immortal Chou Miao actually warned me about this before. However, our hands are tied, and we can’t just sit around and do nothing simply because we’re afraid of this outcome. We can only take things one step at a time. Each additional intercontinental ship that docks at Stalactite Mountain means an extra delivery of resources for us. Let’s hope that the scholarly temple drags its feet and reaches a decision more slowly.”

”Is the Scholarly Sage able to visit the scholarly temple and give his opinion regarding this critical matter?” Lin Junbi asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied, ”It’s quite difficult. The Confucian Sect emphasizes legitimacy, and it’s important to give a valid reason to justify any decision.”

”Is it not enough even if the Pure Confucian Chen Clan is on our side?” Lin Junbi asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head again and replied, ”Each force faces its own challenges.”

Lin Junbi gritted his teeth and proposed, ”I’ll write a secret letter to my master and ask him to help say a few words?”

Chen Ping’an stopped and said, ”You need to remember that you’re nothing more than Sword Cultivator Lin Junbi at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Don’t drag your Confucian lineage into this, and most certainly don’t drag down the Shaoyuan Empire. Not only will your attempts be futile and a waste of time and effort, but they might even make things worse.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and continued, ”But I appreciate your sentiment.”

In reality, Chen Ping’an could easily nod and agree to Lin Junbi’s proposal, letting him write the secret letter whether he was being rash or scheming. While the secret letter was being delivered to the Shaoyuan Empire using a messenger flying sword, Chen Ping’an could ask a sword immortal to intercept it midway, allowing him to read its contents. He could then decide whether to keep the secret letter and file it in the summer palace, place it in a secret file only the Hidden Official could access, or release it and let it reach the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

However, Chen Ping’an had a good understanding of Lin Junbi’s personality after interacting with him for a long time. He was very pragmatic, and he was willing to use means both fair and foul to achieve his goals. Of course, Lin Junbi’s desires didn’t relate to just personal gains and interests, and his wild ambitions also pertained to self-cultivation, regulation of families, governance of nations, and peace in the world.

With this in mind, Chen Ping’an honestly revealed his thoughts to Lin Junbi, telling him to write the letter. Afterward, they would follow the predetermined process and ultimately file the letter in the summer palace belonging to the Hidden Official’s lineage, purposely but subtly allowing the Majestic World to learn of this small secret.

Perhaps this could further embellish Lin Junbi’s achievements and reputation when he returned to the Majestic World someday in the future.

Lin Junbi was dumbfounded, and he faltered for a long time before asking, ”Are we truly going to do this?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, ”Good intentions should reap good rewards — what’s so strange about this? Silently performing good deeds without hoping for repayment is naturally the best, but since there’s currently no way to act so purely in the world and expect people’s hearts to be limpid, we can only take a step back and aim for the next best.

”Isn’t there the notion of ’second only to the original’ in the artistic world pertaining to novels, calligraphy works, and paintings? This is also high praise, and I feel like achieving this level will already be quite good. There’s no need to be stubborn about this, Junbi. It’s not the case that one needs to be one hundred percent pure-hearted to perform legitimately good deeds.”

Lin Junbi contemplated this for a moment before pushing aside his hesitation and agreeing to Chen Ping’an’s proposal.

”Even if the scholarly temple truly goes down this path, they won’t be doing so out of selfishness or out of prejudice for the Sword Qi Great Wall,” Chen Ping’an said.

He became slightly exasperated as he continued, ”Opening the doors to let the thieves in is simply for the sake of closing the doors to beat the thieves up. This is a way to crush the perilous dangers posed by the Savage World once and for all, and the scholarly temple has always been considering this option since ancient times. It’s not a problem to discuss this behind closed doors, but not a single whisper of this can be allowed to spread to the outside world. The scholarly temple is severely limited by the boundaries of morals and virtue.

”Take the action of opening the doors to let the thieves in, for example. Which Confucian lineage should shoulder this responsibility and bear the criticism? Someone eventually needs to step forward and take the lead on this matter, right? And this matter will definitely be recorded in detail in the scholarly temple.

”Once the floodgates open, the residents and other living beings of several continents will be massacred without mercy. The final result might be positive, but what good will this be to the deceased? How can this not weigh on the conscience of those belonging to the responsible Confucian lineage? Will these Confucian scholars feel bitterly resentful and become utterly disappointed in the sages of their lineage?

”After all, will the sages be any different from those selfish and ill-intentioned people if they shockingly choose to trivialize the lives of so many people? Might the scholarly fortune and teachings of the responsible Confucian lineage crumble because of this? Sages can uphold the bottom lines of noble scholars when they engage in conflicts between Confucian lineages, but will the countless Confucian disciples and half-assed scholars be able to maintain such noble character and integrity?

”Even more troublesome than this are the groups of scholars who only care about the glory and humiliation of their own lineages, while holding complete disregard for the notions of right and wrong. At that time, these scholars will definitely become the most vigorous in debating and arguing with outsiders, making bad matters worse and making wrong actions more wrong. How can the sages resolve this? Should they first address the criticisms of outsiders, or should they suppress the widespread indignation among their own lineage? Can they simply admit wrongdoing and then tell everyone else to shut up and stop criticizing them?

”At the end of the day, scholars and cultivators are still human, no?”

After saying this, Chen Ping’an patted Lin Junbi’s shoulder and said, ”Focusing only on those who are close to you, didn’t Mr. Lu Xi become incredibly famous after acting in an opportunistic manner and running over to smash those deity statues? Could he have composed the Exultation Pavilion Go Manual if he didn’t possess some knowledge and ability? To say that he didn’t make any contributions toward the scholarly fortune of the Shaoyuan Empire? I would argue against that.”

Some scholars acted obsequiously, with their utterly rotten foundations concealed by their exteriors that were truly as beautiful as bouquets of flowers. However, it was also these scholars who could very easily rise to high-ranking positions if they unscrupulously ingratiated themselves with the right people. It couldn’t be said that these people made absolutely no contributions, but they indeed neglected their duties and abrogated the responsibilities of their posts.

Yet, the world was complicated because sinister people would perform good deeds, while virtuous individuals would also commit crimes. The good and bad of certain matters would also receive different definitions and categorizations depending on the region and depending on different people.

Once it became easier and easier for people to obtain information, allowing them to string the many truths together to build a picture of reality, and grow accustomed to doing so, the world should theoretically become a better and better place.

This was most likely a reflection of the saying: When the granaries are filled, people observe etiquette.[1]

It was difficult not to feel disappointed if one were kept in the dark about all matters. One might still feel disappointed after becoming privy to many matters, but one would at least be able to see a glimmer of hope.

The most frightening thing was a person using their own despair to recklessly snuff the flickering hopes of other people.

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, ”Lin Junbi, will you ever acknowledge and approve of this person from the bottom of your heart?”

Lin Junbi huffed and remained silent.

Lin Junbi genuinely didn’t approve of Mr. Lu Xi’s act of smashing the deity statues, but he wouldn’t go as far as to criticize him alongside Chen Ping’an. That would make him a very petty person.

In any case, there were many aspects of Mr. Lu Xi that Lin Junbi approved of.

————

The autumn air was crisp and refreshing; countless enemies were slain on the battlefield.

Guo Zhujiu flipped through Book G today, and beads of sweat formed on the young girl’s forehead as she looked at the page numbers.

Her master had said that all of the sword cultivators from the Hidden Official’s lineage would need to attend a meeting once a certain number of casualties was reached.

Someone visited the summer palace today, and they adhered to the rules and waited outside the door.

Sword Immortal Ku Xia would temporarily leave the Sword Qi Great Wall for a certain period of time because he needed to accompany Jin Zhenmeng, Yu Juanfu, and Zhu Mei to Stalactite Mountain. Afterward, he needed to accompany them to the Southern Whirl Continent before making his way back.

Before leaving, Sword Immortal Ku Xia brought the three of them to visit the summer palace. There were three other children beside them: two innate sword talents and one relatively rare pure martial art talent.

The Hidden Official made an exception and allowed Lin Junbi to step outside to bid them farewell.

From this, it could be seen that Lin Junbi indeed had a relatively special standing in the eyes of the Hidden Official.

Lin Junbi sighed with emotion as he walked to the entrance of the summer palace. Mr. Cui hadn’t foreseen the events of today, had he?

Could it be said that he had fought with his life on the line, going to great lengths and overcoming many challenges to make use of the Go pieces that Mr. Cui couldn’t play on the Go board that he had left behind, to just barely scrape a small win?

Lin Junbi bowed in respect after stepping outside the summer palace, but he didn’t open his mouth to say anything. This was a silent farewell.

However, Yu Juanfu surprisingly spoke first to Lin Junbi in an uncharacteristic display. In fact, this was the first time she had done so.

Yu Juanfu smiled and said, ”Lin Junbi, don’t die if you can avoid it. You’re welcome to take a detour and visit the Yu Clan first when you return to the Middle Earth Divine Continent. There are a few people from my generation who have enjoyed Go from a young age.”

Lin Junbi smiled bitterly and said, ”Please don’t play the role of an amateur matchmaker, Miss Yu!”

Yu Juanfu smiled widely and replied, ”You can say this again after you meet her.”

Lin Junbi hesitated for a moment before taking a step back and bowing again, saying in an apologetic voice, ”I hereby apologize to Miss Yu for some underhanded schemes that I plotted before.”

Yu Juanfu smiled and said, ”Your master has fairly good judgment, but it’s a shame that his disciple lacks ability. Lin Junbi, I insist on playing the role of matchmaker since you’re displaying such openness.”

Sure enough... Sure enough!

Mr. Cui had foreseen this as well!

What a close call.

He couldn’t underestimate Yu Juanfu simply because she was a female martial artist whose head had been smashed against the wall by the Hidden Official. In reality, how could a daughter of the Yu Clan be so simple?

Yu Juanfu didn’t say anything else, instead patting the head of the young girl beside her. This girl would become her unofficial disciple in the future, learning fist techniques with her and traveling the Majestic World together!

As for the two innate sword talents who were of similar ages to the young girl, their aptitudes weren’t exceptional at the Sword Qi Great Wall, but they would definitely be quite outstanding in the Majestic World. Which sect would complain about having too many sword cultivators? In any case, the so-called assessment of not being exceptional was in comparison to the prodigious Qi Shou, Pang Yuanji, Situ Weiran, and Guo Zhujiu. Earth immortal sword cultivators were still very rare in the Majestic World.

”Junbi, if you don’t blame me for running away now and still treat me as a friend, then I’ll visit you for a drink when you return home!” Jin Zhenmeng said.

Lin Junbi nodded and replied, ”I am slightly disgusted to see you flee, but I can pinch my nose and scold you after drinking if the wine is truly good enough.”

The introverted and quiet Jin Zhenmeng laughed loudly in a rare display, stepping forward and patting Lin Junbi’s shoulder as he said, ”The young man standing in front of me is the true Lin Junbi in my heart! This is the most talented young man of the Shaoyuan Empire!”

Sword Immortal Ku Xia felt extremely pleased upon seeing this.

Zhu Mei also felt a little happy. They should have been happy and harmonious like this from the very beginning.

”See you at home, Lin Junbi,” Zhu Mei said in a concise manner.

Lin Junbi smiled and nodded in response.

After re-entering the summer palace, he saw Chen Ping’an leaning against the spirit wall at an angle and drinking from his Sword Nurturing Gourd. The Hidden Official put away his gourd and said in a quiet voice, ”Junbi, you will have already made a huge profit if you leave the Sword Qi Great Wall now. You haven’t lost anything the entire time, and you have the potential to make even more after this. Of course, there’s also a possibility that you suffer a huge loss instead. Ordinarily speaking, now is a good time to leave the gambling table.”

The young and prodigious sword cultivator from the Middle Earth Divine Continent was brimming with spirit as he exclaimed, ”Bigger risks mean bigger rewards!”

He then smiled and continued, ”In any case, Lord Hidden Official won’t allow me to die at the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

”You’ll naturally continue to scheme outside this door, but are you happier now compared to before when playing Go with other people?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Lin Junbi nodded in response.

”Don’t lose your past abilities, and familiarize yourself more with the matters outside this door. That will be very good,” Chen Ping’an said in a quiet voice.

Lin Junbi nodded in understanding.

”Those who can see into the depths of people’s hearts are already fish and flood dragons swimming in the deep abyss. There’s no need to fear this,” Chen Ping’an said.

”Can you please explain?” Lin Junbi asked.

”The bright moon rests on the water, able to be seen and well within reach as long as you’re willing to open your eyes and look,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Lin Junbi hesitated for a moment before asking honestly, ”Lord Hidden Official, won’t you feel revolted when you see Yan Lü, Jiang Guancheng, and others like them?”

”Don’t they still have Yu Juanfu and Zhu Mei accompanying them?” Chen Ping’an replied. ”In any case, the large majority are those who are unwilling to speak or are forced to speak.”

”When are you entering the battlefield, Lord Hidden Official?” Lin Junbi asked.

”Even if I go, I can only go in secret,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Lin Junbi then saw the young Hidden Official making a strange gesture, raising both hands to stroke his hair.

Lin Junbi didn’t dare to ask about this. He looked around, and there were no females present. It would be very normal for Mi Yu and Gu Jianlong to stroke their hair like this, but it appeared slightly awkward for the young Hidden Official to do the same.

Chen Ping’an glanced at the sky and explained, ”I’m waiting for a person — he’s a swordsman.”

1. This is a saying from Guanzi. The full saying reads: people observe etiquette and know honor and shame only after they are well-fed and clothed. ☜