Unsheathed

Chapter 199: The Oriole Leaves and Returns

Several significant events took place in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent after the New Year.

Firstly, thanks to the strong recommendation of his senior brother, Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen, the young Daoist priest with a surprisingly senior status in the Divine Edict Sect was invited to the sect that controlled the Divine Edict Sect.

This was a large Daoist sect in the Middle Earth Divine Continent. He became the newly appointed Scripture Care Spiritual Master of the sect, and he was responsible for looking after that incredibly precious and profound Daoist work, the 'Dongxuan Scripture'[1]. This scripture was widely regarded as the fundamental outline of Daoism.

This news was just as big as that of Divine Edict Sect's Qi Zhen being bestowed the title of Heavenly Lord.

Secondly, True Martial Mountain, one of the ancestral temples of the Militarians, recruited a new disciple last year who advanced three tiers in a single year. True Martial Mountain had initially had a slightly smaller presence and reputation than Wind Snow Temple, but news of their prodigious new disciple caused their reputation to skyrocket.

In fact, they were showing signs of overtaking Wind Snow Temple. Moreover, one had to realize that this was taking into account the fact that Wind Snow Temple's Wei Jin had just advanced to become a terrestrial sword immortal. Indeed, this was proof of just how prodigiously talented that young boy was.

Thirdly, there was a small rumor that the northern barbarians in the Great Li Empire had gone crazy and wanted to elevate some mountain in the south and have it become their new Northern Mountain. This instantly caused widespread commotion and discussions, with the majority of people dismissing and ridiculing the Great Li Empire's actions. They derided the bumpkin Song Clan as having shallow knowledge and not even being able to tell north from south. Only Lake View Academy strictly prohibited its students from discussing this matter. This was something worth ruminating over.

The other matters weren't as astounding as these three, and many of them were nothing more than rumors that had become more and more inaccurate as they were spread. Thus, it was difficult to determine the veracity of these things. For example, it was rumored that in the southernmost city of the continent, the Old Dragon City, Young Master Fu Nanhua was going to marry a direct descendant from some powerful clan of Southern Stream Nation.

The clan that the woman was from was one of the most powerful and influential clans in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. However, it was said that the woman was shockingly ugly and already over 30 years old.

For example, it was also said that Great Sui Nation was being rocked by unrest. Many powerful cultivators were secretly leaving the empire and choosing to journey down south. It was rumored that they were fleeing from the White Jade Capital of the Great Li Empire which appeared genuine yet fake at the same time.

As for Mountain Cliff Academy which had lost its title as one of the 72 academies of Confucianism and settled down in the capital of Great Sui Nation last year, this couldn't be considered a big piece of news.

Some time ago, Great Sui Nation had also announced that they now had an astonishingly powerful 10th tier martial artist. However, everyone in the southern regions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had regarded this as nothing more than a pathetic lie and diversion technique by Great Sui Nation's Imperial Gao Clan.

The Lantern Festival had only just passed, yet so many significant events had already taken place in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The continent had seemingly never been so busy and lively before.

Following Wei Bo's act of going to Downtrodden Mountain to take a walk and rest his mind every day, Downtrodden Mountain also started to become very lively and busy. The immortal forces in the three neighboring mountains had initially treated Downtrodden Mountain as a mere joke, especially since its owner refused to build any residences on the mountain.

Now, however, they frequently ran over to Downtrodden Mountain to "coincidentally" encounter the formal god of the Northern Mountain. Sometimes, they would also go to the mountain god temple at the peak of the mountain to offer some incense.

The latter wasn't a simple act. In fact, there were many regulations and things to watch out for when an immortal entered a temple to offer incense. Immortals generally wouldn't enter the temples of gods, and they were even less likely to carelessly offer incense. This was unless they were offering incense to essentially form an alliance.

For example, an immortal would only offer incense in a mountain god temple if they had a residence in the mountain and the imperial court appointed a new god to the mountain. However, they would only offer one stick of incense instead of three, and this could be regarded as somewhat of a greeting. If the stick of incense burned all the way down, this would signify the god in the temple acknowledging the immortal who had offered it. If the stick of incense didn't burn all the way down, however, this would signify that the time and relationship weren't mature yet.

As for whether the immortal force decided to turn against the god or further attempt to build a relationship with them in the future, this would depend on the respective power and confidence of the two parties. Or in other words, this would depend on how powerful and influential the mortal empire was.

However, the small Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was different from Middle Earth Divine Continent where all kinds of forces and philosophies bloomed, after all. It was rumored that there had once been a powerful empire that had a history of over a thousand years in Middle Earth Divine Continent, and every time the empire waned and weakened, an ambitious and wise ruler as well as powerful and loyal officials would definitely be born. That empire also held pure martial artists in extremely high regard.

One time, that empire had also performed a glorious feat with no precedent. A foolish ruler who had almost severed the fortune of the empire had flared up in rage for a lover, and he had mobilized the power of the entire nation to surround and attack a large mountain. In addition to immortal treasures from Qi refiners and flying swords from sword cultivators, there had also been countless powerful crossbows from pure martial artists as well as 6000 trebuchets that were engraved with Daoist talismans.

Not only this, but there had also been close to 10,000 gigantic bed crossbows specially built by the mechanists from the Mohist Sect. The ruler had mobilized all of the weapons in his nation, and each of the bed crossbow bolts had been as thick as a palace pillar... In the end, the large mountain had been transformed into a giant echidna.

The small town in Dragon Spring Prefecture was still as lively as always, yet the mountains to the west of it had been surprisingly quiet and peaceful the past two days. To say nothing of the external immortal forces who had settled down there, even the unruly demons and spirits didn't dare to misbehave or do anything out of the ordinary. This was because Cui Chan, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, was starting to patrol the mountains.

According to rumors, this was the first time that the old man in Confucian robes had visited Dragon Spring Prefecture. The old man appeared dignified and serious, and he only brought two subordinates with him as he walked from the north to the south. He entered the mountains from the prefectural office that was located to the north of the small town.

Because Cui Chan didn't purposely conceal his presence, and had notified his prized disciple, Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan, beforehand, all of the forces in the mountains had received a notice from the prefectural office well before the imperial preceptor arrived. They were told to prepare themselves and get ready to welcome the imperial preceptor when he entered the mountains to enjoy the scenery.

Of course, they weren't being forced to offer the imperial preceptor treasures and rare ingredients, nor were they being ordered to purify the lands and sweep the paths. However, they at least had to give the imperial preceptor some face, and at least one leader from each force had to stay put in their mountain to greet him. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate if there was no one to greet the imperial preceptor and answer his questions.

Among the mountains, Ruan Qiong's Divine Elegance Mountain and Cloth Wrapper Shop's Ox Horn Mountain were definitely the most important of them all. Thus, Wu Yuan had no option but to send County Magistrate Yuan and Kiln Supervision Official Cao to the two mountains first, lest the imperial preceptor not be greeted properly.

As for Cloud Drape Mountain, it was without a doubt they had to prepare it properly. After all, the emperor was going to personally visit soon. Sure enough, after Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan stayed in Cloud Drape Mountain for two days and visited the temple of Northern Mountain as well as the planned location for the new academy, another figure appeared beside him and accompanied him the entire time.

This caused a huge commotion, as the person beside him was none other than Yellow Court Nation's previous assistant minister, Cheng Shuidong. This gave rise to many speculations. Had Yellow Court Nation's Hong Clan, which was a vassal to Great Sui Nation, already betrayed their alliance?

In the end, Cui Chan arrived at Downtrodden Mountain which was located at the southernmost end of the mountain range. He entered the mountain god temple, and Song Yuzhang appeared in his godly body to greet the imperial preceptor.

When seeking knowledge during his youth, Song Yuzhang had deeply admired and looked up to Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan. Now that he was able to see him up close and even discuss some matters regarding morality and virtue with him, Song Yuzhang, who had already become a mountain god, still couldn't help but feel extremely thrilled and emotional.

After leaving the mountain god temple, Cui Chan told Song Yuzhang to head to Cloud Drape Mountain and discuss the matters pertaining to the demons entering the mountains with Wei Bo. Meanwhile, he told his two subordinates, Xu Ruo and Liu Yu, to return to the small town. They needed to keep an eye on Xie Shi and Cao Xi.

Night fell, and the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire slowly descended the mountain by himself. After walking along a small and serene path, he finally arrived in front of a two-story bamboo building. The little boy in azure was cultivating by the cliff, while the little girl in pink was eating sunflower seeds and desserts under the eaves. The little girl blinked her eyes when she saw the old man. Her master was still unconscious in the tub of medicinal water, and she didn't dare to close the door and turn the old man away, nor did she dare to allow an unfamiliar old man to wander into the bamboo building.

The little boy in azure had been cultivating in earnest recently, and he remained tirelessly meditating both day and night. Apart from carrying Chen Ping'an down from the second floor of the bamboo building, he almost never stepped away from the cliffside of the mountain. However, after opening his eyes, the first thing that he saw was a profoundly powerful Confucian disciple who looked like he had a fairly bad temper. At this moment, the little boy in azure truly felt the urge to jump down the cliff to commit suicide.

So be it if he came across powerful beings who could kill him with a single punch on the streets of the small town or in Clay Vase Alley. And he could also endure it if he came across such people on the desolate mountain paths of Downtrodden Mountain. Yet, to have someone who was powerful enough to kill him with a single punch walk up at his front door while he was peacefully cultivating?

Those who didn't fear death would display great courage. The little boy in azure had a stiff and lifeless expression as he said to the old man, "My master isn't taking any guests at the moment. If you're unhappy about this, then go ahead and smash me to death with a single punch. In any case, you need to step over my dead body first if you want to go and disturb my master."

The old man nodded and replied with an indifferent expression, "You want to die, correct?"

The little boy in azure was just about to speak, yet the little girl in pink had already asked in a childish voice, "Old Mister, who are you looking for?"

Cui Chan turned around and replied with a faint smile, "I'm Cui Chan, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire. I'm not looking for your master, and I'm actually looking for that person on the second floor of the building."

The little boy in azure acted as if he had been struck by lightning. His eyes instantly rolled into his head, and he placed one hand on his head before chaotically swinging his other hand around as if he were blind. "What did I say just then? Why did I suddenly forget? What's happening to me...?"

The old man on the second floor stood beside the railing and said to the little girl in pink, "Let him come up. You and the little water snake can go and play somewhere else first. Rest assured, this has got nothing to do with your master, Chen Ping'an."

Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan grabbed two chairs and walked up to the second floor of the bamboo building. He carefully placed the two chairs in the corridor, one for him and one for the disheveled old man.

"What's wrong?" the disheveled old man asked.

"For the sake of my Great Dao, I found a body shed by a great immortal in the ancient past and placed half of my soul in it," Cui Chan explained indifferently. "My soul was split into two, and the other half of me wandered around the Great Li Empire's Jewel Small World in the body of a young boy. However, I lost against Qi Jingchun, and he caused the cultivation base of my other half to drop drastically. At the same time, my soul was also destabilized.

"Afterward, I made a deal with a prisoner who's lived for an incredibly long time. I learned a secret technique, and this allowed me to finally stabilize my mind and soul after great difficulty. However, the old scholar came to this place afterward, and he chose the young me and abandoned the old me who was in the capital of the Great Li Empire. He severed the spiritual connection between the two of us, and he caused us to comprehensively become two people. And thus, there are now two Cui Chan in the world..."

There was a cold look on the face of the disheveled old man, and his hands were tightly clenched into fists as they rested on his knees. He gazed into the distance and stated, "You're wrong, it's Cui Chanchan."

Cui Chan's expression remained unchanging, and he replied, "I'm Cui Chan, and this has been the case ever since I left our hometown. As for the young boy who possesses the other half of my soul, he's chosen a new name that's related to mountains, Cui Dongshan. However, I feel like calling him Cui Chan would be better. Cui Chan and Cui Chan[2] Mountains and rivers don't separate, and mountains and rivers will eventually reunite. This is a fairly good omen."

"How have you become so old?" the disheveled old man looked over and asked.

Cui Chan smiled in a self-deprecating manner and replied, "I left home when I was 20 years old, and I traveled to Middle Earth Divine Continent when I was 24 years old. Afterward, I experienced all kinds of ups and downs for 100-odd years. After betraying my teacher, I wandered around and traveled the world for 30 or so years. After returning to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, I've also remained in the Great Li Empire for all these years. I'm already over 200 years old, so I'm not a young person anymore."

The disheveled old man shook his head and said, "This isn't the Chanchan that I remember."

Cui Chan smiled and replied in a nonchalant voice, "Grandfather, do you know? You've always been like this, and you always do things in a way that you feel is correct. It's as if everyone in the world and all of the principles between heaven and earth have to orbit around you. In fact, things only stopped being like this after you went crazy. Even though I'm unaware of the reasons and misfortunes behind this, and even though I don't know why the Cui Clan didn't confine you, I don't believe that your visit today will benefit either of us in any way."

The disheveled old man shook his head again and revealed, "I came here to look for your teacher."

"The old scholar?" Cui Chan sneered. "He already left Eastern Treasured Vial Continent a long time ago, and he went to Southern Whirl Continent and caused a huge commotion there. In fact, even one of the suns on the shoulders of the Yingyin Chen Clan's patriarch was stolen by the old scholar. The entire world is discussing this with astonishment and fervor right now, but he doesn't care about these things anymore. He's as carefree as can be."

The disheveled old man chuckled and remarked, "Chanchan would have never spoken like this when he was little. He would say bad things about other people, but he would always add another comment at the end. For example, this person is very good to their family, or this person is genuinely skilled at poetry. However..."

"That's enough!" Cui Chan interjected with a cold humph. "These are all stale things from the past, and bringing them up all the time will only fill the air with dust."

The disheveled old man roared with laughter. "As expected of a mighty person who's become the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire and is capable of determining the future direction of half the continent."

Cui Chan sighed in response.

"No wonder I failed to recognize you back then," the disheveled old man said in a self-deprecating manner. "The Chanchan that I remember is far too different from what you've become now."

Cui Chan stood up and rested a hand on the railing. "The human heart is like water. If it doesn't move, then it will become a puddle of stagnant water."

The disheveled old man slowly stood up and said, "I can tell that apart from the swordsman accompanying you, there are still two other powerful people in the small town. What, are they here to target you? Do you need me to do anything?"

Cui Chan hesitated for a brief moment before replying in a half-truthful manner, "That depends on whether you're brave enough to kill a Daoist Heavenly Lord from Complete Reed Continent first."

The disheveled old man replied with a chuckle.

Cui Chan turned around to look at the old man. Just like how he was completely different from what the old man remembered, the old man was completely different from what he remembered as well. Back then, the patriarch of the Cui Chan had walked around with a walking stick and appeared worn with age. Moreover, he had also had the aura of an elegant scholar.

The disheveled old man shut his eyes.

He started to search for the aura of someone in the small town.

————

In the Xie Clan's residence on Peach Leaf Alley...

Cao Xi personally came over to pay a visit.

Xie Shi couldn't be bothered introducing him to the Xie Clan, and Cao Xi wasn't willing to blow his own trumpet either. Thus, no one in the Xie Clan knew that this wealthy man was actually a terrestrial sword immortal from Southern Whirl Continent.

Xie Shi was waiting for a clear response from the emperor of the Great Li Empire. Which of three people — Divine Edict Sect's He Xiaoliang, True Martial Mountain's Ma Kuxuan, and the small town's Li Xisheng — was he ultimately willing to hand over?

Even though the Xie Clan was in the dark about Cao Xi's true identity, the fact that he was their old ancestor Xie Shi's "friend" was already reason enough for them to treat him with utmost respect. They didn't dare to offend him at all.

As he sat in the main hall and sipped tea, Cao Xi shot a sideways glance at a pair of small and adorable incense children who were hiding inside a plaque and poking their heads out to look at him.

Xie Shi was annoyed at Cao Xi's attitude, and he was just about to stand up and shoo him away. However, the two of them suddenly looked toward the southwest at almost the exact same time.

Cao Xi squinted, and he appeared to be taking slight pleasure in someone else's misfortune.

Meanwhile, Xie Shi appeared unfazed on the surface, yet he was feeling slightly stunned on the inside.

This was the aura of a martial artist at the peak of the ninth tier.

From someplace in the large mountain to the southwest of the small town, there was a person wantonly sweeping their gaze over the entire small town.

In the end, they locked their gaze on Xie Shi.

Sitting opposite Xie Shi, Sword Immortal Cao Xi had his bonded flying sword formed from a river wrapped around the wrist.

Nearby, there was also a "young" swordsman who had silently appeared on Peach Leaf Alley at some unknown time. He was none other than the Mohist cultivator, Xu Ruo. He leisurely walked around with his sword resting horizontally behind him.

He was relatively unknown in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

However, he was extremely well-renowned in Middle Earth Divine Continent. Even so, most of the people in the Middle Earth Divine Continent only knew that Xu Ruo's sword was focused on defense and not focused on attack. His sword techniques were unsophisticated and simple, and his sword qi was profound while his sword intent was sturdy. He was extremely famous for his defensive capabilities. However, few people were aware of the fact that Xu Ruo's divine sword skills were ultimately used to kill enemies as well. How could he possibly focus on defense only?

There were traveling Mohist cultivators all over the world, and even though their purpose was to suppress the strong to aid the weak, their destructive ability and ability to kill definitely wasn't low, regardless of whether they were in the cultivation world or on the battlefield. Thus, apart from Militarian cultivators, Mohist cultivators were the most valued and relied upon among the hundred schools of thought by generals on the battlefield.

Just now, a pure martial artist at least at the peak stage of the ninth tier had suddenly appeared in the mountains. Moreover, he was ready to cause trouble, and it was clear that he harbored ill intentions toward Xie Shi.

Not only that, but Xie Shi also needed to consider Sage Ruan Qiong, whose current stance was unknown.

Xie Shi took a sip of tea and swept his gaze around the surroundings.

Just as he was about to place his teacup back on the table...

A small oriole suddenly swooped down through the skywell in the courtyard and left a trail of ripples in the air. However, things quickly returned to normal.

The small and adorable oriole landed on Xie Shi's shoulder and lightly pecked his clothes.

Chen Ping'an had seen this oriole before, and so had Qi Jingchun. In fact, many residents in the small town had seen this oriole before.

There was puzzlement on Cao Xi's face, and his expression changed drastically in the next moment. In the end, beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his smiling face became deathly pale. He felt a sense of respect and fear, and he also felt a sense of relief.

Xu Ruo sighed and removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. He felt like it wouldn't make a difference whether he drew his sword or not. The outcome would be the same no matter what. He was still too slow.

Ruan Qiong merely faltered for a brief moment before continuing to forge iron in earnest.

Only the disheveled old man sitting in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain roared with laughter. He was filled with fighting spirit.

1. Dongxuan (洞玄) references a category of Daoist scriptures. ☜

2. Cui Chan's current name is 崔瀺, with 崔 (Cui) being the surname and 瀺 (Chan) which means the sound of flowing water being the name. Here, he suggests using the character 巉 (also pronounced Chan) which means tall mountain as the name for the young Cui Chan. This is also a play on his past name 崔瀺巉 (Cui Chanchan). ☜