Unsheathed

Chapter 18: Three of the Five

As Fu Nanhua emerged from Song Jixin's residence, he discovered Song Jixin's maidservant sitting on a small bench in the yard, holding a handful of corn that she was feeding to some chickens. An old hen and a brood of yellow-furred chicks were slowly roaming around her, plucking up the corn kernels on the ground with their beaks.

Fu Nanhua gave her a faint smile, and the maidservant's lips perked up every so slightly, but that was the extent of her response. It seemed that she was not very personable, and perhaps that was because she was quite shy and reserved, or perhaps she simply had a rather cold and aloof personality.

After opening the yard gate, Fu Nanhua discovered Cai Jinjian waiting in the alley outside, looking a little dispirited. He turned and closed the gate, and through the gradually closing gap, he saw Zhi Gu turn to look at him. Only then did he suddenly notice that despite her status as a lowly servant in this small town, she had a pair of very remarkable eyes that made her resemble a delicate green bud emerging on a branch in early spring.

However, Fu Nanhua didn't think much of this. As the young master of Old Dragon City, he had seen more than enough beautiful women of all descriptions for a lifetime.

While walking alongside Cai Jinjian, Fu Nanhua asked, "What's wrong? Did things not go smoothly for you? Good things take time. Fated opportunities like these may not land on our laps on the first try, so there's no need to be disheartened."

Cai Jinjian was naturally quite beautiful in appearance, and her body had been cleansed and purified through her cultivation. In the eyes of a mortal woman at the foot of the mountain, she would resemble a goddess of stunning purity, but ultimately, no matter how breathtaking she appeared on the outside, she was still nothing more than a sack of skin and flesh.

At this moment, there was a very displeased look on Cai Jinjian's face, and that was a clear indication of just how foul a mood she was in. Otherwise, her emotions wouldn't have been so blatantly displayed on her face. It was most likely the case that she had a belly full of pent-up rage and was itching to confide in someone.

"Someone got there before me. It's one of the leading figures of Lake Shujian, River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao. There was no room for negotiation at all. He mentioned the master of our Dawn Cloud Mountain right away to establish his seniority over me, and I barely got to say anything before he kicked me out of Gu Can's yard."

"Let's talk about this after we leave Clay Vase Alley," Fu Nanhua said with a cautious expression.

"Aren't all mystical abilities prohibited here?" Cai Jinjian asked.

Fu Nanhua smiled as he replied, "All of the people who've come here in search of fated opportunities have some trump cards up their sleeves. Younger people like ourselves may not be so severely restricted, but according to the rules of the town, the more advanced one's cultivation base is, the more heavily their powers are suppressed.

“Theoretically speaking, for those below Sages, the closer they are to a Sage, the weaker they'll be in this place. However, have you considered what would happen if a powerful cultivator were to forcibly unleash their mystical abilities even at the expense of sustaining damage to their Dao foundation? Surely you didn't think that they would simply be powerless against the likes of you and me."

"But with a Sage overseeing this place, there's no way that the River Severing True Lord would dare to just blatantly come after us!" Cai Jinjian countered.

"We're here to make allies, not enemies. As long as our lives are under threat, we should avoid turning those seniors against us at all costs," Fu Nanhua said.

Cai Jinjian wasn't the type to split hairs, and she nodded in agreement. "You're right, Brother Fu. It's definitely better to be safe than sorry."

However, a dejected look then appeared on her face as she sighed, "But I really don't want to just give up so easily. I've already promised you 10 Cloud Root Stones, how am I going to explain this to my seniors if I go back empty-handed?"

After emerging from Clay Vase Alley, both Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian were struck by a sense of pressure at almost the exact same moment. This definitely wasn't just a figment of their imagination, and the two of them exchanged a glance before quickly looking away from one another.

Fu Nanhua was extremely elated and excited, but he immediately calmed down in the face of this inexplicable sensation. He carefully thought back to everything he had done after arriving in the town, and he concluded that there shouldn't have been anything amiss about his alliance with Cai Jinjian or his transaction with Song Jixin. Everything that he had done up to this point had been within the rules, so it didn't make sense for the enigmatic Sage in this town to interfere. In that case, where was this pressure coming from?

Could it have been coming from the River Severing True Lord, someone that he hadn't even heard of before this point? In contrast with Fu Nanhua, who was considering multiple possibilities, Cai Jinjian's thought process was far more straightforward. She simply thought that Fu Nanhua had been correct in his assessment of his situation, and that the River Severing True Lord really had used some type of mystical ability to keep her under surveillance.

As soon as this thought occurred to her, a hint of lingering fear welled up in her heart, and she was feeling very thankful that she had only complained about the situation, but hadn't said anything disrespectful about the River Severing True Lord.

Both of them continued to make their way down the street, absorbed in their own thoughts. The further away they walked from Clay Vase Alley, the more they felt as if a burden were being lifted from their shoulders. Fu Nanhua was feeling the weight of the fated opportunity that he had secured, while Cai Jinjian was having to deal with the burden of the hopes of her clan.

Fu Nanhua cast his gaze toward the archway in the distance, and a curious look appeared on his face as he asked, "Why do I have no recollection of a River Severing True Lord from Lake Shujian? Granted, our Old Dragon City is situated in the southernmost region of the continent, but all True Lords are vastly renowned figures, so there should be no way that I haven't heard of him."

Cai Jinjian lowered her voice as she sneered, "He's not actually a True Lord, he's just a sanctimonious Spiritual Master among disreputable sects. He has no right to refer to himself as True Lord, it’s just a self-given title to make him seem more important and loftier of status than he actually is. Given how shrewd and wiser a ruler Emperor Yuanwu is, there's no way that he would've bestowed the title of True Lord upon someone like him.

“Each True Lord title can only be occupied by one person at a time, which means that after one is given out, several centuries could easily go by before it can be recovered. In addition to that, Emperor Yuanwu's ancestors exercised very little discretion when giving out those titles. As a result, only two of them remain at this point, so there's no way one could just be carelessly given out to a disreputable cultivator like Liu Zhimao."

"I see," Fu Nanhua mused as an enlightened look appeared on his face.

Each True Lord was an integral figure in the empire, serving to gather, suppress, and enhance the fortune of the empire for its ruler.

The True Lords of Daoism were all prominent figures in various different fields, such as Militarian pillar generals and grand secretaries of the school of Confucianism.

"How was Song Jixin?" Cai Jinjian asked, seemingly in a nonchalant manner.

Fu Nanhua also replied in a casual manner, "That young boy possesses lofty ambitions, exceptional intellect, and powerful backers. The only thing is that his horizons..."

"They're not very broad?" Cai Jinjian asked with a smile.

"I can't say that they're not broad, they're just not broad enough," Fu Nanhua chuckled.

The two of them made their way to the foot of the archway, and Fu Nanhua was feeling very pleased with himself as he murmured, "In times of great fortune, even heaven and earth will combine their powers to assist me."

Meanwhile, Cai Jinjian looked up at the plaque depicting the idiom "refrain from looking outward", and there was an empty and dejected feeling in her heart, as if the enlightenment that she had attained on Clay Vase Alley earlier had been stripped away, leaving her feeling very frustrated.

————

Song Jixin's residence was considered to be a prominent household on Clay Vase Alley, complete with a hall that had a plaque hanging above its entrance and two side rooms, one on the left and one on the right.

The plaque bore the name "Farkeep Hall", and there was no signature. Judging from the handwriting alone, Song Jixin had always felt like this couldn't have come from a renowned calligrapher.

At this moment, Song Jixin and Zhi Gui were situated in the main room, with Song Jixin searching for something while Zhi Gui was standing by the entrance, and she asked in a gentle voice, "Did the meeting not go well, Young Master?"

Song Jixin set down a string of bells, then sat down onto the chair in the room, folding his hands behind the back of his head as he casually crossed his legs and replied, "That Fu Nanhua wasn't a complete idiot. From the very beginning, he knew not to treat me like some foolish boy who didn't know anything.

“Having said that, he's not all that smart, either. He was trying to get all friendly with me in the hope that he could take advantage of me. What a joke! All it took was a slight bluff from me, and he immediately showed his true colors. He thought that he could just play some mind games and use some intimidation tactics, and I would immediately fold to his every demand. Compared with how mysterious and enigmatic Mr. Qi is, he's lagging 10,000 miles behind!"

"10,000 miles is way too much of an exaggeration, Young Master," Zhi Gui objected.

Song Jixin made a face at her, then amended, "Fine, then we'll say that he's 10 Clay Vase Alleys behind!"

Song Jixin tossed a pouch at Zhi Gui, then continued, "Take a look, these are the copper coins mentioned in that secret letter. Chen Ping'an also got a pouch of these earlier, and at the time, I immediately thought to myself that it's not necessarily a good thing that such a massive piece of wealth fell onto his lap. Sure enough, he's already being targeted by this pair of outsiders. If you ask me, the worst is still yet to come for him. That reminds me, let me tell you about the guy who came to our house.

“He says that he's the young master of Old Dragon City, and judging from the way that he spoke and acted, it seems like at the very least, he's not a complete pushover. Also, he told me that this jade pendant was called an Old Dragon Rainbringer or something, and I'm sure it's worth a lot of money!"

Song Jixin patted the beautiful green jade pendant, which he was already wearing on his waist, and he felt as if he had taken a massive stride closer to a scholar like Mr. Qi.

Zhi Gui opened the intricately embroidered pouch, then asked in a quiet voice, "Is it possible for you to get more of these copper coins, Young Master?"

"Do you like them?" Song Jixin asked with a smile.

Zhi Gui plucked a golden copper coin out of the pouch, then held it up under the sunlight as she said with a bright smile, "It's so golden and shiny! Look at how festive it looks!"

Song Jixin couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this. "You like these things because they look festive? Fine, seeing as you like the look of these coins, I'll try to get a few more pouches of them. Outside of the two, these coins are either Good Fortune Coins used for beam-raising ceremonies, Greeting Spring Coins on peach charms, or Offering Coins to be placed on the belly or the palm of a Buddha statue's hand. However, the common folk and cultivators each have their different uses for their coins."

"What about Chen Ping'an's pouch of coins?" Zhi Gui asked with a bright smile.

Song Jixin's brows furrowed slightly at the mention of Chen Ping'an.

Zhi Gui could tell that she seemed to have inadvertently mentioned a sensitive subject, and she carefully placed the copper coin back into the pouch, then tightened the drawstring as she asked in a quiet voice, "What is it, Young Master?"

Song Jixin pursed his lips as he rubbed his neck with his own hands, then replied in a nonchalant voice, "It's nothing, I just thought of some rather annoying matters. There's no hurry. If we're too hasty in trying to take Chen Ping'an's pouch of copper coins, we could end up attracting trouble to ourselves. The person we should be targeting is Zhao Yun. He most likely got a pouch of copper coins as well, and he's really easy to swindle. I promise you I'll be able to get another pouch of these coins for you."

It was clear that Zhi Gui was still rather perplexed by Song Jixin's sudden change in attitude, but Song Jixin didn't offer any explanation. Zhi Gui could tell that Song Jixin wasn't in the mood to explain, so she didn't pry any further.

After making her way out of the room and into the courtyard, she caught sight of the eyesore that was the four-legged snake, basking in the light of the sun while laying on the ground, rolling around from side to side as if it were thoroughly enjoying itself.

In a fit of fury, Zhi Gui quickly rushed over to the four-legged snake before stomping a foot down onto its head and grinding her foot viciously against the ground, causing the poor creature to screech in agony.

As soon as she lifted her foot, the four-legged snake immediately sprang away, darting around the courtyard in a blind panic, bumping into several walls in the process.

Out of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, three had already emerged, namely this earthy yellow four-legged snake, the golden carp that had been caught by the fisherman, and the black catfish that was being kept in Gu Can's water vat.

Looking at the poor creature that was still darting around in horror, a derisive sneer appeared on Zhi Gui's face. "What a foolish piece of trash!"

————

Over at Gu Can's house, his mother and the River Severing True Lord were still seated across from one another. The latter was inspecting the lines on the palm of his own hand with a slightly grim expression.

After folding his hand away, the River Severing True Lord turned to Gu Can's mother as he asked, "Are there many women in the town like yourself who've married men from out of town?"

The woman shook her head in response. "I don't think there are that many. According to my knowledge, I'm the only one on Clay Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley."

The River Severing True Lord hesitated momentarily, then decided to reveal a secret to her. "The ages 6 and 16 for girls, and the ages 9 and 18 for boys are two major hurdles. The first of those hurdles must be overcome on their own, but for the second hurdle, some external assistance can be given to help them, and there's one more thing that comes after that which can potentially sweeten the deal.

“The wealthier the family the child comes from, the bigger an advantage they'll have. There's the precursor, the beginning, and the journey. Whether the first two of those three steps can be successfully taken depend solely on one's fate, particularly the first step, which is entirely dictated by the will of the heavens."

A pleased smile appeared on the woman's face as she said, "The fact that you took a liking to Gu Can right away means that he must be able to take the first step by himself, right?"

The River Severing True Lord replied with a faint smile, "All the children who've been left to grow up in the town are ones that were deemed to not be in possession of outstanding aptitude. Gu Can may not be nine years of age yet, but he's no exception to that."

The woman's expression instantly fell upon hearing this.

The River Severing True Lord smiled as he continued, "Rest assured, one's aptitude for cultivation is naturally very important, but it's not the primary factor that decides how far they'll go. If the gods take a liking to someone, even a stray dog on the side of the road or a weed can eventually embark on the path of cultivation and ultimately ascend to the heavens. On this occasion, the town had no choice but to break past conventions and allow so many outsiders in at once.

“No matter how good a plot of farmland is, after being plowed and harvested without pause for thousands of years and going through multiple ordeals where excessive harvests were made without consideration for the consequences, the land will inevitably degrade and become infertile. This place has finally reached its final harvest. Whenever someone is about to die and experiences a brief revival right before the end, their energy, essence, and spirit will all be elevated to an unprecedented peak.

“Gu Can is benefitting from this phenomenon right as we speak, and this is far more massive an opportunity than you can imagine. With this blessing bestowed upon him, he'll be able to far exceed all of the town's children who had previously been deemed to possess superior aptitude to his."

The woman's lips were quivering as she fought with all her might to suppress her elation, and a film of tears welled up in her eyes, giving her a hint of seductive allure.

The River Severing True Lord took a glance at her, then continued, "Of course, you shouldn't be too greedy, either. Your son isn't the only one to be blessed by this phenomenon. To be frank, even if we set our sights across the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there's not a single person who's had the privilege of claiming such an unfathomable blessing all for themself, and if such a person is to exist someday, then they definitely haven't been born yet."

"That's already enough, I'm happy with what I have," Gu Can's mother murmured to herself as she clutched her hands to her chest.

The thought of Cai Jinjian suddenly sprang into the River Severing True Lord's mind, and he sneered, "She was so busy hatching plots only to obtain some materialistic things that she completely failed to realize what was truly valuable. What a complete and utter fool she was!"

A smile then appeared on his face as he continued, "Then again, this is no surprise. Those old farts on Dawn Cloud Mountain have always been narrow of mind and short of sight. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to claim this fated opportunity before them. With such a precious and virtually inexhaustible resource at their disposal, they should've been basking in wealth and prosperity, yet they've fallen to a point where they're relying heavily on a junior to keep up appearances. What a truly pathetic state of affairs."

Inside the house, Gu Can had been punching and kicking the door for quite some time, and he got up onto a stool so that he could look out the window, putting on a pitiable expression as he implored, "Mother, please let me come out. I promise I'll be obedient."

The woman turned to the River Severing True Lord, and the latter gave her a slight nod.

Only then did she open the door for her son, and she led him by the hand into the yard as she warned with a stern expression, "You are not to cause any more trouble, do you hear me? I've never beaten you before today, but if you dare to continue to be disobedient, I'll have to beat you again!"

Gu Can nodded in response as he hung his head in a dejected manner.

He carried over a little stool for himself before taking a seat on it, forming a triangle with his mother and the River Severing True Lord. He then rested his chin on his hands as he asked, "What did you and the storyteller speak about just now? I couldn't hear you clearly from inside the room; can you repeat what you said earlier?"

All of a sudden, the River Severing True Lord's expression changed ever so slightly, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he brought out the large, white bowl again with a flick of his wrist. He then looked down into the bowl with an uncertain look in his eyes, and it could be seen that the surface of the water in the bowl was rippling and splashing incessantly. At the same time, what appeared to be a black line was rapidly swimming through the bowl, occasionally crashing into the wall of the bowl as it did so.

The old man murmured to himself upon seeing this, "So be it, I'll let you do whatever you please."

In order to claim this disciple, the River Severing True Lord had interfered with what had happened on Clay Vase Alley earlier on three occasions, expending several decades worth of cultivation base in the process.

The first time was when Cai Jinjian had trodden on the pile of dog shit, and the final time was when he used a secret technique to instill in her the false belief that she had attained enlightenment.

Outside of the town, this would've been impossible. Even a bona fide True Lord of Daoism wouldn't have dared to do something like this. However, here in this town, Cai Jinjian was no different from a mere mortal, and that was why the River Severing True Lord had been able to manipulate her to this extent, albeit at a massive cost to himself.

The second instance was the most subtle of the three, yet also the most exquisite, and even the River Severing True Lord himself couldn't help but feel as if it had come from a spark of divine inspiration. That instance was when he had led Cai Jinjian to the false conclusion that Chen Ping'an's well-intended words of caution had actually been an act of revenge. At the time, he had manipulated Chen Ping'an so he had been a split second too late in delivering his warning, and he also made it so that Cai Jinjian noticed this fine detail.

It had truly been a sinister and calculating scheme.

On the path of cultivation, even the slightest interference could completely change the trajectory of one's fate.

Meanwhile, Gu Can's mother was looking on with a tense expression, for fear that the River Severing True Lord would deliver a piece of bad news.

Right at this moment, a slight sneer appeared on the River Severing True Lord's face, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gu Can sneakily rising to his feet before rushing toward the gate as quickly as he could, much to the shock and horror of his mother.

The River Severing True Lord rose to his feet in an unhurried manner while carrying his bowl on the palm of his hand. "My disciple, let me show you just how vast this world is so you know your place in it. Otherwise, your ignorance and disobedience could lead to the downfall of both of us someday!"

Gu Can's mother suddenly fell unconscious and collapsed to the ground, while the River Severing True Lord abruptly swept a sleeve through the air.

In the next instant, Gu Can was just about to reach the gate when he suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground. He immediately realized that something wasn't right, and he looked around with a dazed expression, then turned to the old storyteller as he asked, "What is this place?"

"We are inside the bowl," the River Severing True Lord replied in a calm manner with his hands clasped behind his back.

Gu Can became even more confused upon hearing this, but the River Severing True Lord suddenly yelled, "Get up!"

Gu Can reflexively clambered to his feet, standing still on the spot.

He discovered that he seemed to be standing on the edge of a cliff with a vast sea of clouds in the distance directly up ahead.

His eyes then widened with shock as he could see an enormous torso slowly moving through the cloud and mist.

However, the creature was so enormous that he was unable to see the entirety of its body.

He was extremely frightened by this, and he immediately tried to take a step back, only for the River Severing True Lord to press a palm into the back of his head as he commanded in a stern voice, "Stand still! If you back away now, you'll struggle to ever make any progress in your future cultivation!"

Tears immediately began to flow down Gu Can's face, and despite how unruly he had always been, he was so terrified that he didn't even dare to cry out loud.

At the same time, his legs and his lips were trembling uncontrollably.

The sea of clouds in the distance began to churn incessantly, and it seemed that the veil of white clouds was gradually thinning out.

More of the enormous creature in the sky was revealed, and it resembled... an infinitely enlarged version of the small catfish that Gu Can had been keeping in his water vat!

This thought had sprung into Gu Can's mind out of nowhere, and all of a sudden, he reflexively took a step forward as if he had been possessed, then extended his slender arms toward the sky.

A head that was as massive as a mountain slowly emerged from the clouds.

Gu Can's eyes immediately lit up upon seeing this, and not only was he not fearful in the slightest, he beckoned to the enormous creature as he yelled, "Come! Over here! I didn't know you already grew this big! No wonder I felt like the number of fish, prawns, and crabs in my water vat went down by so much the day after I put you in there."

Standing behind Gu Can, the River Severing True Lord's heart was filled with a series of complex emotions, including an overwhelming sense of envy, but also a sense of elation and gratification.

He was never going to be blessed with a fated opportunity of such a stunning magnitude, but it was definitely worth this trip to be able to take in such a blessed disciple.

The River Severing True Lord looked on as the head approached them, and he murmured to himself, "What a truly stunning sight."

————

All of a sudden, Chen Ping'an told Ning Yao that he was going out. As he did so, he was huddled down in a corner with his back facing her, and he had concealed something in his hand.

He told Ning Yao that he had to buy a clay pot to brew her medicine in, but right after he left, Ning Yao spotted an old clay pot placed in a corner of the house.

Furthermore, she possessed exceptional hearing, and she knew that what Chen Ping'an was hiding in his grasp was a shard of porcelain, one that was extremely sharp.

Johnchen and Flying Dumpling's Thoughts

Please note that some changes have been made to previously translated terms, specifically 兵家, which was erroneously translated as Martial Sect/martial artist. This has been corrected to School of Military Thought, and its disciples are now Militarians.

Sorry for any confusion and happy reading!