Blade - Unbound

Chapter 83: The Aftermath Has Yet to Settle

The woman in white hurriedly retrieved a cylindrical scroll case from beneath the bed.

She respectfully presented it with both hands. “Incense Master, here is the painting.”

The man accepted it, carefully opened the case, and took out the painting. As he slowly unfurled it, an ancient landscape painting appeared before everyone.

Mountain ranges stretched endlessly across the horizon, resembling a colossal dragon winding through the heavens. The scenery was majestic and imposing, with mist swirling among the peaks and layers of mountains fading into the clouds.

Even an ordinary person could tell the painting was extraordinary.

Shopkeeper Wu could not help but praise, “What incredible brushwork. Incense Master, what exactly is special about this thing?”

The woman in white was also puzzled. She couldn’t help but ask as well, “This subordinate once interrogated Eunuch Lu, but even he didn't know the reason. He only knew that Princess Fu'an treasured this painting above all else.”

The Incense Master carefully examined the scroll and said, “The painting itself is exceptional, but the artist was not particularly famous. His name was Jiao Fayuan.”

Shopkeeper Wu frowned. “Is he a member of the mystic path?”

The Incense Master nodded. “Yes. During the Great Xing era, he was a ritualist of the Three Mountains Sect in Ganzhou. He was skilled in fengshui and geomancy, and also served as an honored retainer of a prince at the time.

“Back then, Great Xing was locked in conflict with the Golden Horde Wolf Kingdom. Later, Great Xuan seized power and rose to prominence while Great Xing declined toward its end. But, following that prince's orders, Jiao Fayuan concealed part of the national treasury's silver and weapons deep within the Qinling Mountain Range, intending for them to be used one day to restore the kingdom.

“Later, this painting passed through many hands before ending up with Prince Pingyang, who secretly kept it for himself. He became involved in the struggle over the imperial succession and was convicted of treason. Princess Fu'an then carried this painting with her through many hardships before eventually fleeing to the Guanzhong Plains.

“Unfortunately, she never managed to decipher its secrets. Worse still, word leaked out and attracted the attention of the capital. I learned of the matter by chance and secretly arranged to intercept it.”

“So that's how it is.” Excitement flashed through Shopkeeper Wu's eyes. “Incense Master, can our divine sect rise again with this treasure hoard?”

The Incense Master sighed. “It will be difficult.”

He took the metal canister from Fire Ghost, opened the lid, and poured out some black powder. “The reason I lingered in Chang'an for so many days was to infiltrate the courthouse and steal the formula for this substance.”

The woman in white looked confused. “Gunpowder?”

The Incense Master shook his head. “Its power far exceeds ordinary gunpowder. It was accidentally created by an alchemist. The Li family obtained it but dared not keep it for themselves. Instead, they offered it to the imperial court and were rewarded with authority over an entire frontier.

“Unfortunately, I only managed to obtain a finished sample and not the formula itself. The Great Xuan Dynasty is currently at the height of its power. The existence of this substance in their hands is like adding wings to a tiger. Before long, the jianghu will likely be brought under tighter control. Trying to rally villagers and devout believers into rebellion now would simply be sending them to their deaths.”

Shopkeeper Wu's expression dimmed. “Then what should we do?”

The Incense Master replied calmly, “The Great Dao always seeks balance. If the world were truly ruled only by the strongest fists, how would dynasties ever rise and fall? Today's Great Xuan Dynasty has taught the people to revere the law. No one dares overstep its boundaries. Yet petty men use the law as a tool for their own gain. Given enough time, disaster is inevitable.

“More than a decade ago, the Sect Leader was too eager to start an uprising, causing our divine sect to fracture into pieces. Now our talents are dwindling; everyone harbors their own ambitions; and our strength is only a shadow of what it once was.

“What we must do is accumulate power and wait patiently for the right opportunity!

“I have observed the stars. In two years, a great calamity will strike the Central Plains. Once we retrieve the treasure from the Qinling Mountain Range, we will move into the Central Plains and lie low. When the time comes, we can use the chaos to strengthen the divine sect.”

“Wise indeed, Incense Master!”

***

A loud crash startled Sha Lifei awake. “What happened? Is there an earthquake?”

He jumped up in alarm and hurried outside. In the courtyard, Li Yan was practicing the Ten Foundational Stances. The massive stone trough was vibrating from being thrown to the side.

Sha Lifei looked up at the sky and immediately complained, “What kind of madness is this so early in the morning? Disturbing a man's dreams. Training, training, training... You're even crazier than your father!”

Li Yan rolled his eyes. “We make our living by the blade, standing at the edge of life and death. If we don't train, should we just practice arguing with people like someone here instead?”

Sha Lifei's skin was thick enough that such ridicule meant nothing. Shaking his head, he replied, “Hah, don't underestimate the power of arguing. Used properly, a silver tongue can be worth a million soldiers!”

Li Yan gradually finished his routine and said thoughtfully, “Uncle Sha, you've failed to break through all these years for two reasons. First, you've neglected your training. Second, Grandmaster[1] died too early, so no one was around to help guide you. Now that I've entered the Dark Jin Realm, I can help you practice. Maybe you'll finally break through.”

Sha Lifei was clearly tempted. “This... Are you serious?”

Li Yan nodded seriously. “Your bottleneck right now might be one poke away from breaking!”

Sha Lifei grew excited. “Alright, fine! Let's spar!”

The purpose of sparring was to slow everything down, carefully dismantling each other's techniques while experiencing the changes of hidden force during physical contact.

Bang! Bang!

Before long, Sha Lifei lost his balance repeatedly and ended up flat on the ground several times.

Rubbing his backside, he shouted in protest, “I'm done! I'm done! I’m not playing with you any more!”

At that moment, Wang Daoxuan pushed open the door and stepped outside.

After stretching lazily, Sha Lifei’s complexion returned to normal. He quickly asked, “Daoist Wang, how are you feeling?”

Wang Daoxuan looked somewhat embarrassed as he replied, “I suddenly want a bowl of lamb soup...”

Li Yan laughed. “Your stomach is finally getting back to normal. Looks like you've fully recovered.”

Sha Lifei immediately grabbed both of them. “Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!”

***

As usual, they went to Wu's Soup on Old Wei Family Street

The lamb soup there was unparalleled, though the establishment was far from a luxurious restaurant. The rows of benches were crowded with people squatting beside them. Individuals from every walk of life had gathered to sup from the restaurant.

The three ate while listening to nearby conversations.

“Have you heard? There was another fight last night.”

“Third Blacky and his gang, right? Hmph. They spent their lives doing evil. Now that the Zhou Family has fallen, people are naturally settling old scores.”

“What exactly happened to the Zhou Family?”

“No idea, but it must've been serious. Didn't you see the Military Surveillance Department getting involved?”

“I heard everyone present was forbidden from revealing anything.”

“Old Master Zhang is going to become president of the Divine Fist Association now, isn't he?”

“Of course. I heard they originally planned a grand ceremony with officials from Chang'an attending. But Old Master Zhang wanted to keep things low-key and said a simple celebration would be enough.”

“Look at him compared to Zhou Pan. No wonder Zhou Pan ended up like this.”

“That isn't even the worst part. I heard that after Zhou Pan died, the Zhou Family descended into chaos.”

“They fought each other over the inheritance.”

“Zhou Peide was imprisoned and sentenced to execution.”

“As for Zhou Bai and his overbearing mother, with no one left to support them, they were thrown straight out of the Zhou Family’s residence.”

“Tsk tsk. I saw him strutting around showing off just last month.”

Li Yan and the others were not surprised by any of it and continued eating. Many things in life were like that. Once the source changed, ripples naturally spread outward. Changes in Chang'an's political circles eventually reached Xianyang.

Once the struggle between the Zhou and Zhang families had been decided, the fates of all the people dependent on them changed as well.

***

Clatter! Clatter!

A large group of beggars ran down the street, all of them looking terrified. Some tripped and fell, shattering the bowls they used to beg.

“Stop running! Stand still!”

Several fierce-looking constables charged after them, swinging their staffs and beating the beggars until they cried out in pain.

Someone in the crowd could not bear the sight and shouted, “Constable, what happened? Why so angry? Why make life difficult for these poor souls?”

A burly constable turned and cursed, “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

However, seeing many people glaring at him with indignation, he swallowed the rest of his insults and barked, “You think they're innocent? This morning we raided one of their hideouts in the city. We found numerous kidnapped women and children there. Most had already been abused beyond recognition. The victims are still crying and cursing over there. Why don't you go check whether any of them belong to your family?”

“The Assistant Prefect is furious! Cavalry Officer Fan has already been ordered to head to the mass graves. Today, that beggar den will completely be wiped out!”

His words sounded righteous, but nobody seemed convinced. Everyone who traveled the jianghu knew exactly what kind of people made up the Western Beggar Gang. Those same constables who were chasing them had accepted plenty of bribes from the beggars over the years. They had turned a blind eye to countless crimes.

Some were even patrons of the human traffickers themselves. Now, they were pretending to be righteous. Furthermore, most of the beaten beggars were simply unfortunate souls controlled by the Western Beggar Gang. Their daily earnings were confiscated, and many could barely afford food. Even so, nobody interfered further. Everyone knew there had to be another reason behind the government's sudden action.

After the constables drove the beggars away, Sha Lifei clicked his tongue. “The Western Beggar Gang is finished. Looks like the Taixuan Orthodox Sect has made its move. They want all obstacles removed before the upcoming ceremony.”

Wang Daoxuan nodded. “The enfeoffment of a Mountain God is a major event. If those people at the mass graves were allowed to continue their activities, they'd create some kind of monster sooner or later. With a Mountain God guarding the area, things should remain peaceful from now on.”

As he spoke, he stood up. “Let's go. We should visit Fellow Daoist Wu. He sacrificed his life to save my poor soul. Every time I think about it, I can't sit still.”

1. Li Hu and Sha Lifei’s unnamed master ☜