Chapter Four: The Weather Was Fine Today
At the thought, Bai Qiuran kept smiling, but his right hand quietly closed around the hilt at his waist, his thumb easing the blade out a fraction. "You want in on it too, lads? Once we've got the money, can't I take you to the brothels in town to let off steam? Hm?" The newcomer was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, with fair skin, handsome features, and black hair tied up in a man's topknot with a pristine white cloth. He wore a white swordsman's robe embroidered with flowing-cloud patterns, and held a three-foot sword. He looked like a noble young master from one of the great families of the mortal world, out wandering the jianghu. There were ten kingdoms in Guzhou, and the country beneath Qingming Mountain was Shangxuan, one of those ten. As it happened, the alchemical ingredients Bai Qiuran was looking for this time could probably all be found within Shangxuan's borders. "The boys haven't had a chance to blow off steam in days. This young fellow's a handsome one, just right..." The Azure Nether Sword Sect generally didn't concern itself with matters like this. After all, as a cultivation sect, it aspired to seek the Dao and ascend to immortality, not meddle in the mortal world's power struggles. The internal turmoil of Guzhou's kingdoms and the rise and fall of their rulers were of no concern to the Azure Nether Sword Sect—and best left that way. The surrounding regions of Guzhou were all under the sect's protection, and no foolish cultivation sect would dare attack its territory. "Go screw yourself!" A dark figure hurtled in from behind and kicked the nearest bandit flying, then landed on the ground. A clattering filled the air as trees of all sizes split in two along a single line of sword marks and toppled in the same direction. At this level, they could draw True Qi from within their bodies and send it surging out to attack their foes, or form a layer of defense over their skin. Their strength was dozens of times that of someone at the peak of the Body Tempering Stage. "And what if it is the main road?" Hearing the bandits' exchange, the green young master's face flushed with anger. Bai Qiuran was still smiling, but a dangerous edge had crept into it. While the noble young master stood there in a daze, a streak of white suddenly flashed by. Across a semicircular stretch extending dozens of meters from the mountain path into the woods, every tree bore a sword mark at the same height. Every time he came down from the mountain, Bai Qiuran felt his spirits lighten. Three thousand years had long since worn away his restless urge to rush about in search of ingredients and complete tasks. This time, he regarded his trip down the mountain not only as a journey to gather ingredients, but also as a carefree excursion. "Robbing travelers?" "Excuse me..." But while he didn't intend to kill them all, Bai Qiuran did. Although the Qi Refining Stage marked the true beginning of the path of cultivation, that didn't mean there were no Qi Refining cultivators in the mortal world. Among the great families, the imperial house, and the major martial sects, a rare few had also managed to reach that stage. So that's how it is, Bai Qiuran thought. But things were different when he came across bandits and thieves on the road. The power struggles among Shangxuan's rulers were their own affair, but these bandits would prey on every innocent person who traveled this road. When Qingming disciples encountered people like them, they always rooted them out completely. Blood sprayed through the air, and a headless body collapsed in the path of the charge. At the sight of the golden Sword Qi, the bandits' expressions changed dramatically. "Run!" The bandit chief kicked one of his men. "True Qi? He's a Martial Arts Grandmaster!" The fair-faced young man stood with his sword held before him, righteous indignation on his face as he rebuked the bandits. "Beneath the bright sun and clear heavens, you dare to rob travelers on the main road? You truly have no regard for Shangxuan's laws!" Though he had long since risen above the ordinary world, Bai Qiuran had always felt reluctant to leave the Azure Nether Sword Sect. Now that he had left the sect and put the Mountain Gate behind him, he could finally be nothing but Bai Qiuran—not the Azure Nether Sword Sect's Martial Ancestor Uncle, Bai Qiuran. "But we're wanted criminals!" These were what Qi Refining cultivators really looked like. Someone like Bai Qiuran, who could breathe out a stream of True Qi and split mountains and seas, was a monster of an entirely different breed. "Stop right there!" Bai Qiuran said with a genial smile. "Everyone, if I remember correctly, this is the main road of Shangxuan Kingdom." "The law?" As the bandits around him roared with laughter, Bai Qiuran silently thought to himself. After leaving Qingming Mountain, Bai Qiuran had gone around Xuanjian Town and continued toward the territory actually controlled by Shangxuan's imperial house. He couldn't ride the wind and fly on his sword, but with the peerless True Qi within him and his extraordinary Light Body Cultivation Method, he could move as if he were flying on the wind. He simply didn't like traveling that way. Still, he hadn't gone far before a group of ill-intentioned toughs blocked his path. Several burly men surrounded him. Their leader brandished a ring-pommeled saber and licked his lips greedily. "Boss, go easy on him with that big blade of yours later." "Those bandits blocking the road laughed. "The Shangxuan Emperor is gravely ill, and the soldiers stationed along this road were transferred away long ago. If you don't hand over your money, not even the Jade Emperor himself can save you today!" "You shameless bandits!" The bandits glanced at one another, then their leader burst out laughing. "To hell with the law! Our brothers can barely stay alive. Who cares about some useless code of laws? These days, all that matters is filling your belly and enjoying yourself! Get them, lads! This one's fat with coin, too!" But just then, a sharp voice rang out from behind them. A powerful, imposing stream of True Qi radiated from the young man. A faint golden glow shone along his blade, and he swung it at the bandits. A golden streak of Sword Qi burst forth, beheading the bandit who had just made that suggestion. "A bandit kicked me over here," one of them whined. "There are no soldiers on the main road, but it's different in town. They'll kill us if we go in." The bandit chief considered this. It did sound reasonable, so his expression softened as he looked at Bai Qiuran. "Fine. Look closely—this white-haired ghost isn't bad-looking, either. We'll take him along with the other one." One of the bandits licked his lips. Has Shangxuan Kingdom's situation really gotten this bad? The bandits scattered in terror, each keeping a wary eye on Bai Qiuran and the newcomer. Bai Qiuran turned to look at the newcomer. "Damn bandits!" The bandits burst into laughter. "The young master's got quite a temper. His sword's drawn already!" The young master seemed even more worked up than Bai Qiuran. The moment he saw the bandits preparing to attack, he drew his sword and struck first. Three feet of autumn water gleamed with a cold light. Seeing Bai Qiuran move, the bandits realized he meant to fight back, and raised their weapons as well. The bandits, too, were sliced across the waist by that sword, their bodies split in two. "What's the matter?" Facing a group of sturdy men, most at the middle of the Body Tempering Stage and their strongest at the late stage, Bai Qiuran asked with a warm smile, "Why have you stopped me?" So he wasn't planning to kill them all. But Bai Qiuran was. The ten kingdoms could be thrown into turmoil for only two reasons: wars between them, or upheaval caused by infighting among their own rulers. Cultivators were not to meddle in the power struggles of the mortal world. That was the lesson Daoist Qingming had once taught Bai Qiuran and the others, and he had passed it down ever since. Yet when the bandits laughed at him, the young master stood his ground with a stern expression and made no move to continue the fight, as if he were a dog or cat warning an intruder away from its territory. He only wanted to chase the bandits off, not slaughter them all. After three thousand years of cultivating his temperament, Bai Qiuran was good-natured—but that didn't mean he never got angry. "The weather was fine today; with wine in hand, I set out singing a long song."
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