Knowing Yourself and Your Enemy

The emerald shadows and rosy clouds reflected the morning sun; birds could not reach the endless skies above Wu. Climbing high, one beheld the majesty of heaven and earth, while the mighty river surged on, never to return.

A golden wheel as large as a carriage canopy burst out from between the clouds. From afar, it seemed to hover above the pointed ridge of Lou Guan Tower, scattering ten thousand rays of golden light over the waters of the Li River as they surged eastward.

Zhang Jiugao carried the immortal sword Chi Qiu on his back and stood with his hands behind him beneath the plaque at the front hall of Ink Bamboo Mountain Lou Guan Dao. He gazed up at the morning sun, inhaled and exhaled, then let out a long breath of white mist. "I dine on the six breaths and drink the dew; I rinse my mouth with the pure yang and hold the morning glow within."

Standing at his side was a sixteen-year-old youth, his hair tied up beneath a crown. He had delicate brows and features, and a face as smooth as jade. His handsome features bore an eight- or nine-tenths resemblance to Zhang Jiugao. Hearing those words, he imitated Master Zhang's immortal bearing, gazing at the rosy clouds and morning sun as he inhaled and exhaled deeply, filling his lungs and dantian with spiritual qi. Dao Breath flowed naturally between his Divine Court and Qi Sea. He had only just reached Foundation Establishment.

Zhang Jiugao's eyes were half-closed. Without looking at him, he said slowly, "Seventh, meet Venerable Xuanji."

The youth obediently clasped his hands in greeting. "This disciple, Zhang He, pays his respects to Venerable Xuanji."

"Senior Brother, sorry for the wait. Nephew, there's no need for such formalities." A female cultivator in a moon-white robe and flowing skirt descended on a wisp of cloud. Her face was kind and compassionate, like Guanyin's, and she carried herself with graceful dignity. A Golden Boy and Jade Girl accompanied her.

Zhang He stared at them. They were both children of six or seven, with their hair arranged in little tufts atop their heads. One was chubby and fair, the other rosy and soft, and both looked utterly adorable at first glance. But when he looked more closely, he could see the keen intelligence in their bright eyes. They seemed to smile without smiling, utterly lacking in childish innocence. His heart tightened, and he bowed to them as well. "Greetings, Senior Brother and Senior Sister."

"This disciple, Qingguo (Golden Date), pays respects to Master Zhang." The Golden Boy and Jade Girl first bowed to Zhang Jiugao, then exchanged mischievous glances. Nodding at Zhang He like a pair of little adults, they said, "Greetings, Junior Brother Zhang."

Zhang Jiugao waved a hand. "My young relative is terribly stiff and dull. Don't tease him, you two. Seventh, these three are friends of your great-granduncle. They've come to help us and see the spectacle. Let's go together."

Zhang He understood and bowed again. "Seventh pays his respects to the three elders."

The child Qingguo shook his head. "Little Crane, you're no fun at all. Why'd you have to give the game away? I was going to test him on his studies."

The girl Golden Date smiled at Zhang He, too. "We're reborn through severing our bodies, so there's no need to be so fussy about it. Let's each address the others as we please. We can just call one another senior brother and junior brother."

Zhang He hurriedly bowed and repeatedly said he wouldn't dare.

The female cultivator Xuanji watched with a smile, then said to Zhang Jiugao, "He really is a member of the Zhang Family. He looks just like you did back then."

Zhang Jiugao glared at his stiff, awkward young relative. "He's been cooped up at home too long. That's why he's so dull. I've brought him along to see the world this time, so I'll have to trouble you three to keep an eye on him."

Qingguo thumped his chest. "Of course. Leave it to me. Why don't we set off now? A sword-fighting tournament of this scale is rare. I want to see the wonders of Lou Guan Dao and the Nangong Immortal Family for myself."

"Please wait a moment. There's one more youngster who hasn't arrived, also a fellow disciple being brought along to see the world." Zhang Jiugao frowned. "He hasn't overslept, has he..."

"Mm... Could that be him?" Xuanji looked toward the entrance and spotted a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain running toward them, panting. He wore a black robe and brown fur coat, with a loose outer garment and straw sandals. An Unknown Face covered his head, and he carried a huge bamboo crate on his back, almost larger than he was.

Zhang Jiugao was dumbfounded. He only came to his senses when the other man reached them and lifted his Unknown Face, revealing his face. "Qingyue, what have you brought? You should've put your luggage in your jade pendants!"

"Disciple Li Qingyue pays respects to Master Zhang, and to all the elders and senior brothers." Li Fan smiled. "This is Qingyue's first time at a sword-fighting tournament. I asked the workshop to make a few little things overnight, just in case. Both of my Storage Jades are almost full, and I was afraid everything would get scattered and be a pain to move around, so I packed it all up and carried it here."

"Full..." Zhang Jiugao was speechless.

His three friends were curious, too. Zhang He, however, was pleased to see a fellow disciple from Ink Bamboo Mountain and greeted him properly. "I'm Zhang He. Greetings, Junior Brother Qingyue."

"Oh, greetings, Senior Brother Zhang." Li Fan returned the greeting, the huge bamboo crate on his back swaying from side to side.

"Senior Brother, is this one of your disciples from Lou Guan Dao?" Xuanji studied Li Fan for a moment and asked.

"He belongs to the mountain lord's line... Well, everyone's here, so let's set off first. We need to reach Tiantai Mountain before the moon rises."

Zhang Jiugao summoned a flying boat, and all six of them boarded and rose into the sky. In an instant, they were riding the wind and clouds east along the Li River.

Li Fan set the bamboo crate down on the deck, then began unpacking and assembling its various parts.

Zhang He, Qingguo, and Golden Date gathered around to watch. Zhang Jiugao and Xuanji were curious as well, but they were too proud to ask Li Fan about his mechanical secrets.

Fortunately, Zhang He was a straightforward and earnest fellow. He cupped his hands and asked bluntly, "Junior Brother Li, what are you doing?"

Li Fan answered honestly, too. "Oh, I'm assembling the bed crossbow I ordered."

No one spoke for a moment.

"A bed crossbow?" Zhang He continued to ask bluntly, without the least bit of tact. "What's it for?"

Qingguo and Golden Date turned to look at him. Zhang Jiugao covered his face.

Li Fan explained, "Junior Brother Zhang, a bed crossbow is for killing people... Have you ever killed anyone?"

Zhang He shook his head. "I'm of meager ability and have only just reached Foundation Establishment. I've never killed anyone."

Qingguo put on a mocking expression and was about to speak.

"I suppose I've killed one and half a Golden Core cultivator," Li Fan said.

One and a half! Qingguo immediately shut his mouth.

Seeing that Zhang He seemed interested, Li Fan launched into a boast. "When a Golden Core is swallowed, my fate is mine to command, not Heaven's. Those words are no exaggeration.

"Golden Core cultivators' defenses far surpass the limits of ordinary people. Even the sword strikes of Foundation Establishment cultivators, powerful enough to cleave gold and shatter jade, can barely scratch them. So, after analyzing things, I've concluded that the mortal courts of the Human Dao might have some ways to deal with Foundation Establishment cultivators. But to deal with Golden Core cultivators who can fly through the sky, burrow into the earth, appear and disappear without a trace, and shrug off swords and spears, would take too much time and effort for too little gain.

"Proper immortals don't compete for worldly wealth and power, so it's easier to simply pay tribute and submit. But that doesn't mean the Human Dao has no way to deal with Golden Core cultivators! They can still be torn apart and kicked to death—I saw it with my own eyes! So there's only one thing to say: overwhelming force works wonders! Firepower is truth!

"So I pored over Ink Bamboo Mountain's secret manual, Summary of Mechanical Principles, selected several sets of designs, crunched the numbers, analyzed the data, and considered all the factors. I weighed power, accuracy, ease of construction, and, most importantly, cost. The result was the most cost-effective weapon against Golden Core cultivators.

"Look! This is the City-Crushing Tower-Toppling Three-Bow Bed Crossbow, a weapon that shakes heaven and earth! It can draw a twelve-stone bow and fire four-foot-long iron bolts with hooked feet! Within a thousand paces, it can surely pierce a Golden Core cultivator! Impressive, isn't it?"

Zhang He was enlightened. "You make a good point! I've learned a lot!"

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!" Seeing his young relative about to be led astray, Zhang Jiugao couldn't hold back. He jumped in to stop them. "Stop spouting nonsense! You'd be better off using that time to cultivate and refine your flying sword!"

Qingguo couldn't hold back either. Pointing at the bed crossbow, winch, hooks, ropes, and bow arms taking up most of the deck, he scoffed, "A hand crossbow or hidden weapon might catch someone by surprise, but a bed crossbow like this is heavy and clumsy. How could someone's Divine Sense fail to notice such a huge thing?

"It's so complicated, and it can only fire one bolt. At a thousand paces, even if a Golden Core cultivator stood still and let you shoot, you might not hit them. Even if you did, as long as they didn't die on the spot, one pill would heal them.

"Besides, which Golden Core cultivator these days can't control a flying sword or magic treasure? The moment their Divine Sense locks onto you, they'll take your head. All that effort would be wasted."

Li Fan smiled and didn't argue. He simply followed the diagrams in Summary of Mechanical Principles to assemble the components he'd ordered from the workshop. Then he used the winch to draw the bow and fit the bolt before putting the whole thing away in his Storage Jade.

What nonsense. Didn't he wish he could spit out a hundred or a thousand flying swords and chop his enemies to pieces? He just didn't have any right now! The treasure of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent still lay in Lei Marsh, deep in the southern mountains, and even immortal bread cost five strings of cash a skewer. Where was he supposed to get the money to buy flying swords? He had to use whatever he could get!

At least Li Fan had learned plenty of sword moves from the Profound Heaven Sword Intent. He was confident he could handle ordinary opponents of the same Foundation Establishment stage. As for Nascent Soul cultivators, there was no point in fantasizing. If one set its sights on him, he'd focus entirely on finding an escape route.

Only Golden Core cultivators were an awkward prospect: hard to escape from, but if he gritted his teeth and fought, he might just manage to turn the tables. Naturally, he'd prepare whatever he could!

Based on his calculations from the battle in the tomb passage, if a twelve-stone bed crossbow could theoretically injure a Golden Core cultivator, then it counted as an effective "hidden weapon." Well, he could simply take it out of his Storage Jade without needing to aim, then shoot at any enemy within ten paces. If they were careless, they might get killed on the spot. Wasn't that just a "hidden weapon"?

Besides, he also had that damn frisbee that could lock down a target. If he got right up close and let loose, surely he could manage to kill them?

To be honest, he'd only had one night to prepare, and there wasn't enough room in his Storage Jade or enough money. The various custom-made parts for this thing alone had cost him five thousand strings of cash, and he still needed to prepare other things.

If not for those limits, Li Fan would have prepared ten or twenty hidden ballistae. If they ran into a Golden Core cultivator bullying the weak at the sword-fighting tournament, he'd bring them all out and show the bastard exactly why flowers were so red...

Ah, forget it. Be careful not to spill the Heroic Fire Oil. Tsk, too bad he hadn't found anywhere selling scorpion venom... Maybe he should get some human waste for them to taste?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent spoke up. Host, I have to advise you too. It's good to be fully prepared, but using human waste is a little too cruel to yourself, isn't it?

Kun said, What's human waste? Let me try some.

The system explained human waste to Kun.

Kun said, Ugh—

Cut it out! I'm going to a battlefield—or, hell, maybe an execution ground! What tactic can't I use? Why are you being so picky?

Li Fan was genuinely nervous. He'd reassessed just how dangerous this world was, and the enemies he imagined were the sort who stormed a beach under fire. The moment they arrived at Tiantai Mountain, seventy or eighty eunuch Golden Core cultivators would swarm them. Flying swords would rain down, Sword Light would sweep across the sky, spears and arrows would fill the air, thunder would crash, fire would erupt, and flesh would fly everywhere.

So he hadn't only prepared the bed crossbow. Li Fan had also brought a whole pile of other odds and ends. Besides some basic supplies like Eye-Obscuring Talismans, smoke bombs, Knockout Powder, and Caltrops, he'd even found a tailor and had a Lamellar Breastplate custom-fitted to protect his heart and lungs beneath his Daoist robe. He'd also put a steel collar around his neck to protect it. He'd even prepared a pot about the size of his head, though he hadn't put it on yet.

He couldn't wear anything more. It would be too heavy, and he wouldn't be able to lift his arms, let alone use his sword techniques to fight back.

Before dressing like this, Li Fan had checked with the Profound Heaven Sword Intent whether armor was any use against flying swords.

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent, an expert on the subject, said it was useful. Flying swords could cleave iron as easily as cutting hair, but they still damaged the blade. Hadn't Li Fan seen sword auras sweep around in circles, slashing at people's necks and arteries? If the sword had to stab hard or hack through the spine and bones, it might chip its blade, and repairing it would be a real pain!

So, in theory, if cultivators saw someone wearing armor and a helmet, they wouldn't want to risk their treasured flying swords against it. Maybe they'd hesitate for a moment and their strike would veer off, hitting your shoulder instead! Wouldn't that make the armor useful? Besides, you couldn't wear a helmet and armor all day, could you? Maybe they'd decide to wait and not kill you after all?

All right, this little bit of psychological comfort was more than enough for Li Fan, a transmigrator accustomed to wearing a hard hat and entirely unconcerned with immortal dignity.

Zhang Jiugao had noticed, too. He came over and said, "There's no need to be this nervous. At events like this, it's mostly a show of the sects' strength. There are plenty of senior elders and senior brothers ahead of you in line. Even if it really comes down to you, you'll at most be matched against someone at Foundation Establishment. Using your strength to bully the weak would bring shame on their sect. No senior elder will kill you outright..."

Xuanji nodded as well. "If you happen to kill one of their disciples, and they lose face, they'll at most capture you alive and vent their anger on you."

Golden Date comforted him. "Or knock you down and give you a good beating on the spot."

Qingguo grinned wickedly. "No need to guess. They might just cut off one of your arms right there and avenge their disciple."

Zhang He was horrified. "B-but what are we supposed to do?"

"Someone with your level of cultivation needn't worry about any of this." Zhang Jiugao irritably glanced at the troublemakers, then turned to Li Fan. "Since you want to prepare in advance, I'll tell you about the background of Tiantai Mountain and the Immortal Palace."

"Oh! Thank you for the guidance, Master Zhang." Knowing yourself and your enemy was the key to victory in every battle, and information on the opposition was certainly important. Li Fan immediately tidied everything away, then set out cushions, a tea table, and tea to invite them all to drink.

Seeing how thoroughly prepared he was, the three wandering cultivators relaxed a little, too. They all sat down together to drink tea, and for a moment the mood finally returned to that of a proper cultivation tale.

Zhang Jiugao thought for a moment. "Well, where should I begin? The Immortal Palace's affairs are simply too complicated. The Nangong Immortal Family has been around for a long time, and we know each other well, but we still don't know who they've sent this time, so there's not much to say. As for Tiantai Mountain... It's too weak, so I don't know much about it either..."

Hey, Little Crane! You're just here freeloading on my tea!

Li Fan narrowed his eyes at him.

The female cultivator Xuanji came to her old friend's rescue, smiling as she said, "Those of us outsiders can see Tiantai Mountain's affairs clearly enough. The Lu Family may be acting out of personal vengeance, but those heretical fiends really should have been eliminated long ago.

"Bamboo Mountain did the right thing. The Immortal Palace used Bamboo Mountain's supposed indiscriminate slaughter as an excuse, putting on airs as the guardians of the immortal kingdom while protecting that bunch of scum and opposing Bamboo Mountain. That was hardly honorable."

Golden Date nodded repeatedly.

Qingguo continued to grin. "Bamboo Mountain started this, so of course it chose a filthy, infamous den of demons to give itself a reason to act. The Nangong Immortal Family had long since recovered its strength and wanted to fight you. This time, it was forced to intervene on Tiantai Mountain's behalf and got tricked into it. Now its reputation's in the gutter. It had to hold its nose and rescue them."

Zhang Jiugao opened his mouth, but didn't elaborate. He probably accepted that neither side was made up of pure-hearted, righteous saviors.

With three uninvolved wandering cultivators providing relatively objective information, Li Fan finally understood the situation a little better.

The Lu Family might not have been falsely accusing Tiantai Mountain after all, because the cultivators entrenched there were a bunch of scumbags. They weren't exactly born demons, beyond redemption or the pale of Heaven's laws. They were simply crooked, deranged villains whom everyone had the right to kill.

The history of Tiantai Mountain's inheritance didn't take more than a couple of sentences to explain, because it wasn't a sacred mountain or an immortal's cave in the first place, let alone some ancient sect. The scenery was merely pleasant. There had once been a temple there called Luo Temple, an ordinary Buddhist establishment where monks ate vegetarian food and recited prayers. It wasn't a major sect; at most, it had one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators who looked after the nearby demons and fiends, occasionally performed a ritual or two, and handed out talisman water to cure illnesses. They made their living from the incense offerings of believers in the nearby prefectures.

Then, several decades ago, a lay Buddhist from out of town offered the temple some kind of Buddhist treasure to enshrine. Nobody knew whether it was a thing or a Non-Thing. It glowed with a mighty radiance throughout the night, visible for three hundred miles around, and its fame spread from neighbor to neighbor. The monks in the temple gained supernatural powers overnight and became powerful cultivators capable of protecting the peace of the surrounding area. Luo Temple on Tiantai Mountain soon became a famous temple and scenic destination, known far and wide, with its incense offerings thriving and its reputation shaking the region.

But all of that was just a lie for the common folk.

The truth was obvious enough: there was no Buddhist treasure. A group of demonic wandering cultivators from elsewhere had used a trick of replacing one thing with another, slaughtered all the monks in the temple, carved the flesh from their bodies, and worn their skins. Then they'd transformed themselves into living bodhisattvas, enjoying offerings from the surrounding prefectures as they settled in Tiantai Mountain, doing every sort of evil imaginable.

And this was no figure of speech. These demons wearing monks' skins were no ascetics who cultivated virtue and upheld the precepts. They were genuine scum who relied on unorthodox arts to run rampant, give free rein to their lusts, and do as they pleased.

By day, they gathered in groups to fornicate and held Intestine-Coiling Assemblies. At night, they roamed about robbing homes, kidnapping, and raping. They didn't dare openly oppose major sects like the Immortal Palace or Bamboo Mountain, but ganging up to kill and loot, and robbing the nearby wandering cultivator families, was routine. That was how they'd incurred their personal grudge against the Lu Family, too.

If cultivator families like the Lu Family couldn't even protect themselves, then what chance did the common folk have? Many families who didn't know the truth were bewitched by demonic arts and went around proclaiming that the sacred temple of Tiantai Mountain had manifested its power. They then brought their female relatives to offer them to the Buddha. Once the families joyfully brought their daughters up the mountain to "pray for a child," the girls never returned. They stayed on Tiantai Mountain to entertain those demons...

From the outside, it looked like a pure Buddhist land. But once you stepped inside, you saw it was a living hell.

Zhang He cursed, "Those demon-path scum! Why has no one punished them?"

The three wandering cultivators, who had been taking turns condemning them, fell silent.

Only Zhang Jiugao, his eyes half-closed and his expression blank, slowly said, "What else could it be? Those demons were invited here from the north by the Nangong Family."