Chapter 45: Saber Aura Rising to the Sky
Jiang Chen had come away with quite a haul after his trip to the palace. First, although this saber didn’t look like much, it gave him the feeling of meeting an old friend. In addition, Princess Gouyu’s plan to arrange some men for his use could resolve a critical situation, one in which fire was singing his eyebrows.
Although his personal strength had greatly improved recently, his personal strength was not up to the task of handling the large maelstrom that was the capital, one that could worsen at any time. If a few good men could be sent to him, that would at least free up Jiang Ying and allow the man to stay within the manor and preside over matters with peace of mind.
It was already night by the time Jiang Chen returned to the manor. He sat down cross legged, the nameless saber propped up in front of him.
A man and a saber sat facing each other beneath the moonlight.
Circulating the vast waves true qi within his body, Jiang Chen was now as if a giant whale traversing the vast ocean. He continuously drew forth vast waves of true qi and circulated them around him, expanding the waves of that ocean layer upon layer.
Beneath the star-studded sky, Jiang Chen’s vast waves of true qi were suffused with rays of silvery-white splendor. They interacted with the crescent curve hanging high above, adding splendor and opulence to each wave. Layers of silver light sparkled, exuding a mystical feeling.
Jiang Chen frolicked like a lesser dragon amongst the waves as he circulated his true qi with abandon. His soul traveled to the ninth heaven like a divine dragon, free from inhibitions and thus carefree. The splendor s.h.i.+ning down from the mult.i.tude of stars in the sky actually indistinctly formed an odd flow, a strange sort of circulation with the vast waves true qi that Jiang Chen was guiding. At that moment, the orbiting stars seemed to be the eyes of ancient deities, uniformly sending warm looks to this mortal realm.
Suddenly, a strange scene took place!
The nameless saber that was propped in front of him, akin to a precious gem of the ninth heaven that had been hidden in a dark age, abruptly shot forth a beam of stunning splendor. When this light shot out, it made straight for the vault of heavens like a soaring, towering beam, the Milky Way hanging upside down!
Whoos.h.!.+
It was as if the world from ancient times had taken a quick peek, as if an ancient deity had opened its eyes once again. This brilliant splendor was a bolt of lightning in the sky, fading after it’d shot across. In the next moment, this nameless saber emitted waves of low, humming resonances. The entire sheath started vibrating.
A surge of almost uncontrollable, frightening power agitated to burst out of the sheath.
It felt like enormous, ancient demons wanting to break through their seal, light that could cleave the earth erupting from the earth, tens of thousands of violent beasts about to surge out of their cage… At this moment, Jiang Chen abruptly opened his eyes and used his right hand to lightly press down on the scabbard. “Partner, does this mean that you’ve awakened?”
Jiang Chen’s press was a strong and mighty seal, tamping down at once on all the raging impulses, the saber’s aura and wildness. The sheath in Jiang Chen’s hand slightly moved a few times, and then stopped docilely. Then, an odd ring of light emanated quickly from the hilt of the saber as it covered Jiang Chen’s entire body.
In that moment, man and saber became one.
It seemed that a solemn and dignified ceremony had been completed, a perfect union had been completed. In the next moment, a thought flashed through Jiang Chen’s mind. This blade had already established him as its master! When this thought flashed through his mind, a wave of composed, self possession pa.s.sed through Jiang Chen’s entire body as if a protection talisman had been planted in his body. An incredible feeling of safety stole throughout his entire being.
…...
In an exceedingly covert spot in the Eastern Kingdom, a sudden look of surprise shot from a mysterious elder’s eyes. Looking at the brilliant splendor streaking across the sky like a meteor, his eye were filled with shock, astonishment, and even a few hints of fear. “Such frightening splendor; can it be that a staggeringly strong expert is pa.s.sing by?”
If Eastern Lu had been present, he would have recognized this old man. He was the spirit realm cultivator, the one who had been a recluse for hundreds of years, the legendary figure of the Eastern Kingdom!
…...
Princess Gouyu did indeed bring four people over the next day. To speak more accurately, four strong experts. They were all cultivators in the advanced realm of true qi.
“Jiang Chen, these four are all from Commander Tiandu’s Sheng battalion. You can call them, respectively Sheng One, Sheng Two, Sheng Three, and Sheng Four.”
Sheng One was of average build, roughly thirty years old. His eyes were experienced and his movements crisp. It was apparent from one look that he was the leader amongst the four, and was actually a nine meridians true qi cultivator.
Sheng Two and Sheng Three were a pair of twin brothers, all strong as a bear in the hips, and with a back as supple as a tiger’s. Their bodies were filled with wild strength and boasted of eight meridians true qi.
Sheng Four was a fair skinned youth, no more than two or three years older than Jiang Chen. His personality was the same as his appearance, cold and aloof, giving others the impression of an unapproachable person of few words.
“Do the four of you know your duties?” Gouyu asked.
“Obey Young Duke Jiang’s orders, even if it means venturing into mountains of knives and oceans of fire or a dragon’s watery lair and a tiger’s den! To protect Young Duke Jiang, with our deaths before failure!” The four’s responses were clean-cut and crisp. They were cultivators and, more than that, they were soldiers. Obeying orders from superiors was the duty of a soldier.
“Very good. Young Duke Jiang is an important subject to the royal family. You four are now carrying out the kingdom’s mission. Remember, don’t lose face for your Sheng battalion. Don’t lose face for Commander Tiandu!”
“We would rather die than lose face!”
Gouyu was quite satisfied by the four’s performance. Her eyebrow was c.o.c.ked and she wore a few hints of a smile, “Jiang Chen, what do you think about these four?”
“Their strength is quite good and they listen to orders. I think I can make use of them.” Jiang Chen also gave Gouyu some face.
Princess Gouyu had actually been afraid that Jiang Chen would say some ridiculous things again. The worries in her heart were settled upon hearing his words.
“Oh right, Jiang Chen, I received an invitation from the Hall of Healing this morning, inviting me to view some sort of pill exhibition tomorrow. What is going on? Wasn’t it the Pill King Garden putting on the pill exhibition? What’s this to do with the Hall of Healing?”
Jiang Chen chuckled, “The heavyweights of spirit medicine in the capital aren’t limited to just the Pill King Garden. After all, when did the capital become the Pill King Garden’s stage?”
“Just what’s going on here?” Gouyu was extremely curious.
“You’ll find out the specifics tomorrow, won’t you? You have to go, perhaps there’ll be a large red envelope of money for you.” Jiang Chen smiled and was unwilling to say more regarding this matter.
“What red envelope, I have no interest in that! But, it seems that there is once again a good show to be seen. That, I can’t miss. Are you going tomorrow?”
Jiang Chen waved the invitation in his hand. “How could I be absent from such a good time?”
Just as they were talking, Jiang Fu led a person in with a sullen, sinister face. Jiang Fu knew how to behave in a delicate situation and bowed when he saw Princess Gouyu, speaking to Jiang Chen afterwards. “Young duke, this visitor says he’s from the Pill King Garden. He says they are putting on a pill exhibition tomorrow, and that they invite our Jiang household to observe in attendance.”
The person’s face was shrewd and it bore a smile of a petty person realizing his ambition. His voice was loud and carried, “Young Duke Jiang, at the end of the day, your Jiang family was once in a partners.h.i.+p with the Pill King Garden. We will be hosting a large scale event tomorrow. What do you say, will you show us some face?”
Jiang Chen flicked a glance at the invitation the other had brought, but didn’t accept it. He nodded, indicating for Jiang Fu to accept the invitation. Jiang Fu was also a quick witted person. When he accepted the invitation, he opened it respectfully and placed it in front of Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen looked at it briefly and smiled faintly. “I am someone who doesn’t give face, and only denies it. Are you sure you welcome me?”
“Welcome? We will definitely welcome you. Heh heh, but tomorrow, it’s our Pill King Garden denying someone else face. If the young duke likes a good time, take care not to miss it.” That person smiled proudly and left with a turn. He hadn’t seemed to recognize Princess Gouyu, and naturally didn’t observe the proper greetings to a princess.
“Pill King Garden, indeed a petty character achieving their goals.” Jiang Chen observed that this person didn’t even possess basic courtesy, having ignored a princess, of all people. One had to say that the Pill King Garden had become a bit too conceited, a bit too c.o.c.ky.
…...
Within the Pill King Garden.
Courtmaster w.a.n.g and several other high executives of the Pill King Garden were in attendance. Of those, Master Violet sat in the middle, surrounded by the crowd.
“Master Violet, all is in readiness. All we await is to amaze the world with a single, brilliant feat at tomorrow’s pill exhibition.” Courtmaster w.a.n.g looked like the cat that’d ate the canary, and extreme excitement marked his features. “This Pill of Dragon and Tiger’s Blood has such potency that, as soon as it hits the shelves, it is sure to take over half of the market, and it will be a small matter to advance into even the markets of the neighboring sixteen countries. Add to that our three p.r.o.nged approach with our Qi Replenis.h.i.+ng Pill and our Crane Heart Pill, given enough time, our Pill Kill Garden is sure to replace the Hall of Healing!”
“Yes, tomorrow, we can finally harshly slap the Hall of Healing’s face!” Another Garden executive laughed. “The Hall of Healing has always maintained its grip on the market of healing panaceas. When our Pill of Dragon and Tiger’s Blood is available, let’s see what other pill medicines they bring out to compete with us in the future!”
The impact to the Hall of Healing in defeating them in three different arenas would undoubtedly be huge. The senior executives of the Pill King Garden could almost see the day where the Pill King Garden replaced the Hall of Healing. Even thinking of such a scene was enough to send their blood boiling.
Master Violet said faintly, “Denying face to the Hall of Healing is merely the first step. The Hall of Healing is a mammoth figure, and their hallmaster is no easy character. Don’t oversimplify things. We must work in tandem with the duke of Soaring Dragon, otherwise it will be impossible to replace the Hall of Healing in the short run.” Master Violet’s gaze was diabolic. He knew clearly that if Soaring Dragon was unable to replace the Eastern clan, then the Pill King Garden would absolutely be unable to replace the Hall of Healing in the short term.
This was the bigger picture. However, Master Violet also firmly believed that this type of bigger picture was sure to reverse with the arrival of himself, Master Violet. And, such a reversal would definitely start with tomorrow’s pill exhibition!
…...
All was prepared, the day that the Pill King Garden had long awaited for was finally here.
The weather was splendid, the sun was bright with not a cloud in the sky. This seemed to portray that the future of the Pill King Garden would really be smooth and bright. Jiang Chen walked out of the secret training room early in the morning, and made his way to the biggest marketplace in the capital, the Myriad Treasures Palace, after he was done enjoying breakfast. He was escorted by the four cultivators of the Sheng battallion.
The Pill King Garden had long since appointed greeters at the entrance to the Myriad Treasures Palace. When they saw Jiang Chen’s arrival, the Garden’s greeters all displayed some surprise. In the eyes of the Pill King Garden, as long as the Jiang family’s head was still screwed on properly, there would be no way that they would attend today’s festivities. If they came, they would be, without a doubt, making things unbearable for themselves. After all, the Pill King Garden was to raise their prestige and deny other’s face today. If the Jiang family came, would that not be entering the lion’s den?