Chapter 75: Claiming the Mountain as King
In the twilight, a stranger visited the blacksmith shop. The man was around thirty years old, tall in stature, with long, slender eyebrows and fair skin. His delicate, feminine features combined with his sturdy, masculine physique gave him a unique charm.
When Ruan Qiong learned of this man’s identity, he did not treat him as casually as he had treated Cui Minghuang from the Guanhu Academy last time. Instead of merely chatting at the forge’s entrance, he had Ruan Xiu bring two bamboo chairs to the corridor and produced two jars of fine wine, one for each man. The man was not shy; he took the jar, removed the clay seal, and took a swig. Smiling, he said, “Master Ruan, your recent actions have shaken the court and the countryside. I don’t yet know how the imperial court will respond specifically, but as the newly appointed Supervisory Official of Kiln Affairs and concurrently the first County Magistrate of Longquan County, it saves me a lot of words. By rights, I should be the one bringing fine wine to visit you. However, I heard of the incident while en route and rushed here posthaste. The two large jars of Apricot Blossom Brew from the New Year’s Press Shop in Qilong Alley—consider them a debt I owe you for now, Master Ruan.”
Master Ruan waved his hand. “There’s no need for such polite formalities. If we reach an agreement today, there will be plenty of opportunities to drink and chat later. If not, there’s no point in wasting effort to curry favor.”
The man laughed heartily. He did not resemble a Dali court official holding two posts but rather a chivalrous wanderer of the martial world. Wiping his mouth, he placed the wine jar on his knee, signaling that he was done drinking while talking. “Jia Liu Mountain was sealed during the Chunhui Era of Dali—of course, that’s the official term in the confidential archives of the Ministry of Revenue. According to the local county records, its name should be Longji Mountain. Halfway up the mountain, there is a naturally formed large Dragon-Slaying Platform. Before I came here to assume my post, there was a discussion between the Emperor and his ministers. His Majesty explicitly stated that this object would be jointly owned by your Wind and Snow Temple and the True Martial Mountain, as both of you share it. As for how you two major military-art forces specifically excavate, cut, and divide the Dragon-Slaying Platform—whether you leave it untouched as ancestral property or move it back to your respective sects—the Dali court will not interfere. It is entirely up to you. Even if you require Dali’s manpower and resources, such as mobilizing the two young Mountain Moving Apes under Dali’s command to crack Jia Liu Mountain and expose the Dragon-Slaying Platform, Master Ruan need not be polite about such trivial matters.”
Master Ruan said with a smile, “You Dali show considerable sincerity.”
The new Supervisory Official was about to follow up with some pleasantries when Master Ruan continued, “As for that Dragon-Slaying Platform, before I came here, our Wind and Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain had already negotiated it. I, Ruan Qiong, the Wind and Snow Temple, and True Martial Mountain—each takes a share. You should have heard some rumors from your Emperor. I intend to establish a school here, so my father and daughter have already withdrawn from the Wind and Snow Temple. For the next sixty years, I certainly won’t formally start a sect. But as long as you Dali people please me, once the sixty-year period ends, I will choose a suitable mountain here as the birthplace of my future mountain gate.”
The man, who served both as Supervisory Official and County Magistrate, made no effort to hide his delight. It seemed he had been waiting for Ruan Qiong to bring this up. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately said, “Master Ruan, you can rest assured. Apart from Piyun Mountain, the territory currently has roughly sixty-one mountains divided. Master Ruan may freely choose three as the foundation for your future sect. If you are not in a hurry to decide, I can first show you the old and new maps of the mountain ranges of the Pearls Cave Heaven. I will then accompany you in person to survey and inspect the sites. Then you can make your decision at your leisure. How does that sound?”
For any dynasty, having a great cultivator like Ruan Qiong help guard the realm was an immense blessing. Especially since Ruan Qiong implied he would take root here, not just attach himself to Dali as a guest elder, offering, or national teacher. This was not a temporary arrangement that could dissolve if things didn’t work out; Ruan Qiong would truly spread his roots in Dali’s territory, invisibly intertwining with the dynasty’s fortune. Not just a minor Supervisory Official, even if the Dali Emperor himself sat here, he would be overjoyed.
Dali produced many martial artists, led by Prince Song Changjing, and the number of experts above the fifth realm was unmatched in Dongbaoping Continent. But the mountain immortals were pitifully few, completely disproportionate to Dali’s powerful national strength. This had long been a headache for the Dali Emperor.
Ruan Qiong laughed. “There’s no rush to claim the mountain as king. To put it bluntly, aside from Piyun Mountain, which you’re unwilling to offer, there’s no mountain that catches my eye.”
The young Supervisory Official looked somewhat embarrassed. In truth, before coming here, not only he but also the Dali Emperor and his mentor had thought that Ruan Qiong establishing a sect in Dali was possible but not very likely, because Dali couldn’t really offer enough sincerity. The Dragon-Slaying Platform? If Ruan Qiong hadn’t had the ability to negotiate with the Wind and Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain and secure a share for himself, how would Dali dare to antagonize those two forces for the sake of recruiting Ruan Qiong alone? The cost was simply too high. Even the Dali dynasty, which swallowed mountains and rivers like a tiger, couldn’t bear it.
Ruan Qiong suddenly said, “Although the Wind and Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain have never suggested it, I personally hope that Dali can provide two sufficiently sharp divine weapons—swords or blades, it doesn’t matter, as long as they are effective. At that time, I can help you transfer them to the two military-art cultivators who will come here to divide the Dragon-Slaying Platform. You may report this to the court first and await the Dali Emperor’s reply. There’s no hurry for this either.”
The young Supervisory Official thought for a moment and said gravely, “I can decide this matter on the spot and promise it to you, Master Ruan!”
Ruan Qiong nodded, took a sip of wine, and was fairly satisfied with this man’s attitude and decisiveness. After all, for a long time to come, he would have to deal directly with this man named Wu Yuan. If he were a fool, it would be exhausting. If he were a stingy coward, it would be even more tiring.
Wu Yuan hesitated, drank some wine as if to bolster his courage, and said, “Master Ruan, first, the thirty-odd kilns outside the town, large and small, will be reopened for firing porcelain. But from now on, they will only fire ordinary ceremonial vessels for the imperial court. Second, after the new county office built east of the town is completed, the county office will post the Dali laws and regulations. They will also have tax office runners with some literary skill explain them throughout the town, so that the ordinary townspeople truly understand their identity as subjects of Dali.”
Ruan Qiong’s expression turned cold. He glanced at the nominal Longquan County Magistrate, Wu Yuan. The latter smiled and explained, “This is just superficial work aimed at the common people. Within the town, for the next sixty years, Master Ruan’s rules come first, followed by the rules of the Four Surnames and Ten Clans. Dali law comes last. If there is conflict, this hierarchy shall prevail. Whatever Master Ruan does within a thousand li of the town, Dali will not interfere but will stand unequivocally on your side. For instance, when you earlier destroyed the physical body of the cultivator from the Purple Smoke River, that man remained unrepentant, trying to use connections in the capital to appeal to the Emperor. When my mentor heard the news, he said nothing and sent someone to annihilate that cultivator’s primordial spirit.”
Ruan Qiong frowned slightly, annoyed. “Tell your master that in the future, don’t do such superfluous and rotten things. What does face matter? I’m just a rough blacksmith who doesn’t like twists and turns. If you Dali people are sincere, give me real benefits, and that’s enough. Whether I accept them or not is another matter. As for that waste from the Purple Smoke River, if I had really wanted to kill him then, could he have escaped? Even with a hundred more legs, he couldn’t. If I really wanted to kill someone, how many of you Dali people could stop me? And even if you could, would you be willing to?”
Wu Yuan’s face paled slightly. His voice was a bit hoarse as he said, “Master Ruan, I understand.”
Ruan Qiong didn’t want to make things too tense either. After all, this was their first meeting. One couldn’t expect others to accommodate one’s desires completely—that would be forcing things. So he took the initiative to ask, “In a secular dynasty, building a Wenchang Pavilion and a Martial Sage Temple, canonizing Mountain and River Deities, and banning local unofficial shrines are all proper duties of a court. Here in this town, what are your plans?”
Having just suffered a setback, Wu Yuan chose his words carefully. “Regarding the Wenchang Pavilion and the Martial Sage Temple, the geomancers of our Dali Astronomical Observatory have selected two sites: the Porcelain Mountain north of the town and the Immortal Tomb to the southeast. The sacrifices will be made to two people who left the town in the past—one literary, one martial—both of whom rendered great merits to Dali. What is Master Ruan’s opinion?”
Ruan Qiong’s tone was not light. “Those two who enjoy the literary and martial incense are suitable, but are the sites settled just like that? Have you asked Old Gentleman Yang for his opinion?”
Wu Yuan was stunned. He asked cautiously, “Master Ruan, may I ask who Old Gentleman Yang is?”
Ruan Qiong was also startled. He joked, “That Embroidery Tiger of yours didn’t even tell you this? And he sent you here as Supervisory Official and parent official? Wu Yuan, tell me honestly, are you like Qi Jingchun—frustrated in officialdom, abandoned as a discard, and demoted here? If so, I might have to renege on what we agreed earlier.”
Wu Yuan felt he couldn’t defend himself. He didn’t know how to explain, and he himself was completely in the dark.
Near a well in the distance, three people of similar age were squatting on the ground. Ruan Xiu was explaining to Chen Ping’an the names, functions, and cultivation significance of the acupoints. The extra youth had tagged along shamelessly. At first, Ruan Xiu and Chen Ping’an had erased the writing and said nothing, staring at him. The youth was handsome, with a vermilion mole between his eyebrows like the finishing touch of a dragon’s eye, giving him a pleasing, auspicious appearance. But Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu underestimated his patience and thick skin. He grinned, looking left at the straw-sandal youth and right at the girl in green. After half a stick of incense, the youth seemed to realize he had underestimated the perseverance of the two beside him. He finally spoke first, in fluent and round local dialect, saying he came from the capital with the Supervisory Official to see the sights, especially wanting to see the Porcelain Mountain.
“You two, keep discussing your acupoints and energy mansions! Don’t be so stingy. What harm can it do to let me listen? Do you think I’ll become a terrestrial immortal just by listening?”
After that, Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu minded their own business and ignored this strange fellow’s attempts to strike up a conversation.
“Your handwriting isn’t great. I can tell you haven’t put in the hard work. It’s flighty, like oil dregs floating on water.”
“Miss, your explanation here isn’t complete. So-called ‘half a pot of boiling rivers and mountains’ and ‘drawing without knowing the trick makes ghosts and gods laugh’—actually, it goes like this… Ah, you’re skipping this energy mansion already?”
“Hehehe, Miss, why aren’t you explaining where the Danzhong acupoint is? Is it hard to show him? Sigh, if you’re embarrassed, I can help… Miss, there’s murderous intent in your eyes! You must have misunderstood me. I meant I’d point it out on myself—where my Danzhong is. On you, Miss, that Danzhong is hard for even immortals to find, so why would I ask for trouble…”
“Hey, Miss, why are you hitting people? Again? Miss, I was wrong!”
“Miss, you also skipped the three back passes: coccyx, spine, and Jade Pillow. The ancients said, ‘When the back pass is half open, success begins; contracting Gen and opening Qian is the true work.’ So you can see it’s very important…”
In the end, it was the appearance of Supervisory Official Wu Yuan that helped Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu escape their predicament. The talkative youth with the mole between his eyebrows and the taciturn young Dali official left the blacksmith shop side by side.
Chen Ping’an and Ruan Xiu sat on the edge of the well. Ruan Xiu glanced at the backs of the two and said softly, “The older one is an official. The one beside us just now, I’m not sure. I didn’t sense anything unusual about him. Maybe he’s a young reading companion from a big family. Many great clans outside have such companions.”
Chen Ping’an nodded.
Ruan Qiong walked to the well with a stern face, tossed out a sentence, and turned away. “Chen Ping’an, come with me.”
Chen Ping’an stood up, confused. Miss Ruan had said earlier that her father agreed to lend him money, but he would have to wait about ten days. Had he changed his mind?
The girl in green felt a bit guilty and followed behind Chen Ping’an.
Ruan Qiong sat down on the bamboo chair and had Chen Ping’an sit in the chair that Wu Yuan had just vacated.
Ruan Xiu coughed and smiled. “Dad, these two chairs were made by Chen Ping’an. Pretty good, right?”
Ruan Qiong said darkly, “I’m discussing business with Chen Ping’an. Xiu Xiu, don’t interrupt.”
Chen Ping’an quickly sat up straight. “Master Ruan, please speak.”
Ruan Qiong pulled a handful of loose silver from his sleeve—about three or four taels. “Go to Qilong Alley in town and buy your father a jar of good Peach Blossom Spring liquor. Spend the change on some pastries for yourself.”
Ruan Xiu was reluctant.
Ruan Qiong pretended to put the silver away. “If you don’t want to, then go watch the forge fire. It’ll be done in an hour.”
Ruan Xiu grabbed the money and ran.
Once his daughter was far away, Ruan Qiong got straight to the point. “Chen Ping’an, do you have three sacks of Gold Essence Copper Coins?”
Chen Ping’an’s expression remained normal. He nodded. “Yes.”
Ruan Qiong seemed pleased with the youth’s honesty. His expression softened. “You’re the only townsperson with three sacks of Gold Essence Copper Coins. Even among the Four Surnames and Ten Clans of Fulu Street and Taoye Alley, the most the Song family has is two sacks; most only have one. Apart from that, eight small households in town each traded a family treasure for one sack. Basically, most of the valuable old items in town have been sold off. Now there are probably seven or eight left, in decent condition.”
“From now on, more and more outsiders will come to the town. Of course, you won’t be in mortal danger. The reason I’m speaking bluntly is that I hope you’ll make good use of your three sacks of Gold Essence Copper Coins. Don’t let them rot in your hands, but also don’t spend them carelessly. Before me, every sixty years the town would open its gates, allowing about twenty to thirty people to enter and seek opportunities. From now on, that rule is gone. The town will become more and more like an ordinary Dali town. So your three sacks of Gold Essence Copper Coins will be particularly conspicuous and will inevitably cause you a lot of unnecessary trouble. I hate trouble. In that case, I’d have to stick up for you from time to time, but I, Ruan Qiong, would be embarrassed to exchange blows with a bunch of brats every few days. So I’ll give you a suggestion. You can take it or leave it. After you hear it, decide for yourself.”
“Before giving the suggestion, let me make one thing clear. Right now, Gold Essence Copper Coins are at their most valuable, but not everyone can spend them. Apart from the Four Surnames, probably even the Ten Clans are no exception. The Dali Emperor plans to unseal all sixty-one forbidden mountains except Piyun Mountain and sell them to major powers and sects friendly with Dali. The prices of these sixty-one mountains vary by size. The reason the outside world is so eager is that the grand formation of the Pearls Cave Heaven is now broken, reducing it to a blessed land of the mortal world. Though the spiritual qi has plummeted, it is still far superior to ordinary mountains—no less than mountains with orthodox mountain gods. Moreover, the Dali Emperor has promised to canonize one great mountain deity, three mountain gods, and one river god here in the future. Such a dense concentration of orthodox mountain and river gods will ensure that within a thousand li, the area will remain thriving with abundant spiritual qi for the next sixty years. So buying a mountain now is a sure profit with no risk.”
Chen Ping’an asked, “If I buy a mountain today and die tomorrow, what then?”
This question hit the nail on the head.
Ruan Qiong showed a rare smile. “First, as long as you stay honest and behave in the town, you won’t suddenly drop dead for no reason. For example, if some Mountain Moving Ape like before comes looking for trouble, now the town no longer has the worries about breaking or not breaking that concerned Qi Jingchun. I don’t have to abide by the rules he wanted to keep. So I can step in and deal with it for you, because at this point, it’s perfectly reasonable. Second, the Dali court is selling mountains at a loss to curry favor outside Dali. After any mountain is purchased, for three hundred years, even if the buyer dies without heirs, Dali will not take back the mountain within that period. It will be left to lie fallow. Finally, I will be acquiring three mountains this time, with the best feng shui. If you also manage to get a few, we can have adjoining land. Suppose you are unable to develop the mountain for profit. Even if you just lease a peak to me for five hundred years, you can still get annual dividends and enjoy the benefits for you and your descendants.”
This was a lasting wealth of steady income, something countless clans and powerful families dreamed of.
Ruan Qiong was too proud to boast, so he didn’t elaborate.
Chen Ping’an asked curiously, “Master Ruan, what are the approximate prices of those mountains?”
Ruan Qiong said casually, “The smallest one is just a lonely peak. The Dali court named it Zhenzhu Mountain. The asking price is one Gold Essence Copper Coin, but it must be a Welcome Spring Coin.”
Chen Ping’an exclaimed in surprise, “Only one?”
Ruan Qiong laughed. “It’s a tiny place. Calling it a mountain is a courtesy. It’s not even worthy of the word ‘peak’—just a small hill. One Welcome Spring Coin isn’t a bargain because Dali simply couldn’t ask for half a coin.”
Chen Ping’an muttered, “Just one coin, no matter how small the mountain, five hundred years—five hundred whole years belonging to me! How is that not a bargain?”
Ruan Qiong continued, “Medium-sized mountains like Xuanli Mountain, Dayan Mountain, Liandeng Peak, etc., are valued by Dali at around ten to fifteen Gold Essence Copper Coins. The largest small mountain range and the other two mountains—Kuquan Mountain Range, Xianghuo Mountain, and Shenxiu Mountain—all require twenty-five to thirty Gold Essence Copper Coins. This is because there is no bidding war. In the final analysis, what Dali wants to keep is not the sacks of gold essence, but the Four Surnames and Ten Clans and their various connections across Dongbaoping Continent. They hope the real backers and financiers behind them will come forward and proactively contact Dali.”
Chen Ping’an frowned. “Master Ruan, if I take such a big advantage now, won’t I be too conspicuous? Won’t people hold a grudge against me?”
Ruan Qiong laughed heartily. “You have a backer too, don’t you? Far away in heaven, but close at hand.”
Chen Ping’an scratched his head and didn’t immediately agree.
Instead of getting angry at the straw-sandal youth’s ingratitude, Ruan Qiong was rather pleased. “Not getting carried away—not bad. Go back to Niping Alley and think it over carefully. Try to give me an answer by tomorrow. If you delay, things might change. I’m not bluffing you; that’s the truth.”
After leaving the blacksmith shop, Chen Ping’an didn’t snap out of his shock until he reached the stone arch bridge.
In the past, the youth had imagined what it would be like to be rich.
For instance, he might be able to eat meat buns and sugar-coated hawthorns every now and then, have spring couplets, door gods, and the character for “fortune” on his own gate, repair the ancestral home so it looked like a proper house, and bring a jar of good wine and a packet of pastries when visiting his parents’ graves.
Chen Ping’an had never, ever dreamed that one day he could own one or even several great mountains.