Lu Yuan yawned, stretching wide.
To be dragged out of bed by his master at the third watch—truly miserable.
But seeing Master Li Yuanbai’s stern expression, Lu Yuan kept his thoughts to himself.
Li Yuanbai led Lu Yuan into the study.
Lu Yuan had been in this study before. It was simply furnished: a row of bookshelves, a long table, and a single chair, emphasizing minimalism. Yet today, spread across the desk was a massive map. Li Yuanbai stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “Come here, look at this.”
Lu Yuan leaned closer. It was a map of the Great Jin Kingdom, the mountains and rivers depicted in relief.
Li Yuanbai spoke, “The current Great Jin Kingdom is divided into two hundred and seventy provinces. Each province has anywhere from nearly ten prefectures to over twenty. Today, Great Jin encompasses three thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven prefectures. Its territory is vast; the mountains and rivers span what must be tens of millions of li, seemingly boundless.” Lu Yuan already knew the administrative division of Great Jin: Nation, Province, Prefecture, County.
The Nation governed the Provinces, the Provinces governed the Prefectures, and the Prefectures governed the Counties.
There were a staggering two hundred and seventy provinces in the realm, over three thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven prefectures, and tens of thousands of counties, too numerous to count.
Lu Yuan remained silent, already aware of these facts, wondering why his master brought them up today.
Li Yuanbai traced a circle on the map of Great Jin with his finger. Lu Yuan looked and saw the marked area was the Dao East Prefecture. His own Dongye County fell under Dao East Prefecture. Dao East Prefecture was just one of the three thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven prefectures, yet Lu Yuan was puzzled why his master highlighted this specific region.
Li Yuanbai said, his hands behind his back, “My remaining lifespan should see me through another two years, but three years at the absolute maximum.”
Hearing this, Lu Yuan felt a slight pang of sorrow.
Li Yuanbai chuckled softly. “Silly child, why be sad? Your mistress passed long ago, and most of my old friends are gone too. In this world, you are the only one I care about. Once you have matured enough, I can depart without much regret.”
Li Yuanbai continued, “However, before I pass, I must briefly explain my family holdings to you.” Every renowned Ninth Generation Sword Immortal possessed vast estates, and Li Yuanbai was no exception—otherwise, Sima Changbai wouldn't have been so avariciously tempted to seize them.
“I possess some properties here on North Peak, but they are not the main holdings. My principal assets lie elsewhere. But now is not the time to hand over those grand assets, because you are not strong enough yet,” Li Yuanbai stated gravely. “You aren't strong enough to suppress those who guard my holdings for me.”
“Indeed. While I remain alive, my prestige alone is sufficient to keep those people in check.”
“But you cannot.”
“Human hearts are unpredictable. Certainly, a portion of them will remain loyal and steadfastly follow you. But others will scheme in the shadows, and you currently lack the power to subdue them. Don’t speak of borrowing strength, borrowing the sect’s strength. Yes, you can draw upon the sect’s influence. With your status as a genius direct disciple, Senior Brother Yuanyuan will certainly lend you his backing. But strength that is not one’s own will never truly be one’s own. I wish for you to subdue these people using your own power.”
“Therefore, I will first give you a moderately sized asset to test the waters, to see if you can establish yourself there.” Li Yuanbai said, gesturing back to the map, to the area in Dao East Prefecture he had just pointed out. “Not far outside the city in Dao East Prefecture, there is a mine. It primarily yields gold ore, though occasionally, spirit stones are unearthed as well.”
“This place is one component of my greater estate. Go there first and try your hand. You will likely encounter all sorts of situations there, but you must resolve them yourself,” Li Yuanbai said sternly. “The sect, and I, will offer you no assistance. Consider it a trial.”
“Yes.” Lu Yuan nodded.
By tradition, his master's vast estate was his to inherit.
But there were many eyeing his master’s colossal fortune these days.
Some, like Sima Changbai, came overtly.
Others schemed in the dark, proving elusive to track down for now.
Most likely, they believed him to be young and easily bullied. Heh, he thought, I’ll soon show them whether I’m easily bullied.
Lu Yuan exited the room, and silence immediately descended within.
Li Yuanbai stood with hands clasped, gazing dreamily at the Dusk-Glimmer Spirit Sword hanging on the wall. He approached it, drew out a foot of the blade—it shone with a faint dullness—and flicked it with his finger. A low, resonant whum sound echoed. For a moment, Li Yuanbai stared blankly at the spirit sword that had once accompanied him through realms, lost in thought, utterly transfixed.
A long moment passed before he snapped back to awareness.
By now, the sky outside the window was beginning to lighten.
He was truly old, his vital years dwindling. Could his disciple’s future mirror the dawn outside—a gradual brightening leading to full day, and finally, to a brilliant zenith? If so, he could depart in peace. Though he knew Senior Brother Yuanyuan would certainly look after his disciple even after his passing, the worry persisted.
This was the nature of a close elder; worry was inevitable.
——————
Finally descending the mountain. Having lived on the peak for so long, a stroll down below wouldn't be bad.
That was Lu Yuan’s thought process.
But before heading down, there were a few necessary tasks. The most crucial was visiting Ye Yuan to pilfer the several jars of Purple Cloud Immortal Brew he had recently acquired. Purple Cloud Immortal Brew was a step above Grape Spirit Wine, reserved specifically for the renowned Ninth Generation Sword Immortals. Lu Yuan had coveted it fiercely, but his status had prevented him from obtaining any during Senior Martial Uncle Yuanyuan’s five-hundredth birthday celebration.
Normally, apart from a few drunken gourmands, North Peak held little choice in alcohol. However, Yuanyuan Venerable’s five-hundredth birthday was an extraordinary occasion; the wine sale restriction had been temporarily lifted. He recalled that even the miserable Qi Sect direct disciple Zhao Nan had recently compensated the Derxing Restaurant for breaking some aged fine wine.
Returning to the topic at hand, it was rumored Ye Yuan had managed to secure some afterward. Ye Yuan had benefited from his master’s position; his master, Ye Yangrong, was responsible for intelligence gathering for the exceptional five-hundredth birthday, which had many hidden forces lurking within. Since Ye Yangrong managed the oversight, it was hardly an overreach for Ye Yuan to snatch a few jars of Purple Cloud Immortal Brew.
Lu Yuan had originally planned to share the jars slowly with Ye Yuan. He hadn't expected opportunities on the mountain, but now that he was leaving, he needed to secure those jars—at least take half of them.
Otherwise, he felt he would be letting himself down.
“Fatty, hand it over,” Lu Yuan grinned menacingly.
Ye Yuan blinked. “What?”
“Stop pretending. The Purple Cloud Immortal Brew.”
Ye Yuan feigned sudden realization. “I only managed to get one jar, total.”
Lu Yuan sneered, “No need to act, Fatty. Hand them over honestly. I want three jars, or else I don't mind if we ‘brothers’ settle this with a sword fight right now.” This was, undeniably, a blatant show of force. Ye Yuan felt like weeping; he had only acquired six jars in total, and now Lu Yuan was demanding three instantly. He couldn't forget that there was also Ye Fang. But the threat of violence was laid bare before him.
...
In the end, the threat of martial force proved effective. Ye Yuan was on the verge of tears. “Lu Yuan, you are too ruthless, too shameless.”
Lu Yuan, now holding the Purple Cloud Immortal Brew, didn't bother responding. Being cursed at was irrelevant; he had secured the benefits.
(This is the third update, still striving hard. Currently ranked third in the weekly chart; can everyone help me ascend to the heavens and push up another rank or two?)
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