Blade - Unbound

"This is no ordinary celebration! The Mount Hua Wine Unsealing, the Drum King Assembly, the Lantern Festival Divine Tower Contest..."

Shopkeeper Wan's voice trembled with excitement as he continued hoarsely, "Though I belong to the mystic path and have spent my entire life crafting drums and refining artifacts, earning a bit of a reputation for myself, I've ultimately remained confined to Xianyang and never truly traveled the land.

"When I was young, I dreamed of seeing the world and making a name for our craft. But all these years, there were always responsibilities weighing on me. I simply couldn't leave.

"This gathering of the Daoist world... I'm afraid there'll never be another like it in my lifetime. I'm not just doing this for the qualification. I simply want to indulge myself once, to compete with everyone else and prove my worth!"

With that, he bowed deeply and cupped his fists. "Everyone... I'm counting on you."

"Shopkeeper Wan is absolutely right!"

"Exactly! Even if it's not for the steamed bun, we've got to fight for our pride!"

The courtyard immediately erupted into applause and cheers. Seeing everyone's spirits thoroughly stirred and their hearts united, Shopkeeper Wan wasted no time assigning responsibilities.

Preparing for the Divine Tower Assembly was anything but simple. Once the Divine Towers were completed, they still had to invite the deity to descend and perform the consecration ceremony. Thus, Shopkeeper Wan had specifically invited Qing Yangzi, the Daoist in charge of the Xianyang City God Temple, to preside over the rituals.

Even carrying the Divine Tower required proper technique.

The Divine Tower's performance was also known as the "Playing Divine Tower" or the "Divine Palanquin Performance." It had to remain perfectly steady while moving with a distinct rhythm. If they encountered bullies or corrupt individuals who abused their power, the bearers were expected to charge the Divine Tower directly into their gates and doorways, hoping to shock them into abandoning their wicked ways.

To put it bluntly, there was every possibility that fists would start flying. The Huayin Zuo Opera Troupe, the Xianyang Drum Troupe, and the tower bearers all had to coordinate flawlessly while rehearsing for every possible situation.

There was work to be done inside and out! Even a seasoned veteran like Shopkeeper Wan found himself rushing around nonstop, his throat practically smoking from giving instructions. He didn’t even have time to stop for a drink.

Fortunately, Li Yan's task was comparatively simple. His responsibility was to accompany the procession with his Thundercloud Divine Drum. At every crucial moment, he would unleash the Thundercloud Resonance to awe the surroundings.

He was already thoroughly familiar with the rhythms of the Qin-Han style. A few rehearsals would be enough.

After the assignments were made, Li Yan took his leave, bringing Zhao Luzi with him toward Pingkang Street. Since Zhao Luzi refused to enter other people's homes or taverns, Li Yan had already thought of another place to entertain him.

The ruins of the ancient palace lay outside the city. The heavy snowstorm had passed, leaving behind a cloudless sky. But it had buried the palace ruins in snow, with only two crumbling side halls still standing, barely capable of shielding them from the wind.

A bright full moon illuminated the endless snowfield at night until it resembled broad daylight, while the weathered ancient ruins appeared even more desolate and timeless.

Outside one of the ruined halls, a bonfire blazed brightly.

"Hahaha!" After swallowing a mouthful of Xifeng liquor, Li Yan laughed until he shook his head. "Brother Zhao, living like this... what girl would ever dare marry you?"

Zhao Luzi really was an interesting fellow. Now that he had finally saved enough money, he had planned to marry this year. He had even asked a matchmaker in Xianyang to help find a suitable bride.

The problem was, his requirements were simply too bizarre.

First, she had to be capable of enduring hardship and willing to live with him in abandoned Mountain God Temples, putting up with that lonely, monotonous life. Second, she needed to know some martial arts. After all, she'd be accompanying him into the mountains to hunt for treasures. Someone who couldn't even truss a chicken would never survive in the wilderness.

Money and the bride price, on the other hand, were no issue.

Li Yan laughed. "Money's meant to be spent. What's the point of having plenty if the girl has nowhere decent to live? There might be girls willing to sleep under the open sky to help support their families. But asking them to be skilled fighters too? Isn't that making things impossible?"

Zhao Luzi scratched his head and mumbled, "The matchmaker said exactly the same thing. But those are my family's rules. The family line has to continue, and traditions can't be abandoned. If I can't uphold them, this lineage won't survive three generations.

"Our family's craft can only truly be mastered in the mountains. Once someone grows accustomed to city life, there won't be many willing to suffer through that hardship anymore."

Li Yan sighed in agreement. "You're right."

He had witnessed the abilities of the mountain foragers lineage of the treasure hunters firsthand. Their divine abilities, cultivation, and knowledge were important; however, none of that was the true foundation. What truly mattered was the indescribable harmony they shared with the wilderness itself. Moreover, as the Heavenly Dao continued its endless cycle, even the mountains slowly changed.

treasure hunters carefully recorded every subtle transformation. Those minute changes formed one of the methods by which they determined the locations of heavenly treasures.

The mortal world clouded one's heart, and the world itself dazzled one's eyes. It was precisely because people like Zhao Luzi remained steadfast that such ancient and unique traditions had survived to this day.

The two men chatted while drinking. Li Yan trusted Zhao Luzi deeply, so there were certain matters he felt no need to hide.

"Brother Zhao, there's something I should warn you about. The imperial court has developed a new type of firearm. The world may soon change. If you ever run into one... stay as far away as you can."

He then recounted everything he had witnessed.

"Gunpowder... The Li Clan?" Zhao Luzi scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, something related to the Li Clan comes to mind. There's a coalfield near Shenmu Fort in Yulin that the Li Clan suddenly sealed off some time ago. The local villagers aren't even allowed to leave the area anymore, and soldiers from the regional garrison guard all the surrounding mountains, forbidding anyone from approaching."

Li Yan fell into thought. After some time, he mumbled, "If that's the case, you better stay well away from that place. The Li Clan is at the height of its power in Shanzhou right now. We're just people of the jianghu trying to make a living. There's no need to provoke them.

"Besides... What were you doing over there? Don't tell me there's a heavenly treasure nearby?"

"There is." As he spoke, Zhao Luzi pulled several objects from his robes. They were black, oval-shaped objects about the size of a thumb, with a central ridge resembling a shell and layered segments on either side.

Trilobites?!

Li Yan stared in astonishment. He had seen trilobite fossils in his previous life, but the ones Zhao Luzi were holding looked completely different. They appeared carbonized, each only the size of a coin and gleaming like polished obsidian.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, he picked one up. Instantly, a trace of fortune was absorbed into his Great Luo Dharma Body. The amount was tiny, yet it still shocked him.

Absorbing fortune from heavenly treasures came with strict conditions. If the treasure had been startled, its fortune would scatter away, reducing it to an ordinary object. Likewise, once it had been harvested and turned into crafting material, its fortune rapidly settled into the material itself and could no longer be absorbed. Only heavenly treasures that were still in the process of maturing retained fortune that could be harvested.

However, he could actually absorb the fortune off the trilobites!

Li Yan carefully examined the trilobite fossil. "What is this?"

Taking another drink, Zhao Luzi wiped his mouth and smiled. "This is called Coal Essence. This heavenly treasure isn't especially rare. It naturally forms within coal mines. Sometimes they even transform underground and crawl out. Their rear ends glow just like fireflies, and at night they'll wander through the mountains.

"They're extremely alert. The moment a stranger approaches, they'll immediately burrow back underground. And if cornered, they'll disperse all their fortune and explode together with it. Quite a few treasure hunters have died from those explosions, so very few ordinary people even know these things exist.

"Wherever Coal Essence exists, there's bound to be a large coal deposit.

"There are plenty of them, so they aren't worth much. But once ground into powder, they greatly increase the intensity of fire. The Thunderfire Pellets of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect contain some of this stuff. Thus, whenever I find any, I usually sell it to them.

"A while ago, someone even came offering me a lucrative job. They only wanted me to locate Coal Essence for them. I'd already discovered the Shenmu Fort site, so I sold them the location.

"But not long afterward, they came back furious, saying someone had already occupied the area. That was when I learned the Li Clan had already claimed the land."

Li Yan frowned. "Don't deal with those people anymore. Their background is suspicious. This Coal Essence may very well be related to the formula for the new gunpowder. If anything happens, you'll end up getting dragged into it."

Zhao Luzi grunted. "Mhm. They were indeed rather strange. If they come looking for me again, I'll just tell them I couldn't find any."

Li Yan nodded before suddenly smiling. "Brother Zhao, from now on, whenever you discover any heavenly treasures, just tell me! I'll pay you a fair price. That way you won't have to deal with outsiders or worry about getting cheated."

Zhao Luzi agreed without the slightest hesitation. "Sure. But if you're hoping to hunt treasures yourself, Brother Li, the Guanzhong Plains isn't an easy place to find any. Since it’s close to the Qinling Dragon Vein, it originally had plenty of heavenly treasures. But ever since the Qin and Han dynasties, countless Fangxian practitioners and treasure hunters have roamed these mountains. The moment anything valuable appeared, someone took it.

"Nowadays, even finding decent spirit timber is difficult. Instead, the tomb raiding lineage that specializes in grave robbing has developed far beyond our mountain foragers lineage. Experts constantly emerge among them. After all, countless treasures were buried underground, and given enough time, many eventually transformed into heavenly treasures.

"But that line of work is unimaginably dangerous. I constantly hear about one lineage or another rising to prominence, only to vanish inside some ancient tomb without a single survivor.

"Brother Li... Have you ever heard of the Mount Li Daoist lineage?"

Li Yan nodded. "I've dealt with them before."

Zhao Luxi explained, "They don't just guard Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. They also monitor every tomb throughout the Guanzhong Plains. Whenever they discover members of the tomb raiding lineage robbing graves, they immediately intervene. The two sides constantly fight to the death."

Just as before, the two shared liquor, roasted meat, and a campfire beneath the stars, exchanging fascinating stories late into the night. Zhao Luzi recounted countless legends and experiences passed down among treasure hunters.

Li Yan likewise held nothing back, sharing knowledge and stories from his previous life. For example, what they called Coal Essence was actually a kind of ancient fossil.

That was precisely why he enjoyed Zhao Luzi's company. At first, the young man seemed quiet and difficult to approach. In truth, however, he was honest, sincere, and remarkably similar to the naturalists Li Yan had known in his previous life. They too were people who spent years wandering the wilderness.

Zhao Luzi looked for treasures to make a living. But more often than not, he was simply a curious child pursuing the ancient mysteries hidden among the mountains. In his own way, wasn't Zhao Luzi a true seeker of the Dao?

Before they realized it, the bonfire had burned out, and dawn had begun to brighten the horizon.

Zhao Luzi stood and cupped his fists. "Brother Li... I'm leaving."

Li Yan quickly tried to stop him. "Why rush off? You'll be spending the New Year alone in the mountains. Why not celebrate with us?"

"No." Zhao Luzi smiled sheepishly. "There are many abandoned Mountain God Temples in those hills nearby. No one goes to worship there during the New Year.

"When our Mountain-Walking lineage was flourishing, those duties all belonged to us. Now there are fewer and fewer of us. If I don't go... then no one will."

He cupped his fists once more and bowed slightly. "Happy New Year, Brother Li."

"Happy New Year, Brother Zhao." Li Yan solemnly returned the salute, watching as Zhao Luzi hoisted his pack onto his back and strode away, his figure gradually disappearing into the distance.

Time flowed by like running water. Before long, New Year's Eve arrived. The shops throughout the streets had long since closed; pedestrians had become scarce; and nearly every household busied itself with holiday preparations.

Even the notorious troublemakers who roamed Chang'an's neighborhoods had to return home for the reunion dinner. Occasionally, the sound of firecrackers echoed across the open sky.

Before the ancestral altar of the western mystic path lineage, Wang Daoxuan, dressed in a brand-new Daoist robe, respectfully purified the altar, arranged the offerings, lit incense, and paid his respects. He had also prepared ancestral tablets for both Li Yan and Sha Lifei.

He had written a few words upon the small couplets beside them: Three bows each morning and evening; one stick of incense at dawn and dusk.

According to custom, people would normally rise early to worship at their ancestors' graves. Since the three of them were living away from home in Chang'an, that part of the tradition was naturally omitted.

After Li Yan finished pasting the Spring Festival couplets, he headed off to prepare the New Year's Eve feast.

Meanwhile, Sha Lifei swept the courtyard before piling winter cypress branches in the center.

As night fell, firecrackers exploded across the city. Every household lit its own pile of winter cypress, and amid the blazing flames, the three men raised their cups together and drank heartily. From high above, countless courtyards throughout Chang'an glowed with flickering firelight, illuminating the long winter night.

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