Unsheathed

The Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall? Wasn't that a little girl with pigtails?

All of the intercontinental ship administrators present had heard of Xiao Xun's incredible feats. Apparently, she was able to pulverize great demons with nothing more than her bare fists, and they had also heard that she was the most belligerent person on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

So why was it that this young man was claiming to be the Hidden Official?

Despite everyone's confusion, they had no choice but to believe the young man, given that there was no way he could get away with making a false claim of this nature with so many sword immortals present.

Even for those who didn't believe him, they had to pretend. Otherwise, if they were to express any doubt, only to be cut to pieces by a disgruntled sword immortal, then who would avenge them? One would have to be incredibly naive to believe that their peers would avenge them.

Even though the intercontinental ship administrators all appeared to be on cordial terms with one another, the fact of the matter was that they were more so enemies than allies. There had always been conflicts of interest between many of the intercontinental ships, and everyone would be happy to see one fewer competitor.

After taking a moment to assess the situation, an elderly administrator from the Pure White Continent rose to his feet and said, "Congratulations on your appointment to the role of Hidden Official, Sword Immortal Chen. My name is Dai Hao, and I am the administrator of the Sacrificial Broth intercontinental ship from the Pure White Continent. Mentioning my lowly cultivation base would only dirty your ears, so I'll keep that to myself.

"I think I can speak on everyone's behalf when I say that it is an immense honor to have the Hidden Official personally attend to us, and in all honesty, there was really no need to have all of these sword immortals come here as well. Forgive me for perhaps not being as well-informed as I should be, but at the moment, I am unfamiliar with how the battle on the Sword Qi Great Wall is progressing.

"What I do know, however, is that all of the sword immortals present are among the most powerful cultivators under the heavens, and every moment that they spend on Stalactite Mountain is a moment that they'll spend away from the battlefield, which I think is a real shame."

Wu Qiu was quite pleased with this opening salvo from Dai Hao.

While he had spoken with a great deal of reverence and respect, he had also tactfully expressed some displeasure at the rather obvious intimidation tactic of gathering so many sword immortals in one place. While he was only a Golden Core Tier cultivator, if his cultivation base were directly related to his business acumen, then he would've undoubtedly already been a cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers.

Indeed, he had just raised a very valid point. These sword immortals weren't good with business matters anyway, so instead of having them waste their time here, it would be much more appropriate to have them return to battle on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Wu Qiu made a mental note of the favor that Dai Hao had just done everyone. After all, he had taken a great risk in speaking first, and he was fighting for the interests of all of the intercontinental ships from all eight continents. If any sword immortal tried to kill him, then Wu Qiu would be sure to intervene.

Xie Songhua raised an eyebrow as she fixed her gaze on Dai Hao, clearly unhappy with the fact that the first person to challenge the authority of the Sword Qi Great Wall was from her Pure White Continent.

Chen Ping'an listened patiently until Dai Hao was finished, and while his gaze remained on Dai Hao the entire time, he made a calming hand gesture toward Xie Songhua, indicating for her to remain seated.

Chen Ping'an gave Dai Hao a nod, then smiled and said, "Firstly, I'm not a sword immortal. As a matter of fact, it would be debatable to even call me a swordsman. If you're interested, you can make a game out of trying to guess my cultivation base. I've taken many journeys by intercontinental ship, and I know that these long journeys can be very grueling without some way to pass the time.

"Secondly, regarding your point about how these sword immortals should be on the battlefield instead of on Stalactite Mountain, that is a very good point, and I appreciate your candor and concern. You've set a very good example, Dai Hao. From now on, all of us should be as open and direct as you are."

Many of the intercontinental ship administrators present were expecting Chen Ping'an to fly into a rage, and they were rather disappointed at his mellow response.

After a brief pause, Chen Ping'an gently tapped the surface of the table with his knuckles, then continued, "However, ultimately, it's not up to me what these sword immortals should and shouldn't do. In fact, even the old great sword immortal has never ordered them to do anything. Why? It's very simple: sword immortals are sword immortals, and they should be as free as their flying swords.

"Otherwise, they wouldn't be as feared as they are, wouldn't you all agree? A sword immortal is only at their most fearsome when they're free to do whatever it is that they please without any regard for things like sagely teachings and the rules of sects and empires."

Sitting across from the administrator of the Mountain and Water Cave's Clay Pot intercontinental ship was Sword Immortal Xie Zhi of the Circling Ascension Continent.

Sitting across from the intercontinental ship administrators from the Golden Armor Continent was the female sword immortal, Song Pin.

Sitting across from the intercontinental ship administrators from the Flowing Dawn Continent was Sword Immortal Pu He, and the administrators from those three continents were very much in agreement with the sentiment raised by Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an's demeanor remained pleasant and amicable, as if he were speaking to a group of friends, and he continued, "I appreciate your good intentions, Dai Hao, but I feel like it would be more appropriate for someone from another continent to raise these concerns. Sword Immortal Xie has made two very significant contributions on the battlefield for the Sword Qi Great Wall.

"The first time, she ruined the Great Dao foundation of an Unpolished Jade Tier demon sword immortal, and the second time, she destroyed an Unpolished Jade Tier demon cultivator, including their body, soul, and golden core. After these two contributions, Sword Immortal Xie has already earned herself sufficient accolades to leave the Sword Qi Great Wall, so she won't be returning there anyway.

"Instead, she'll be leaving Stalactite Mountain and returning to the Pure White Continent with you all. Did she forget to mention this because she was too busy catching up with you all?"

Chen Ping'an turned his gaze to Xie Songhua as he spoke, and the latter was staring intently at Dai Hao as she replied, "I did tell them; I presume Dai Hao must've forgotten."

"That's fine," Chen Ping'an said as he took a glance at the falling snow outside. "If he's forgotten, then just tell him again now. It's not every day that you get to meet someone from your home continent on Stalactite Mountain, so he must've forgotten amid all the excitement."

Dai Hao had been standing ever since he stood up, and he didn't dare to sit back down.

"What're you standing up for?" Chen Ping'an asked as his smile faded away. "It makes it look like you're looking down on everyone when you're the only one standing, while the rest of us are all sitting. Take a seat."

Dai Hao immediately sat down, while Wu Qiu and Tang Feiqian exchanged a quick glance with one another. It seemed that this newly appointed Hidden Official behaved very differently from other sword immortals.

The administrator of the Pure White Continent's Southern Winnowing Basket intercontinental ship was called Jiang Gaotai. He was the Unpolished Jade Tier immortal who was posing as a Golden Core Tier cultivator. He was very advanced in age, but his appearance was quite youthful, and his seat was in the front row, right next to Tang Feiqian's.

He was on very good terms with Dai Hao, and in addition to that, his disguise had been completely ruined by the Sword Qi Great Wall. All of the intercontinental ship administrators present were extremely shrewd and cunning businessmen, and Jiang Gaotai was concerned that some of them would meddle with his dealings with the Flood Dragon Trench. With that in mind, he felt the need to speak up. He couldn't just allow a woman like Xie Songhua to intimidate the entire Pure White Continent into silence.

"Lord Hidden Official, forgive me for being blunt, but all of us are businessmen, and none of us are particularly proficient in battle," Jiang Gaotai said, not even bothering to stand up from his chair. "If this turns into a fight, I daresay just two or three of the sword immortals that you've assembled here today would be able to kill all of us with ease."

Xie Songhua's eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze fell upon Jiang Gaotai, but she was stoically ignored by the latter, who continued, "From the moment that we stepped into this room with all these sword immortals, we've placed our lives in your hands. We're just trying to do some business and earn a living.

“If you want to have a proper business discussion, then all of us would be more than happy to oblige. However, if you want to make us comply by force instead, then we'll have to accept whatever terms you propose to save ourselves, no matter how terrible those terms may be.

"I don't know what everyone else is thinking, and to be honest, I don't really care. I can only speak on behalf of myself and my Southern Winnowing Basket ship. State whatever price that you fancy, and I'll accept it, even if I have to make a loss. It'll be my congratulatory gift to you for your appointment as the new Hidden Official."

Everyone was very impressed with Jiang Gaotai's bold declaration, and this was exactly the courageous display that was needed.

Wu Qiu's main concern at the moment wasn't Chen Ping'an. Instead, it was the possibility that all of the administrators present would descend into internal conflict and infighting. For example, the Northern Complete Reed Continent and the Pure White Continent had always been at odds with one another, and it wouldn't surprise Wu Qiu at all to see the administrators from those two continents try to tear each other down in this highly tense situation.

Earlier, Shao Yunyan had split all of the intercontinental ship administrators up by continent before having them meet with a sword immortal from their respective continent, and that had been a truly devious move.

It was common knowledge that the Northern Complete Reed Continent and the Pure White Continent were at odds with one another, and in the wake of Jiang Gaotai's statement, an elderly Nascent Tier administrator from the Northern Complete Reed Continent was immediately struck by the urge to speak up in opposition.

Even if he wasn't opposed to what Jiang Gaotai had said in principle, the mere fact that Jiang Gaotai had spoken in such a cocky fashion in front of everyone was enough to make his blood boil. Two administrators from the Pure White Continent had just delivered the two opening statements, and he was not about to let them go unopposed any longer!

However, before any of the intercontinental ship administrators from the Northern Complete Reed Continent could stand up against Jiang Gaotai, they received a message from Li Cai through their mind's lakes, telling them, "Don't react to him. All you have to do is sit and watch tonight."

"Stand up when you speak," Chen Ping'an said with a smile. "Etiquette is very important in the Majestic World."

This statement from Chen Ping'an immediately created a slight stir among the intercontinental ship administrators.

First, you tell Dai Hao to sit down, and now, you tell Jiang Gaotai to stand up? What do you take us for, your playthings?!

Jiang Gaotai was certainly less than pleased. His life thus far had mostly been smooth sailing. He had been blessed with a constant string of fated opportunities, and he had never been humiliated like this by anyone, even when doing business with the Liu Clan on the Pure White Continent.

Chen Ping'an tucked his hands up their opposite sleeves, watching Jiang Gaotai with a smile.

Dai Hao had tactfully criticized Chen Ping'an for gathering all of these sword immortals here instead of allowing them to fight on the Sword Qi Great Wall, and in response, Chen Ping'an had said a bunch of inconsequential nonsense. The only truly impactful statement that he had made was that Sword Immortal Xie had destroyed the golden core of an Unpolished Jade Tier great demon, alluding to Dai Hao's Golden Core Tier cultivation base in a thinly veiled threat.

Jiang Gaotai had gone on the attack, adopting a direct and forceful approach to try and force the Sword Qi Great Wall's hand, yet in response, Chen Ping'an had brought up the etiquette of the Majestic World.

This was very frustrating to many of the old administrators present, as this was precisely the way that business was often discussed in the Majestic World. They had used similar tricks many a time in their business dealings, and they were now being given a taste of their own medicine.

Jiang Gaotai smiled as he stood up and cupped his fist in a salute. "Please pardon me for my lack of etiquette, Lord Hidden Official."

All of the other administrators heaved a collective sigh of relief. They had been terrified that Jiang Gaotai would give Chen Ping'an an excuse to kill him and set an example.

"Apology accepted," Chen Ping'an said with a smile. "You can sit down and speak now."

A furious look appeared on Jiang Gaotai's face as he stood rooted to the spot. If he had been in a private meeting, then as a businessman, he would've had much more tolerance for any humiliation that Chen Ping'an directed his way. However, his concern was that if he were to allow Chen Ping'an to humiliate him like this in front of all of these people, it would impact the many secret business deals that he had with the Liu Clan of the Pure White Continent in the future.

With that in mind, he began to storm out of the room, no longer willing to play Chen Ping'an's game.

"Looks like I'll be returning to the Pure White Continent on the Southern Winnowing Basket then, Lord Hidden Official," Xie Songhua said.

Shao Yunyan was even more direct and straightforward, standing at the entrance directly in Jiang Gaotai's path as he said, "Even if the Sword Qi Great Wall and the Southern Winnowing Basket can't work together in business, the friendship still remains, and that has nothing to do with me anyway, but it just so happens that I'm the owner of the Spring Banner Inn. Hence, before Sword Immortal Xie leaves, I'd like to invite Administrator Jiang on a tour of my Spring Banner Inn."

Shao Yunyan didn't want to see Xie Songhua go to extremes, as that could negatively impact her future cultivation prospects. In contrast, there wasn't much of a future for him left in cultivation anyway, so he didn't have anything to lose.

Jiang Gaotai stopped in his tracks as he burst into laughter, then turned to Chen Ping'an and sneered. "Do you think we're all fools, Lord Hidden Official? Is this how the Sword Qi Great Wall does its business? By intimidating its business partners and killing those who refuse to comply? If you keep this up, I'd like to see how many ships will be willing to come and do business on Stalactite Mountain in half a year's time!"

"You're a smart man, Administrator Jiang," Chen Ping'an said with a smile. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to reach the Unpolished Jade Tier. A smart man like you clearly knows the etiquette of the Majestic World, so I can only assume that you never wanted to do business with our Sword Qi Great Wall from the very beginning. That's fine. You're allowed to leave and take a stroll with Sword Immortal Shao.

“However, before anyone misunderstands, I want to make it clear that Sword Immortal Shao has nothing to do with us. The only reason why I chose the Spring Banner Inn as the meeting place for everyone is for its scenery, and I've paid Sword Immortal Shao on behalf of the Sword Qi Great Wall."

"My humble Spring Banner Inn is very honored to be able to play host to so many sword immortals, so I did give some discount," Shao Yunyan added with a smile.

Chen Ping'an heaved a forlorn sigh as he turned to Jiang Gaotai and said, "Those are some very heavy accusations you've made, Administrator Jiang, ones that I must disagree with. It would pain me to no end if the Sword Qi Great Wall's business dealings with the Southern Winnowing Basket fall through, but I would have no one to blame but myself for not being able to convince you to stay on as a business partner.

"However, right now, I haven't even had the chance to state my price yet, and it seems like you have no interest in hearing what I have to offer at all. The old saying is correct: A man's word is respected only as much as the man himself. My mistake was trying to speak before I earned everyone's respect, and all I've accomplished is making a fool out of myself.

"I won't blame you for your lack of patience, Administrator Jiang. All that I ask in return is that you don't falsely believe that I'm lacking in sincerity and throw unwarranted accusations my way. Even if we are to part ways, we should do so on amicable terms."

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