Volume II: Bandits of This Realm Chapter 121: Establishing the City

"Why did you hit me?"

This was the first sentence uttered by the "salted fish." His eyes were filled with resentment, yet they held an unshakable conviction; he was firmly certain that the sharp pain in his backside was a gift from the man before him.

That "man," naturally, was the old fellow currently lowering his eyelids.

Yet Lin Changtian had forgotten a few things. Even if the old man did hit him, what could he possibly do about it? If you tried to reason with him, he would act like a hooligan. If you acted like a hooligan, he would be even more of a hooligan than you.

The old man was likely thinking: *This wretch, after being beaten, not only refuses to surrender but dares to strike back at me!*

Perhaps because Liu Qingshan was usually held in "high esteem," Lin Changtian realized his "mistake." He suddenly repented, swallowed his grievance, and put on a fawning expression, saying with "heartfelt" remorse: "How could it possibly be you, Senior Liu? It must be that I was muddle-headed from sleeping too long! Please, lower that cane, let's talk this out like civilized men."

Well, when a young man of Sishan encounters a stubborn, unruly old senior... the rule is always to admit a mistake if there is one, and to find one if there isn't.

Liu Qingshan didn't hold it against him and instead asked about the celestial phenomena: "You released your internal energy and caused such a massive disturbance. How does it feel?"

Lin Changtian thought for a moment. He knew he had caused a grand spectacle—the kind of aura only a protagonist in a book would possess—so he decided to be humble. He offered a modest smile and said: "How could that be? You flatter me! Actually, when I summoned that giant image, I panicked so much I wet my pants..."

The wind was howling, yet the air suddenly fell into a long, profound silence.

Liu Qingshan was stroking his beard and accidentally pulled out a few strands. He asked cautiously: "Was it really that intense? Enough to make you lose control..."

Lin Changtian was a bit confused and interrupted him: "When others flatter me, shouldn't I start by contradicting them? After all, as the Lord of Sishan, I should be humble. Saying I was scared into wetting myself... it should make me seem simple, unpretentious, and very approachable."

The old man was choked by his own words. He stroked his beard and said slowly: "Then... you must uphold this virtue in the future. Do not care about the gazes of others; those are merely stumbling blocks preventing you from becoming a gentleman."

Lin Changtian nodded, appearing very obedient to Liu Qingshan.

"When others are at the Divine Perception Realm, being able to manifest a flicker of light when comprehending a technique is enough to be called a hero of the land. But you, you little brat... you summoned a giant image that spanned the heavens and the earth. It is truly rare; it even reminds me of my own prowess back in the day." Liu Qingshan sighed. He felt nostalgic for a long time. Although this fellow was usually incredibly annoying, he had to admit that the commotion caused today was something even he had never witnessed before.

Not to mention the disgraced emperor who had used Lin Changtian’s body to contend with the heavens and the earth.

But some people cannot handle praise. Lin Changtian blinked; he had wanted to be humble, but the words slipped out before his heart could stop them. "Did your techniques for releasing internal energy back then also trigger celestial phenomena?"

"No." Liu Qingshan stroked his beard, secretly sighing that this blockhead was still as "well-spoken" as ever.

Lin Changtian didn't hear that. He continued: "Then you didn't summon a Dharma body over ten fathoms tall either?"

"Neither." Liu Qingshan shook his head, his expression turning sour, accompanied by a murderous smile.

"Then what are you bragging about, old man? At your age, you should learn from me and be a bit more humble."

Lin Changtian curled his lip in utter disdain, cut off a piece of his robe, and turned to leave. His steps were light, as if he didn't want to stay a moment longer.

The old man was left choking on his words, frozen in place. Only after a long while did he squeeze a sentence through his teeth: "That child, Changtian, has truly been clever since he was small."

He decided that the clever Lord of Sishan was due for a thorough beating by the realities of the world.

***

"Child of the Lin family, slow down, slow down."

Lin Changtian stood with his hands behind his back, not looking back, and said to himself: "What does the shameless old senior want with me?"

"This old man has realized his own vulgarity and has come to seek guidance... After all, the Lord of Sishan is here to help the mountain folk eliminate ignorance, isn't he?"

"Speak." Lin Changtian’s words were short; he knew his status—a great hero should speak little.

Liu Qingshan sneered coldly behind him, startling Lin Changtian into turning around, only to face a bizarre-looking old face.

"I... have a presumptuous request. At my age, I need to be happy in body and mind to live with clarity. There aren't many old women on this mountain, and I don't have the face to look at the young girls, so you must lend me your body to use. Let me beat you up; the effect is pretty much the same..."

"It’s one thing that the old thief likes men, but he actually likes *this*?" Lin Changtian exclaimed, struggling to run away. Unfortunately, a Divine Cave realm cultivator is still a Divine Cave realm cultivator; no matter what, he couldn't beat someone at the Heaven-Ordaining realm.

Before long, screams rang out incessantly, rhythmic and very "cheerful."

***

Liu Qingshan, satisfied, walked up the mountain with a light step, humming a little tune; he looked like a carefree wanderer.

"Slow down, old senior, I can't keep up." Lin Changtian followed behind, clutching his backside, not daring to stray more than three meters away.

Liu Qingshan glanced at him and sneered: "What, looking for another beating?"

"I’m here to talk business with you, Senior." Lin Changtian was much more well-behaved now and said softly: "I want to establish a city on Sishan."

"Hm?" Liu Qingshan was startled, and one could even see a hint of guilt on his face. "Changtian, I held back my strength when I beat you earlier... I didn't beat the child silly, did I?"

Lin Changtian remained silent. He wanted to retort: *You call that holding back? Who uses True Qi to beat a child?*

"Well, Senior, I am speaking seriously. Why are you acting so differently? Building a city isn't difficult. After all, the current prosperity of Sishan is no less than that of Anma City."

"None of that counts." Liu Qingshan waved his hand and smiled: "Sishan is prospering on a trend. If you lose a battle, or if the trend fades, all this prosperity will become smoke and mirrors. Don't forget, the south of the Northern Territory is the most barren; that is the fundamental shackle."

He spread his hands, the meaning clear: Sishan cannot afford to be squandered.

"These are not major issues. From village to town, from town to city—throughout history, people gather and thrive; this truth remains unchanged. I know what you are worried about. We have no noble families in Sishan, so there is no need to exhaust ourselves building those high towers and grand palaces."

Liu Qingshan pondered for a moment and nodded, though his brows remained furrowed: "There is a rule in the Northern Territory that has remained unchanged for a thousand years... that is the true stumbling block."

"I would like to hear the details."

"If you are to establish a city, do you have a name?" Liu Qingshan tucked his sleeves and asked casually.

Lin Changtian didn't get annoyed and responded honestly: "It is called 'Mo Bai' (Ink White)."

"Mo Bai? That’s interesting. To know the black yet guard the white."

"To be honest, I don't really understand it either." Lin Changtian spread his hands, looking helpless: "After drinking that wine today, I fell asleep. When I woke up, my stomach hurt terribly, and this name was carved into my heart."

The old man glanced at him with a strange expression, making him even more determined to hide the existence of that person.

Well, no matter how he looked at this blockhead... he didn't look like an emperor, even a disgraced one.

"Old Senior Liu, tell me honestly, is that woman who sold the wine your mistress? Did you collude to trick me?" Seeing Liu Qingshan’s continued silence, Lin Changtian’s expression turned increasingly sour, suspecting that Liu Qingshan had tampered with the wine to play a prank on him.

***

"I really want to slap you back to the Central Plains," Liu Qingshan pursed his lips and snorted coldly. "That woman would be too old even to be my sister!"

Lin Changtian frowned; he decided to criticize the old man for being so picky.

He had to put on the airs of the Lord of Sishan first. Thinking this, he cleared his throat and pretended to be serious: "Liu Qingshan, what kind of attitude is this! Sishan has always had more wolves than meat. You, an old comrade, are still being picky—do you think this is a vegetable market? Besides, what’s wrong with that lady at the east end, other than being a bit old? She owns a tavern! In the words of the Central Plains, she is a wealthy lady, and women are like fine wine—the older they are, the deeper and more refined they become..."

"Then why don't you follow her?" Liu Qingshan interrupted with a sneer, raising his cane as if he would strike if things went wrong.

"Me?" Lin Changtian pointed to himself. The expression on his face was inexplicable—a mix of melancholy, confusion, and the naive ignorance of youth. He sighed: "I am the Lord of Sishan... I must devote myself to the great cause. How can I be entangled in the petty affairs of romance?"

Liu Qingshan glanced at him and said irritably: "Stop with the glib talk. That rule is very troublesome. The new generation of the Northern Territory, like Lin Yuan, Ma Hui, or Cheng Yu, might not care, but those old dogs who are still alive... let's just say they are passionate about the business of crushing young people."

"So... they are like you? Always bullying good people like us, relying on their seniority and power to act like tyrants."

"If you were a 'good thing,' then every bad guy in the world would be volunteering for the Red Cross." Liu Qingshan, unable to hold back his anger, kicked him again. "I told you not to be glib! Now is the time to talk business. That rule is an ancestral precept of the Northern Territory. It is clearly written: whoever opens a city and establishes a domain shall be attacked by all kings."

Lin Changtian clutched his stomach, more certain than ever that the old man had a thing with that lady, otherwise why would he keep aiming for his gut?

Yet he had to put on a look of grievance. He said softly: "Old Senior, this rule of yours sounds like something from centuries ago. Even in this wilderness of the Northern Territory, there is no such thing as kings, princes, or generals anymore."

"It is easy to cut off the braid on one's head, but difficult to remove the one in one's heart." Liu Qingshan squinted and sneered: "Not to mention the Northern Territory; even the Central Plains cannot escape this custom. There are many absurd things in the Wenyuan Divine Continent, but which one isn't done with full knowledge of the consequences? Though there are no emperors, it is as if there are. In this respect, the Northern Territory is no cleaner, but it is much more sincere than the Wenyuan Divine Continent. At the very least, people here have some shame and haven't stooped to the level of being greedy for fame and profit."

"So, you mean that if the people of the Northern Territory attack, they are determined to destroy me, not just to loot some benefits and leave?" Lin Changtian asked honestly.

The old man half-closed his eyes and nodded. "Although Sishan won a great victory over Ma Hui, what happens after the prestige of that battle fades? Lin Yuan is a fierce tiger, but he has a dozen old dogs in their twilight years whispering in his ear. Cheng Yu is even worse; he is just a vicious dog, but he has several old wolves looming over him."

"Can I not establish it?"

"You are far from it."

Lin Changtian fell silent, counting on his fingers as if calculating something.

Liu Qingshan just watched, unfazed.

After a long while:

"After this battle, are thirty thousand Sishan iron cavalry enough?"

"You have the soldiers, but no generals."

Lin Changtian pointed toward the direction of Weinan Pass and said softly: "There is a general who guarded Chuji for over ten days—that is Kuisheng. There is a general who stood alone in the chaotic battle—that is Ziliang."

"No matter how satisfied you are with the soldiers and generals, it is a pity that the commander is not good enough. You are too much of a 'saint,' lacking the dominance of a hegemon." Liu Qingshan opened his robes, threw his cane aside, and stood against the wind.

That day, the Lord of Sishan laughed toward the south, worthy of being called a hero.

He pointed at Liu Qingshan and said only one thing: "The Northern Territory is only a thousand miles wide. If the others can kill, why can’t I?"