First Immortal of the Sword

The Imperatorial Provincial Capital.

Since ancient times, it had enjoyed its reputation as “the city of a thousand lakes.” Countless lakes both big and small dotted the city, like bright mirrors embedded in the ground.

Of all the cities within the Great Zhou’s borders, the Imperatorial Provincial Capital’s size and prosperity both ranked in the top ten.

If the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital was the heart of its prefecture, then the Imperatorial Provincial Capital was the epicenter of its subsidiary six prefectures.

The difference between the two was as vast as the gulf between heaven and earth.

Countless factions of all sizes intercrossed here, but only eight stood at the top. They were, respectively, the provincial government, Heaven’s Origin Academy, the Redscale Army, and the city’s five peak-level clans.

Of them, the provincial government represented the Great Zhou’s imperial court; it administered all six of the province’s prefectures.

Heaven’s Origin Academy was one of the Great Zhou’s Ten Great Academies.

The Redscale Army was under the command of the Cloudlight Marquis, Shen Jiusong. Its camp was stationed about thirty miles southwest of the city.

The five great families were the Zhao, Yu, Bai, Zheng, and Xue. All of them were towering entities, their forces so mighty and their authority so great, they could sit alongside the provincial government as equals.

……

The Imperatorial Provincial Capital’s main gates.

No matter where you looked, you’d see people flowing in and out of the city, from peddlers and porters to martial artists. The streets were raucous and lively and packed with carts and carriages.

Su Yi and Cha Jin had already exited their carriage, and under Chen Jinlong’s leadership, they proceeded through the gates.

Shortly after entering the city, the sound of hustle and bustle smacked them right in the face.

Looking off into the distance, they saw wide, clean streets, with densely packed buildings on both sides. The streets were crowded, to the point that pedestrians jostled each other as they walked. It was lively and prosperous.

“This really is the provincial capital, the epicenter of its six prefectures.” A moment’s glance was enough for Su Yi to spot several martial artists with the distinctive presences of Grandmasters.

Although he only caught a glimpse of them before they disappeared into the vast sea of people, it was still rather shocking. After all, in the mundane world, Grandmasters were like dragons. Even in a place like the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital, only a tiny handful of people possessed such capabilities.

But the Imperatorial Provincial Capital was obviously different.

This was a city with sufficient resources to support a Grandmaster’s cultivation. It was like the ocean; Grandmasters from all six prefectures beneath the Imperatorial Province’s rule gathered here, like rivers flowing into the sea.

“Brother Su, if you pass another three alleyways, you’ll reach the House of Waveswept Rocks,” said Chen Jinlong as they walked.

He talked a mile a minute, obviously excited. After all, the provincial capital was vibrant and flourishing; the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital simply didn’t compare.

On their way, Su Yi noticed numerous pawnshops and medicine vendors, and even a few retailers specializing in spirit beast meat and hides.

He also noticed armed martial artists scattered throughout the flow of human traffic.

“Where should I go to sell and purchase spiritual medicines and materials?” asked Su Yi.

“The Goldstone Pavilion,” said Chen Jinlong without so much as pausing to think. “You can count the peak-level trading companies of the provincial capital on your fingers, but they’re one of the few, and furthermore, they’re spread throughout the Great Zhou’s borders. They say their boss is a mysterious, long-established expert of the Jade Capital, and that their reach extends into the heavens.

He paused, and his gaze filled up with longing. “They say the Goldstone Pavilion’s wares include treasures from the four seas and spiritual items from throughout the world. So long as you have sufficient spirit stones, you can even buy spiritual medicines and materials fit for Xiantian Martial Grandmasters. In short, so long as you need something related to cultivation, you won’t go wrong by choosing the Goldstone Pavilion.”

Su Yi nodded, then committed this name to memory.

Cha Jin suddenly lowered her voice and whispered, “Young Lord, many of the Great Wei’s cities have branches of the Goldstone Pavilion too. To the best of my knowledge, they’re backed by an exceedingly powerful faction of cultivators. However, almost no one seems to know just which organization it is.”

Despite himself, Su Yi was surprised.

They’d extended their business from the Great Zhou and into the Great Wei. No ordinary faction could accomplish such a feat.

As they chatted and walked, they suddenly heard a burst of coarse, hearty laughter. “Young Lord, Miss, you’ve come to the provincial capital too?”

When they looked, they saw a stalwart figure standing not far away. He had curled whiskers and a massive sword strapped to his back. His craggy features looked hewn out of rock, and his eyes shone with delight.

Chang Guoke!

Cha Jin couldn’t help but explain, “It’s you!”

Su Yi, meanwhile, teased, “Don’t tell me you’ve run into trouble this time too?”

Chang Guoke instantly felt a bit awkward. He clasped his fist and said, “I am both grateful and ashamed after what happened earlier. I will never forget what you did for me.”

Chen Jinlong stood off to the side, feeling reserved and unsettled. Waves coursed through his heart. He couldn’t even imagine it. Why is this mighty Martial Dao Grandmaster treating Su Yi with such respect?

“Enough. What happened then is all in the past. No need to bring it up,” said Su Yi. He was already walking off into the distance.

Cha Jin hurried after him.

Chang Guoke was stunned for a moment, but then, he couldn’t help but shake his head in self-deprecation.

He naturally wouldn’t miss that Su Yi had no desire to get involved with him any further.

No matter what, I have to repay this favor. Or else, how will I face others going forward? Thought Chang Guoke.

Before long, an ornate chariot stopped beside Chang Guoke. The curtains suddenly opened, revealing a fair and stunningly beautiful face.

Qing Jin.

When she saw Chang Guoke, her sharp, knifelike eyes lit up with a hint of a smile. “Senior Apprentice Brother, long time no see.”

Chang Guoke couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s been a year since you first left the mountain,” he sighed. “This is the first time we’ve met since.”

“Quick, get in the carriage. His Sixth Highness is waiting for us,” said Qing Jin. “Once we get to our destination, we can have a proper conversation.”

“Alright.” Chang Guoke straightforwardly agreed.

……

The Zheng Family.

One of the five great clans of the provincial capital.

Zhou Zhili stood in a luxurious, ornate hall. He muttered, “Uncle, why do you think Yu Baiting has invited me to the Cloudscouring Tower all of a sudden?”

The man sitting across from him was the head of the Zheng Family, Zheng Tianhe. He was cousins with Zhou Zhili’s mother.

However, throughout the Imperatorial Prefectural Capital, only a select few knew of this.

The reason was simple: Zhou Zhili’s mother was just one of the emperor’s many concubines, and her position wasn’t high at all. In terms of influence, she was even inferior to her own son.

Add that to the emperor’s steely disposition and the fact that he saw consorts and their relatives’ interference in politics as a major taboo, and the Zheng Family had never dared publicly declare themselves relatives of the emperor.

“Yu Baiting is crafty and shrewd. His emotions don’t show on the surface, and his thoughts are unreadable.” Zheng Tianhe pondered for a moment, then said, “But since he’s willing to meet with you, Your Highness, this is a decent opportunity. There’s no harm in trying to seize this chance to rope him in. The Tea Party begins in just ten days. If we win the Yu Family’s support, they’ll undoubtedly increase our odds of success.”

Zheng Tianhe was chubby with a handlebar mustache. He just looked like an ordinary rich man.

Zhou Zhili nodded. “Alright. I’ll head to the Cloudscouring Tower soon and meet the man at the helm of the Yu Family for myself.

As soon as he said this, he heard the sound of footsteps from beyond the hall.

The stunning Qing Jin and the tall, stalwart Chang Guoke then walked inside.

Zhou Zhili instantly lit up with delight, and he rose to greet them. “Martial Aunt, is this the sectmate you said would be joining us?”

Chang Guoke cupped his fist. “Chang Guoke. Greetings, Sixth Highness.”

Qing Jin stood to the side and introduced him in more detail. “Senior Apprentice Brother Chang is an outer sect elder of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect, as well as the Pineflame Daoist’s third disciple. He’s a second-level Grandmaster who cultivates the ‘Eight Extremities Sword Dao.’ Within the mundane world, ordinary third-level Grandmasters are no match for him. You ought to call him ‘Martial Uncle.’”

Her words revealed her respect.

“Martial Uncle Chang, please, right this way!” Zhou Zhili was visibly delighted, and inside, his spirits soared.

When he first left the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital, Qing Jin told him that the sect was going to send someone to lend him a hand.

At the time, he’d wondered just who it would be. He would never have guessed that it would be a top-tier second-level Grandmaster! Furthermore, his master was the Pineflame Daoist, the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s grand elder!

As the son of the current emperor, Zhou Zhili was naturally well aware of just how transcendent the Pineflame Daoist’s status was; he was a true Earthly Immortal, an expert who’d long since transcended the Four Realms of the Martial Dao!

Zheng Tianhe was stunned too. He immediately stepped forward and greeted him. “So, our new guest is an expert of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect. This humble one is Zheng Tianhe. Greetings, Mystic Master Chang.”

Qing Jin stepped in to introduce Zheng Tianhe to Chang Guoke.

Chang Guoke clasped his fist. “Family Head Zheng, don’t be so polite. I am unworthy of the title ‘mystic master.’”

Before long, all of them were in their seats.

“Senior Apprentice Brother Chang, you arrived two days later than you promised in your letter,” Qing Jin said softly. “Did something happen to delay your journey?”

Chang Guoke sighed, but he didn’t hide it. “I really did encounter some unexpected problems on my journey. Two days ago, I bumped into a Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast in the wilderness. I felt the thrill of the hunt, and I tried to slay it, but…..”

He then told them everything, from how he first encountered the beast to how Hua Lianxiu, Ji Changhe, and Yin Tong pursued him.

Just hearing it, everyone’s hearts shook, and their expressions shifted again and again.

After all, all of them knew that Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeasts were tier-nine spirit beasts, existences comparable to fifth-level Martial Dao Grandmasters!

Chang Guoke dared attempt to hunt such a creature? How shocking was that!?

Even though he failed in the end, his sheer bravery was worthy of admiration.

And when they learned that Hua Lianxiu and two other Grandmasters had joined forces to hunt Chang Guoke down, Zhou Zhili and Qing Jin’s expressions darkened. They knew that all three were retainers of the third prince!

“I wouldn’t have guessed my third brother would be so brazen,” growled Zhou Zhili. “He dared target even you, Martial Uncle Chang. Isn’t he afraid of provoking the Pineflame Daoist?”

“Your Highness, the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect has decreed that once you enter the world of the mundane, you are to act in accordance with the mundane world’s rules,” muttered Chang Guoke. “Besides, the third prince’s master is the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s vice sect leader. The prince must have known about my intentions to assist you in advance, which is why he sent his retainers to intercept and kill me before I arrived.”

The Hidden Dragon Sword Sect was the Great Zhou’s top holy land, and on the surface, it looked to have transcended the mortal world.

But only Chang Guoke, Qing Jin, and others like them knew that the sect’s top figures were all deeply and inextricably linked with the Great Zhou’s imperial family.

Take the sixth prince’s master. He was the elder of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s Medicinal Pavilion, the Pineflame Daoist’s fourth disciple.

Or the third prince’s master. He was the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s vice leader, Shi Fengliu.

Although he said this, Zhou Zhili found it difficult to conceal his fury. He’d only just learned that his second and third brother had joined forces, and that they saw him, their sixth brother, as their common enemy!

Qing Jin couldn’t help but say, “Senior Apprentice Brother, just how did you escape from Hua Lianxiu and the others?”

Chang Guoke’s expression instantly turned a bit strange. “Now that you mention it, that I made it out alive is entirely due to a mysterious young man of unknown origins. He saved my life.”

Seth's Thoughts

Chinese has different words for uncle depending on how specifically someone is your uncle, ie whether they’re related by blood or by marriage, which parent they’re related to, and whether they’re older or younger than your parent.

I mention this because, while Zhou Zhili calls both Qing Jin and Chang Guoke “Martial Uncle”, (the terms are gender neutral; I swap "uncle" for "aunt" in reference to Qing Jin) the Chinese is a bit different. Qing Jin’s title contains the character for a father’s younger brother, suggesting that she is junior to Zhou Zhili’s master, while Chang Guoke’s title contains the character for a father’s older brother, suggesting that he’s Zhou Zhili’s master’s senior.

Just in case it's not clear in translation, the implication is that Qing Jin is also the Pineflame Daoist’s disciple, but that she is junior to both Zhou Zhili’s master and to Chang Guoke. Is she the fifth disciple? Or is she even further down the hierarchy? There’s no way to know that yet. At least, I don't think there is. It's possible it was mentioned somewhere and I just forgot.