Chapter 16
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16
Jang Pyeong was momentarily lost for words at Lee Hyun’s question.
“It seems you have truly come from far away, Fellow Daoist.”
“I only arrived in the Untaek Kingdom recently.”
“Then it’s no wonder you don’t know.”
Gathering the Water Root Grass on his straw mat and pushing it neatly to one side, Jang Pyeong explained, “The Bureau of Heavenly Service is an institution established by the royal house of the Untaek Kingdom to recruit rogue cultivators as retainers.”
“Recruiting rogue cultivators as retainers?”
“Indeed. As you know, there are hardly any usable spirit veins in the Untaek Kingdom. There isn’t a single proper cultivation sect, and most clans that produced Foundation Establishment Cultivators have long since left for other lands in search of better spirit veins. I’ve heard that the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators currently in the Untaek Kingdom can be counted on one hand, even including the high-ranking retainers in the Bureau of Heavenly Service.”
Jang Pyeong glanced toward the capital.
“Yet just because the spirit veins are poor doesn’t mean cultivator-related matters never arise. Demonic beasts descend from the mountains, and spirit insects proliferate in the rivers. Robber cultivators target the royal family or wealthy merchant caravans, and rogue cultivators from other countries sometimes cross the border.”
“And the retainers of the Bureau of Heavenly Service handle those matters?”
“Most of them, yes.”
According to Jang Pyeong, the rogue cultivators affiliated with the Bureau of Heavenly Service were divided into two main types: Cultivator Retainers and Guest Retainers.
Cultivator Retainers resided in Cloud Capital or local bureau offices and drew a monthly stipend. The royal house guaranteed their residence and status, provided them with spirit stones and pills, and even granted them the right to harvest spiritual herbs from royal-owned mountains. In exchange, they had to carry out assigned duties, such as guarding the royal family, subjugating demonic beasts near Cloud Capital, or escorting precious goods.
Guest Retainers, on the other hand, merely registered their names on the bureau’s roster and were otherwise free to live as they pleased. They received no monthly stipend, but upon completing missions, they were rewarded with spirit stones, spiritual herbs, pills, talismans, cultivation arts, and spells. They had no need to swear fealty to the royal house or remain in Cloud Capital.
Naturally, the compensation for completing a single mission was modest compared to the benefits enjoyed by Cultivator Retainers. Moreover, the rewards offered by the Bureau of Heavenly Service fell far short of what a proper cultivation sect could provide.
“So Guest Retainers are a kind of mercenary.”
“Essentially, yes.”
“Then… if one were to join the Bureau of Heavenly Service, wouldn’t becoming a full retainer be better? It seems there wouldn’t be many dangerous matters in the mortal realm.”
Jang Pyeong chuckled.
“Not necessarily. Eating from the royal purse means you can be summoned for dangerous tasks at any time.”
“Do you mean subjugating demonic beasts?”
“Demonic beasts are one thing, but there is a far greater reason the Bureau of Heavenly Service recruits retainers and guest retainers on such a massive scale.”
Jang Pyeong lowered his voice slightly.
“It is because of the Heavenly Yang Kingdom.”
“The Heavenly Yang Kingdom?”
“A nation bordering the south of the Untaek Kingdom. Its territory is four times the size of Untaek’s, and its population and military strength are overwhelmingly greater.”
According to Jang Pyeong, the Heavenly Yang Kingdom also lacked substantial spirit veins, so cultivation forces had failed to take root there as well. However, the martial way had developed exceptionally well in its place. Martial sects and clans boasting lineages of hundreds or even thousands of years were scattered across the land, and the court even trained its soldiers in internal energy cultivation methods and coordinated battle formations.
Not only were masters of the Transformation Realm common, but experts who had reached the Profound Realm were far more numerous there than in Untaek. Rumor even whispered that within the military under the royal family’s direct command, there were those who had surpassed the limits of the Profound Realm.
“That would certainly be dangerous. I’ve heard that masters of the Profound Realm can rival Qi Refining cultivators.”
“Rivaling them is an understatement. If a Qi Refining cultivator lacking combat experience is ambushed by a Profound Realm expert, they could be killed instantly. Moreover, Heavenly Yang has researched group combat tactics specialized against Qi Refining cultivators—like the Chain Sword Formation—for many years. They are truly not to be underestimated.”
Jang Pyeong smiled wryly.
“Heavenly Yang was originally a country where martial arts flourished. However, up until several centuries ago, they also treated cultivators as retainers, much like Untaek does. But after the tyrannical arrogance of a few cultivators severely disgraced the royal house, the court reduced its reliance on them and began training martial artists on a grand scale. Today, the fruits of that effort are formidable. Using martial artists as their vanguard, they have been pushing their border steadily northward.”
The Heavenly Yang Kingdom had raised massive armies to invade the Untaek Kingdom several times in the past. Yet their forces were bogged down by Untaek’s terrain of rivers and marshes, and even their martial arts masters suffered heavy losses after being checked by the retainers of the Bureau of Heavenly Service.
Since then, rather than waging all-out war, they had chosen to chip away at border fortresses, mines, and vital water transport hubs. Even now, clashes large and small broke out ceaselessly along the border.
“I see. But if Heavenly Yang’s territory is four times that of Untaek and its forces are vastly superior, why is it called a kingdom rather than an empire?”
Jang Pyeong laughed heartily.
“Haha! How could a mere mortal dynasty dare claim to be an empire?”
“Would anyone stop them if they proclaimed an emperor?”
“All of this is the domain of the Earth Kingdom.”
“The Earth Kingdom?”
“The Untaek Kingdom, the Anreung Kingdom to the north, the Heavenly Yang Kingdom to the south, and over a dozen other mortal kingdoms all belong within the Earth Kingdom, a Tier 4 cultivation nation.”
This was an entirely new concept to Lee Hyun.
“A cultivation nation? Do you mean… the boundaries of mortal nations are different from what cultivators call a cultivation nation?”
“Indeed. Mortals generally divide their borders by mountains, rivers, fortresses, and post roads. When a kingdom prospers, its territory expands; when it declines, neighboring lands seize its soil. But what cultivators refer to as a cultivation nation is defined by the spheres of influence of spirit veins and sects. The expanse of a single cultivation nation is vastly wider than any mortal realm.”
“Then which forces oversee the Earth Kingdom?”
“The Azure Gauze Sect and the Crimson Sky Sect.”
Jang Pyeong pointed eastward.
“About thirty thousand li east of Cloud Capital lies a colossal mountain range called the Azure Gauze Mountains. A Tier 4 spirit vein flows there, and the Azure Gauze Sect, home to a Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator, resides upon it.”
“Where is the Crimson Sky Sect?”
“If you travel another ten thousand li east of the Azure Gauze Mountains, you will reach the Crimson Sky Mountains. A Tier 4 spirit vein flows there as well, occupied by the Crimson Sky Sect. From Cloud Capital, it is roughly forty thousand li to the east.”
“Does the Crimson Sky Sect also have a Nascent Soul cultivator?”
“They do. As far as I know, the only sects in the Earth Kingdom with Nascent Soul cultivators are the Azure Gauze Sect and the Crimson Sky Sect.”
Jang Pyeong lowered his voice again.
“Beneath them are numerous sects and cultivator clans led by Golden Core cultivators, but major matters concerning the entirety of the Earth Kingdom are mostly decided by the will of those two great sects.”
“What sort of major matters?”
“Things like establishing the taboos cultivators must observe. If demonic path cultivators slaughter mortals on a massive scale or conduct blood sacrifices, the sects dispatch law-enforcement cultivators. And if forces from another cultivation nation encroach upon the Earth Kingdom, the two great sects step forward to respond.”
Lee Hyun processed the hierarchy in his mind.
“I see. Indeed, if a mortal realm dared proclaim itself an empire, the great cultivation sects would scoff.”
Jang Pyeong stroked his beard.
“Therefore, even if Heavenly Yang were to swallow all the other kingdoms within the Earth Kingdom, they could hardly claim the title of emperor without the tacit approval of the Azure Gauze Sect and the Crimson Sky Sect. No matter how vast a mortal army may be, defying a Nascent Soul cultivator is utterly impossible.”
“Then in the eyes of the two great sects, a war between Untaek and Heavenly Yang is merely a squabble among mortals within their domain.”
Jang Pyeong nodded.
“Precisely. It is nothing the two great sects would bother with. In truth, cultivators at Foundation Establishment or above do not carelessly intervene in mortal wars. If one slaughters thousands or tens of thousands of mortals, law-enforcement cultivators from the Azure Gauze Sect or the Crimson Sky Sect might come knocking.”
“Are Qi Refining cultivators exempt from this?”
“Not unconditionally. Naturally, even a Qi Refining cultivator who slaughters mortals indiscriminately would incur the wrath of the two sects. If one slays countless mortals for a blood sacrifice or refines demonic arts using human blood essence and souls, they will be hunted down to the ends of the earth. But as long as one avoids such deeds, the great sects don’t bother paying attention to mere Qi Refining cultivators.”
“Which is why mortal kingdoms can hire Qi Refining cultivators.”
“Exactly. Serving as a retainer for a mortal kingdom, clashing with martial masters, or even participating in warfare is usually overlooked. In the eyes of the great cultivation sects, both Qi Refining rogue cultivators and mortal martial masters are likely seen as nothing more than mundane beings.”
Mundane beings…
Lee Hyun felt a strange sensation. To him, a Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivator was an impressive powerhouse. Yet to the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Azure Gauze Sect and Crimson Sky Sect, the entire realm of Qi Refining was no different from the martial artists of the mortal world.
“Is the Great Yeon Kingdom also part of the Earth Kingdom?”
“The Great Yeon Kingdom? You mean that rustic backwater north of the Anreung Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe it belongs to the Earth Kingdom… I heard it falls under another cultivation nation to the north, though I don’t know much about the situation up there.”
“I see.”
So that’s why I never heard of the Azure Gauze Sect or Crimson Sky Sect when I was in Cheongha Valley…
Just then, an elderly man wearing a bamboo hat stopped before Jang Pyeong’s stall.
“How much for the Water Root Grass?”
“Three copper coins a bundle.”
Examining the condition of the roots closely, the old man picked up two bundles. Six copper coins dropped into Jang Pyeong’s palm.
“Shake off a bit more dirt next time.”
“Hmph. The dirt keeps the roots from drying out.”
Once the customer left, Jang Pyeong slipped the coins into a worn pouch at his waist. Lee Hyun couldn’t help but ask, “Fellow Daoist Jang, you are a cultivator, yet you sell mortal medicinal herbs.”
Jang Pyeong smiled wryly. “I’ve been stuck at the third layer of Qi Refining for over fifty years.”
“Over fifty years?”
“I turn eighty-four this year, so the odds of breaking through are practically nonexistent. I grew sick of holing up in my cave dwelling to cultivate all day long.”
Jang Pyeong looked out at the people on the street. Peddlers with packs on their backs called out loudly to attract customers, while children spun wooden tops and dashed about in a corner of the marketplace.
“So these days, I dig up herbs by the river and come out to the market to sell them. Not to make money, but to watch the people. Sitting alone in my cave dwelling makes the days drag on endlessly, but out here, time flies.”
Lee Hyun felt a warmth toward the old man. While it was a pity that he had practically given up on the path of cultivation, his willingness to explain so much to a rogue cultivator he had just met showed he was good-natured.
“Thank you for explaining so kindly.”
“If you’re grateful, buy a bundle of Water Root Grass.”
Lee Hyun thought of the low-grade spirit stones inside his storage pouch. Giving one away as a token of thanks didn’t seem wasteful. Considering that decades-old spirit plants were growing in Tunnel No. 1, a single low-grade spirit stone might not be much money in the future.
However, he soon changed his mind.
If a second-layer Qi Refining rogue cultivator hands over a low-grade spirit stone just for hearing a simple explanation, people might wonder how many I have rather than feel grateful.
Even if Jang Pyeong seemed benign, there was no telling who might be listening nearby.
Lee Hyun bought a few bundles of Water Root Grass with mortal copper coins. Though Water Root Grass was merely a mortal herb, if he planted it near the aquifer in Tunnel No. 1 and left it for decades, who knew what changes might occur?
“Do you happen to know when the Bureau of Heavenly Service recruits retainers?”
“The Bureau of Heavenly Service always welcomes cultivators, so there is no fixed season.”
“And if you are looking for the Emerald Cloud Market, head about five hundred li down the official road outside the South Gate and look for Mount Emerald Cloud. Infuse your spiritual power into the green stone tablet at the foot of the mountain, and the entrance will reveal itself.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Hyun bid farewell to Jang Pyeong and stepped away from the stall.
A kind man. If I see him again, I should bring him some leftover Cheongha Rice.
He made his way to a quiet spot on the outskirts of Cloud Capital. After verifying no one was around, he was about to head to the Emerald Cloud Market when the spirit fields in Tunnel No. 1 suddenly crossed his mind.
Ah, right… I need to cast the Spiritual Rain Spell every ten days. Should I head straight back?
Lee Hyun calculated the date he had last cast the spell. There were about five days left.
No, the Emerald Cloud Market is practically right next door. Since I’ve come this far, I might as well stop by the market before heading back.
Tunnel No. 1 was over eight thousand li to the northwest. In contrast, the Emerald Cloud Market was only about five hundred li south of Cloud Capital. At his full speed, he could arrive in under two shichen.
Mount Emerald Cloud was not particularly high compared to the surrounding peaks, but blue-green clouds lingered lazily below its summit. When he channeled spiritual power into the green stone tablet at the mountain base, a narrow path opened up in what had appeared to be a sheer cliff.
At the end of the path lay a modest valley, similar in scale to the Songun Market. Wooden shops lined both sides of the valley, and a few tents and stalls stood in the central clearing. A dozen or so rogue cultivators browsed goods or haggled over prices.
The cultivator guarding the entrance glanced at Lee Hyun before speaking.
“No private brawling within the market. If you sell goods, you must pay ten percent of the value to the Emerald Cloud Association.”
“I only intend to buy.”
“Enter.”
Lee Hyun walked into the market. The first thing that caught his eye was a shop selling magical artifacts, but he forced himself to look away.
I came here for spirit plant seeds today.
Strolling slowly through the area selling seeds, Lee Hyun first purchased those of a spiritual herb called the Yin Water Lotus. The Yin Water Lotus grew in cold, lightless water, and the lotus pods harvested from aged plants were reportedly highly sought after by alchemists. Its drawback was that it took at least fifty years to produce its first bloom, making it an unpopular choice for any Qi Refining cultivator.
Browsing further, Lee Hyun eventually paused before one stall. Desiccated roots, seeds, and small pots were arranged densely on its surface. The stall owner was a balding, elderly Qi Refining cultivator.
“Do you have any spirit plants that can grow where no sunlight reaches?”
The old man rummaged through his wares for a moment before producing a small wooden box.
“These are seeds of the Rock Honey Peach.”
“A peach?”
“It resembles one. But unlike ordinary peach trees, it dislikes sunlight. It grows by absorbing the water and earth energies permeating the ground, so you can even cultivate it inside a cavern.”
Lee Hyun’s eyes brightened.
“When does it bear fruit?”
“I’m sorry to say, but thirty years at the earliest.”
“Then it must not be very popular.”
“Well, naturally. It isn’t something Qi Refining cultivators with limited lifespans like us can afford to tend for thirty years. And even then, it only yields one or two fruits a year for several decades. They say the older the tree, the more fruit it bears and the better it tastes. A hundred-year-old Rock Honey Peach is said to have flesh sweeter than honey, yet cold and crisp.”
“Have you tasted one yourself?”
“Where would I ever get a chance to eat a hundred-year-old Rock Honey Peach? I read it in an ancient tome.”
“What about its medicinal efficacy?”
The old man shrugged.
“It absorbs spiritual qi, so it is certainly a spirit fruit. But the section detailing its efficacy was damaged in the book I have, so I couldn’t say.”
Gazing at the seeds of the Rock Honey Peach, Lee Hyun imagined a scene a hundred years from now: sitting beneath the tree, plucking and savoring the honey-sweet peaches one by one.
“I’ll take them.”
Lee Hyun spent two low-grade spirit stones to buy multiple seeds of both the Yin Water Lotus and the Rock Honey Peach. After leaving the Emerald Cloud Market, an idea suddenly struck him.
If I collect the water from the Spiritual Rain Spell in a reservoir beforehand, could I design a mechanism to release it into the spirit fields at regular intervals while I’m away?
Before heading back to Tunnel No. 1, Lee Hyun returned to Cloud Capital.
Upon arriving, Lee Hyun asked around until he found the outer city district where artisans gathered. It was packed with workshops making water wheels, watermills, and agricultural tools. Outside the largest of these workshops, water clocks of various sizes and intricate wooden gears were on display.
When Lee Hyun entered, an old artisan missing two fingers paused his polishing of a wooden plank and looked up.
“What brings you here?”
“There is an item I would like to have made.”
“Speak.”
Lee Hyun pondered for a moment before asking, “Could you build a device that stores water in a large cistern and discharges a set amount onto a field once every ten days?”
The old artisan knitted his brows.
“Once every ten days?”
“Yes.”
“Without anyone touching it?”
“Correct.”
“What is the size of the field?”
“Two zhang wide and sixteen zhang long—about half a mu.”
“Where will the water come from?”
“I can collect it in a large reservoir beforehand. The device only needs to discharge a fixed amount from the reservoir into the field at intervals of roughly ten days.”
The old artisan stroked his beard in thought.
“If the water is already prepared, there’s no need for an overly complex mechanism.”
Picking up a brush, the old artisan drew a large reservoir on a wooden board, with a trough positioned directly beneath it. An axle ran horizontally through the trough’s center.
“Water will drip slowly from the reservoir, collecting in this trough. After about ten days, once the water reaches a certain weight, the front end will become heavy enough to tip forward on its own.”
The artisan added a tilted channel below the trough, leading to a drainage outlet.
“The collected water will then pour into the field all at once. As soon as the trough is empty, a stone counterweight at the back will pull it back into its original position.”
Lee Hyun studied the drawing. “It’s simple.”
“With contraptions like this, simplicity means reliability. Does it need to trigger at exactly ten-day intervals?”
“A small margin of error is fine.”
“Then this design is your best bet.”
The old artisan asked about the number of furrows in the field and the volume of water needed for each release. Lee Hyun explained the layout of one of his spirit fields.
“I’ll craft a small prototype first. Come back in a month.”
“How much will it cost?”
“Do I need to build the reservoir and the irrigation channels as well?”
“I can make those myself.”
“Then including the prototype, the bronze pipes, and the axle, it will be fifteen taels of silver.”
Lee Hyun paid a deposit in silver. While the price was rather steep for a mortal contraption, acquiring silver was child’s play for him.
“I will return in a month.”
Leaving Cloud Capital, Lee Hyun sprinted with all his might back toward Tunnel No. 1.
Three days later, he arrived safely.
“Phew… I really ran myself ragged.”
He still had nearly two days before he needed to cast the Spiritual Rain Spell again. Relieved that he had plenty of time, a sudden thought struck him.
Come to think of it, I’ve never actually tested the cycle of the Spiritual Rain Spell in detail.
Lee Hyun had spent over a hundred and fifty years in Tunnel No. 1, yet he had no idea how many days the spirit plants could endure without the spell. The question had never occurred to him before, simply because he had never intended to take long journeys. While living in the tunnel, casting the Spiritual Rain Spell once every ten days was no burden at all.
He spent the rest of his time cultivating the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art, practicing other spells, or reading the novels and miscellaneous books he bought from the mortal world. When there was nothing else to do, he simply lay down and slept.
A cultivator’s body didn’t suffer from aches or stiffness after lying down for long periods, nor did the skin break or ulcerate from pressure. Whether he circulated the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art while sleeping for a single day or for three days straight, his body only grew healthier, never deteriorating. He would occasionally open his eyes to munch on a few nuts, pick up the next volume of whatever book he was reading, and a decade would slip by in the blink of an eye. Lee Hyun was truly a man who excelled at passing the time.
Because he wasn’t being chased by a finite lifespan, he never bothered fretting over matters that weren’t strictly necessary. Naturally, finding ways to improve his spirit field management had never even crossed his mind.
Now that he wanted to be away for extended periods, however, the situation was different.
I want to join the Bureau of Heavenly Service and interact with other cultivators.
The fact that the Bureau of Heavenly Service had persisted for so long and consistently rewarded rogue cultivators meant they possessed their own legacy techniques and research.
Of course, joining wasn’t entirely without risk. The Untaek royal house surely had no desire to be controlled by cultivators they invited from outside. There were bound to be Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators or even Foundation Establishment cultivators within the bureau who held deep ties to the royal family, keeping the other retainers and guest retainers in check.
Yet Lee Hyun had zero intention of antagonizing the royal family, so he had no reason to incur their displeasure. If he simply registered as a Guest Retainer and completed a few missions, he might get the opportunity to exchange foundational knowledge on Pill Refining, Artifact Crafting, Talisman Making, Formations, spirit plants, and insect rearing.
And martial arts masters likely frequent the Bureau of Heavenly Service, too.
Subjugating demonic beasts or clashing with martial artists from the Heavenly Yang Kingdom would require more than just Cultivator Retainers. The Bureau of Heavenly Service surely collaborated with military officers and martial artists as well. Though they were few, the Untaek Kingdom was bound to have masters who had reached the Profound Realm.
Could I perhaps learn how to actually fight from them?
Although his Cheonggang Sword Formula had reached Minor Accomplishment, the only opponent Lee Hyun had ever swung his sword at was the empty air of the cave’s training ground.
To Lee Hyun, his greatest weakness was his lack of combat experience. Yet acquiring it safely was no easy task. He could join a cultivation sect to learn, but it was impossible to predict what might happen there. If his abnormally vast reservoir of spiritual power were discovered, it could spell trouble. He might suffer severe injuries during sparring. Above all, there was no guarantee he would find a master or senior martial brother willing to teach him.
By contrast, joining the Bureau of Heavenly Service as a Guest Retainer would allow him to choose his missions. Sparring with martial artists seemed like a relatively safe way to build combat experience.
“Hmm. Sparring could actually be pretty fun. Rather than staying cooped up and sleeping all day, I’d get to move around a bit…”
Lee Hyun briefly imagined himself clashing blades with a Profound Realm master in a spectacular duel. He pictured himself darting across a training ground, thrusting his Earth-Shoveling Sword, and deflecting a lethal counterattack in a dazzling exchange.
Heh…
His total spiritual power, which stood at 101 according to his Handmade Status Window, gave him a quiet confidence.
In truth, when he channeled his immense spiritual power into a Spherical Qi Barrier or a Spirit Light Shield, they became so resilient they couldn’t even be compared to the spells of an ordinary 2nd layer Qi Refining Stage cultivator.
Moreover, his Body-Protecting Spirit Light was extraordinary. It was a barrier naturally generated by a body suffused with spiritual power. If the Spherical Qi Barrier was an applied spell modeled after it, the Body-Protecting Spirit Light was something closer to the cultivator’s spiritual power itself. Because it clung tightly to the flesh, its size couldn’t be adjusted, but its defensive strength grew along with one’s cultivation realm and spiritual power.
With defenses of that caliber, he felt he wouldn’t be easily defeated, even when sparring with a Profound Realm master.
Grinning at his daydream, Lee Hyun suddenly shook his head, snapping himself out of it.
Wait… do I really need to go to the Bureau of Heavenly Service right this second? Sure, I have more than fifty times the spiritual power of a typical 2nd layer Qi Refining cultivator, but at the end of the day, it’s still spiritual power of 2nd layer quality. Wouldn’t it be far safer to venture out after reaching a higher cultivation realm?
Jang Pyeong had told him that a Qi Refining cultivator lacking combat experience could be killed instantly if ambushed by a Profound Realm master. Even if he only became a Guest Retainer, was anything in this world truly risk-free?
Lee Hyun realized he had been too hasty. His desire to join the Bureau of Heavenly Service wasn’t born from any pressing need; it was more that, after 150 years holed up in a tunnel, he simply felt an itch to see the world outside.
I let my guard down again! My lifespan is infinite, so what’s the rush? It won’t be too late to visit the Bureau of Heavenly Service later. For now, let’s start with what I can do right here in the tunnel.