Treasure Appraisal

In Panyang City, the capital of Yu.

Legend has it that when the founding patriarch of the Yu Dynasty first established his rule, he had no desire to call himself emperor. Yet one night he dreamed of an immortal, who told him that an ancient Panyang jade had been buried in a certain hill, and that whoever obtained it would obtain the realm. The very next day, the patriarch went to that hill and dug there—and sure enough, he unearthed a wondrous ancient jade. Thereafter, the mandate of heaven seemed to rest upon him; moved by a sudden inward revelation, he raised his banner and declared himself emperor.

After the Yu Dynasty’s foundation was secured, that hill was named Imperial Mound. The capital was built there as well, and came to be called Panyang City, also known as Yu Capital, Jade Capital, and more besides...

By now, Panyang City had grown into the largest city under heaven, harboring untold multitudes and prosperity beyond all reckoning.

As the city continued to expand, that once-small Imperial Mound had long since been folded within its bounds, and now served as the site beside the imperial city where the ancestral temple was maintained.

Inside the imperial city lay the court.

The offices of the empire’s most important officials were all established here; if one possessed aura-sighting eyes, a mere glance would reveal purple radiance billowing to the heavens.

Further within stood the palace city.

Layer upon layer of towering walls and deep fortifications suppressed the mightiest dragon qi in all the world. A geomancer had once said that if the land of the Nine Provinces were a single dragon vein, then Imperial Mound was undoubtedly the dragon’s head. And this palace city was the pearl held in the dragon’s mouth.

Late at night, lamps blazed brightly within the palace walls.

A tall old man bent over a desk, writing something still, and only after a long while did he stop. He set his brush upon a jade stand and lifted his head to exhale slowly.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“There is also an urgent secret report sent from the southern region,” replied a eunuch in a shrill voice, bowing low in report.

“So urgent? Read it to me.”

“At dusk today, a disciple of the Southern Melody Pavilion held a traveling performance outside Southgate City. Before the performance began, several disciples of Mount Shu caused a disturbance at the venue. On the spot... they killed the Mount-Suppressing Marquis, and bound and captured the young marquis alive.”

The old man frowned, his breathing growing heavier.

The eunuch immediately trembled with terror and continued, “The cause... it seems the Mount-Suppressing Marquis’s household was colluding with the Eastern Whale Gang to traffic women, and was discovered by that Mount Shu disciple, which led to the clash. Our spies are still investigating the details; the memorial from Southgate City should be submitted tomorrow.”

“These cultivators from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths...” The old man closed his eyes to rest them, speaking in a deep voice to himself. “They are taking imperial authority less and less seriously. Even if one commits a crime worthy of heaven’s wrath, one is still of the imperial bloodline... and yet they kill without so much as a court trial.”

The eunuch seemed to feel the air itself tighten around him. He fell to his knees at once and said softly, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger...”

“It seems they must be given a warning. Otherwise, as the years pass and the immortal sects grow ever more lawless, the hard-won order of the realm will once again collapse...” The old man continued speaking to himself. After a pause, he asked, “The Mount-Suppressing Marquis seems to have been in the sixth realm as well. The one who acted must have held a fairly high position in Mount Shu. Who was it?”

“It was the master of a Mount Shu peak, Imperial Daughter Phoenix,” said the eunuch.

“Hm?”

At the name, the old man’s eyes flew open all at once, bright and searing.

The eunuch shuddered again.

“Her?” the old man murmured. “Yes, of course. Aside from her... no one else would handle affairs with such recklessness...”

After falling silent for quite some time, he finally spoke again. “Send word back: the Mount-Suppressing Marquis’s household is guilty of monstrous crimes; the whole family is to be executed in the coming days. As for the Eastern Whale Gang... have Jiang Shenting investigate thoroughly and uncover exactly what happened. As for all implicated persons, display their severed heads in public. Any accomplices in the same case, anyone linked to it in any way, are to be dealt with severely. Investigate everything to the end. Do not allow a single one to escape.”

Above the palace city, dragon qi roiled in torrents, scattering the night clouds.

A sliver of the waning moon emerged.

...

“Oh no, it’s damaged far too badly...”

Inside the Sword Transmission Hall, Wen Yulong stroked the notch in the green-leaf artifact, his face full of distress.

Although the artifact no longer belonged to him in any sense, it had been the fruit of his own labor, and the first finished piece he had ever crafted for a commission. How could he possibly not care?

“It’s just a tiny chip, isn’t it?” said Chu Liang.

When unfolded, the green-leaf artifact could bear several people, and there was only a blade mark a few inches long across it. He could not help feeling that Wen Yulong was being a little exaggerated.

“You don’t understand.” Wen Yulong shook his head and sighed. “Though the chip is small, the damage is very complete. It is almost impossible to restore it perfectly to its original state... If there isn’t good material, all I can do is patch it together as best I can, and then there will be a flaw in it forever...”

“I see.” Only then did Chu Liang understand. “It saved my life in the hands of a sixth-realm expert, which is already no small feat. Do your best to repair it; however it turns out is fine.”

“But I do get paid.” Wen Yulong looked up warily and said it at once.

He still remembered very clearly how Chu Liang had haggled last time, so he hurried to make things clear in advance.

“Don’t worry.” Chu Liang smiled.

He had accumulated quite a bit over this period and truly was not short of money.

Besides, he had also gained something from that Master Lu, and by the time everything was counted, he believed he would still come out well ahead.

“I’ve also gained a few other things this time. I came to you today partly to ask you to help identify a treasure,” Chu Liang said.

“Is that so?” Wen Yulong seemed quite interested, and his eyes lit up at once.

Chu Liang took out that broken blade and said, “First see what material this is made of.”

Wen Yulong accepted it, rubbed it, sniffed it, and tapped it with his finger. Then he looked up at Chu Liang with caution and said, “Ten sword coins.”

“...”

Chu Liang gave a wry smile. What kind of impression had he left on this junior brother that he seemed so afraid of being cheated out of payment?

He immediately took out ten sword coins and lined them up on the table.

“Boss, generous,” Wen Yulong said with a grin as he pocketed them, then added, “My appraisal fee is absolutely worth it.”

“This broken blade is forged from black meteorite fine iron. It’s not only light and tough, but can also restrain the true qi attached to it. It’s ideally suited to assassination and ambush, impossible to guard against. If sold purely as material, it could fetch seven or eight hundred sword coins. It’s good stuff.” He explained in detail.

“I see that it’s still fairly complete. Could you make me a weapon directly out of it?” Chu Liang asked.

“Hmm... forging swords and sabers isn’t what I’m best at. Wait—though if I have material of this grade, I could use it to repair... no, to greatly upgrade...” He took up the green-leaf artifact and said, “I can directly fuse in another attack formation, and make you an artifact that combines offense and defense, with no shortcomings at all.”

Thinking of Wen Yulong’s workmanship, Chu Liang was actually somewhat hesitant.

But then he remembered that the green-leaf artifact had, after all, saved his life. If it could not be repaired, it would be a pity. And since Wen Yulong said it would be greatly upgraded... perhaps there might be a pleasant surprise?

In any case, neither of these things was usable right now. It would be like combining two broken items into one complete one. It seemed worth a try.

So he nodded lightly in agreement.

The moment he nodded, Wen Yulong immediately smiled. “Two hundred sword coins.”

“What?”

“The forging fee, two hundred sword coins.” Wen Yulong said, “Trust me, it’s absolutely worth the price.”

“Can you shave a little off?” Chu Liang asked.

“Fixed price. If not, forget it.” Wen Yulong shook his head firmly.

“Junior brother, you’ve changed...” Chu Liang looked at Wen Yulong with deep feeling. “You’re no longer that simple young man who only loved refining artifacts.”

Wen Yulong’s expression was subtle.

As if to say...

How I changed, don’t you know better than anyone?