Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds
Chapter 49. Not repeating the same mistakes (seeking further reading)

Chapter 49: 49. Not repeating the same mistakes (seeking further reading)

...

Moving from the side room to the three spacious rooms, Xu Xing did not rush to cultivate the Condensing Meridian Technique Yao Dang had gifted him. Instead, he first ordered the accumulated account books of Mount Siming to be moved from the King of Might’s room to his study. Then, he began to check the inventory against these books, meticulously clarifying every single item.

On his first day in office, Xu Xing wanted to demonstrate his talent for Internal Affairs, making everyone in the Mountain Stronghold submit to his competence willingly.

Internal affairs... seemed insignificant.

However, merely allocating military provisions was enough to confound a band of green forest heroes.

Take a simple example.

Suppose the minimum monthly military food expenditure for Mount Siming was one hundred stones. Under the management of a mediocre person, it might cost one hundred and fifty stones, or even two to three hundred, thereby consuming provisions meant for the future.

But with the allocation by a talented individual, this could be reduced to as little as seventy stones of grain per month, while still ensuring the soldiers and horses of the Mountain Stronghold were well-fed and watered, without affecting their combat effectiveness.

The remaining military supplies would be enough to recruit twice as many soldiers.

This was the value of a talent in Internal Affairs.

They might not have the ability to generate new income, but they certainly possessed the ability to curtail expenses.

In just three days, Xu Xing had sorted out all the inventories of Mount Siming and rewritten them into new account books, which he then presented to King of Sorrow Yao Dang.

He had previously been a Dianju Cheng, specifically responsible for managing the miscellaneous livestock submitted from various pastures.

In other words, he was an accountant for the Taipu Temple.

"Fourth Brother..." After reading the account books, a sense of frustration washed over Yao Dang. "How many talents like you are there in the Imperial Court?" he asked Xu Xing.

He and the King of Might had once managed the internal affairs of Mount Siming. The account books they had compiled together were, in his opinion, already quite good. However, the account book Xu Xing presented was concise and clear. Every item was utilized to its full potential, and everything was appropriately arranged...

The gap was indeed too vast.

And Xu Xing was merely an Eighth-rank officer in the Imperial Court.

Resisting the Imperial Court, rising up in rebellion... for the first time, he felt this sense of powerlessness.

"As numerous as the stars in the sky," Xu Xing replied after a moment of serious thought. "I was merely a minor official in the Imperial Court. After being appointed Dianju Cheng, I went two whole years without a promotion. I presume that those in the Court whose political achievements surpass mine... are truly countless!"

"Fourth Brother..." Hearing Xu Xing’s words, Yao Dang chuckled mirthlessly.

He understood the hidden meaning in Xu Xing’s words.

This statement seemed modest, but it was actually informing Yao Dang about the corruption within the Court. It was easy to guess that there weren’t many talents like Xu Xing in the Court. Yet, such brilliant individuals couldn’t get promoted and had no hope of advancement. This suggested that even if the Court gathered all the elites of the land, it was still rotten to the core and vulnerable.

"From now on, you’ll be in charge of Internal Affairs yourself," Yao Dang said, deciding to delegate authority. "I won’t interfere."

He was already overwhelmed with official duties and had no time to manage Internal Affairs. That was why he had asked his second brother, the King of Might, to serve as the Mountain Stronghold’s housekeeper. Now, with Xu Xing, he planned to follow precedent.

"You’re my Fourth Brother... not my minister." Seeing Xu Xing about to decline, Yao Dang gripped his right arm, preventing him from bowing. "The internal affairs of the Mountain Stronghold are what I, your Big Brother, promised the brothers I would entrust to you! If you have to report everything to me, what would the brothers think of me?"

"The Mountain Stronghold is not my private property," he repeated once more. This time, however, it was not in front of the Heavenly Kun King, but to Xu Xing.

If Xu Xing truly intended to tamper with the account books, King of Sorrow Yao Dang believed he himself wouldn’t be able to detect the deception. Rather than scrutinizing Xu Xing’s every move and appearing distrustful, it was better to be magnanimous. He would adhere to the principle: employ those you trust, and don’t employ those you doubt.

The skill of a seasoned official in falsifying accounts was beyond what ordinary people could compare to.

Especially a master of mathematics...

"Thank you, Big Brother, for your high regard." Seeing that Yao Dang did not seem to be feigning, Xu Xing hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

He didn’t know whether Yao Dang’s approach was due to his Red [Reform] Fate or some other reason. After all, the description of the [Reform] Fate read: ’Change the old and bring forth the new, sweep away the accumulated ills of generations, and easily gain the favor of rulers.’

The [Reform] Fate made it easier for him to gain Yao Dang’s trust.

But his own cautiousness in all matters was also indispensable.

He hadn’t meddled with military power, so Yao Dang trusted him more readily than others.

***

Walking out of the King of Sorrow’s residence, the Snow-Stepping Pavilion, Xu Xing rubbed between his eyebrows.

Yao Dang’s sincere treatment made him somewhat uncomfortable. He had indeed joined Mount Siming with ulterior motives, aiming to use it as a springboard to contend for supremacy, break through Shenjing, and avenge his own blood feuds...

Whether it was Chang Ji or the Three Great Kings, he had only ever intended to use them.

But now...

"Why dwell on it so much?"

Su Qin once said, ’Had I but two acres of land in Luoyang, how could I have come to wear the seals of Chancellor of the Six States?’ And Cao Cao initially only wished to be enfeoffed as a marquis for his merits, to serve as the Han Dynasty’s General Who Conquers the West.

Once I truly reach that point, it will be out of my hands.

Xu Xing calmed himself.

Consolidating power is an instinct.

If he willingly took a step back now, nothing in the future would be under his control.

One step back leads to another, until one stands at the cliff’s edge with only a leap remaining.

This whole ’if the lord is not unjust to me, I will not be unjust to the lord’ notion...

Power struggles are always bloody.

Only by clenching his own fist would he have the power, the qualification, to speak of loyalty and honor.

Rather than begging for mercy when swords and blades were at his throat.

Entrusting his life to others? Impossible!

He had already been thrown into the Sky Prison once; he would not repeat that mistake!

"Fourth Brother."

"This is the long knife you asked me to forge for you."

Just as Xu Xing was lost in thought, the Heavenly Kun King approached from the northwest corner of the Mountain Stronghold with his men. When he was about ten paces away, he called out, startling Xu Xing from his reverie, and tossed a sheathed long knife to him.

"Thank you, Third Brother." Xu Xing regained his composure and caught the long knife with one hand.

He tucked the sheath under his arm, drew the blade, and beheld its chillingly sharp gleam.

"A fine blade!" he praised casually.

Siming Mountain Stronghold had gathered many green forest heroes, among them blacksmiths from the Jianghu. Within the stronghold, the Heavenly Kun King held more sway over the Five Tiger Hall.

Therefore, Xu Xing had asked the Heavenly Kun King to have someone forge a long knife for him for self-defense.

"Fourth Brother, you are a scholar..." the Heavenly Kun King said, somewhat bewildered. "You should be equipped with a Gentleman’s Sword, yet you insist on carrying a long knife..."

He had assumed Xu Xing would ask him to forge a treasured sword. Who would have thought that when he went to the blacksmith’s to pick up the weapon, he would discover that what Xu Xing had requested was not a sword, but an unusually shaped long knife.

"Third Brother, that’s where you’re being narrow-minded," Xu Xing said with a smile, securing the long knife at his waist and holding the ledger. "Who says... a scholar can’t be a bladesman?"

The long knife he had asked the Heavenly Kun King to forge was none other than the Guanshan Knife, popular in the Qin Province of the Instance World. This type of long knife resembled the Song Dynasty Pu Dao, but it lacked the long shaft.

He didn’t know swordsmanship; he only knew the knife techniques taught by Master Ma.

"Indeed..." The Heavenly Kun King slapped his forehead, inwardly chiding himself for his muddled thinking. "There’s no rule that a scholar can only be a sword fighter."

This Xu Xing... this scholar... how could he be underestimated?!