# 260. Master of Prophecy
After Xu Qi’an resurrected in Yunzhou, performed great merit, and was enfeoffed, his relationship with Lin’an and Huaiqing saw a huge leap.
As for the Nightwatchers, Wei Yuan had promised to promote him to Silver Gong. No matter in status, money, or relationships, his future was seemingly boundless.
*I can predict, in a few years time, I’ll be a duke, marry a princess, and reach the peak of human life… it’s definitely possible.*
The capital has always been prosperous since the times of antiquity. Its resources were abundant, its healthcare, social care, and quality of life were all much more advanced than anywhere else. People liked big bustling cities, and Xu Qi’an was no exception.
Long ago, he had also wandered north for a while.[^1]
And it was not as if he couldn’t leave, but he didn’t want to.
*Master, you’re really not making things easy for me…* Xu Qi’an frowned, asking: “Master, why must we leave the capital?”
The monk Shenshu tilted his head, looking into the distance: “I can feel that the western sect is coming.”
*The western sect?*
Xu Qi'an was momentarily stunned before realising that Shenshu was referring to the Buddhist sect from the Western Regions.
*That's right, back during the Sangbo case, when the monk Panshu of Qinglong Temple learned that Master Shenshu had escaped, he immediately left the temple and headed west...* *So, the Buddhist sect has come to seek justice?*
*No wonder Shenshu is telling me to leave the capital. If the big bald monks from the West find out that Shenshu is inside me, I might really end up being trapped under a mountain for five hundred years.*
*And unlike the Monkey King, I don’t have a massive and indestructible staff to defend myself. I wouldn't even have the chance to resist.*
"So you're asking me to temporarily leave the capital?" Xu Qi'an's face showed some concern.
Shenshu slowly nodded.
"Alright, we're in this together now. By the way, Master, I’ve heard that the Buddhist sect has mystical body-refining techniques, ones that allow you to attain an indestructible body without the need for hard training. Could you teach me some?"
*Gotta grab any benefits I can first.*
Shenshu shook his head. "I am but a remnant soul."
*Whether you're a remnant soul or not, I only know that you want to freeload off me for free...* Xu Qi'an's lips twitched slightly.
A thin mist closed in, enveloping the dilapidated temple, and then gradually faded away... Xu Qi'an opened his eyes, finding himself back in his room, still sitting by the bed in the same posture.
*It's easy to guess: the Western Buddhist sect has come for Shenshu. It’s been more than a month now, and they’ll at most review the case records and understand the sequence of events. They won’t stay in the capital for long.*
*That means leaving the capital is only temporary, and I might not even need to stay away for too long."*
Xu Qi'an nodded slightly to himself. In that case, he could accept it. He could treat it like a vacation, a chance to rest, and spend a few days living the mundane yet wealthy life in some prosperous city.
*The tricky part is getting a leave of absence. Leaving the capital for no reason isn’t allowed under the office regulations. Besides, Wei Yuan won’t be able to manage without me.*
*If I just say, “The world is so vast, I want to explore it,” it’ll definitely get rejected. Old Wei doesn’t understand my jokes.*
*Oh, right. I could discuss this with Daoist Jinlian, and have him come up with some excuse, like saying that someone in the Earth Book group chat is in trouble and needs my help...*
Xu Qi'an planned to consult Daoist Jinlian, telling him that he wanted to leave the capital for a while but that the Nightwatchers’ office had strict rules preventing casual leave. Mainly, he needed a valid excuse for Wei Yuan.
However, before that, he still had some matters to wrap up — attending tomorrow's banquet, instructing the prison guards to keep an eye on that couple, and whether Xu Erlang could stay in the capital after the imperial exams depended on them.
And then there was the matter of probing Wei Yuan about how he planned to retaliate against Noble Consort Chen.
Though the Consort Fu case had concluded, the enmity had been established. Wei Yuan would undoubtedly take further action to investigate the forces behind Noble Consort Chen.
The Empress, having lost her only brother, was unlikely to maintain her passive stance. The imperial harem was bound to become embroiled in a fierce struggle among the women.
Xu Qi'an was curious about how intense their conflict would get. He didn’t want to return to the capital only to find that either Noble Consort Chen or the Empress had perished.
If that were the case, Lin'an and Huaiqing would surely become mortal enemies, and there would be no chance of them remaining sisters.
His dream of a carefree, romantic life with the two of them at Daming Lake would be thoroughly shattered.
Just then, a servant came to the door and called, "Master Xu, Lady Caiwei from the Sitianjian is here to visit."
*What is she here for?*
Xu Qi'an replied, "Got it. Have Auntie entertain her for now. I'll be there shortly."
He tucked his diary, silver, and other personal items into the Earth Book fragment in preparation for leaving the capital. After confirming that nothing important was left behind, he breathed a sigh of relief and went out to meet Chu Caiwei.
...
In the living room, Chu Caiwei was rapidly stuffing pieces of water chestnut cake into her mouth. Her ravenous eating looked as if someone were fighting her for the food...
In fact, someone _was_ fighting her for the food. Sitting opposite her was Xu Lingyin, also holding a piece of water chestnut cake in each hand, stuffing her mouth just as quickly, trying to out-eat Chu Caiwei.
Between the two were seven or eight kinds of snacks, richly varied and plentiful in quantity.
Chu Caiwei had brought a large bag of food to the Xu residence today, eating while waiting for Xu Qi'an. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a little girl appeared, staring at her with wide, eager eyes.
The big-eyed beauty remembered her — Xu Ningyan's little sister, a child who could eat a lot and was always craving food.
"Take whatever you like. Big sister has plenty here..."
Chu Caiwei remembered saying that.
At first, the two foodies coexisted peacefully: you eat yours, I eat mine, both enjoying the snacks together in harmony. But as they ate, Chu Caiwei suddenly noticed, this little girl is eating faster than me.
No way, that’s not fair! I need to eat faster, too.
Seeing this, Xu Lingyin thought, This big sister suddenly started eating faster, she’s obviously trying to take more than me! No way, that’s not fair! I need to eat even faster!
Without a word exchanged, the food war between them had quickly escalated into an intense battle.
The start to the peak of this war could be summed up in two syllables: _Ora ora ora ora ora ora..._
When Xu Qi'an entered the hall and saw this scene, he was stunned.
"Hey, hey, hey, you can't eat like that."
Xu Qi'an glanced at Little Pea’s now round belly and lifted her aside, looking around. "Where’s Auntie?"
Auntie wasn’t in the hall, likely busy preparing for tomorrow’s banquet. Otherwise, she would never let Little Pea eat like this.
"Big brother, big brother, this water chestnut cake is so delicious..." Xu Lingyin struggled, clearly anxious, as the big sister on the other side had already snatched several more pieces in just a few moments.
"It's not going to kill you."
Xu Qi'an pointed at the pastries on the table and said irritably, "Quick, pack them up... Miss Caiwei, what brings you here?"
He suspected that Chu Caiwei had come to play. Ever since his resurrection, he had been busy investigating the Consort Fu case, and it had been almost ten days since they last met.
*Considering my current peak-level charm, it's no surprise she's still thinking about my good looks...* Xu Qi'an chuckled to himself.
"My teacher asked me to invite you to Stargazing Tower," Chu Caiwei said as she took a sip of tea and began repacking the remaining pastries into a small deerskin pouch at her waist.
*The Jianzheng is inviting me to the Stargazing Tower...* Xu Qi'an frowned inwardly, but he didn’t resist the idea too much.
He couldn’t figure out what level the Jianzheng was on, but the Jianzheng certainly knew exactly where he stood.
The two of them left the Xu residence together, each riding a horse toward the Stargazing Tower.
"Those pastries were bought for me by Fifth Senior Sister, but your little sister ate more than half," Chu Caiwei said, holding the reins and looking ahead as she spoke with a playful and girlish tone.
"Xu Ningyan, you owe me money."
"Talking about money hurts feelings. The relationship between us can't be measured by silver."
Xu Qi'an lightly squeezed his horse’s belly and said, "Let’s not keep Sir Jianzheng waiting. Hiyah, hiyah..."
He urged the horse to run faster.
When they arrived at the Sitianjian, Xu Qi'an acted as though the matter of the pastries had never happened, not waiting for Chu Caiwei as he casually entered the building.
"Huh, why is the Sitianjian so empty today?"
The first floor's main hall was practically deserted, with only a few physicians on duty. Their expressions were odd, and they occasionally glanced toward the staircase as if afraid some sort of monster might come down.
Hearing Xu Qi'an's comment, a physician at the door dressed in white replied, "Master Xu, they’ve all gone to the surgery for consultations."
"What’s special about today?" Xu Qi'an asked.
The physician awkwardly smiled but didn’t answer.
Xu Qi'an, still puzzled, made his way upstairs. By the time he reached the seventh floor, he noticed that the alchemy room had been blown up. Normally teeming with activity, not a single alchemist was in sight.
He reached the Bagua Platform smoothly.
The first thing he saw was the Jianzheng’s back — dressed in white, his white hair hanging down, sitting on the edge of the platform, facing outward.
Then, he noticed a disheveled woman sitting beside the Jianzheng, wearing a simple hemp cloth robe, hunched over as she ate and drank.
The reason he could tell she was a woman was that a man wouldn’t have such a curvaceous figure, even when hunched over.
"Greetings to the Jianzheng!"
Xu Qi'an stopped a fair distance away and cupped his fists in salute.
"Not bad, your fundamentals are very solid," the Jianzheng remarked.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the staircase as Chu Caiwei, her skirt fluttering, came up carrying several bags of pastries.
She placed the pastries on the table and pushed them toward the woman who was hunched over and eating. The woman glanced over and said, "So little?"
"They were eaten by a foolish little child," Chu Caiwei deflected the blame onto Xu Lingyin.
The woman nodded and resumed eating.
Fifth Senior Sister?
At this moment, Xu Qi'an finally understood and recalled a previous conversation with Wei Yuan.
The Jianzheng had five disciples. The fifth disciple was often in seclusion, and those unfamiliar with the Sitianjian assumed that Chu Caiwei was the only female disciple there.
"So it's her..." Xu Qi'an thought to himself.
Just then, the Jianzheng’s deep voice rang out, "How is that sabre working out for you?"
"Very well. Thank you, Sir Jianzheng," Xu Qi'an replied respectfully.
At the same time, he grumbled inwardly: *That saber was practically tailor-made for my One Blade From Heaven and Earth. Isn’t this all part of your plan? Why bother with the small talk?*
"How did the Rebirth Pill work?" the Jianzheng asked again.
"It worked extremely well," Xu Qi'an responded carefully, "except for the fact that my change in appearance has caused me some trouble. I’m not as low-key as I was when I looked refined and gentle."
"Is that so..." the Jianzheng nodded and smiled. "I could restore you to your original appearance."
*Huh? I can even change back?* Xu Qi'an was momentarily stunned but quickly waved his hands. "I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Sir Jianzheng."
*To be honest, being a naturally handsome man feels more fitting for my current persona!*
In front of the Jianzheng, he didn’t dare make any lewd jokes, so he just joked inwardly to himself.
The Jianzheng slowly nodded and said, "Zhongli is my fifth disciple, a fifth-rank Master of Prophecy. She will accompany you for some time during your training."
Chu Caiwei was taken aback. She glanced at the Jianzheng, then turned to look at Xu Qi'an.
So a fifth-rank Arcanist is called a Master of Prophecy... But why must she follow me during my training? Xu Qi'an cautiously asked, "May I know the reason for this arrangement?"
The Jianzheng didn’t answer his question but called out, "Zhongli."
The woman in the linen robe stood up and saluted Xu Qi'an. "Teacher said my luck isn’t good, but if I follow you, my misfortune will decrease to some extent. You are my opportunity."
Her voice was quite pleasant and sweet.
Xu Qi'an stared intently at her face, but she kept her head slightly lowered, her messy, thick hair completely covering her features.
"Misfortune?" he asked in return.
Zhongli paused for a moment before sincerely replying, “Masters of Prophecy can peer into the workings of the heavens, but they suffer the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, becoming entangled in misfortune. Only by surviving 3,600 tribulations can one advance. If they can't endure, they perish, body and soul destroyed.
"Those who can withstand the backlash of the Heavenly Dao are all people of great fortune."
Upon hearing Zhongli's explanation, the first thing Xu Qi'an thought of were two things. First, he finally understood why there were so many sixth-rank Alchemists in the Sitianjian, but above sixth rank, he had only ever met one—Yang Qianhuan.
The second thing was that even that master of posturing was someone with great fortune. Unbelievable, truly unbelievable.
*Masters of Prophecy can peer into the workings of the heavens? Hmm, this must be the prerequisite profession for a Master of Fate...* Xu Qi'an, curious, asked, "In what form does this ‘backlash’ appear? I need to evaluate how dangerous this so-called backlash is, given that I’m just an ordinary Bronze Gong."
He had guessed correctly that the Jianzheng knew about the strange luck he carried.
Zhongli thought for a moment and then said, “Disaster follows words. Sometimes an unintentional comment of mine turns into a tangible catastrophe, affecting those around me, including myself.
"Sometimes a casual action also invites unforeseen disaster. The scale of the disaster is uncontrollable; it could be something as simple as taking a step backward that leads to a life-threatening calamity."
As she spoke, she symbolically took a half-step back.
And with that simple motion, an accident occurred. The dignified fifth-rank expert suddenly slipped, tumbling off the edge of the Bagua Platform, falling, falling...
"Someone save her!!"
Xu Qi'an's expression changed dramatically as he instinctively shouted.
The Stargazing Tower stood a hundred meters tall. A fall from such a height would be fatal, even for Xu Qi'an himself, if he hadn’t reached the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones level. As for Arcanists, their physical bodies were relatively weak, far inferior to martial artists.
At the same time, a line from a song popped into Xu Qi'an’s mind uncontrollably:
_Was your half-step back really necessary? Such a small action, but it caused so much harm..._
The Jianzheng sighed and extended his hand from under his wide sleeve, gently catching Zhongli in mid-air.
Zhongli was lifted back up, spared from falling to her death.
She kept her head down, her black hair hanging loose, and her voice was calm as she said, “Actually, if I had been prepared, even jumping from the Stargazing Tower wouldn’t have hurt me. But just now, for some reason, my mind went blank, and I had no thought of saving myself...
"Also, if someone else tries to help me resolve my misfortune, it won’t work. I have to personally endure the trial."
*So, I’m the one with good fortune who has to help you minimise your bad luck...* Xu Qi'an suddenly understood the real reason the Jianzheng had called him here.
"Sorry."
Xu Qi'an shook his head and refused, "I’m about to leave the capital for important matters. It’s not convenient for me to bring someone along."
Suddenly, a cup of wine flew toward him through the air.
As Xu Qi'an reached out to catch it, he heard the Jianzheng’s voice in his ear, "Drink it, and you won’t need to leave the capital."
*The Jianzheng knows why I want to leave the capital? He really does know that Monk Shenshu is inside me... This wine seems ordinary enough, but what does he plan to do for me...* Xu Qi'an drank the wine, forming a hypothesis.
It’s to block the prying of fate!
A classic skill of the Arcanists.
...
In Yunzhou, far from the capital, outside the military camp of Baidi City.
Inside the Flying Swallow Army’s tent, Li Miaozhen removed her light armor and set aside her silver spear, changing into the Taoist robe of the Heavenly Sect. She looked just as she did when she first descended the mountain.
The paper effigy Susu directed a group of ghosts, helping to pack her belongings.
---
[^1]: to Beijing.