# 266. Chu Yuanzhen: Do You Need Me to Withdraw
The beginning of Spring. Much wind, many rain.
A three-mast ship sailed through the waves, its sails billowing under the force of the wind.
After lunch, Song Tingfeng, with one hand resting on his sword, stepped onto the deck and gazed northward toward the capital.
Over the course of more than a month, the fires of war had sharpened the contours of his face, and the bloodshed had honed his gaze. His entire demeanor had changed significantly.
Footsteps approached from behind. Without turning around, Song Tingfeng pointed north and said, "In about ten days, we’ll reach the capital."
Zhu Guangxiao grunted in acknowledgment and stood beside Song Tingfeng, also looking north. He remained as silent and taciturn as ever, though his aura had become more steady and grounded. Other than that, he hadn’t changed much.
On the other hand, the once glib and slick Song Tingfeng seemed like a different person altogether.
"With the military achievements I earned in Yunzhou, I can exchange them for a Refining Spirit realm visualisation image…." Song Tingfeng smiled. "I’m planning to advance to the Refining Spirit realm."
In the past, Zhu Guangxiao would have been surprised. After all, they had been colleagues for years, and he knew Song Tingfeng lacked ambition. Reaching the rank of Bronze Gong had already satisfied him—patrolling the streets by day, visiting the Jiaofangsi by night, living a carefree life.
The military merits he had earned in Yunzhou were enough to let him live in the Jiaofangsi for a whole year if he converted them into silver.
"Mm."
Zhu Guangxiao nodded.
At that moment, another group of Bronze Gongs who had just finished their meal came out onto the deck to enjoy the breeze, laughing and chatting, their faces full of joy and anticipation at the thought of returning home.
"Tingfeng, once we’re back in the capital, let’s go to the Jiaofangsi for a drink," one of the familiar Bronze Gongs came over, putting an arm around Song Tingfeng’s shoulder.
Song Tingfeng acted as though he hadn’t heard and continued to silently look north.
The Bronze Gong, sensing no interest, walked away feeling awkward.
Song Tingfeng exhaled a long breath and said, “My natural ability is decent. I’ve been stuck at the peak of the Refining Qi realm for years now, and my foundations are solid enough. By the end of the year, advancing to the Refining Spirit realm shouldn’t be difficult.
"This whole time, I’ve been thinking: What if I hadn’t been so lazy? What if I weren’t so useless? What if I had already been at the Refining Spirit realm when I went to Yunzhou…."
Lowering his head, Song Tingfeng murmured softly, "I’m not going to the Jiaofangsi anymore. Never again."
Zhu Guangxiao said nothing, only patting him on the shoulder.
...
The imperial exams proceeded in an orderly fashion. At first, Uncle Xu and Xu Qi'an were quite concerned about Xu Erlang's condition, constantly asking about his well-being, just as Xu Qi'an's parents had fussed over him back during his own high school exams.
However, the increasing chaos in public security soon left Xu Pingzhi, a Baihu Captain in the Imperial Guard, and Xu Qi'an, a Nightwatcher, both swamped with work.
The people of the Jianghu liked to prove their strength. While some were true heroes who upheld justice, more often than not, they were riffraff from the lower echelons of society. No respectable person would voluntarily mix in the Jianghu.
Once they ran out of money, they would target disreputable wealthy families, and if they could help a few impoverished souls struggling to get by, they’d consider themselves righteous thieves.
True heroes like Li Miaozhen, who genuinely sought to aid the world and uphold justice, were a rare breed.
In just four or five days, Xu Qi'an alone had apprehended several drunken brawlers from out of town. According to Uncle Xu, thieves were caught in the outer city every night, though the inner city remained peaceful.
This was because the inner city had a curfew. The capital's five guard divisions patrolled the streets at night, and if they encountered someone traveling after dark, they would sound a warning with their bows. If the person chose to flee, they would be shot on sight.
For those suspicious individuals walking on rooftops, there was no need for a warning. The patrols had the authority to kill first and report later.
For minor offenders causing trouble, they were usually thrown into jail, awaiting bail from their comrades. These petty crimes were the most bothersome.
One day, Xu Qi'an was patrolling the streets with two Bronze Gongs. As they passed a brothel, the sound of roof tiles breaking suddenly caught their attention.
Looking up, they saw two jianghu men fighting fiercely on the rooftop.
A crowd had gathered below, pointing and shouting, some cheering, others jeering.
"Damn it, these bastards are still causing trouble even after we confiscated their weapons." Xu Qi'an cursed and ordered the Bronze Gongs beside him, "Go, bring them down and take them all back to the constabulary."
Since there were civilians watching, it wasn’t appropriate to sound the gongs, as the sonic waves of the enchanted instruments could harm the bystanders.
The two Bronze Gongs leaped up and shouted, "Fighting is prohibited in the inner city. Come with us to the constabulary."
This was their way of warning the fighters not to resist, similar to the sounding of a bow.
However, the two warriors were too caught up in the heat of battle to care. Once a martial artist’s blood was roused, they didn’t care who was standing in front of them—even government officials were fair game.
One of the Bronze Gongs barely dodged a vicious kick aimed at his groin, and enraged, he drew his sword with a clang, channeling his Qi and slashing downward.
Though Bronze Gongs were the lowest rank of Nightwatchers, those in the Refining Qi realm were still formidable fighters in the Jianghu. Ordinary Jianghu warriors were no match for them.
Clang!
A burst of Qi from below deflected the Bronze Gong’s blade.
The Jianghu man who had narrowly escaped death instinctively gave it his all, kicking the Bronze Gong in the chest. The Bronze Gong tumbled from the roof but managed to perform a neat backflip, landing steadily.
Xu Qi'an narrowed his eyes, his thumb flicking the black-gold long knife.
Sensing his killing intent, someone in the crowd shouted, "Stop!"
The shout came from a group of well-dressed outsiders, including some young noblemen and a few strikingly beautiful female warriors. Behind them stood some older men and elders.
At their master’s command, the two martial artists ceased their fight.
Xu Qi'an, hand on his sword, walked over with a swagger that showed he feared no one.
"Officer, my name is Lu Chun, of the Lu family of Jingzhou." A handsome young man in white, elegant attire cupped his hands in greeting.
Several of the beautiful women in the group cast interested glances at Xu Qi'an.
Xu Qi'an nodded and turned to the other group. "And you?"
The leader of that group, a man with a sinister aura, snorted coldly. The old man beside him quickly answered, "Reporting to this official, we are from the Zhao family of Jingzhou."
The Lu and Zhao families were renowned in Jingzhou, each with powerful members both in officialdom and the Jianghu. They held sway over both black and white.
In more straightforward terms, they were local gentry. In fact, families like the Lu and Zhao clans had grown far beyond the scope of typical gentry—they lived lives of extreme wealth and luxury.
In Jingzhou, the two families were bitter rivals. They fought each other both in the courts and on the battlefield, their feud spanning generations.
By chance, they had encountered each other on the streets of the capital.
The two sides exchanged a few sarcastic remarks, anger simmering between them. But they managed to restrain themselves, sending only two of their trained experts to the rooftop to duel.
Although disturbing the peace violated the law, since no innocent bystanders were hurt and no significant damage was caused, both families had enough power to easily smooth things over.
"Who released their Qi earlier?" Xu Qi'an scanned the crowd.
The delicate-looking young man with an air of arrogance tilted his chin up. "It was me."
Xu Qi'an slowly nodded, his gaze sweeping over both groups. "Alright, all of you are coming with me to the Nightwatcher constabulary."
The handsome young man from the Lu family frowned slightly.
"What?"
The delicate young man sneered, "We didn't fight in the street. You can take those two back to constabulary."
Xu Qi'an spat back, "I said you're coming, so you're coming. You keep yapping, and I'll cut you down right here."
Merely Attacking Nightwatchers was enough to put your head on the block. These outsiders were far too arrogant.
"On what grounds? Under the Emperor’s rule, even you Nightwatchers have to follow the law," the delicate man retorted, unafraid.
Clang!
Xu Qi'an’s black-gold sabre left its sheath, a dark golden flash came and went.
Before the delicate man could react, he was nearly sent to the Yellow Springs. But a graceful woman standing beside him was quicker, pulling a silver hairpin from her head and blocking the sword Qi.
Bang!
The hairpin shattered, and the sword Qi sliced into her delicate hand.
Xu Qi'an leapt forward, kicking the woman aside. As she flew back, he delivered a spinning kick to the delicate man, sending him crashing to the ground.
That kick used hidden force, enough to severely damage the man's internal organs without breaking any bones.
Ignoring the fallen man, Xu Qi'an pointed his long sword forward and sneered, "Even a Bronze Skin Iron Bones cannot leave the capital unless I say so."
The old man’s face turned ashen as he looked down at his chest.
Xu Qi'an turned to the Lu family. "Are you coming or not?"
The members of the Lu family glanced at the old man’s chest, where a faint red stain had started to seep through.
The Bronze Skin and Iron Bones… was broken.
They now re-evaluated Xu Qi'an. This young Silver Gong was already impressive just for his rank at such a young age, but to casually defeat a Refining Spirit expert like the Zhao family’s young lady and easily break through the defences of someone in the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones stage? His cultivation was terrifying, and his talent even more so.
This was the capital, after all. Even a random Silver Gong here could be considered a prodigy elsewhere.
"We’ll follow the officer's orders," the handsome young man from the Lu family said, not daring to defy him.
...
After escorting the two groups back to the constabulary, Xu Qi'an found a clerk and said, "For these two groups, make each person pay one hundred taels of silver. Not a single coin less."
"Three hundred taels go on record. Fifty taels you and the others can split. As for the two Bronze Gongs who patrolled with me, give them fifty taels each. The rest, bring to me at Spring Wind Hall tomorrow."
"Understood. I’ll make sure it's handled," the clerk quickly assured him.
Satisfied, Xu Qi'an nodded and then headed to the stables to fetch his beloved mare. Mounting up, he rode off in the direction of the Imperial City.
The sun was high in the sky, and he planned to stop by Lingbao Temple for lunch and ask Luo Yuheng for advice on the _Heart Sword_ technique.
He had already gotten the basics of the technique, and to him, it wasn’t particularly difficult. The key was attaching spiritual energy to the sword, similar to infusing it with Qi.
The tricky part was smoothly blending the two forces.
It was like drawing a circle with one hand—easy enough on its own—but when using both hands at the same time, the brain would struggle to keep up. Oftentimes, his sword strikes would falter, either forgetting to channel Qi or to apply spiritual power.
Now that he was a Silver Gong, Xu Qi'an had free access to the Imperial City. Flashing his token, the guards let him pass without issue.
Arriving at Lingbao Temple, a young Daoist boy went to announce his presence. Soon after, the boy returned.
"The Daoist Leader is expecting you."
Xu Qi'an nodded and followed the boy through the corridors, finally arriving at a quiet meditation room where his "kind aunt" Luo Yuheng awaited him.
But she wasn’t alone. A swordsman in an azure robe, exuding a carefree aura with a single white lock of hair at his forehead, sat cross-legged on a cushion beside her. The streak of white in his hair only added to his mature and charismatic appearance.
*Damn, Number Four is here too...* Xu Qi'an thought immediately.
*Damn, Luo Yuheng knows I’m the holder of a fragment of the Earth Book...* was his second thought.
"National Teacher!" Xu Qi'an kept his face expressionless and bowed in greeting.
Then he smiled at Chu Yuanzhen, the number one scholar. "Master Zhuangyuan!"
Chu Yuanzhen smiled back, looking surprised to see Xu Qi'an there. After all, someone of Xu Qi'an’s rank wasn’t typically allowed into Lingbao Temple to meet with the Daoist leader.
"How do you know the National Teacher?" Chu Yuanzhen asked, voicing his curiosity.
Luo Yuheng was about to answer when—
_Cough cough..._
Xu Qi'an coughed forcefully, desperately trying to signal her with his thoughts. But his mental transmission was blocked.
He tried again, and again his thoughts were pushed back.
A third time, and his "kind aunt" once more denied the private conversation.
Luo Yuheng’s message was clear: _We’re not that close. Don’t DM me._
Attempting to communicate telepathically with someone like the National Teacher was clearly overstepping... Xu Qi'an grew a bit anxious.
Chu Yuanzhen glanced between Xu Qi'an and Luo Yuheng, then smiled. "Do you need me to withdraw for a moment?"
Xu Qi'an felt a bit embarrassed.