The exquisite and dainty little fox wore a miniature leather pouch around its neck.
It can speak human language? A fox yao… It knows my true identity… Xu Qi’an almost gave it a set of “Mighty Heavenly Dragon” palm strikes, but after glancing around outside the window, he said,
“Let’s talk inside.”
The little fox let out a “hee hee” sound, kicked with its four tiny legs, and leapt from the window ledge into the room.
Xu Qi’an’s gaze followed the little fox yao as it walked elegantly on its graceful limbs to the table. It made a great effort to jump up, but failed to get onto the table, its little belly bumping into the edge.
“Ow!”
It cried out in pain, paddled with its hind legs, and finally climbed onto the table, crouching down. Its jet-black eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement as it observed Xu Qi’an.
A bit too green aren’t you… Xu Qi’an grumbled inwardly.
“Mistress sent me here.”
The little fox’s voice rang out like a silver bell, sounding like a young girl.
As expected! Xu Qi’an thought to himself. A fox yao who knew his identity was most likely from the Wanyao Kingdom, which was why he had just managed to suppress his impulse to slay it.
“So?”
He stood by the table, looking down at the furry, adorable little fox.
“You sneaked in here. Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”
The little fox snickered, “Speed and stealth are what I’m best at; otherwise, why would Mistress send me? Sister Yeji said that Silver Gong Xu is incredibly shrewd and perceptive. Why can’t you work out something so simple?”
“Because reasoning needs enough clues and an understanding of things. For example, I don’t know you, so I can’t judge whether or not you’re a reckless little fox monster. Also, since you’re young, I’d suspect that you’re not very capable and not cautious enough,” Xu Qi’an replied casually.
The little fox had a sudden realisation. Its eyes sparkled even more brightly, and it slapped its paw on the table, saying sweetly,
“So that’s it! Silver Gong Xu really is amazing; what you say is so clear and logical.”
“That Sister Yeji, who’d you say it is? Does she know me?”
Xu Qi’an sat down at the table and poured himself a pot of tea.
“Hurry, give me a cup as well.”
The little fox slapped the table, urging him.
With a faint splash of water, Xu Qi’an poured her a cup, filling it to the brim. The little fox brought its tender pink nose up, stuck out its little tongue, and began lapping it up.
“You can’t shapeshift?”
Xu Qi’an asked in surprise.
“Not yet,” chirped the little fox sweetly.
I was wrong. You’re more than useless, you’re useless to the core. Why would the Wanyao Princess send you… Xu Qi’an grumbled inwardly.
After a few sips, the little fox said, “Sister Yeji is my third elder sister. She’s really powerful. She was born three hundred and seventy-six years before me.”
So, just who is this Sister Yeji of yours…
“She used to work in the capital and only recently returned. She told me many stories about you. Silver Gong Xu, you’re really amazing~”
Fu- Fuxiang… Xu Qi’an’s expression froze. He could not tell whether he felt delighted, wistful, or angry, his mood was extremely complicated.
He was pleased to have news of his old flame again, wistful that meeting again was a remote hope, and angry, because he, a dignified Nightwatcher of the Great Feng, had been turned into one of the kingdom’s living corpses by her.
So, she’s Fuxiang’s younger sister. Fuxiang’s real name is Yeji… Xu Qi’an’s expression softened a little, and he asked,
“What did your Mistress send you to do?”
“To deliver a message!” said the little fox happily.
Then you’d better get on with it… After waiting a little, Xu Qi’an saw she was still silent, gazing at him expectantly.
So he urged, “A message?”
“My Mistress asked me to tell you about the situation in the Buddhist Sect.”
As she spoke, the little fox glanced at the table. She was eyeing the osmanthus cake and had already sneaked several glances at it.
“If you want to eat, just eat it,” Xu Qi’an sighed.
The little fox gave a happy chirp, hugged a piece of osmanthus cake, and nibbled away in tiny bites.
Useless, childish, very restrained, with a certain air of nobility; she looks like a little fox who would cry for ages if struck… Xu Qi’an made his judgement inwardly.
He patiently waited for her to finish eating, then asked, “Do you want more?”
“Yes, please! Thank you, Silver Gong Xu.”
“…Finish delivering your Mistress’s message first.”
Glutton! Xu Qi’an tagged her inwardly once again, but it was not surprising; all children were greedy for food.
Reluctantly drawing her gaze away, the little fox sat obediently and said,
“I’ll start from the top. The most powerful figure in the Buddhist Sect is the Beyond-rank Buddha. Next are the four great Bodhisattvas. The current Bodhisattvas are: the Araguka Bodhisattva, who commands the ‘Vajra Dharma Aspect’ and the ‘Immovable Sage Dharma Aspect’; the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, who commands the ‘Samsara Dharma Aspect’ and the ‘Great Mercy and Compassion Dharma Aspect’; the Dharmapara Bodhisattva, who commands the ‘Great Wisdom Dharma Aspect’ and the ‘Medicine Buddha Dharma Aspect’; and the Vaidurya Bodhisattva, who commands the ‘Walker Dharma Aspect’ and the ‘Colourless Lapis Lazuli Dharma Aspect’.”
“In the history of the Buddhist Sect, there have been nine Bodhisattvas. Five hundred years ago there were seven. After the Sixty-year extermination of the Yao, there were five. During Emperor Wuzong’s usurpal of the throne, the first Jianzheng cut down another, so now there are only four.”
“Then there are the nine great Arhats, of whom only two remain: Arhat Duqing of the Srotapanna phala, and Arhat Du’e. Mistress said that after a phala is attained, it cannot be changed. So over the ages, many Arhats have chosen to reincarnate and cultivate the Buddhist path anew.”
“However, Arhats suffer from the dullness of the womb, while Bodhisattvas suffer from the confusion of rebirth, so most Arhats were lost in the cycle of reincarnation. In the history of the Buddhist Sect, there have been eighteen Arhats. Some reincarnated, others died during the Sixty-year extermination of the Yao.”
“Finally, there are the Protector Vajras, of whom only two remain: Vajra Du’nan and Vajra Dufan. Mistress never counted how many Vajras the Buddhist Sect had at its height. She said that during the Sixty-year extermination of the Yao, third rank Vajras were nothing but cannon fodder.”
Xu Qi’an’s mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg; he looked almost like a statue, dumbfounded.
At its peak, there were nine Bodhisattvas, eighteen Arhats, and an unknown number of Protector Vajras… This is absurd…
No, I can’t think like that; it’s just that they appeared throughout history, accumulated over time. In the Central Plains throughout past dynasties, the number of third, second, and first rank experts was also very impressive…
However, for the Buddhist Sect to currently have four Bodhisattvas, two Arhats, and two Vajras, now that’s ridiculous…
On the other hand, if not for the disasters caused by Emperor Yuanjing and Xu Pingfeng’s extraction of fortune, the Great Feng would have had more than just the one Zhenbei King as a third rank expert. At the very least, Duke Wei was a top second rank. There might have been others as well.
In comparison, the Buddhist Sect had reached a terrifying peak after the Battle of Shanhai Pass, flourishing beyond belief.
The little fox continued, “This time, the one leading the group to Sanhua Temple is Vajra Du’nan, and accompanying him are two fourth ranks, with the monastic names Jingxin and Jingyuan. Jingxin is a Dhyanacarya, Jingyuan is a warrior monk. You just need to keep an eye on those two.”
“Oh, right…”
She squatted and reached a paw into the small leather pouch hanging around her neck. “Mistress asked me to give you this.”
She pulled out a bracelet, on which hung six rusty bronze bells, giving it a sense of age.
“A bracelet?”
The little fox corrected him, “Mistress said it’s an anklet.”
Xu Qi’an accepted the anklet and asked, “What’s your name?”
The little fox replied, “Have a guess.”
“I can’t guess.”
“Hmph, useless. Here’s a hint: my name is the exact opposite of Sister Yeji’s.”
“Riji?”1
“It’s- it’s Baiji!”2
The little fox lifted her front paw and slapped the table to show her anger.
“One last thing, Mistress said she hopes you’ll keep your promise and search for Master Shenshu’s remains. For this reason, she sent me to watch over you. I’ll have you know, I’m very fast, I can travel thousands of li in a day. Plus, I’m excellent at stealth. I’m very useful.”
The little fox stood upright, paw on hip, looking very pleased with herself.
“Thousands of li a day…”
Xu Qi’an’s eyes lit up. He asked, “Can you carry people?”
The little fox froze, looked at her small figure, then at Xu Qi’an’s burly build, and hesitantly said, “I-I guess so…”
Overjoyed, Xu Qi’an picked the little fox up and placed her on the ground, then sat down on her.
The little fox was stunned.
…
“Hey, stop crying. You were the one who said you could.”
Xu Qi’an sat by the bed, watching the fluffy fox sprawled over the pillow, sobbing and sniffling as he tried to defend himself.
Bean-sized tears rolled from the little fox’s eyes. “I’m going to go back and tell Mistress you bullied me, sniff, my back hurts so much, sniff… hiccup…”
She had never been bullied before in her life.
Xu Qi’an was an expert at coaxing women, and it turned out he was pretty good at coaxing foxes as well. With a mixture of persuasion and deceit, he muddled through, and eventually the little fox forgave him, albeit tearfully.
Indeed the type that takes a huge amount of coaxing after a single punch. Xu Qi’an blew out the candle. “So, bed?”
The little fox scrambled up and gazed at him warily in the darkness. “No, Sister Yeji said you’re a lecher. I can’t sleep with you.”
Xu Qi’an looked at her tiny fox body and silently covered his face.
Not… not that far…
…
In Wenren Qianrou’s boudoir, the Heaven Sect Holy Son twirled a winecup, standing by the window. He said,
“Senior Xu and his wife aren’t sharing a room?”
Wenren Qianrou combed her hair before the mirror and replied with a gentle “Mm.”
She was wearing white underclothes, her waist slim, hips full, and bosom ample. From looks to figure, she was a particularly outstanding woman.
Why on earth are they sleeping separately… he grumbled inwardly, then said, “Rou’er, when you’re before that Xu Qian, remember to show him more respect.”
“I already treat him as a benefactor.”
Wenren Qianrou sounded rather aggrieved.
“No, that’s not what I mean.” Li Lingsu paused for a few seconds, lowered his voice, and said, “Xu Qian is an old monster, a monster who’s lived for centuries.”
“Third rank?”
Wenren Qianrou’s heart skipped a beat.
Li Lingsu shook his head, smiling wryly.
“I used to think so too. But yesterday at Sanhua Temple, a small occurrence changed my view. He gave me a brocade pouch, inside which I found cannons and mounted ballistae, enough to equip an entire battalion. Your Leizhou Merchants’ Association rack your brains and spend a fortune to obtain a few army crossbows and muskets from the authorities.
“But to him, these are mere trifles.”
Wenren Qianrou was incredulous. “He works for the court? Of the court’s third rank experts, there’s the Zhenbei King, and then there’s Silver Gong Xu. The rest are just the arcanists from the Sitianjian. Who exactly is this Xu Qian?”
The Heaven Sect Holy Son shook his head. “He doesn’t seem to be with the court. According to him, the artillery and chariot crossbows were trinkets he won from a game of Go with the Jianzheng. Hmph, there’s no need for a character like that to lie to me, is there?”
Won in a game of Go against the Jianzheng… Wenren Qianrou’s breathing quickened.
The Heaven Sect Holy Son glanced at his beloved and, seeing she was deeply shocked, promptly said, “Ah, my cultivation is sealed, I ought to break the seal as soon as possible. Rou’er, I’ll return to my room to cultivate.”
Wenren Qianrou snapped out of her daze, her willow brows slanting sharply as she seized the scarf on the table and flicked her wrist.
The scarf, long and silken, coiled around Li Lingsu’s neck and dragged him back.
“Li Lang, you’ve been in Leizhou for two days and haven’t touched me. Are you already tired of me? Or is there someone else?”
“No, not at all.”
“Hmph, I don’t believe you.”
“Truly not. I’ll always belong to Rou’er.”
“Well, we’ll see how you behave tonight then.”
…
The following morning.
Carrying the little white fox, Xu Qi’an brought the princess consort to the inner hall and saw Li Lingsu sitting alone at the table, enjoying breakfast.
“You seem to have grown much more haggard overnight.”
Xu Qi’an glanced at the table; the breakfast looked fine, plain porridge, steamed buns, and dainty side dishes.
He twitched his nose and, before Li Lingsu could react, lifted the lid off the teacup.
Inside, the tea was filled with goji berries.
Pfft… Xu Qi’an nearly burst out laughing.
“Sigh, this damned charm of mine.”
Li Lingsu sighed, then said, “Senior, when are we heading to Sanhua Temple?”
“No hurry. In the next few days, we’ll probably have more visitors. Keep up the act as Li Miaozhen and continue spreading the news. By the way, yesterday you made a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
Xu Qi’an placed three steamed buns before him, tore one neatly in half, and arranged it between the remaining two.
Then, he pointed at the buns, then pointed at Li Lingsu’s chest.
He means that yesterday, the steamed buns are the wrong size, there should have been one and a half on each side… Li Lingsu paused, getting Xu Qian’s point.
“I understand,” he said.
Li Lingsu lowered his head to drink his porridge and said, “Remember to keep this matter secret. If my junior sister finds out, she’ll kill me.”
As he drank, he glanced at the steamed bun, feeling that something was not quite right.
Just as he was about to ponder it further, his attention was suddenly drawn to the little white fox. In surprise, he asked, “Where did this little fox come from?”
“The younger sister of an old friend,” Xu Qi’an replied.
The younger sister of an old friend… Li Lingsu scrutinised him, as if he had thought of something, and probed, “A fox Yao?”
“Yes!”
The little white fox nodded herself, and chirped, “That’s right!”
“It can talk?”
Mu Nanzhi, who was beside them, was shocked, suddenly gaining interest. She reached out, wanting to hold the little white fox, then withdrew her hand, and asked cautiously, “Will it bite?”
“I will. I’m very fierce, so don’t touch me.”
The little white fox waved her paw, threateningly.
She was not a domesticated pet. Only pets raised at home liked being touched; true wild beasts disliked being handled by people.
At this moment, the steward of the Wenren residence rushed in, his tone slightly urgent, and said,
“Daoist Li, the Commander of Leizhou has arrived and requests to see you.”
The Leizhou Military Commander, one of the three most powerful figures in all of Leizhou.
Li Lingsu’s expression did not change as he said, “Invite him to the main hall and tell him I will be there at once.”
He and Xu Qi’an exchanged a glance, then smiled. “Here he comes.”
The people of the jianghu were but embellishments. In an entire province, fourth-rank experts in the jianghu could be counted on one hand. How much threat could they pose to Sanhua Temple?
Their real aim was to lure the military’s fourth-rank experts.
And this Leizhou Commander was among the finest.
…
A quarter of an hour later, the Leizhou Commander, Yuan Yi, met the famed Lady Flying Swallow.
This renowned Holy Maiden of Heaven Sect was indeed a rare beauty, full of heroic spirit, with delicate features, though she seemed to have suffered a grave injury, her pretty face slightly pale, gauze wrapped around her neck.
Yuan Yi, dark-skinned and of imposing stature, nodded and said, “Daoist Li’s heroism is renowned far and wide. To meet you today is my honour.”
Leizhou bordered the Western Regions, with a garrison of a hundred thousand and military towns everywhere. The local Commander, both in position and strength, was a full rank higher than those in other provinces.
“Li Miaozhen” said bluntly, “Commander Sir, have you come for Sanhua Temple’s extraordinary treasure?”
Yuan Yi did not nod. Holding his teacup, he said slowly, “What makes Daoist Li so certain that treasure can help a fourth rank break through the mortal realm?”
He did not fully believe the rumours of Leizhou, but considering Li Miaozhen’s reputation and his own desire to attain the third rank, he came with the attitude of ‘better safe than sorry’.
Li Miaozhen smiled and said, “You misunderstand, sir. Transcending mortality is but the least of that treasure’s effects.”
“Can you explain this?” Yuan Yi asked.
“Do you know the full story of the Chuzhou massacre?”
“Zhenbei King slaughtered the city to refine blood pills, this has long been known to all.”
“Then that is easy to explain. The stupa tower holds those masters who were captured in the battle at Shanhai Pass, all above third rank, including the former City Lord of Mount Jing City, Nalan Tianlu, who is a second-rank Master of Rain.”
”…Daoist Li, are you saying—?”
“Now, all those peerless experts have been refined into blood and soul pills. That’s why Sanhua Temple has closed its doors and forbids anyone from entering the stupa tower.”
Yuan Yi narrowed his eyes and was silent for a long time.
…
The next day, the news that Yuan Yi had visited Wenren Manor, seeking intelligence on the extraordinary treasure, was spread by the Leizhou Merchants’ Association.
This stirred up even greater commotion and provoked the interest of all the observing factions.
The Shuangdao Sect, Leizhou.
Sect Master Tang Yuanwu sat in the main hall, two sabres, one long, one short, standing quietly at his sides.
The Shuangdao Sect had been a dominant force in Leizhou’s jianghu for many years, every generation’s master a fourth rank, respected wherever they went. Earlier this year, in the Conflict of Heaven and Man, Tang Yuanwu had even led his disciples to the capital to participate in the ‘grand gathering’.
Under his command, the disciple Liu Yun made her name in the capital with both beauty and strength, and was ranked alongside Rongrong from Wanhua Tower as one of the Four Beauties.
As for the ‘extraordinary treasure’ of Sanhua Temple, the elders of Shuangdao Sect had differing views. Some thought it unwise to provoke the Buddhist sect and advised waiting and seeing; others believed this was the Sect Master’s great opportunity, and the sect’s as well.
As men of the jianghu, they should pursue opportunities and not shrink back.
He looked around at the assembled elders and disciples and said in a deep voice,
“No need to argue any more. No matter whether it’s true or false, it’s worth investigating. Though the Buddhist sect is mighty, Leizhou has no shortage of heroes. In the military towns there are masters at every turn; perhaps we are not weaker than the Buddhist sect after all.
“Yun’er, lead thirty of our best, and tomorrow we will go to Sanhua Temple together.”
With a heroic spirit, Liu Yun, sabres on her back, stepped forward and cupped her fist, saying, “Yes, Master.”
…
A certain military town.
One horseman galloped out of the camp, chased by a group of soldiers.
The rider outstripping the rest was a young man clad in armour, mounted on a jet-black steed.
Behind him, the pursuing soldiers shouted, “Disciplinary Officer Sir! Leaving camp without orders is a serious offence! Return with us at once and face the Commander!”
The young man in armour laughed loudly:
“Face your nan’s head! If I can snatch that treasure, I’ll be a third-rank martial artist, who would dare punish me then? If not, at worst I’ll be dismissed. As a fourth-rank, I can make a living anywhere!”
Comments for this chapter. You will need a GitHub account. Please follow all terms and conditions of GitHub issues and maintain etiquette in the comments. Cookies are required for this functionality.
If you want to talk with other readers about Nightwatchers (or other cultivation type books) you can join our cultivation groupreading discord server!
I also have a Kofi, which for legal reasons is definitely for supporting my digital art only (promise!): ko-fi.com/yanxin ... plus I guess server space isn't free, and I don't want to put ads/trackers... ever, so thank you if you do!