“Senior Xu?”
The Holy Son saw the ginger cat slip into the room, was first taken aback, then his face lit up with joy. He lowered his voice and said, “Senior, what brings you here? Didn’t you say we shouldn’t meet for the next few days?”
The ginger cat spoke in human tongue, saying, “I told you not to come and see me. I never said I would not visit you.”
Pausing for a moment, he asked in puzzlement, “How did you recognise me?”
“Didn’t you mention before that you used the Desire Gu to control a cat and sneak into Chai Manor, where you met Chai Xian?” Li Lingsu replied with a smile.
Then the Holy Son noticed that the ginger cat froze in place, lost in thought.
Did I say something wrong? Li Lingsu felt confused.
Damn it, have I unknowingly picked up Daoist Jinlian’s habits as well? No! I have not, it’s just that a cat can leap onto eaves and come and go like the wind. There’s no way a dog could have snuck into Chai Manor…
Even if it did manage to sneak in, it might end up being made into dog meat hot pot by the monks… Xu Qi’an muttered inwardly, feeling complicated.
Li Lingsu had many questions he wanted to ask, but seeing this inscrutable Senior suddenly start pondering life, he dared not disturb him and could only wait helplessly.
After a moment, Xu Qi’an regained his composure and said, “Pour me some tea, I’m a bit thirsty…”
It was not he who was thirsty, but the cat. However, the sensations of hunger and thirst were reflected synchronously to Xu Qi’an, who was possessing it.
Li Lingsu immediately lifted the overturned teacup and filled it with warm water.
The ginger cat slipped in and leapt onto the table. It did not immediately lap at the tea, but glanced at the messy bed.
A cat’s sense of smell was dozens of times stronger than a human’s, so he easily detected the scent coming off it.
Just about bearing the side effects of the Desire Gu, Xu Qi’an let out a “hmph”: “You’re living a very carefree and happy life, aren’t you?”
Hearing this, Li Lingsu’s face fell, and he complained bitterly:
“Senior, when will you remove this Desire Gu from me? Now every time I see Xing’er, I can’t control my impulses. My mind is full of her, and if she beckons me with a finger, I can’t stop myself from pouncing on her.”
As he spoke, he hugged his own waist.
Such a show-off… Xu Qi’an kept a straight face, his tone cold:
“Once things are resolved, I’ll remove the child gu for you. If I do it now, we’ll alert the target, and Chai Xing’er will notice.”
That’s all we can do! Li Lingsu sighed, considering brewing a pot of pills to replenish his kidney another day. He then remembered the matter in the cellar and said,
“Someone just informed Xing’er that the cellar was broken into and Chai Jianyuan’s corpse was dissected.”
He lowered his voice as he spoke: “Senior, was it you?”
Xu Qi’an nodded.
So it really was him… Getting the answer, Li Lingsu immediately asked, “Have you found anything?”
“Chai Xian is very likely Chai Jianyuan’s illegitimate son,” Xu Qi’an said.
He then saw Li Lingsu’s face change dramatically, his eyes wide in shock and disbelief.
After a moment, Li Lingsu lowered his voice, “Are you certain?”
“Chai Xian has six toes. Chai Jianyuan also has six toes. It’s likely hereditary, as otherwise such a coincidence would not occur.”
Li Lingsu was silent for a while, then said, “No wonder Chai Jianyuan insisted on marrying Chai Lan into the Huangfu family, there’s no way he would allow Chai Xian and Chai Lan to be together.”
Then he suddenly realised, “Chai Xian doesn’t know his own identity!”
That was easy to deduce. If he knew he was an illegitimate son, he would not have fallen in love with Chai Lan.
“No, it’s also possible that he does know. That’s why he killed Chai Jianyuan in anger, buried the secret of his illegitimacy, and monopolised Chai Lan for himself.” Li Lingsu’s imagination ran wild.
Fists require technique, and reasoning should be logical… Xu Qi’an complained inwardly and sneered:
“How can you be certain Chai Xian knows his status, or that only Chai Jianyuan in the Chai family knew he was an illegitimate child? Six toes may be a secret, but those closest to him, elders, family, would surely know.”
Li Lingsu’s expression froze. “That’s true.”
The ginger cat lapped a few mouthfuls of tea and continued, “Also, Chai Jianyuan showed signs of poisoning before he died, which is why he was killed in his study. The poisoner was likely someone close to him.”
“So Senior suspects…”
Xu Qi’an met Li Lingsu’s questioning eyes and nodded the cat’s head:
“That’s right, I suspect Chai Xing’er. That sort of poison is beyond most people’s capabilities, only a poison Gu shaman could manage it. Didn’t Chai Xing’er travel to the Southern Marches and obtain the Desire Gu?”
Li Lingsu’s face turned ugly.
He considered himself picky with women. Every beauty he had ever been involved with had her own unique temperament and character, and was beautiful in both looks and figure.
Secondly, in terms of temperament, he would never be with a woman of great wickedness. Otherwise, their worldviews would clash, making romance impossible.
Even the Dongfang sisters were not killers by nature. True, they had fought Xu Qian in Leizhou, but that was due to conflicting stances, conflict was unavoidable.
In his understanding, Chai Xing’er was clever, ambitious, and skilful, her temperament like a lilac suffused with melancholy, tender and pitiful, but at heart not a simple woman.
However, Chai Xing’er was by no means immoral.
But over this period, as the investigation deepened, he gradually began to doubt this.
“I didn’t come here to gossip.”
The ginger cat lifted its paw, patted the table, and interrupted Li Lingsu’s wandering thoughts.
“Please go on, Senior,” Li Lingsu said quietly.
“Why did Chai Jianyuan want to hide Chai Xian’s identity? Have you thought about it?”
Li Lingsu was taken aback and, after a few seconds, understood what Xu Qian meant. For the head of a powerful household, having an illegitimate child was nothing shameful.
But why, then, had Chai Xian been kept at Chai Manor for so many years as an adopted son?
Li Lingsu pondered, “If the reason wasn’t Chai Jianyuan himself, then the issue must lie with Chai Xian. There might be some secret to his background?”
The ginger cat gave a soft laugh: “Before the answer is revealed, any hypothesis is possible, but remember to seek evidence. I recall that in ancient times, Daoist yin spirits acted as City Gods, tasked with leading souls.”
Li Lingsu replied, “Mm”:
“In ancient times there were two sets of rules, one was the law of the living, the other the law of karmic resolution in the underworld. The Daoists presided over the latter. But this system gradually withered and was eventually abolished.
“Yes, I’ve read this part of history in the Heaven Sect’s ancient records, but never fully understood it. Senior, do you know more?”
A living fossil like Xu Qian must know secrets others don’t.
The ginger cat paused, piecing together what he had learned from the ancient corpse, and said:
“In ancient times, there were only two cultivation systems, martial arts, and “Dao”, the Dao in Daoism. The Daoist system was more complete and older than the martial one.
“In other words, ancient times belonged to Daoists. That’s when the law of the underworld existed and flourished.
“But then martial arts gradually rose, the people of the Southern Marches invented Gu shamanism, the Buddha attained enlightenment, and the Warlock God descended… Since then, the Dao could no longer dominate the world, and so the underworld laws vanished as well.”
As for Confucianism and Arcanists, they only appeared in recent times, the Confucian Sage lived just over two thousand years ago, and Arcanists rose with the nation six hundred years ago.
So, in ancient times there was only martial arts and Daoism… That explains the underworld law, and how the dominance changed as the other systems emerged… Xu Qian really was a living fossil, knowing so many secrets.
Li Lingsu sighed, “My Daoist sect was once so prosperous, but now it has dwindled to just three branches.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Qian, hoping to glean more secrets.
Xu Qi’an ignored him and said indifferently, “Back to the point: Daoist dream-entering magic—can it interrogate people in dreams like a Warlock of Dreams?”
Li Lingsu frowned in thought:
“Not as overwhelming as a Warlock of Dreams, who completely dominates the dream. A yin spirit can only enter the dreams of mortals, or those much lower in rank than itself. But for interrogating ordinary people, it would suffice.
“If you want me to interrogate Xing’er, not only is my cultivation still sealed, even at full strength I’d struggle to succeed. Xing’er is fifth-rank Transforming Force. Unless you had a Warlock of Dreams of fourth rank, it’s impossible.”
The ginger cat shook its head:
“Not her. Chai Jianyuan’s sons, pick the weakest to interrogate. Ask him about Chai Xian. Chai Xian was brought back to Chai Manor young and grew up alongside Chai Jianyuan’s children. No one knows him better.”
Li Lingsu nodded, indicating he had no objections. As if suddenly recalling something, he said:
“By the way, Senior, last night I noticed Xing’er left for a long time in the middle of the night, about two whole incense sticks before she returned. I left my body in spirit form to follow her and saw she went deep into the south wing.
“Martial artists have sharp instincts, so I didn’t dare follow too closely, so I don’t know exactly where in the southern wing she went.”
The ginger cat’s face grew grave. “What time?”
Li Lingsu replied, “About midnight.”
You impotent bastard, up to it this late, if you don’t suffer kidney deficiency who would… Xu Qi’an slowly nodded the cat’s head:
“I understand.”
Based on his own experience having in-depth conversations about life experiences with the Jiaofangsi oiran deep into the night, after such conversations the oiran would always be drenched in sweat, exhausted, and immediately fall asleep.
Chai Xing’er not sleeping and leaving her room in the middle of the night was definitely not normal.
Tonight, I’ll summon all the snakes, insects, rats, and ants in Chai Manor and investigate thoroughly… Xu Qi’an thought.
He found himself growing increasingly fond of the Sevenfold Gu, so many uses, such versatile powers, extremely handy, and rather stylish!
Unlike a martial artist, who just charges in headfirst and easily tips off the enemy.
…
At night.
Sanshui Town was a large settlement located twenty-six li north of Xiangzhou City, with a population of more than eight thousand. The town lay at the foot of towering mountains, which were rich in medicinal herbs, so most of the local people made their living by gathering and cultivating herbs.
The largest medicine merchant in town was an organisation called the “Medicine Guild”, whose leader was a master at the Refining Spirit level, just barely presentable.
During the Demon-slaying assembly, the Medicine Guild also took part, actively responding to the calls of the authorities and major powers. They sent thirty guild members to join the militia, patrolling through the night.
Besides the militias organised by the authorities and the Medicine Guild’s members, there was also a Buddhist monk among the patrol.
It was none other than the Warrior Monk Jingyuan, who had shone brilliantly at the Demon-slaying assembly that day.
The patrol consisted of sixty men in total, divided into groups of ten, each carrying a torch, patrolling various parts of the town at night.
Chen Er was a junior steward in the Medicine Guild, overseeing about ten people. In the guild, stewards were mid-level managers, but also the busiest, responsible for handling various trivial matters.
If they encountered anything they couldn’t resolve, or couldn’t decide on, they would report it to the higher-ups in the guild.
“Master, it’s all thanks to you joining us. The brothers are far more at ease, and we feel much braver patrolling at night.”
Chen Er, holding a torch, turned to look at the monk beside him.
This Western Regions monk, with defined features and deep-set eyes, replied calmly, “It’s simply more convenient for a retreat here.”
Chen Er did not understand, and when he asked again, the young monk remained silent and ignored him.
More convenient for retreat here? What does that mean? The monks from the Western Regions are truly eccentric… Chen Er muttered to himself a little and laughed awkwardly:
“I see, I see.”
Jingyuan pressed his palms together, walking steadily at the front.
To the north of the town flowed a small river, cutting through half the settlement. Houses lined its banks, and the cold wind blew head-on. After patrolling for about half an hour, the group crossed the stone bridge and reached a tavern by the river.
This tavern was owned by the Medicine Guild, serving hotpot and warm, murky liquor, specially prepared as a rest spot for the patrol teams.
Although the entire team consisted of skilled fighters, only Chen Er, the steward, was a Refining Vitality martial artist. The others had no rank. Thus, such a tavern was necessary, allowing them to rest and warm themselves with wine, otherwise it would be very easy to catch a chill.
“This damned weather, winter’s barely started and it’s already so cold.”
Chen Er cursed as he entered the tavern, took a few gulps of medicinal wine, then called out, “Brothers, come in and have a drink. We’ll set out again after half an incense stick’s time.”
The team members sat down, feasting on pork offal and drinking Sanshui Town’s unique medicinal wine, complaining about the cursed weather.
Chen Er did not forget to flatter, “Master, this is medicinal wine brewed from a secret Sanshui Town recipe. Please warm your stomach.”
Jingyuan nodded, quietly drinking and eating meat. For a Warrior Monk, a meal was never complete without meat.
After a few sips of wine, he closed his eyes and focused, sensing his surroundings; he found nothing unusual.
Jingyuan had already patrolled at night in Sanshui Town for two nights. The reason he chose this place was because it sat against a vast mountain range, with a river outside the settlement.
It was an excellent place for retreat or escape.
Of course, it was not Jingyuan himself who would be escaping, but the culprit.
“This person has been refining corpses for many days and has likely reached a bottleneck. He will certainly not let you and your Vajra Body go. Stay here; that person will come.”
Those were the words of Jingxin.
Jingyuan agreed with his senior brother Jingxin and felt this was indeed the fastest way to lure out the mastermind behind the scenes.
“Walking corpses have neither breath nor heartbeat, nor do they harbour killing intent or malice. But as soon as ‘they’ move in large numbers, there will be a commotion, such as the sound of footsteps…”
Jingyuan sensed nothing unusual, so he opened his eyes.
“This winter will be hard to endure. I wonder how many people will freeze to death again.”
A man took a swig of wine and shook his head ruefully.
“Oh, Zhang Niuzi, you really are a man of the people. Why not donate everything you own to the authorities for disaster relief?”
“Donate to the authorities? Wouldn’t it be better to just throw silver on the street? At least the villagers would be able to grab a few coins. If you donate to the authorities, the commoners won’t see a penny; instead, some official will take another concubine.”
The others joked in agreement.
“Exactly, Zhang Niuzi, just donate it to me instead. I still haven’t found a wife.”
This was said by a thin, somewhat rat-faced fellow.
Zhang Niuzi replied with a crude curse, saying,
“You, Li Er, can’t afford a wife, but you can sleep with your own sister-in-law! Tsk tsk, saves you paying for a bride. There’s nothing better than a sister-in-law, as the saying goes, nothing tastes better than dumplings, nothing’s more fun than… what was it?”
“Nothing’s more fun than a sister-in-law!” someone chimed in.
Everyone burst out laughing and the tavern quickly became lively.
Li Er’s elder brother was like most people in town, making a living by gathering and cultivating herbs. Once, he fell off a cliff while foraging but miraculously survived, though both his legs were ruined, confining him to bed.
With no able-bodied man left in the house, their quality of life plummeted. Li Er’s auntie was a somewhat attractive woman.
Within less than half a year, she got involved with Li Er.
As Chen Er listened to his subordinates banter and joke, out of the corner of his eye he saw Jingyuan put down his cup and turn his head.
Immediately, the monk’s voice sounded next to his ear: “Is winter in Xiangzhou always this bitter?”
Chen Er quickly straightened himself and answered respectfully,
“Of course not. If every winter were like this, how could people in Xiangzhou survive? This year is especially cold, it’s only just winter and the night wind cuts to the bone. In half a month, there will be icicles under every eave.”
Saying this, Chen Er downed his cup in one go, “I wonder how many will freeze to death this winter. Still, there’s never a winter where no one dies. That’s just how things are, if you have food to eat, you’re lucky.
“Sigh, that damned Chai Xian, making all of us patrol in this freezing weather. I’ll bet he’s long gone by now, no way he’d dare stay in Xiangzhou.”
Chen Er rambled on, and half a stick of incense quickly passed. He grabbed his short sabre and shouted,
“That’s enough drinking, get your lazy arses up, all of you, get back on patrol!”
“Already? I feel like I just sat down…”
“Let us rest a bit longer, on a night this cold, that bastard Chai Xian’s probably enjoying himself in some woman’s bed. There’s no way he’d be out making trouble.”
The patrol members all grumbled noisily.
At that moment, Jingyuan’s ears twitched, he heard a faint, unusual sound of water.
“Silence!”
Jingyuan barked.
The noisy tavern fell instantly quiet. Nobody dared speak, all looked at him in confusion.
Jingyuan ignored them, closed his eyes, and concentrated, heightening his sense of hearing to the limit.
The sound of water splashing entered his ears. It was different from the normal sound of the river, more like an undercurrent, dozens of them, perhaps hundreds…
No, not an undercurrent. There was something swimming up the little river outside the tavern, heading this way.
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