Jingxin and Jingyuan received the message, and led the monks to welcome them.
Vajra Du’nan glanced at his beloved disciple Jingyuan and immediately saw through his injuries:
“The sabre intent lingers endlessly within the body, hard to erase. He was injured by that man?”
After Chai Xing’er secretly leaked the news, Jingxin immediately used a secret method to inform Vajra Du’nan, so Du’nan was already aware that Xu Qi’an was in Xiangzhou.
Jingyuan’s face was pale as he nodded slightly, admitting with shame, “This disciple is incompetent, and failed to detain the Buddha Son.”
Vajra Du’nan said indifferently, “Let us discuss this inside.”
The monks entered Chai Manor and sat down in the main hall. Jingxin recounted everything that had happened in Xiangzhou to Vajra Du’nan in detail.
“That Chai Xing’er is rumoured to be an agent of some “Tianjigong”, she has already reported us to her superiors. The Buddha Son did not kill us because he feared the agent would come, and if the incident was exposed, there would be a massacre.”
Jingxin gave his final summary.
“What a pity.”
Vajra Du’nan said with regret, “Had I arrived a little earlier, I could have captured the Buddha Son and fulfilled the orders of the Vaidurya Bodhisattva.”
He rose from his chair and walked to Jingyuan’s side, pressing his palm on Jingyuan’s right shoulder. A pale golden vitality flowed into his beloved disciple’s body, shattering the remnants of the sabre intent lodged in his organs and meridians.
Jingyuan’s skin suddenly cracked open in many places, blood streaming down.
He gave a muffled groan, his face deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolling down.
“What a domineering sabre intent,” Vajra Du’nan commented, then shook his head, “No, just as this sabre intent is about to dissipate, it erupts again, going with a fight, like broken jade. The Buddha Son’s fourth rank sabre intent…”
Jingyuan’s complexion gradually turned rosy again, like someone just recovered from grave illness.
Seeing his master’s serious expression, he asked, “How dangerous is this intent?”
A third-rank Vajra did not have “intent”. An eighth-rank warrior monk directly advanced to third rank, effectively following the path of a martial artist, yet after fifth-rank Transforming Force, a warrior monk could leap over fourth rank by fully comprehending the Vajra Divine Art and directly ascend to third rank.
In other words, the invincible defence of the Vajra Divine Art was, in essence, “intent”.
“This intent can no longer be described as simply fierce or domineering. Anyone of the same rank fighting him must be prepared for mutual destruction,” said Vajra Du’nan.
“Why is that?” Jingyuan frowned.
“Because that is his intent. He would die like Broken Jade than survive as an intact tile,” Vajra Du’nan said slowly.
Jingyuan and Jingxin exchanged a glance, once more realising Xu Qi’an’s terror, the Buddha Son was undoubtedly the foremost of his generation.
“Senior Uncle Du’nan, what business brought you, Arhat Duqing, and Senior Uncle Dufan together this time?” Jingxin asked.
Vajra Du’nan replied in a deep voice, “We were going to pay a visit to Qianlong City, but I received your message on the way and turned back.”
Qianlong City?
Jingxin glanced at Jingyuan, seeing the same doubt in his eyes, and asked, “What could be more important than collecting Dragon Qi and capturing the Buddha Son?”
Vajra Du’nan said nothing.
Jingxin asked no further, trying, “Then, shall we go straight to Yongzhou next, or stay a few more days?”
Du’nan pondered for a moment, “We depart tomorrow morning.”
That night, Vajra Du’nan was meditating in his room in an outer courtyard of Chai Manor when suddenly the door sounded with a couple of knocks.
Vajra Du’nan said calmly, “Enter.”
The door swung open, and a man in a cloak stepped in.
“Greetings, Vajra Du’nan.”
The cloaked man’s voice was low and magnetic.
“You are an agent of the Tianjigong?” Vajra Du’nan remained in a meditative pose, not even opening his eyes.
“I am,” the cloaked man replied.
“Tianjigong belongs to that second-rank arcanist?” asked Vajra Du’nan.
“It does.”
The cloaked man did not hide it, saying respectfully, “When the palace master gave the order to search for the Dragon Qi hosts, he mentioned that the Buddhist sect was a friend worth cooperating with, so here I am. The palace master is astute and has never been wrong.”
Seeing Vajra Du’nan remain silent in meditation, he continued,
“Enough. Since the Buddhist sect has obtained the Dragon Qi, Tianjigong has nothing further to say. However, I have searched Chai Manor and did not find Chai Xing’er. She is one of our people. I hope the Buddhist sect will be generous and return her to the Tianjigong.”
Vajra Du’nan opened his eyes, shaking his head solemnly, “Chai Xing’er is not in the hands of the Buddhist sect.”
The cloaked man paused, then smiled, “It seems some accident has occurred in Xiangzhou. Please, Vajra, tell me.”
In the candle-lit room, the orange light did not reach five metres away.
“He came,” Vajra Du’nan said, making the breathing under the cloak become heavy.
Then, Vajra Du’nan told the cloaked man everything he learned from Jingxin.
The cloaked man listened with complete concentration, not missing a word. After thinking for a long while, he said,
“The palace master said that he would eventually enter the Jianghu to collect Dragon Qi. He failed to recover the dragon ley in the capital, but the Jianghu is a new opportunity. Breaking the dragon ley not only destroyed the Great Feng’s foundation but also set the stage for this.
“If he could not recover the Dragon Qi from that man, then we should change our battlefeld, and hunt him down in the Jianghu. The palace master is wise beyond men, advancing step by step, keeping everything under control.
“Master, why don’t we cooperate?”
Vajra Du’nan sized him up, “You are just a spy. How do you know that much?”
The cloaked man smiled and did not answer.
Vajra Du’nan said, “How do you propose we cooperate? He has ways to hide his aura and is highly skilled at disguise, just finding him is difficult, let alone capturing him.”
The cloaked man was silent for a few seconds, then laughed,
“Sometimes, catching prey does not require direct pursuit. The best hunters know how to set traps.
“There are two generally effective ways to deal with him: First, lure him out using the Dragon Qi hosts. This can only be used once, he is too clever for it to work a second time.
“Second, in places that he might visit, commit every atrocity imaginable—rape, pillage, murder, so on. If he hears of it, he will definitely come. This method can be used repeatedly.”
“The Tianjigong provides the Dragon Qi hosts?” Vajra Du’nan rejected the second suggestion outright.
Buddhist vajras did not shy from killing, but only killed those who deserved it: enemies, evil-doers, the loathsome and so on. Killing the innocent indiscriminately only invited heart demons.
The cloaked man nodded,
“According to reliable sources, the martial assembly in Yongzhou is about to begin. Heroes from all over will gather. He will surely attend to search for the Dragon Qi hosts hidden among the crowds.
“All we need to do is control several Dragon Qi hosts and arrange for them to be present in Yongzhou, monitoring every movement around them. Once he appears, we close the net and catch him in the trap.”
The Protector Vajra nodded slowly. “He has already broken part of his seal. During the conflict last night, the Soul-binding Mirror could not affect his primordial spirit. If my guess is correct, the demon-sealing nail in his Baihui acupoint has already been removed.”
The cloaked man said thoughtfully, “In that case, the danger sense of a third-rank martial artist will make an ambush much more difficult. This requires careful planning. To ensure success, I will immediately send a message to the palace master for guidance.”
…
That day, the five-man team pushed on day and night until they reached Yongzhou City.
Xu Qi’an discarded his handsome looks from his previous life and disguised himself as an entirely unremarkable man. Li Lingsu did the same.
As for Hengyin and Mu Nanzhi, the former wore a cloak, while the latter wore a veiled hat.
Even the little mare was disguised, Xu Qi’an had dyed her hooves white and her coat black.
Thus, the little mare was transformed from a yellow dragon piebald into an inky black horse.
Xu Qi’an had realised that his little mare was too eye-catching, and was the one weakness in the team.
After all, people can disguise themselves, but horses were difficult, even though to most people, all horses look alike.
Upon entering Yongzhou city, Xu Qi’an went straight to one of the best inns in the city, Buzuiju.
But he was told it was fully booked, with no free rooms.
He tried a few more inns, but there were still no rooms.
Li Lingsu tutted and said, “Yongzhou is holding a martial assembly. All the inns in the city, good or bad, are full. Odd, isn’t it? You’d think a place like Yongzhou, which doesn’t even have a fourth-rank expert, wouldn’t have the draw.”
Yongzhou did have fourth-rank experts, but they all held official positions and served the court. In the Jianghu, there were no fourth-rank masters.
Lei Zheng of Longshen Castle and Gongsun Xiangyang of the Gongsun family were both fifth rank Transforming Force. They were just half a step away from the fourth rank, yet no matter what they did, they could not cross this threshold.
Mu Nanzhi sat on horseback, her slim waist swaying gently with the jolting. When she heard this, she snorted lightly, “Someone just had a sudden brainwave.”
Li Lingsu smiled, “Madam Xu, what do you mean by that?”
Perhaps because she felt that “Madam Xu” sounded quite well, Mu Nanzhi glanced at Xu Qi’an and said, “It was this fellow who made the suggestion.”
A question mark flashed through Li Lingsu’s mind. The martial assembly in Yongzhou was actually organised by Xu Qian? Why had he never mentioned it? No, what did he intend to achieve by organising this martial assembly?
The Holy Son glanced at Xu Qian and, seeing that he had no intention of explaining, sensibly swallowed his curiosity and didn’t press the matter.
Fortunately, Yongzhou City was large and had many inns. After searching for a while, they finally found one that was decent and had vacant rooms.
After arranging accommodation for Li Lingsu and Mu Nanzhi, Xu Qi’an, as usual, sat by the desk, pondering his next plan.
The martial assembly in Yongzhou is a swift way for me to gather Dragon Qi, but the same is true for the Buddhist Sect, the Church of the Warlock God, and Xu Pingfeng.
They will inevitably be drawn here. This was already confirmed by what Jingxin and the others said. The Buddhist Sect’s next stop is here.
Reasoning in reverse, the Buddhist Sect and Xu Pingfeng’s people will definitely realise that I will not pass on this opportunity. If I were in their position, what would I do?
Heh, naturally, I would seize this chance to gather Dragon Qi and deal with me… But I have the Heaven Gu’s “shifting stars and moving constellations” ability to conceal my presence. The Qi-watching technique is useless on me.
How will they look for me?
Xu Qi’an pinched his brow, and suddenly had an idea, “The Gongsun family and Longshen Castle know the local area like the back of their hands. I’ll have them act as my informants and gather intelligence.”
With this thought, he got up and left the room, knocking on Li Lingsu’s door.
“Senior?”
Li Lingsu opened the door, stepped aside to invite him in, then walked to the desk. As he poured water, he said,
“I’m trying to break the seal. Sister Rong is peak fourth rank. When I first entered fourth rank, her strength was vastly greater than mine. It’ll take a while to overcome the seal. If only I had an expert from the Daoist sect to help me.
“When will we visit the capital? My junior sister is now fourth rank. She could break the seal for me.”
Your junior sister can’t even protect herself; best let your master help you instead… Xu Qi’an didn’t bother with tea and said crisply,
“Come out with me for a bit.”
“Where to?” Li Lingsu asked instinctively.
“You’ll know once we get there.”
Li Lingsu answered “Oh,” and turned to head outside, but found that Xu Qian had not followed, and asked in confusion, “Senior?”
At that moment, a sparrow flew in through the open window, landed on Li Lingsu’s shoulder, and spoke in human language, “Let’s go.”
After spending so much time together, Li Lingsu had become used to Xu Qian’s lofty manner and dislike of explanations, so he did not ask further. Under the guidance of the sparrow, he left Yongzhou City.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Gongsun Villa, eighteen li away.
Gongsun Villa was built among verdant hills. In spring, the scenery was charming; but even in the depths of winter, it had its own special appeal.
They passed through the tall paifang gate at the foot of the mountain, climbed the steps, and stopped outside the villa’s main gate. Li Lingsu cupped his fist at the gatekeeper,
“Please pass on a message: Xu Qian has come to visit.”
The gatekeeper hurried off to pass on the message. Not ten minutes later, the stout, clearly well-fed Gongsun Xiangyang, together with his designated heir Gongsun Xiu, hurried out.
At the sight of Li Lingsu, father and daughter frowned. Gongsun Xiangyang cupped his fist, “Senior Xu?”
Seeing how deferential the local power, the Gongsun family, were to Xu Qian, Li Lingsu was somewhat more inclined to believe Mu Nanzhi.
Li Lingsu responded with an “Mm,” as Xu Qian had instructed and said nothing more.
However, the Holy Son, ever the old scoundrel, was rather taken aback by Gongsun Xiu, thinking she was quite a fine young lady.
Of course, this was only an aesthetic appreciation. At the moment, the Holy Son had no energy to embark on a new romance, and further his comprehension of the Supreme Forgetting of Emotion.
Led by Gongsun Xiangyang, he entered the villa and took a seat in the inner hall, where charcoal was burning.
“We did not know Senior would visit, our hospitality is lacking. Please forgive us.”
After a brief exchange of courtesies, Gongsun Xiangyang got to the point:
“We are proceeding with the martial assembly as directed by Senior. Martial artists from not only Yongzhou, but also the neighbouring provinces like Qingzhou and Zhangzhou, have all come to join the excitement.”
“Excellent,” Li Lingsu nodded. “Where will the sparring take place?”
“In Yongzhou City, at the large southwest drill grounds. That was originally the barracks for the city’s garrison, equipped with training fields of sufficient size. The garrison has moved, so I rented the place temporarily.”
For such a large gathering, merely a single platform would not suffice. The venue was vital.
The barracks were far from residential areas and the training field was spacious enough to serve as the venue for the martial assembly.
Li Lingsu said, “Could you do me a favour: assign people to watch the city. If you spot Buddhist monks, report to me immediately.”
“Of course!” said Gongsun Xiangyang.
Just then, Gongsun Xiangyang noticed the sparrow on “Xu Qian’s” shoulder speak human words and smiled,
“It seems the master of the Gongsun family has enjoyed peaceful days lately. In that case, I won’t disturb you further. Farewell.”
With that, the sparrow spread its wings, flew out of the hall, and disappeared into the sky.
Gongsun Xiangyang was stunned for a while, then belatedly looked to Li Lingsu, “Just now…”
Li Lingsu nodded, “That was Senior Xu just now.”
Xu Qi’an did this mainly to play it safe, for if you considered things from another angle, the Buddhist Sect or Xu Pingfeng’s agents, upon arriving in Yongzhou, would likely also seek out the local authorities and have them look for a man called Xu Qian in the city.
Or, perhaps, a small group with a warhorse.
Even searching for a needle in a haystack was a way to find someone.
For now, it appeared that the Gongsun family was safe.
Senior Xu Qian turned into a bird? No, he controlled a bird. What an unfathomable and bizarre means… Gongsun Xiu was deeply shaken inside.
Gongsun Xiangyang raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled at Li Lingsu, “And you are…?”
Li Lingsu nodded, “I am Senior Xu’s junior and close friend.”
He made a simple introduction, and then continued, “There is another purpose to our visit. We couldn’t find a decent inn in Yongzhou City. Does the Gongsun family perhaps have a vacant residence? Preferably not in Gongsun Villa itself.”
Receiving Gongsun Xiangyang’s affirmation, Li Lingsu finally could not resist his curiosity, and asked, “How did Master Gongsun come to know Senior Xu?”
At this, Gongsun Xiangyang gave a wry smile, “Senior instructed us not to reveal that.”
Li Lingsu was unwilling to give up, “Then does Master Gongsun know Senior’s background and identity? I met him while travelling and am especially curious about that.”
He felt that honesty would serve him better than lying, so he expressed his curiosity plainly.
Gongsun Xiu took over, “We know no more than you, brother. We are just as curious about Senior Xu’s identity.”
After a pause, she hesitated, “There is a poem, I wonder if you’ve heard it.”
“Poem?” Li Lingsu echoed.
Gongsun Xiu explained, “I once asked Senior Xu about his identity. He did not answer directly, but left a poem.”
“What poem?” Li Lingsu sat up straight, asking urgently.
“I received the Dao eight hundred springs ago, my flying sword never letting blood flow; No royal summon from the Jade Emperor high, so blade by side in the Jianghu I roam.”
Gongsun Xiu recited gently.
Though it had been days since she last recited this poem, it still filled her with an inexpressible awe that made her heart surge with emotion.
“I received the Dao eight hundred springs ago… I received the Dao eight hundred springs ago…” Li Lingsu muttered.
After a long while, he pinched his brow and grimaced inwardly. This damned old man Xu Qian, his identity was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
No one in the hall had noticed that the sparrow, after making a round outside, had returned to perch silently on the villa’s eaves, like a silent sentry.
…
Back in the inn, Xu Qi’an took a contented sip of tea.
That bird must stay in the Gongsun family as my eyes and ears, in case the Buddhist Sect or Xu Pingfeng’s men turn up there. Actually, I rather hope they do…
At that moment, Xu Qi’an felt a familiar lurch in his heart. An illusory dragon’s roar echoed in his ears, and the Earth Book fragment at his chest grew scorching hot.
He sensed that a Dragon Qi host was nearby.
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