The National Teacher’s here!?
Xu Qi’an almost shouted out in joy: Auntie, I don’t want to work hard anymore.
Forcing himself to calm down, he replied via sound transmission, “Wasn’t it three days?”
“Within three days,” Luo Yuheng answered curtly.
Perhaps it was because they were going to practice dual cultivation, but her tone was especially cold and distant.
“National Teacher, I’ve run into some trouble. A Buddhist Vajra is on my heels, save me. Let’s meet in the mountains thirty li south of Yongzhou City,” Xu Qi’an hastily transmitted.
“A Buddhist Vajra… Why have you come into conflict with Buddhism? Is it about Dragon Qi?” Luo Yuheng asked.
“He wants to take me back to the Western Regions and have me become a monk, cutting off all worldly ties,” Xu Qi’an replied just as concisely.
“I’ll come immediately,” Luo Yuheng said no more.
Xu Qi’an stopped wasting time, turned to the old monk, the tower spirit, and said, “Master, let’s go to the deep mountains, fifty li south of Yongzhou City.”
The old monk nodded.
…
In the deep mountains south of Yongzhou City, where not a soul could be found.
A sixty-metre-tall, dark gold pagoda descended from the sky, crashing into the mountain with a thunderous boom. The nearby peaks shook violently and rocks tumbled down.
Vajra Du’nan leapt from the pagoda, his muscles undulating over his body, easing the searing pain.
The Stupa Tower had been constantly resisting him, its power biting into his flesh.
Vajra Du’nan understood the depths of the Stupa Tower. Among Buddhist techniques, sealing magicks were supreme.
The Stupa Tower was the prime example of this.
In terms of sealing and support, it ranked among the finest of all Buddhist artefacts; otherwise, it would not have been used to suppress Shenshu’s severed arm.
But, there was no perfect artefact. The Stupa Tower’s biggest flaw was its lack of powerful offensive capabilities.
So long as I can pin down the Stupa Tower and wait for Duqing and Dufan to arrive, this ambush will still be a complete success… Vajra Du’nan let out a long breath, circulating his Qi to ease the pain in his flesh, while watching the Stupa Tower intently.
After his previous negotiation with the fourth rank spy from the Tianjigong, Vajra Du’nan had set a trap specifically for Xu Qi’an.
He had used three Dragon Qi hosts who were “already enlightened” as bait, having them wander through the east, south and west of the city. Leveraging the Buddha Son’s acute sense of Dragon Qi, he had successfully drawn him out.
To ensure there were no slip-ups, Vajra Du’nan gave the teleportation artefacts, gifted by the Tianjigong, to each Dragon Qi host.
If chased or ambushed, the host would instantly crush the teleportation artefact, and Vajra Du’nan could arrive at once.
Yet, he had underestimated how troublesome the Buddha Son would be.
His plan had nearly upended in a position he thought safe, and let his prey escape.
If I can take the Buddha Son in one stroke, the deadlock in Aranda will be broken. The Church of the Warlock God, the Great Feng and the Yao and Barbarians will suffer a triple defeat, and the chance for Buddhist glory to shine across all Jiuzhou will have arrived.
Capturing the Buddha Son will secure our victory.
Vajra Du’nan took a deep breath, mustered his strength, and slammed his dark golden fist onto the Stupa Tower with a deafening bang.
The tower trembled slightly but did not attempt to escape again, as if it had given up.
He’s waiting for Sun Xuanji… Vajra Du’nan’s eyes glinted as he quietly scanned his surroundings.
It was an obvious inference. Sun Xuanji and the Buddha Son had once joined forces to seize the dragon qi in Leizhou. Now that the Buddha Son was cornered and unable to flee, staying put here could only mean he was waiting for help.
Vajra Du’nan still felt no fear. A third-rank arcanist was indeed difficult to deal with, and though it was almost impossible for him to capture or kill a Master of Heaven’s Secrets, the other side would not be able to steal the Stupa Tower right under his nose, either.
As long as he kept watch here and waited for Duqing and Dufan to arrive, victory would tilt in the Buddhists’ favour.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Vajra Du’nan saw a dazzling golden light shooting over from the horizon, like a golden meteor.
At first, it was still distant, but in a few blinks, it was right up close.
The golden light billowed and surged in layers, escorting a brilliant figure who descended atop the Stupa Tower.
It was a woman for whom no words of praise would be excessive. Her features were flawless, her skin paler than snow, with a vivid vermillion mark on her brow.
She wore an elaborate, ornate Daoist robe, her dark hair gathered beneath a lotus crown, a horsetail whisk in her left hand, a green sabre in her right.
Her clear eyes, seeming to contain all the stars, gazed coldly down at Vajra Du’nan from atop the tower.
Luo Yuheng…
Vajra Du’nan’s expression changed sharply. He had not expected that the person arriving would be Luo Yuheng, Daoist Leader of the Human Sect.
The Human Sect was famed for its swordsmanship, the deadliest of Daoist arts among the Three Sects.
“Luo Yuheng, is your Human Sect going to meddle in Buddhist affairs, too?” Vajra Du’nan said in a deep voice.
Luo Yuheng’s red lips moved slightly. “Fuck off, or die.”
Vajra Du’nan gave a cold snort. “Let’s see what your Human Sect’s swordsmanship is made of, and how many strikes it’ll take to break my golden body.”
If I can last a quarter of an hour, Duqing and Dufan will definitely arrive in time… Since advancing to third rank, Vajra Du’nan’s golden body had never been breached. He was fully confident.
He was no match for Luo Yuheng, of course, but for her to break the body of a Buddhist Protector Vajra, how could it be so easy?
The thought had just arisen when he saw Luo Yuheng draw her three-foot divine sword. The moment the blade left its sheath, the world became filled with sword Qi; countless phantasmal and tangible strands of sword Qi blanketed the sky.
At such close range, even grass and trees became weapons.
Luo Yuheng’s hand gripped the iron sword. With a gentle twist of her wrist, the blade traced a circle, and the myriad sword shadows followed suit, outlining a round sweep.
When the sword returned to its original position, all those countless sword shadows merged as one.
“Go!”
The National Teacher tossed out the iron sword, letting it shoot toward Vajra Du’nan like a rainbow.
In that instant, Vajra Du’nan felt a tsunami of sword Qi crash over him, bearing irresistible force. For the first time, he felt his own power was insignificant.
With a deep growl, the muscles under his dark gold skin swelled, veins standing out. His nine-foot-tall frame ballooned slightly.
With another deep growl, Vajra Du’nan clapped both hands together and caught the iron sword.
His feet gouged deep furrows in the ground as he was pushed back by the sword, then with a “bang,” he slammed into the mountainside.
The sword’s momentum did not falter, the rumbling echoed non-stop. The not-so-tall mountain collapsed and split, rocks, earth and trees cascading down in great swathes.
So strong… Xu Qi’an, standing by the window, watched in awe at the sight, his mind reeling.
Even though he was now third rank, seeing Luo Yuheng act left him shocked all the same.
With a casual swing of her sword, she had forced a third-rank Vajra into such a sorry state, forced to take the attack head on, unable to fight back.
The National Teacher’s cultivation is just one tribulation away from the first rank…
He sighed inwardly, when suddenly a shadow fell over the window. Luo Yuheng was standing outside in mid-air, blocking the light, her eyes cold as she scrutinised him.
“Still not leaving?”
Xu Qi’an snapped back to reality, if he didn’t go now, the other two Arhat, Vajras would be here soon.
Without another word, he turned and shouted towards the tower spirit, “Master, let’s withdraw, quickly!”
The Stupa Tower soared skyward, turning into a stream of light that quickly disappeared.
Luo Yuheng stood atop the tower, robe billowing, her bearing unrivalled.
After flying for an hour, the Stupa Tower landed in a desolate wasteland. A door on the first level opened, Luo Yuheng floated lightly down and entered the tower.
“National Teacher!”
Xu Qi’an was already waiting on the first floor.
Luo Yuheng nodded slightly and said, “The Stupa Tower from Leizhou? Why has it become your artefact?”
“It’s a long story. In short, I obtained a token from the Dharmapara Bodhisattva and gained the tower’s recognition, so it’s following me for now,” Xu Qi’an replied.
Pity I don’t practise Buddhist techniques, so I can’t use the tower’s full power… he thought with some regret.
“Dharmapara?” Luo Yuheng’s refined eyebrows knitted together.
“I’ve heard that Dharmapara Bodhisattva vanished over three hundred years ago, the monks of Aranda can’t find him,” Xu Qi’an explained casually, then said via sound transmission:
“The token was actually something I got from the Zhenbei King’s deputy general, Chu Xianglong. I didn’t tell the tower spirit about this.”
As they spoke, they went up to the third floor. Luo Yuheng nodded politely at the old monk, the tower spirit.
“Little lass from the Human Sect…” Shenshu’s severed arm tsked. “A fine cultivation, peak second rank, but a pity, you don’t have long to live.”
Since ancient times, almost no Daoist Leader of the Human Sect ever reached the first rank. When at peak second rank, they could suppress karmic fire, but once they could no longer restrain it, they died to the heavenly tribulation.
Shenshu’s severed arm added temptingly, “Release my seal, and I’ll tell you how to survive the tribulation.”
Xu Qi’an cut him off, “Find someone with good fortune and dual cultivate?”
Shenshu was stumped for a moment, then gave a dry laugh to cover his embarrassment. “Boy, you know quite a lot.”
Master, times have changed… Xu Qi’an retorted mockingly, “You’ve been suppressed for five hundred years; your news has gone out of date.”
Shenshu’s tone grew fierce. “Boy, are you looking for death?”
…
A quarter of an hour after the Stupa tower left, a stream of rosy light swept across the sky. It was a nine-petal lotus platform, standing atop it was a vajra with dark gold skin and a ring of fire burning behind his head.
This vajra was astonishingly ugly, his gaze fierce and malicious. His mere appearance could make ordinary people’s legs go weak from fright.
It could not help but make one suspect that he must have suffered some trauma as a foetus to turn out so disappointing to the people of the world.
But anyone from the Western Regions would immediately recognise him as a member of the Asura clan, a race famed for its ugliness and belligerence.
By the asura vajra’s side sat a withered old man, holding a flower in both hands, cross-legged and bowing his head. His white brows drooped to his cheeks, and there was a fleshy mole between his brows.
He kept his eyes shut, as if in contemplation.
The lotus platform hovered above the ruined boulders. The asura vajra, Dufan, looked down for a moment and said in a deep voice:
“Junior Brother Du’nan!”
A few seconds later, there was movement amidst the pile of shattered stones. Rubble tumbled down, and the vajra Du’nan crawled out.
He was in a wretched state, his red and yellow kasaya in tatters, his dark gold skin dull and lustreless, golden blood lingering at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re injured. In the Great Feng these days, who can leave you in such a sorry state?” The asura vajra Dufan frowned.
“Daoist Leader Luo Yuheng of the Human Sect,” replied Du’nan.
Sitting cross-legged on the lotus platform, the arhat Duqing opened his eyes and said slowly, “Du’nan, you startled the snake in the grass. Why did you not wait for Dufan and I before setting your ambush?”
Du’nan put his palms together. “That rank two arcanist is also aiming for the Buddha Son. I wanted to seize the chance and capture the Buddha Son before him. I underestimated the strength of the Buddha Son.”
The Tianjigong had requested cooperation, and Du’nan had agreed, but that was only a feint.
He had intended to seize the Buddha Son before that arcanist could act, hence he had not waited for his fellow disciples Dufan and Duqing.
“But at least we have tested the Buddha Son’s trump cards,” Du’nan added.
“He has Luo Yuheng’s help, and Sun Xuanji from the Sitianjian. What we must consider now is how to deal with them. As for startling the snake, the host of the Dragon Qi is a matter of open intrigue; as long as he seeks to gather the Dragon Qi, he will inevitably come up against us.
“There won’t be just this one opportunity, there will be many more.”
The arhat Duqing, making a gesture as though picking a flower, said clearly and evenly, “Only an arcanist can deal with an arcanist. It would not hurt to cooperate with the Tianjigong.”
Du’nan raised his nonexistent eyebrows (he had none) and asked, “Has the Buddhist Sect reached an accord with that arcanist?”
Duqing nodded.
…
Inside the inn.
Li Lingsu pushed open Mu Nanzhi’s door forcefully, his tone flustered.
“I just finished my inquiries. As expected, it was Vajra Du’nan that Senior Xu encountered.”
Mu Nanzhi’s expression changed, and she instinctively hugged the white fox tighter in her arms. “A third-rank vajra?”
“A third-rank vajra?” The little white fox echoed crisply.
Li Lingsu nodded.
He had learnt upon returning to Yongzhou that not long ago there had been a great battle in the city. Several commoners had died in the shockwaves, more than a dozen wounded.
According to reports from Jianghu folks who had observed from a distance, one of those fighting had been a monk in kasaya, towering and with dark gold skin, and without brows, beard, or hair.
The other had a plain, unremarkable appearance, but could command animals to do his bidding.
Comparing these accounts with the information Mu Nanzhi had provided before, the conclusion that Xu Qian had encountered a third-rank vajra was not hard to reach.
“Any word on the current situation?” Mu Nanzhi asked anxiously.
Li Lingsu shook his head regretfully.
Mu Nanzhi paced up and down the room, her brow tightly furrowed.
Li Lingsu had never seen her this anxious before. The Madam Xu of old was always carefree and idle, her words and actions exuding laziness, as if she were a celestial untouched by worldly matters, besides possibly having some slight fondness for him, nothing on earth seemed to trouble her.
Phew, good thing Madam Xu really cares about Xu Qian. That’s for the best. If she were always pining after me, sooner or later Xu Qian would have me killed. Ah, such damnable charm…
As the two people and the fox worried, fluttering came from the window.
A wild blackbird perched on the windowsill and spoke in a human voice, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Li Lingsu and Mu Nanzhi turned abruptly, joy spreading across their faces.
The little white fox was just as delighted.
“How are you? Are you hurt? Did you escape the pursuers? Is that bald puppet with you?” Mu Nanzhi poured out her questions.
The wild bird pecked its head. “I’m alright. Just stay at the inn and everything will be fine. Wait for me patiently.”
Then it turned and “glared” at Li Lingsu. “You, come with me out of the city.”
…
The Northern outskirts of Yongzhou, Qingxing Garden.
This was where Gongsun Xiangyang came to while away his leisure, inviting companions to join in his team activities, well known in certain circles of Yongzhou.
At banquet times, the carriages of the rich and powerful would arrive in an endless stream, and the most famous oiran from all the city’s best brothels would attend in high spirits, and return satisfied with cheeks white with frost.
On ordinary days, Qingxing Garden was tranquil and peaceful. Apart from servants and maids, the Gongsun family seldom sent anyone to live there.
The garden was elegant, planted with plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, winding paths meandered through secluded corners, and the rear courtyard held a hot spring, the real reason the place was favoured by Gongsun Xiangyang’s circle.
In a tearoom hung with calligraphy and paintings by famous hands, Xu Qi’an and the National Teacher sat across one another, drinking tea and recalling tales of their journey since leaving the capital.
Luo Yuheng held a teacup, her pale face looking up, expression calm as she listened.
Elegant, cool and reserved, the cinnabar at her brow lent her a noble, unapproachable beauty. If one considered her stations as the National Teacher and rank two Daoist Leader, her celestial-like demeanour was tinged with a dignified and inviolable majesty.
It’s hard to imagine such a woman would ever practice dual cultivation with me… Experienced Driver Xu Qi’an could not help but feel a little nervous.
Among all the women he had met, Luo Yuheng’s beauty and bearing ranked second—nothing to be done, the Reincarnated Flower Goddess was simply too much of a cheat.
As for her figure, limited by the customs of the time, Xu Qi’an could not admire Huaiqing in form-fitting jeans, nor Biaobiao in tiny hot-pants, nor the princess consort’s luscious waves, and certainly not Luo Yuheng’s body beneath her Daoist robe.
He could only estimate from how her ample bosom swelled beneath the cloth that she was indeed abundantly endowed.
“By the way, I’ve called Li Lingsu over. If I may trouble you, National Teacher, to help unseal his powers,” Xu Qi’an said.
“So he can protect Mu Nanzhi for the next seven days?” Luo Yuheng replied mildly.
Fuck me, is it really the whole seven days? Aunt, let’s talk this over… Xu Qi’an’s heart sank.
Luo Yuheng seemed to realise she had said too much and fell silent too.
Amidst the faintly awkward atmosphere, the sound of footsteps drifted from outside.
Led by a maid from Qingxing Garden, Li Lingsu walked in.
“Senior, it’s a dangerous day. You actually ran into Vajra Du’n…” He cut off mid-sentence, standing stiffly at the doorway, staring at Luo Yuheng.
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