Xu Qian, looking for Senior Xu… Gongsun Xiangyang was shocked inside, but he showed no sign on his face. He pretended to be deep in thought, frowning as he repeated the name.
Then he shook his head helplessly, “Xu Qian, such an ordinary name. I’m afraid there are quite a few people in Yongzhou called that. Does he have any distinct features?”
Ji Xuan said, “His appearance is unremarkable, just like his name. The only trait is that he wears azure clothes, though that may not be much of a feature. Gongsun family head, please just keep an eye out. Remember, do not startle the target.”
Azure clothes, they really are looking for Senior Xu… Gongsun Xiangyang put on a congenial smile:
“It’s all a small matter, a small matter. By the way, since you heroes have come from afar, may I have the honour to invite you to stay at my Gongsun Manor for a while?”
He intentionally acted so warmly. On one hand, it matched his persona. As the local power in Yongzhou, it would be suspicious if he was not eager and obsequious seeing a group of fourth rank experts.
On the other hand, Gongsun Manor was his territory. If he lured them there first, he could inform Senior Xu and see how he wished to handle the matter.
Ji Xuan beamed, “We have urgent business, we won’t disturb the family head.”
Are these people friends or foes of Senior Xu? If they’re enemies, they wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gap between his teeth… Gongsun Xiangyang nodded regretfully and probed:
“Well, if you don’t mind, I shall have to bother you heroes more in the days to come…”
He made his intention to befriend them just obvious enough.
Ji Xuan, as harmless as a sunny youth, replied, “Most welcome.”
After a few more pleasantries, Gongsun Xiangyang got up to take his leave.
…
Ji Xuan, bringing a Dragon Qi host and inquiring after my whereabouts… it’s obvious that this lot traces back five hundred years to Xu Pingfeng’s faction.
Elsewhere, Xu Qi’an withdrew his soul-perceiving senses. The first thought flashing through his mind was: Kill them!
Hm, they all seem highly skilled. With my current level, I’m not afraid, but swiftly killing so many strong foes at once is nearly impossible. Besides, they’re probably just bait in the open.
Better to observe and decide…
The only reason he withdrew his soul perception was that he had guessed this group’s identity, and his animosity might be detected by these martial artists’ keen intuition.
Martial artists at Refining Spirit and above had a strong premonition of danger.
Any gaze suffused with hostility or malice would be sensed by them, which was why martial artists were so hard to ambush or assassinate.
But a gaze without emotion would not trigger their premonition.
Xu Qi’an did not want to alarm them prematurely, so he decisively withdrew his soul perception.
On his way back to the drill ground, having left the courtyard, a sparrow circled above and landed on Gongsun Xiangyang’s shoulder.
“Family head…”
One of Gongsun’s clan members moved to shoo it away, but was waved off by Gongsun Xiangyang.
He calmly took the sparrow in his hand, gently stroking its head and smiling as if merely playing with a pet.
“What’s the background of those people?”
Sure enough, Gongsun Xiangyang heard Xu Qian’s voice in his ear.
Senior Xu was using the sparrow to communicate with him.
“They claim to be from Qingzhou, but the accent doesn’t match. They asked me to find two people, one of whom is you.”
With the manner of idly toying with a pet, Gongsun Xiangyang continued stroking the sparrow, and replied via voice transmission:
“Senior, do you know them?”
Xu Qi’an snorted softly and responded, “No, but I know the elders behind them. Never mind, it’s a messy business, best left unsaid.”
Such a world-weary tone. Senior is truly a man with a story… thought Gongsun Xiangyang.
“Are they all martial artists?” Xu Qi’an asked.
Gongsun Xiangyang thought for a moment and analysed:
“Three of them lacked body-protecting divine light, and two of those didn’t act or carry themselves like martial artists…”
Gongsun Xiangyang’s analysis: a stunningly beautiful young lady, a colourful-robed Southerner from the Southern Marches, and a middle-aged man carrying a sabre, none of the three had body-protecting divine light.
In other words, none of them had reached Bronze Skin and Iron Bones.
The young lady and the Southerner’s demeanour also didn’t match that of martial artists.
“I understand.”
After hearing this, Xu Qi’an controlled the sparrow to take wing and fly towards the two-courtyard residence.
…
In the outer hall, Liu Hongmian lounged lazily in a chair, left leg crossed over right, the red embroidered shoes under her skirt swinging to and fro.
“Speaking of which, we’ve completely lost track of that brat.”
The banished disciple from Wanhua Tower twisted her sideburns between her fingers and said, “If I were him, I’d have long since run for the hills.”
Xu Yuanshuang sneered, “And who told you that brat even knows we’re coming to Yongzhou?”
Old Daoist Jiaoye stroked his beard and smiled,
“Miss Xu is right. In that lad’s eyes, our conflict was merely a chance encounter and a brief clash of tempers. Nothing so deep as to demand pursuit to the ends of the earth.
“Since he shook us off in Qingzhou, he likely thinks it’s all over. And with such a grand event, how could he not stay to have a look?”
The stern, cold, burly man, White Tiger, nodded gravely. “Yongzhou is gathering all its heroes. If he’s wise, he might already be scheming to use one tiger to eat another.”
Ji Xuan added, “Have you forgotten what the National Teacher said? Dragon Qi hosts are drawn to each other. As long as we’re nearby, it’s inevitable that we’ll meet. With a Dragon Qi host among us, we might run into that fellow any day now.”
“But why does the young master want to find Xu Qian?” Old Daoist Jiaoye suddenly interjected.
“Yesterday, I received a secret report from Tianjigong. The Buddhist sect and Tianjigong are working together to hunt a man called Xu Qian. He seized one strand of Dragon Qi in Leizhou, and in Xiangzhou, he snatched the prize from under the Buddhists’ noses again.”
Ji Xuan said gravely, “And now, he has come to Yongzhou City. According to Tianjigong’s information, his methods are cunning. Among the fourth ranks, he is outstanding.”
His words made everyone’s eyebrows arch, none of them quite convinced.
Liu Hongmian laughed, “As capable as Cao Qingyang?”
Ji Xuan shook his head slightly, “I don’t know, but at least on par with a Gold Gong.”
White Tiger said lightly, “If it’s just Gold Gong level, Hongmian and I together are enough to handle him.”
Cao Qingyang, the Wulin Alliance leader of Jianzhou, was just about the pinnacle of fourth rank, half a step to rank three.
Ji Xuan shook his head, “We must not take this lightly. This man and Sun Xuanji are as close as branches from the same tree. A third rank Arcanist is not someone we can handle. Fortunately, it’s the Buddhists and the Azure Dragon constellations who are responsible for dealing with them. Our task for now is to capture that lad, and afterwards, we may need to cooperate with Tianjigong and the Buddhists to apprehend Xu Qian.”
He took a sip of tea and said with feeling, “I wasn’t wrong; the National Teacher was holding something in reserve. We’re not the only ones collecting Dragon Qi.”
Liu Hongmian said with a smile, “Collecting Dragon Qi is the National Teacher’s trial for you, of course she wouldn’t put all her bets on you. Tsk tsk, let’s hope your experience wandering the jianghu brings merit and success. Then, in future, some people might just attach themselves to you.”
She knew very well that this little team was the core entourage the National Teacher and that city lord had picked out for Ji Xuan.
If Ji Xuan could become the successor one day, they would rise with him. Otherwise, they’d be stuck on the sidelines all their lives.
“Who exactly is Xu Qian? Have Tianjigong or the Buddhists found out?”
Xu Yuanshuang suddenly spoke.
Her question was on everyone’s mind, and they all turned in tacit agreement to look at Ji Xuan.
Ji Xuan shook his head, “Tianjigong hasn’t revealed this person’s origins to me.”
After a few more words, Xu Yuanhuai picked up his spear and strode outside, saying flatly, “I’ll go have a bout with that ragtag bunch.”
Ji Xuan grinned, “Remember to go easy, don’t kill anyone; keep a low profile.”
He turned to Xu Yuanshuang, “Yuanshuang, you go keep watch outside. If any Dragon Qi host approaches, notify me at once.”
Xu Yuanshuang replied with an “Mm”, caught up with her brother, and the two left together.
At this moment, Qihuan Danxiang suddenly strode out of the inner hall, looked up at the sky, and a moment later, a sparrow flitted down, chirping, and landed in his palm.
Banana Leaf Daoist, ever meticulous, asked, “What’s the matter?”
Qihuan Danxiang stared at the sparrow in his hand, frowning:
“This bird flew back and forth in the courtyard twice, which is a little odd. Earlier I quickly used my Heart Gu power to control it, but found nothing unusual. Perhaps I’m just too on edge.”
Ji Xuan nodded with a smile, “Better to be careful, but for now, as long as we lie low, there’s no need to worry too much.”
So the others did not pay it any more heed.
…
That was close. There’s even a Heart Gu master among them. In terms of mastery, she’s stronger than me…
Outside the barracks, amidst the crowd, Xu Qi’an let out a long breath.
That group proved to be even more sensitive and cautious than he had expected. If he hadn’t been quick-witted just now and withdrawn his control in time, he might well have been detected by his ‘colleague’.
*The Dragon Qi host never leaves their side, I likely won’t have an opportunity with this one. I also have to consider traps laid by the Buddhist sect and the Tianjigong… everyone else were martial artists, they can’t be ambushed.
*I really don’t want to have come for nothing, if I could capture one to take back for questioning, or as a hostage then maybe…
Hmm, that woman in the red skirt has a fine figure, quite the tempting prey. Pity she’s on the martial path.
As he pondered, he glanced towards the barracks and happened to see a young woman leap onto a rooftop, focusing intently on observing the crowd below.
At the same time, a spear-carrying youth emerged from an alley.
As the youth walked, he unslung the long spear from his back and hurled it with a sudden motion.
The spear became a black blur, embedding itself in the arena floor and sending chips of stone flying.
He leapt, skimming over the crowd, and landed atop the slanting spear shaft, looking down at everyone below:
“Who dares come up and face me in battle?”
The martial artists cursed and shouted, clamouring to teach this brash, ignorant lad a lesson.
This kid really knows how to show off…
Xu Qi’an looked away, glancing at the young woman on the distant rooftop. He waited a while, but none of her companions appeared.
Qi-watching technique, she must be an arcanist… The Buddhists’ and Tianjigong’s attention is all on the Dragon Qi hosts. No one would expect my target is that young woman.
If she’s proficient in the Qi-watching technique, she’s most likely a disciple cultivated by that running dog Xu Pingfeng. She might know some secrets. Know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll always prevail.
He wasn’t close enough yet. Xu Qi’an pretended to be admiring the scenery, quietly edging towards the building where the girl stood.
When they were not twenty yards apart, the young woman seemed to sense him. She frowned and looked down.
Their gazes met. Xu Qi’an grinned, his body shrouded in shadow, and slowly “melted” away.
Xu Yuanshuang’s expression changed slightly. She still had not expected herself to be this stranger’s target. Her beautiful eyes widened and, using the Qi-watching technique, she tried to search for his trail.
Suddenly, a hand emerged from the shadow beneath her feet and grabbed her ankle.
Xu Yuanshuang panicked but did not lose her composure. The jade bracelet on her snowy wrist lit up, forming a shield of clear light, and tried to force the hand away.
The hand was pushed back slightly by the power of the jade bracelet but could not be shaken off.
For the moment, the attacker also could not penetrate the clear light, and they became locked in a stalemate.
Xu Yuanshuang pulled a flintlock pistol engraved with runes from her bosom, aimed at the shadow at her feet, and fired calmly.
Bang! Bang!
The bullets disappeared into the shadow, but failed to injure the target.
When the pistol had no effect, Xu Yuanshuang’s face darkened. Sure enough, she tossed aside the weapon and swiftly produced a second and third magical tool: a bronze mirror and a round jade pendant.
As Xu Pingfeng’s eldest daughter, she was not lacking in such treasures.
Xu Yuanshuang turned the mirror towards the shadow, snapping, “Reveal yourself!”
With a hum, the bronze mirror shot a beam of golden-yellow light into the shadow. The darkness began to dissipate bit by bit, revealing the outline of a man.
The man, shrouded head to toe in shadow, slowly raised his head and grinned:
“You’ve got a lot of magical trinkets, your identity must be something out of the ordinary.”
Suddenly, he tightened his grip and, with a bang, shattered the jade bracelet on Xu Yuanshuang’s wrist and cracked the mirror.
At that moment, Xu Yuanshuang tried to crush the round jade pendant between her fingers.
This was a teleportation tool, shattering it would instantly transport her to anywhere within thirty yards.
“Nngh…”
Xu Yuanshuang’s body trembled and instantly went limp, her strength failing. The jade pendant slipped from her hand.
Desire Gu!
In the next moment, her whole body sank into the shadow, vanishing without a trace.
A moment later, there was a bang as a spear came hurtling in, smashing tiles from the eaves.
Dueling on the arena stage, Xu Yuanhuai had sensed the commotion and thrown his spear in support of his sister, but it was already too late.
He landed heavily on the roof, making the whole building shake violently, dust sifting down.
Xu Yuanhuai glanced around but saw no sign of his sister, and let out a furious roar.
The roof ridge could bear no more weight and timbers snapped as the eaves collapsed with a crash.
…
Outside Yongzhou city, by a blackened field bank, Xu Qi’an roughly dumped the young woman slung over his shoulder onto a haystack built by the farmers.
Xu Yuanshuang’s delicate body bounced on the soft straw and, bracing herself with her hands, she sat up against the stack. Her cheeks burned, and her breathing was hot and heavy.
Hormones flooded her body; her mouth was dry, her legs weak.
I’ve been poisoned, it’s desire poison. When did I get infected…?
As an arcanist, Xu Yuanshuang was skilled in pharmacology and could precisely analyse her own condition.
Desire poison has no antidote. It could only be suppressed by willpower or… or…
A flicker of fear and panic appeared in her eyes, but she quickly stifled it, glaring at Xu Qi’an coldly. “Who are you?”
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