After asking this question, Xu Yuanhuai stared intently at his sister, his gaze sweeping up and down her body.
Anyone could see the worry in his eyes; everyone looked at Xu Yuanshuang.
“The one who kidnapped me was Xu Qian,” Xu Yuanshuang said softly.
Xu Qian?!
Why has he set his sights on us? That shouldn’t be, we haven’t provoked this man at all…
Everyone’s expressions suddenly changed, confused yet alert.
Xu Yuanhuai pressed on, “Did he do anything to you?”
Immediately after asking, he realised his mistake. This kind of thing should be asked behind closed doors, not in front of everyone.
How was his sister supposed to reply?
“He only asked me a few questions…”
Xu Yuanshuang recounted what had happened in detail.
When they heard that Xu Qian had used the Desire Gu on Xu Yuanshuang, all their expressions became rather strange.
She hurriedly added, “He didn’t do anything to me, he just snatched my brocade pouch and left.”
Once she finished, Xu Yuanshuang also felt she seemed to be covering things up, and opened her mouth as if to explain, but said nothing more.
Ji Xuan coughed, his face grave. “If that’s the case, then Xu Qian has definitely set his sights on us. He’s also collecting Dragon Qi, so he must have a way to track the Dragon Qi hosts.”
Xu Yuanhuai said angrily, “Then why doesn’t he go after the Buddhist decoy, or any of the Dragon Qi hosts at our side, and instead goes straight for my sister?”
The young man was furious, clenching his fists so tightly that the muscles in his jaw stood out.
Daoist Jiaoye spoke gently, “Young Master Yuanhuai, do not let your anger cloud your judgement. Xu Qian is clearly probing for intelligence; a wise man plans before he acts. He did not snatch anyone away directly, but scouted the situation first, showing he is a cautious man. But this also shows, as the young master said, his cultivation is, at best, at Gold Gong level.”
Qihuan Danxiang from the Heart Gu Tribe narrowed his eyes, his tone puzzled:
“According to Miss Yuanshuang, this man used the techniques of the Shadow Gu Tribe, then used the Desire Gu, and when using the Desire Gu, employed a technique that affects the mind, which is related to my own Heart Gu… that…”
He looked strangely at Xu Yuanshuang. “That’s impossible.”
Xu Yuanhuai raised his eyebrows, “Why is it impossible?”
Qihuan Danxiang replied succinctly, “You can only have one life Gu.”
Ji Xuan mused, “Is there no precedent in shaman clan history of someone cultivating two types of gu?”
“Firstly, the seven great shaman clan tribes are closely connected but also competitive, and the secret arts of each tribe are not passed on to outsiders. Secondly, implanting a life Gu itself is extremely dangerous.
“It is common for infants to die because their bodies cannot endure the transformation by a life Gu. If even one life Gu is like this, think about two.”
He paused, then changed tack. “But nothing is absolute. There have been intermarriages between the tribes, and in the thousands of years of shaman clan history, there have indeed been rare geniuses who could host two life Gu. Such people appear perhaps once in several centuries, and if our shaman clans had such a genius now, there is no way I would not know.
“Besides, this Xu Qian has three Gu combined.”
JIaoye stroked his beard and said, “In other words, what Miss Yuanshuang saw may only be superficial.”
Qihuan Danxiang shook his head.
“It is not so simple at all. If he were a Heart Gu master, controlling the sub-gu of the Desire Gu would not be difficult. I, for example, am a Heart Gu master, but can also control poisonous insects, so I could pose as a Poison Gu master.
“But this person is a master of the Shadow Gu, so he cannot also be a Heart Gu master. To truly find out the truth, I am afraid I will have to return to the shaman clans.”
Ji Xuan waved his hand, “No need, no need. We have a mission to complete.”
He turned to comfort Xu Yuanshuang, saying, “Although you were not hurt, you should still rest more. An arcanist’s body is a little weak after all.”
Xu Yuanshuang nodded silently, said nothing, and turned to go back to the house.
Xu Yuanhuai silently followed his sister inside and closed the door behind them.
The stern-faced young man stared straight at his blood sister, his gaze sharp. “Did that Xu Qian… do anything to you…?”
Xu Yuanshuang snapped, “What are you saying?”
Xu Yuanhuai was silent for a moment, then said coldly, “Just tell me. If that brute took advantage of you, I will kill him myself.”
His sister had been taken by a strange man for two whole hours and subjected to the Desire Gu. He could not believe nothing happened.
He even suspected his sister had traded her body for her life.
Otherwise, with no ties between them, why would Xu Qian let her go?
Xu Yuanshuang glared back, her beautiful face as cold as ice. She was already a proud, aloof beauty, and now seemed even colder.
Seeing this, Xu Yuanhuai became more convinced of his suspicion and gritted his teeth. “I will kill him sooner or later.”
At this moment, there came a knock on the door.
The siblings fell silent at once. Xu Yuanhuai looked towards the door expressionlessly and said, “Enter.”
The door opened, and a Tianjigong agent, cloaked and veiled, stood at the threshold, cupping his hands in salute.
“Greetings, Young Master Yuanhuai, Miss Yuanshuang.”
Tianjigong was a force directly under Xu Pingfeng, founded by him. Its agents only respected Xu Yuanhuai and Xu Yuanshuang, and showed little regard for Ji Xuan, even as one of the City Lord’s likely successors.
The agent smiled. “I told you, Miss Yuanshuang would be unharmed.”
When his sister had been abducted, Xu Yuanhuai had immediately contacted the Tianjigong agents, mobilising his father’s forces to search for her.
Strangely, when the agent heard that the kidnapper was an expert skilled at manipulating shadows, he had not panicked, but was quite confident, saying Xu Yuanshuang would definitely return.
“Unharmed?”
Xu Yuanhuai’s face darkened.
Xu Yuanshuang pressed her hand down, for some reason remembering Xu Qian’s strange shift in attitude, and studied the agent. “Do you know something?”
The agent did not answer, instead saying, “Young master, miss, what we must do next is find that Dragon Qi host and capture him. Only then can we use him as bait to lure out Xu Qian. He has two crucial strands of Dragon Qi.”
Xu Yuanhuai’s eyes lit up. “Good.”
…
Qingxing Gardens.
Xu Qi’an returned to his lodging in a less than cheerful mood, his face still somewhat gloomy.
He did not go straight to the master bedroom to look for Luo Yuheng, nor did he unnecessarily make things awkward by seeking out Mu Nanzhi. Instead, he went to the stables to see his beloved little mare.
The little mare was obediently eating her refined feed. When she saw Xu Qi’an approach, she neighed loudly and stretched out her head, asking for affection.
Xu Qi’an stroked her cheek, grabbed a handful of beans and fed them to her. With his free right hand, he pressed against the little mare’s neck, transferring Qi to help her strengthen her tendons and bones.
Now that he possessed the Heart Gu, Xu Qi’an could already sense the little mare’s mood changes.
For example, when she bit his sleeve, it meant she wanted him to ride her. If she walked with an especially bouncy gait, it meant she was dissatisfied with Mu Nanzhi always riding her.
In the little mare’s simple mind, it was this woman who stopped her master from riding her.
While feeding the horse, Xu Qi’an started sorting through recent events in his mind.
Could Xu Pingfeng have deliberately let his younger siblings come out to train? He knows my character, normally I wouldn’t harm family. Perhaps he meant to use this to restrain me?
Xu Qi’an broke up a lump of salt, sprinkled it over the beans, and shook his head.
No. He should know I’m not so pedantic. If Xu Yuanshuang and that younger brother of hers dared make a move against me, I’d definitely kill them in return. So, does Xu Pingfeng not know the two siblings left? Were they encouraged by someone, or could they simply not resist the urge to venture out themselves?
Troublesome… I’ll have to wait and see how it plays out with these siblings, he decided.
So long as in future encounters the siblings did not cross a line, Xu Qi’an would tolerate their minor hostility.
He then felt a little ashamed. Luckily, Xu Yuanshuang had been quite cooperative. If she had been more stubborn, the next step after ripping her clothes might have been stripping her completely to threaten her.
She is my own younger sister, that would be extremely awkward…
No, it’s already awkward. Her little dudou was green. Xu Qi’an’s mouth twitched.
After feeding the little mare, Xu Qi’an strolled leisurely back towards his courtyard. At this hour, dusk had fallen, and in a while, it would be time for dinner.
Xu Qi’an originally planned to greet the National Teacher, but ended up being scolded and sent out by her with a frosty glare—Luo Yuheng’s temper was fierce.
This National Teacher is no good at all, loses her temper at the slightest thing, always lecturing me. I don’t feel like her dual cultivation partner, more like her son… If someone has an M nature and likes the queenly type, they’d probably be obsessed with her ‘angry’ side, but I clearly am not. Better wait for the next National Teacher, Xu Qi’an grumbled inwardly.
At dinner, Luo Yuheng came out with an air of aloofness, remained silent throughout, and did not look at Xu Qi’an.
Their relationship was sharply defined.
In Daoist dining etiquette, one chewed slowly and carefully. Luo Yuheng sat straight-backed, eating delicately with small chopsticks, her lips a soft red, her features exquisite, cool and elegant.
“I can now soothe the karmic fire myself. You need not come to my room tonight,” Luo Yuheng suddenly said.
“Ah?” Xu Qi’an’s eyes widened. “Wasn’t it supposed to be seven days?”
He could not hide his disappointment.
Didn’t you say several days, National Teacher? What happened to keeping promises?
Luo Yuheng replied indifferently, “Just tonight. After last night’s cultivation, I have managed to quell my karmic fire on my own.”
So you just don’t want to dual cultivate with me. As expected, her ‘wrath’ persona is too proud, too forceful, so she is unwilling to dual cultivate, that resistance is just getting stronger in her heart… Xu Qi’an sighed.
“Alright then.”
From her words, this means no dual cultivation tonight, but possibly continuing tomorrow?
Xu Qi’an wondered inwardly but dared not ask. The National Teacher was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
That night, after blowing out the candle, he lay on the couch in the outer room, hands under his head, reflecting on the intelligence gathered today.
Ji Xuan’s team is quite strong, White Tiger, Liu Hongmian, and Ji Xuan himself are fourth-rank martial artists (Yao). Qihuan Danxiang is a fourth-rank Heart Gu Master. Xu Yuanshuang is a sixth-rank arcanist. Xu Yuanhuai is a fifth-rank martial artist.
The elderly Daoist known as Jiaoye is just sixth-rank, the weakest, but old hands like him can’t be underestimated. If Ji Xuan brought him along, he definitely has his uses.
This team won’t be easy to deal with, but they’re still not quite able to handle me. So my real enemy shouldn’t be them. Xu Yuanshuang said that arcanists can, using magical items and formations, let well-coordinated teams briefly reach third-rank strength.
Third-rank strength is always a force to be reckoned with, no matter when.
In the darkness, he gazed at the ceiling, thinking deeply for a long time, until a bold idea suddenly sprang to mind.
Luo Yuheng is here, and Sun Xuanji is also standing by in Yongzhou. If I want to go head-to-head with the two second-rank Arhats of the Buddhist sect, the two third-rank Vajras, and Xu Pingfeng’s combined team formation, it’s almost impossible.
But… what if I brought in a few more helpers? For instance, the two teachers of the Heaven Sect’s Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix.[^1]
With this, we’d have the strength for a real clash, beyond-mortal level combat would be balanced. And Luo Yuheng is peak second rank, just a step away from reaching first rank. Our combat power should actually be greater.
In that case, I could claim all the XP—no—all the Dragon Qi, for myself. I might even be able to capture the Arhat, and force him to help remove the Demon-Sealing Nails. As a second-rank Arhat and a top figure in Buddhism, there’s no way he couldn’t remove the nails.
At that, Xu Qi’an’s eyes lit up.
This way, he would not have to worry about Monk Shenshu’s severed body anymore.
Brilliant.
This is the quickest way to recover my strength. The Jianzheng said all variables will come in winter this year. If I just follow the rules and search for Shenshu’s body, who knows how many years it will take for me to recover my power?
He found himself eager with anticipation. He took out the Earth Book fragment and sent a message to Li Miaozhen:
“Miaozhen, I have something urgent to discuss with you.”
Li Miaozhen ignored him and would not accept a private chat.
Xu Qi’an kept sending private chat invitations, knowing nobody could put up with the persistent ‘scalping’ of the Earth Book fragment’s private chat function forever.
Sure enough, after a few minutes, Li Miaozhen finally could not take being pestered and replied grumpily, “What is it? Do I know you?”
…Why are you suddenly acting like Luo Yuheng!
Xu Qi’an sent a message, “Naturally, it’s something important. Where are you now?”
“I’ve arrived in Xiangzhou with my master and Senior Uncle Xuancheng, but we’re still a step too late,” Li Miaozhen replied.
“You and that lecher must be in Yongzhou, right? My master and senior uncle will be looking for you soon.”
Xu Qi’an answered, “That’s good news.”
Li Miaozhen was furious. “Good my arse! If I get caught and dragged back to the Heaven Sect, I’ll never get out again. By the way, does the lecher know about this?”
“I haven’t told him, he still doesn’t know he’s wanted by the Heaven Sect.”
“You’re terrible, hahaha.”
Gloating a little, Li Miaozhen lamented, “I’ve come across so many things I couldn’t stand these past days, but couldn’t do anything about them. It’s been so frustrating!”
And you call yourself ‘transcending emotion’… Xu Qi’an silently griped.
“When your master and senior uncle arrive in Yongzhou, contact me. I’ll need their help,” Xu Qi’an said.
“If we work it right, perhaps you and Li Lingsu can escape this predicament.”
“You have a solution? Tell me! Tell me now!” Li Miaozhen replied eagerly.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Xu Qi’an ended the chat and put away the Earth Book fragment, about to meditate and sleep, when he suddenly heard a familiar breathless moaning.
Didn’t she say no dual cultivation tonight…? He paused, listening closely, and found tonight’s gasps were different from last night’s.
The biggest difference: tonight she had more self-control.
Seems last night’s cultivation really did reduce the karmic fire. She thinks she can endure for one night.
Xu Qi’an hesitated briefly, then decided to obey the will of the Desire Gu and keep his promise. He slipped off his boots, and walked quietly towards the bedroom.
Creak,
The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Xu Qi’an slipped through the gap.
On the bed, Luo Yuheng was struggling to resist her karmic fire and calm her desires, teetering on a precarious balance. On seeing Xu Qi’an enter, her composure nearly broke and she trembled as she said,
“You… you get out…”
[^1] Originally referencing Zhuge Liang (crouching dragon) and Pang Tong (young phoenix), the two genius strategists and advisors to Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms. Here of course it refers to Li Lingsu and Li Miaozhen.
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