Xu Qi’an raised his head and took a swig of wine, thought for a moment, and said,
“Duke Wei, allow your subordinate to first report on his work. After Emperor Yuanjing died, the Dragon Qi scattered, and the Great Feng fell into imminent peril.
“The Church of the Warlock God, Buddhist Sect, and that lineage from five hundred years ago are all coveting the Dragon Qi. After travelling for a month, I managed to collect three crucial strands of Dragon Qi and one fragmented Dragon Qi.
“The Jianzheng said that the fragmented Dragon Qi could be ignored. As long as the nine crucial strands of strands are gathered, the scattered ones would merge on their own.
“But, if you ask me, I reckon it’s not actually necessary to collect all nine strands, since it’s just too difficult. If even one Dragon Qi is found by the enemy and brought back to their base, there’s nothing I can do.
“So I should gather as much Dragon Qi as possible to steady the crumbling Great Feng. For example, if I can collect over half of them, that should be enough. Or perhaps the Jianzheng is plotting something else altogether, he’s utterly unfathomable.
“If you were still alive, Duke Wei, I wouldn’t be so troubled…”
Xu Qi’an took another sip of wine, letting out a soft sigh:
“Your sacrifice didn’t bring any real change to the Great Feng, although the Jianzheng and Zhao Shou said you bought us precious time for the Central Plains.
“Along this journey, the bitter cold and ice, all I saw were sights too tragic to witness. In times of prosperity, the people suffer. In times of ruin, the people suffer. That old saying speaks true…
“I will try to risk my life to change this, to save Great Feng from the brink of destruction. This is also about my own life, if the kingdom falls, with half the nation’s fortune inside me, I’ll die with it.
“Sometimes I truly feel lost, unsure which path to take. If only you were still alive.
“Oh, by the way, I’ve finally dual cultivated with the National Teacher. She’s my Dao companion now, but at this moment she probably wants nothing more than to stab me with her sword. What a tigress she is…
“I used to be simply lustful for her. She’s so beautiful, so enchanting. This period of dual cultivation has made my feelings for her more complicated. I suppose this is what they call ‘taking the train and then paying for a ticket.
“The only trouble is her attitude towards my other women is rather hostile… try as I might, I can’t bring her to heel. Once she settles her karmic fire and passes her tribulation, she will be a first rank earthly immortal.
“Just the thought of that is despairing, perhaps Lin’an and the others are more despairing still. Fine, my licentious ways are my fault. Someone as gallant as yourself, Duke Wei, would understand me, wouldn’t you?
“When I recover my strength and reach the peak of the third rank, I will be able to dual cultivate with Mu Nanzhi. With my remarkable charm, she surely won’t refuse me, but I don’t want to seize her spiritual essence.
“Perhaps the ancient Daoist bedroom arts can solve this, allowing us both to benefit.
“Also, Huaiqing is very strong-willed, overbearing, even. Yesterday, when I went to visit her, she kept me waiting outside her room for an hour, saying she was indisposed.
“Guess how I finally got to see her? I said: ‘I haven’t been to see Lin’an yet.’
“Then she admitted me. If she were to know I’d seen Lin’an first…”
Xu Qi’an sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the bed. Drinking, he glanced back at Wei Yuan, and said helplessly,
“Forgive me, I truly haven’t had the energy or time to collect the materials for the Soul Summoning Bell. Circumstances forced me to prioritise gathering Dragon Qi.
“If this were before, I would have chosen to resurrect you first. Now, I must put the nation first. This is the responsibility I must bear. Back then, you trained in martial arts to reach the third rank, to take the Empress from the capital.
“But when you finally held power and strength enough to look down upon the world, you chose to stay in court, content to be Yuanjing’s pawn, to patch up the empire.
“There is no way in this world to have your cake and eat it too, to keep both the people and your beloved safe.”
Xu Qi’an withdrew his gaze and rambled on,
“I’ve recently taken a new disciple, named Miao Youfang. His talent is ordinary, but he has a chivalrous heart. His dream is to be a great hero.
“At that moment I thought, I should give him a chance. After all, it was you who gave me a chance, someone who had neither friend nor family. That’s why there is now a Silver Gong Xu.
“You cultivated talent for the court. Now I do the same.
“Duke Wei, this is the legacy you have left me.”
Having spoken, he finished the last of the wine.
Xu Qi’an got to his feet, bowed respectfully before the bed, and left the secret chamber.
At the same time, he maintained the ‘Shifting Stars’ ability, preventing his presence from leaking out even slightly, and used the conch to contact Sun Xuanji.
It was a one-way message, and he spoke succinctly:
“See you downstairs!”
Without giving Senior Brother Sun a chance to reply, he cut off the communication.
…
When Sun Xuanji arrived at the first underground level, he happened to see Xu Qi’an ruffling his Fifth Junior Sister’s messy hair.
“Wait for me in the Sitianjian. It’s not that I don’t want to take you along, but it’s just too dangerous.”
“You wouldn’t want to die young before you’ve even been married, would you?”
Xu Qi’an felt the smoothness of the hair beneath his fingertips. Although Zhong Li looked unkempt, with dishevelled hair that often made her seem careless about personal hygiene, in fact, her hair was silky, and there was no smell about her. She was very clean.
Zhong Li didn’t resist when Xu Qi’an patted her head, but quietly defended herself:
“Your fortune can counteract my bad luck. I might not end up in trouble.”
Sister Zhong, you’re a woman, how can you have no sense of self-preservation at all… Xu Qi’an said gravely,
“Have you forgotten about Master Hengyuan’s scalding hot soup outside Yongzhou city? Forgotten what happened in the underground palace? Forgotten all your series of misfortunes at my home?”
Zhong Li replied, “But now you’re accompanied by Dragon Qi, and your original fortune as well…”
Xu Qi’an glared at her. “Still not convinced?”
Zhong Li lowered her head in grievance, looking like a bullied child, not daring to speak further.
Only then did Xu Qi’an look at Sun Xuanji and say,
“Senior Brother Sun, may I trouble you to take her out of the capital?”
He was afraid the National Teacher might still be patrolling the capital’s borders, and if they ran into her, her little fists would pound his chest until he died.
If he were in the other position, and someone had caused him that much humiliation, Xu Qi’an admitted he would be furious too.
Sun Xuanji grunted in assent, glanced at Zhong Li and said,
“She…”
Before he could finish, Xu Qi’an had already handed over pen and paper.
…Sun Xuanji immediately lost all desire to communicate. He stamped his foot, and the teleportation array lit up, taking Xu Qi’an away with him.
“Junior Sister, are you hoping to advance to Rank Four soon, to help him withstand future crises?”
At the sound of the voice, Zhong Li turned and saw Yang Qianhuan’s head poking around the doorway.
She honestly hummed in assent.
“Truly troubled times,”
Yang Qianhuan sighed. “Once I’ve handled matters in the capital, I’ll have to take a trip into the jianghu as well. Teacher Jianzheng has assigned me a task. As annoying as that scoundrel Xu Qi’an is, since we’ve been friends, I still ought to help if I can.”
Zhong Li asked curiously:
“Senior Brother Yang, is there something else you need to do in the capital?”
Yang Qianhuan lowered his voice:
“It’s a secret, but I can let you in on a bit, hmm, it’s to do with raising funds.”
Zhong Li suddenly understood:
“You want once again to donate all Sitianjian’s wealth, Senior Brother Yang?”
“Uh… how did you guess? N-no, that’s not what I was thinking, don’t wrong me…”
Yang Qianhuan stammered away for a long time, then, dispirited, said, “Junior Sister Zhong, keep this secret for me. I want to catch Teacher Jianzheng by surprise.”
…
Yunzhou!
Qianlong City, the Stargazing Pavillion atop the mountain.
“Cough, cough…”
Hoarse coughing echoed around the tearoom, where a middle-aged man in white sat beside a table, brewing tea and covering his mouth as he coughed from time to time.
On the observation platform outside stood a golden figure tall as a tower.
He stood eight feet tall, his physique perfectly proportioned, wearing a loose kasaya, exposing muscles like cast gold.
His features were distinctively those of the western regions, and he stood tall and unyielding, like a bamboo stalk.
There was a depth and authority in his eyes. Anyone meeting his gaze would feel as though they were facing an abyss.
“In your current state, within ten moves, the Jianzheng could kill you.”
The golden figure spoke. His voice was not loud, but its thunderous and intimidating power was unmistakable.
“The backlash of fortune on an arcanist is far more terrifying than you imagine.” Xu Pingfeng patiently brewed tea, sighing softly,
“To cast a curse of death upon me by harming himself… my eldest son’s combat talent is truly frightening. Give him another five or ten years, and rebellion would be nothing more than a joke.”
The golden figure looked down at all of Qianlong City and said slowly,
“Dharmapara Bodhisattva has still not been found, otherwise his Medicine Buddha Dharma Aspect could heal your wounds.
“Since you can no longer start an uprising, you should focus your efforts on collecting Dragon Qi.
“The situation is dire. Arhat Duqing has been captured, and at least half the demon-sealing nails on the Buddha Son have been removed. Even if he has not recovered his Undying Body, he can still muster third-rank battle strength.”
The white-robed arcanist finished brewing his tea, took a sip, and smiled:
“But there are still two Vajras and my Azure Dragon Seven Constellations. Last night, while gazing at the stars, I saw another brilliant star appear in the west. Was it the birth of a new Arhat, or did a reincarnated Arhat awaken?”
“The Youngest Son of the Asura King has returned to his place,” said the golden figure.
Xu Pingfeng nodded.
“The Asura tribe are born warriors, versed in both Buddhism and martial arts. With that son’s return, the Buddhist sect gains both a Vajra and an Arhat at once.
“Collecting Dragon Qi is not urgent for now. I have other plans. Since Teacher Jianzheng has trapped us in Yunzhou, it’s just as well, let’s take this time to quietly discuss details for after the uprising.”
After finishing, the white-robed arcanist and the golden figure looked up at the sky together.
In the azure sky, clouds churned and coalesced into the shape of a giant face, looking down coldly and without emotion.
The Jianzheng!
…
That day, Xu Qi’an and his group arrived on the border of Jiangzhou, passing through a place called Shengyi County.
The city wall was low, and at the gate stood four guards clutching spears, their posture slumped, shivering visibly in the icy wind.
“This damned weather, the sun’s just for show now.”
Miao Youfang was grumbling. He was already only one step away from Bronze Skin and Iron Bones and felt neither heat nor cold, but mentally, he still saw himself as just a commoner and instinctively put himself in the shoes of ordinary folks.
Watching travellers huddle against the cold, he felt as if he too was being bullied by the chill.
The group entered the city. The main street’s stone slabs were cracked all over. The houses were low and, though not decrepit, were conspicuously unremarkable.
This spoke of Shengyi County’s poor economy.
The people on the street were all in a hurry, busy scurrying about, their faces red from the cold. If one looked closely, they would see most people’s hands were covered in frostbite.
The group found a restaurant by the street and sat down to eat.
“What would you like to order, sirs?”
The waiter came over and pointed to a wooden plaque on the wall, each piece inscribed with a dish.
Xu Qi’an randomly ordered several plates and asked for three jugs of wine, then asked with a smile,
“Waiter, have there been any strange happenings here recently?”
Strange happenings… The waiter glanced around nervously, and whispered,
“As it happens, there really have been a few strange things.”
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