“Something strange?”
Xu Qi’an asked in astonishment. Seeing Sun Xuanji’s lips about to move, he quickly pushed the brush and paper towards him.
“Senior Brother Sun, please, I don’t want to trouble your precious voice.”
Sun Xuanji pondered for a moment, then cautiously tried, “If… I…”
Five minutes passed. Xu Qi’an yawned and gestured at the pen and paper again.
With a sigh, Sun Xuanji resigned himself and picked up the brush to write:
“I have collected twenty strands of scattered Dragon Qi. Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Hengyuan have gathered six more. How many have you collected?”
“Fourteen!”
Xu Qi’an answered immediately. These past few days he had been like a child with pocket money, counting them every day, not missing a single copper coin.
“Exactly thirty, then.”
Sun Xuanji nodded, then wrote rapidly, “In that case, neither the Buddhists, the Church of the Warlock God, nor Qianlong City, none of whom have Earth Book fragments, could have collected more than us, right?”
“Naturally.”
Xu Qi’an nodded in affirmation.
“Yet, for some reason, I have found it increasingly difficult to locate Dragon Qi hosts. For the past few days I have neither slept nor rested, constantly searching all over the lands with the battery, but it has become almost impossible to find any more Dragon Qi hosts.”
After writing, Sun Xuanji silently looked at Xu Qi’an, as if hoping he would offer his opinion.
“Could it be the Dragon Qi hosts have almost all been collected?”
Xu Qi’an voiced the first thought that flashed through his mind.
Sun Xuanji shook his head and bent over to write again: “Nine is the ultimate number. There are nine strands of crucial Dragon Qi, and ninety-nine scattered ones.”
I see… Xu Qi’an immediately understood. Their side had collected thirty strands, and the Buddhists, the Church of the Warlock God, and Qianlong City could not have more than them.
Because this was determined by fortune itself; none could gather more than one who bore fortune.
So then, where did the remaining Dragon Qi go?
Xu Qi’an’s eyes glinted as realisation dawned. “There are other powers, unknown to us, secretly collecting Dragon Qi?!”
“So you think so too.” Sun Xuanji nodded.
Xu Qi’an frowned and fell silent, reviewing all the major forces across the continent in his mind: the Buddhist Sect of the Western Regions; the Great Feng imperial court in the Central Plains; the Church of the Warlock God in the northeast; and the royal family branch of Qianlong City.
These were forces already involved.
Uninvolved ones included the yao and barbarians of the north; the shaman clans of the Southern Marches; and the stragglers of the Wanyao Kingdom.
First, the yao and barbarians of the northern frontier could be ruled out; they had been ravaged by half a year of war, and their top priority must be reconstruction and recovery. Even if they obtained Dragon Qi, they lacked the soldiers to seize the Central Plains.
“The shaman clans are possible. Back then, the Heaven Gu Elder stole fortune precisely to use it to mend the seal of the Confucian Sage. Dragon Qi is a form of fortune.
“The Wanyao Kingdom’s ultimate goal is restoration and reclaiming their homeland, but the Buddhists stands in the way. If I were the Nine-tailed Fox, I would seek alliances, first eliminating the Buddhist sect.
“Seizing Dragon Qi at this critical juncture would be pointless, and would only strengthen Qianlong City’s rebels. The rebels are allies of the Buddhists.”
After this analysis, Xu Qi’an said, “The shaman clans?”
Sun Xuanji nodded and wrote:
“It cannot be ruled out, but I think we should not only focus on entire factions, but also pay attention to small groups or individuals capable of controlling or locating Dragon Qi.”
Xu Qi’an said, “Does the Jianzheng have any opinion?”
Sun Xuanji shook his head.
After a pause, he continued to write:
“Now, some information about the enemy.
“According to reliable sources, a host of one of the nine main strands of Dragon Qi may have appeared in Yuuzhou, but was kidnapped by a group of mysterious people not long ago. Based on eyewitness accounts, I judge them to be the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations.
“Yes. They acted in the open market, extremely brazen.”
One of the nine main Dragon Qi strands… Xu Qi’an suddenly slumped back in his chair and pinched his eyebrows.
Though he had told Mu Nanzhi their bottom line was two strands, now the moment was upon him, he felt a sudden, inexplicable irritation.
“Is there anything else?”
Exhaling silently, Xu Qi’an asked.
“The two sisters from the East Sea Dragon Palace are helping the Church of the Warlock God collect Dragon Qi. In theory, in Jingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Yuzhou there should be a host of one of the nine strands. We must be prepared.”
Before Sun Xuanji finished writing this sentence, Xu Qi’an urgently pressed, “Why haven’t you killed them?”
Sun Xuanji shook his head: “I dare not!”
“Hmm?”
Xu Qi’an made a questioning nasal sound.
“One of the twins has Nalan Tianlu’s primordial spirit within her. For Warlocks, as for Daoists, the primordial spirit is the foundation. Even without a body, their combat power is scarcely diminished.
“I encountered them at some distance, not too near, not too far. The twins didn’t notice me, but Nalan Tianlu did… Fortunately, I ran quickly, teleportation arrays work wonders.”
Looking up, Xu Qi’an saw a flash of lingering fear and relief on senior brother Sun’s face.
Nalan Tianlu was killed by Duke Wei. I am Duke Wei’s successor… Xu Qi’an pinched his brow again.
“I understand.”
He exhaled slowly and forced a smile. “Brother Sun, shall we discuss something more entertaining?”
Sun Xuanji considered for a moment, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote:
“Junior Brother Yang has left the capital. The Jianzheng had a task for him.”
“Is that supposed to be entertaining?”
Xu Qi’an muttered to himself, thinking he had perhaps been suppressed by the Jianzheng yet again.
“What happened was, while the master’s soul was wandering, Junior Brother Yang tried to take advantage and planned to announce at the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony the donation of all the Sitianjian’s funds…”
The pen danced lightly across the paper. Reading this, Xu Qi’an inwardly cried, Good lord!
Had he succeeded, with all the civil and military officials and the emperor himself as witnesses, even the Jianzheng would have found it hard to shamelessly retract the promise.
If some other white-robed arcanist had tried this, the entire court would have dismissed it as the ramblings of a madman and sent him back to the Sitianjian.
But Yang Qianhuan was the Jianzheng’s third disciple and a dignified Rank 4 expert. He could, to some degree, represent the Sitianjian.
Xu Qi’an was amused, certain that with the LYB’s tricks, the posturing king would never have his day.
“To avoid raising suspicion, Senior Brother Yang tempted Caiwei with food to spy on the Jianzheng for him. But the Jianzheng had anticipated this, handing the Disk of Heaven’s Secrets to Senior Brother Song. The moment Junior Brother Yang left the Star Observation Tower, he was instantly suppressed. In this matter, Senior Brother Song was far more dedicated than anyone else.
“Fifth junior sister also did meritorious service, she is always obedient and listens to teacher’s every word.”
Xu Qi’an was left dumbfounded, muttering inwardly: Is this some kind of Sitianjian version of Infernal Affairs…
The Jianzheng has learned from experience. He knows to use disciples to keep each other in check.
“What task did the Jianzheng assign to Senior Brother Yang?”
“No idea. I only knew that Senior Brother Yang left together with Junior Sister Caiwei, and she was sent out as well.”
”…” This dumb Chu Caiwei, if her brain was no good, she should not have meddled in something that could cost her head.
“I’ve finished passing on my intelligence.”
Sun Xuanji said.
Xu Qi’an thought for a moment, then recounted the matter of the Huntian Divine Mirror, as well as his own deal with the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox.
“Senior Brother Sun, what do you make of this?”
Sun Xuanji pondered for a long time, then wrote: “She should have gained control over part of Shenshu’s remaining body.”
He meant that only a Buddhist secret technique could remove the Sealing Nail. If the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox dared to make such a promise, it meant she had control over part of Shenshu’s remaining body.
I think so too… Xu Qi’an nodded. “There’s nothing else.”
Sun Xuanji dipped his head in response, clear light rising beneath his feet as he departed enveloped within it.
Seeing this, Mu Nanzhi, still sitting primly at the bedside and maintaining the dignity of a princess consort, let out a long breath.
She glanced at this man unhappily. “He always comes in the dead of night, don’t you find it annoying? Don’t you understand the difference between men and women?”
She remembered that last time, Xu Qi’an had been pressing down on her in bed, and Sun Xuanji had also turned up.
“Senior Brother Sun always informs me before he comes. Last time, we just didn’t know him well, so we weren’t prepared. In any case, when living in the Jianghu, who cares for so many rules? The guest room is just a temporary resting place.”
Xu Qi’an casually offered reassurance.
As he mulled over the intelligence brought by Sun Xuanji, his heart felt increasingly heavy.
…
Quanrong Mountain.
Spanning a hundred li, Quanrong Mountain was where the Wulin Alliance was founded, centred on the alliance leader’s residence with its many courtyards.
The peaks faced each other like tigers and dragons locked in combat, the mountains lush and the waters green, clouds rising in mists, a beauty beyond words.
One-armed Old Zhou was a centurion of the Wulin Alliance and, in theory, even in a place like the alliance where experts were as common as clouds, a centurion would still be considered one of the main pillars of the organisation.
Unfortunately, Old Zhou held no real power.
It was said that the Wulin Alliance had always retained the military structure handed down by the former alliance leader, unchanged for six hundred years.
Old Zhou had exchanged his right arm for the rank of centurion. He had originally been a guard, and about a month ago, he had escorted Cao Qingyang’s wife and their two children back to her family when they were ambushed by enemies.
Old Zhou lost his right arm then, blocking a sabre for Cao Qingyang’s children.
Since then, Old Zhou was promoted from the lowly position of guard to centurion, enjoyed a centurion’s treatment, but held no real authority.
As a martial artist of Refining Vitality, he was virtually powerless after losing his right arm.
The one-armed Old Zhou, carrying a jug of wine and braving the cold wind, knocked on the door of a certain courtyard.
The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man wrapped in thick cotton clothes, beaming with a smile.
“Brother, you finally made it. The dog meat is smelling great, come in, come in!”
The middle-aged man was tall and thin with exceptionally long arms. His name was Wang You, and he was an archer on sentry duty.
They entered the house, sat beside the table, and enjoyed strong liquor and dog meat, sipping hot soup. In the cold winter, it was the height of comfort.
“Brother, you’re remarkable, a single arm in exchange for a centurion’s privileges, set for life. Not like me, squandering every coin on women.”
Wang You sighed, grumbling on and on.
Old Zhou drank, laughing heartily. “Don’t we all live our lives just for the sake of lying atop a woman’s soft belly?”
They ate and drank, talking about everything. After a few rounds, Wang You asked, as if making idle conversation:
“Brother, last time you said, the Alliance Leader Cao’s two daughters each took a blow from the enemy but survived, is that true?”
Old Zhou hiccupped loudly and said, “Why would I lie? I was the closest to them at the time, and lost my hand to protect those children.
“Hic~ I saw with my own eyes those two little ones getting struck. They weren’t breathing at the time. Otherwise, do you think the enemies could’ve gotten away? But guess what, not even ten minutes passed and they woke up again.”
Wang You laughed. “You must have been mistaken.”
Old Zhou slapped the table in annoyance. “Why ask twice if you don’t believe me?”
Wang You quickly pressed his hands together in apology.
Soon, the dog meat hotpot was finished, and Old Zhou left contented.
The drunkenness in Wang You’s eyes vanished without a trace. He walked over to the bed, pulled out a chest from beneath it, took out brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote at the table:
“Wulin Alliance Leader Cao Qingyang’s children, suspected Dragon Qi hosts.”
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