“There are two reasons,” Wei Yuan said, setting down his teacup as he analyzed the situation for his trusted Silver Gong. “A Provincial Governor represents the imperial court, wielding great power. Even the King Who Pacifies the North could at best be considered his equal. His Majesty doesn’t want to appoint a governor to restrain the King Who Pacifies the North, either out of personal motives or strategic considerations for the war effort.
“Appointing a Silver Gong as the lead investigator eliminates such concerns.”
Xu Qi An frowned. “But won’t that tie my hands in the investigation?”
Wei Yuan smiled. “Everyone competes for good assignments. Why else would the court officials nominate you? The massacre of three thousand li… If the King Who Pacifies the North falsified military reports to evade responsibility, it would be fine if the lead investigator couldn’t uncover it. But if he did…”
If he did, would he face assassination to silence him? Xu Qi An felt a chill run down his spine.
“That’s the second reason the officials nominated you,” Wei Yuan said casually.
These crafty old foxes… Lord Wei doesn’t seem worried at all. Xu Qi An quickly asked, “How should I handle this?”
He had his ideas about the matter but was also willing to hear the advice of his elder. Being open to counsel was a good habit.
“Feign compliance, investigate in secret,” Wei Yuan offered his eight-character mantra, then continued: “When you go north, remember not to act rashly. Avoid conflicts with the King Who Pacifies the North’s subordinates as much as possible. Appear weak to lower their guard.
“If you can investigate covertly, absolutely do not do it openly. If you find evidence against the King Who Pacifies the North, hide it well and only reveal it once you’re back in the capital. In case of assassination attempts, the King Who Pacifies the North is unlikely to act personally. I’ll have Yang Yan accompany you.
“With your strength and your Vajra Body Technique reaching small completion, I’m not too worried about that aspect.”
If the King Who Pacifies the North were to act personally, no number of Gold Gongs sent would be enough. Xu Qi An didn’t know exactly how strong a Third-Rank martial artist was, but the entire court only had one Third-Rank while there were many Fourth-Ranks… He nodded and said:
“This humble official had the same thoughts.”
In truth, he wasn’t afraid of assassination. What he feared was the King Who Pacifies the North taking action personally. In that case, he would have no choice but to summon the monk Shen Shu with everything he had. To fight a Third-Rank martial artist, Shen Shu would inevitably have to frantically absorb vital essence, likely killing innocents in the process. This was something Xu Qi An was unwilling to see.
Moreover, he would have to flee and become a wanderer afterward, unable to return to the court. The shadowy mastermind behind all this would be overjoyed…
Wei Yuan continued: “You’ll have to balance things yourself. If the situation looks unfavorable, you can abandon the case. When you return to the capital, at most you’ll face an inquiry.”
“I…” Xu Qi An hesitated, the words “massacre of three thousand li” suddenly flashing in his mind.
“If this is true, I… I won’t give up. I won’t turn a blind eye,” he said softly. Then he added:
“But I won’t act rashly. You can rest assured, Lord Wei.”
Wei Yuan gazed at him for a long moment. His eyes showed admiration, resignation, and finally contentment. He said, “You’ll depart in three days. Use this time to prepare.”
…
At the Prince of Huai’s mansion.
In the back garden, flowers bloomed in profusion. Bees buzzed busily among the blossoms, while butterflies danced and chased each other playfully.
The air was filled with an intoxicating fragrance. The veiled Princess Consort, carrying a bamboo basket, strolled among the flowers, her long skirt trailing behind her.
The basket held a bunch of fresh, delicate blooms.
She bent down to pluck a flower, bringing it to her nose to inhale its scent. Her eyes curved in delight.
In the middle of spring, the Princess Consort wore an embroidered palace gown. Her back curves were graceful, the sash accentuating her slender waist. The proportions of her shoulders and neck were just right.
Wisps of her upswept black hair fell loose, partially revealing her long, snow-white neck.
Just from her back view and figure, she could be called a beauty. Even if her facial features weren’t exceptionally beautiful, such a woman would still be considered a rare beauty by men.
Chu Xianglong, wearing light armor, entered the back garden. His scaled armor clinked as he walked.
He stopped at a respectful distance, cupped his hands, and said, “By imperial decree, the Princess Consort is to accompany the investigation team to the northern border in three days. Please make preparations early.”
The Princess Consort’s curved eyebrows gradually relaxed, then grew cold. Her delicate fist clenched the flower stem tightly, her knuckles turning white. She said coldly, “Is there anything else? If not, get lost.”
Chu Xianglong bowed and turned to leave.
…
Upon learning that he would be departing for the northern border in three days, Xu Qi An left the yamen, rode his little mare back home, and found Li Miaozhen sitting cross-legged in meditation. He asked:
“Can you come with me to the Cloud Deer Academy?”
“No,” Li Miaozhen flatly refused.
Hey, you’re not delicate or weak at all, woman. Your personality is too strong… Xu Qi An cupped his hands and said, “It’s an urgent matter.”
Li Miaozhen’s clear eyes, like deep pools, looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
“Remember that case you discovered? The big case of the massacre of three thousand li.” Xu Qi An entered the room, took off his sword and placed it on the table, poured himself a cup of water, and explained:
“The court has appointed me as the lead investigator. In three days, I’ll lead a delegation to the northern border to thoroughly investigate this case.”
Li Miaozhen immediately perked up. She changed from a cross-legged position to sitting properly and said, “I’ll go with you.”
Sigh, for the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect to be so eager to serve justice, I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse… Xu Qi An pondered and said: “The court has its rules. Without an official position, you can’t participate in this case.
“How about this: you can go ahead first, and we’ll meet up at the northern border. We’ll keep in touch through the地书 (Di Shu).”
He had come to tell Li Miaozhen about this matter precisely to ask the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect to participate. He didn’t even need to ask; given Li Miaozhen’s strong sense of justice, she would volunteer to participate.
Having a Fourth-Rank Daoist secretly helping would greatly increase the chances of solving the case.
“I have one more request,” Li Miaozhen said.
“Please, go ahead.”
“When you’re investigating, I want to be by your side. If I’m not present due to other matters, you must tell me about the process and your reasoning in detail afterward.” Li Miaozhen’s expression was serious.
She wants to learn how to solve cases from me. Hmm, she’ll continue to fight for justice in the future, which will inevitably involve rooting out evil and redressing wrongs, so she’s eager to learn some deductive knowledge and forensic techniques… Xu Qi An agreed to her request and said solemnly:
“Alright. There’s one more thing.”
Li Miaozhen sat up straight, ready to listen.
“When you contact me through the 地书 (Di Shu) fragment, remember to have Golden Lotus Daoist block out the others.”
“…” The Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect gave him a side-eye.
They immediately left the city, one galloping on horseback, the other flying on a sword.
When they reached Clear Cloud Mountain, Xu Qi An paid his respects to the three Great Confucian Masters. With an embarrassed expression, he said, “Aiya, this student has been suffering from writer’s block lately and can’t come up with any good poems. Please forgive me, respected teachers.”
The three Great Confucian Masters, wearing Confucian robes and hats, looked at him calmly. “It’s alright. Do you have something to discuss?”
Xu Qi An coughed and said shamelessly, “The spell books gifted to me by Master Li and Master Zhang have been mostly used up, so…”
The “spell books” given to him by Li Mubai and Zhang Shen were mostly low-level spells, with the Celestial Observatory’s 望气术 (Wang Qi Shu) being the most common.
This was because the Great Confucian Masters didn’t have many in stock, and they needed the high-level spells for themselves. Moreover, at that time, Xu Qi An was only in the Qi Condensation realm, so giving him too powerful spells would have been detrimental.
The most powerful skill in the spell books was the “Words Become Reality” technique, a high-level Confucian skill recorded by Li Mubai and Zhang Shen. There were almost no high-level skills from other systems.
The three Great Confucian Masters looked at him for a long while. Finally, Li Mubai said, “Recently, suffering from writer’s block…”
Zhang Shen added, “Feeling unwell…”
Chen Tai concluded, “Mentally and physically exhausted…”
Anyone willing to be taken advantage of must have been a broken-winged angel in their past life, and you three aren’t… Xu Qi An said, “Then I’d like to ask the three respected teachers for help in recording Daoist communication spells for me.”
“Very well!” The three Great Confucian Masters nodded.
Li Miaozhen frowned and said, “Communication spells require setting up an array.”
Zhang Shen waved his hand and said, “You just cast the spell. Leave the rest to us.”
As they spoke, he took out a brown-covered book with blank pages and slowly ground ink.
Seeing this, Li Miaozhen didn’t waste words. She took out yin materials from her Di Shu fragment, set up an array, and cast a Daoist spell.
Inside the room, a chilly wind arose, as if they had suddenly stepped from mid-spring into deep winter.
Zhang Shen picked up his brush and began writing in the book with swift strokes. Each time the brush fell, it was accompanied by flashes of clear light.
The soul-gathering array didn’t summon any spirits, which was to be expected. Ghosts couldn’t exist on Clear Cloud Mountain; under the overwhelming righteous qi, all evil spirits would be obliterated.
Zhang Shen stopped writing at the right moment and said, “It’s done. I’ve recorded twelve pages. Is that enough?”
“More than enough…”
Xu Qi An nodded while marveling at how overpowered the Confucian system was. It was like reading a book – things they had seen, they could remember, and things they remembered, they could write down through their brush.
“I’ve also written a few Confucian spells for you. The side effects are quite terrible, as you’ve probably experienced. Don’t use them unless necessary,” Zhang Shen said gravely.
Xu Qi An happily accepted the book and asked a question that had been bothering him for a long time:
“This student doesn’t understand, how do you teachers avoid the backlash?”
The backlash from Confucian spells was so terrifying that if the Great Confucian Masters couldn’t avoid it, they wouldn’t be able to fight prolonged battles.
In response to Xu Qi An’s question, Zhang Shen smiled and said, “A Fourth-Rank Confucian is called a ‘Junzi’. A Junzi cultivates overwhelming righteous qi, which repels all evil.”
Repelling all evil… does this mean that at the Junzi level, one can deflect or become immune to spell backlash? Isn’t this too overpowered? Xu Qi An somewhat regretted choosing the martial arts system.
A Junzi fights with words, not fists. Defeating enemies with verbal attacks was his ideal scenario.
Li Mubai added, “If a spell is cast on a specific target, that target will bear the backlash effects instead.”
This… Xu Qi An’s pupils contracted, and he was immensely grateful that he hadn’t put his ideals into practice.
The backlash from saying “My Diao Chan is at my waist” could potentially result in his manhood shrinking, or wire wrapping around his waist. Or even… explosion.
In that case, Erlang’s status in my heart has plummeted. He’s no longer useful… he joked inwardly.
Bidding farewell to the three Great Confucian Masters, he left Cloud Deer Academy with Li Miaozhen, walking down the steps towards the foot of the mountain.
“The Confucian system is indeed miraculous. Besides ‘Words Become Reality’, there’s also the all-evil-repelling righteous qi, similar to our Daoist Golden Core. And they can even record spells from other systems…”
Li Miaozhen praised admiringly, sighing, “I can imagine how powerful the Confucian school must have been at its peak. ‘All pursuits are low, only studying is high’ – now I truly understand what that means. What a pity.”
“Indeed, it is a pity.”
A voice came from ahead. It was an unkempt old man wearing worn Confucian robes, his graying hair disheveled. His eyes were clear and bright, yet filled with the weight of years.
Li Miaozhen was startled. Before this person spoke, she hadn’t even noticed him standing there.
“This student pays his respects to the Chancellor,” Xu Qi An quickly bowed.
He… he’s the Chancellor of Cloud Deer Academy, the foremost Confucian scholar of this age… Li Miaozhen felt a surge of respect.
Zhao Shou smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. “You’re going to the northern border?”
Cloud Deer Academy indeed has spies in the court. My joke has become a reality… Xu Qi An nodded, “Yes, to investigate a case.”
“Aren’t you afraid of offending the King Who Pacifies the North?” Zhao Shou probed.
“I am, but I want to see what’s going on,” Xu Qi An said solemnly.
Zhao Shou stared at him silently for a few seconds, then stroked his beard and smiled. “You’re not unworthy of the great fortune you carry, Xu Qi An. Remember, the foundation of fortune is the character of a ‘person’. At least, that’s true for the fortune you carry.
“It’s the common people who gather fortune, it’s all living beings who gather fortune.”
Xu Qi An quickly glanced at Li Miaozhen but found her expression normal, scrutinizing Chancellor Zhao Shou as if she hadn’t heard this speech.
Did the Chancellor block her hearing?
As he was thinking this, he suddenly saw Zhao Shou wave his sleeve, and a book flew over, hovering in front of him.
“This is a record of various system spells I collected while traveling the world in my youth. I no longer need these now.”
Xu Qi An joyfully accepted it but didn’t open it immediately. He bowed and said, “Thank you, Chancellor.”
When he straightened up, Zhao Shou had vanished.
…
Three days later, at the capital’s dock.
The northbound delegation arrived at the dock and boarded the official ship.
This delegation numbered two hundred, led by Xu Qi An and Yang Yan, with four Silver Gongs and eight Bronze Gongs under them.
There was one Chief Constable from the Ministry of Justice, along with twelve constables; the Censorate sent two Censors with ten guards; the Court of Judicial Review sent one Deputy Director with twelve guards and attendants.
There was also a hundred-man Imperial Guard unit, the standard configuration for a Provincial Governor’s travels.
The rest were all Chu Xianglong’s men.
Until just now, Xu Qi An hadn’t known that Chu Xianglong was also part of the delegation, traveling north with them.
At the yamen, Spring Brother, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao had wanted to accompany him north, but he refused.
This northern journey might not necessarily encounter a major crisis, but if they did, it would be very dangerous. He didn’t want the three of them to risk their lives, as they were the ones he was closest to in the Night Watchmen’s Office.
At the dock, Xu Xinnian and Second Uncle Xu represented the whole family to see Xu Qi An off.
Also present were the blue-robed swordsman Chu Yuanzhen, Number Six Heng Yuan, and the Heavenly Sect’s Holy Maiden Li Miaozhen.
“Come back safe,” Second Uncle Xu patted his nephew’s shoulder. This was his only request.
Chu Yuanzhen quietly handed over a sword talisman, transmitting, “The National Preceptor asked me to give this to you.”
National Preceptor?
I’m not close to the National Preceptor, why is she giving me this… Puzzled, Xu Qi An accepted the sword talisman and transmitted back, “Please convey my thanks to the National Preceptor.”
Heng Yuan put his palms together and chanted a Buddhist mantra: “May Lord Xu return safely.”
Li Miaozhen gazed at him, her voice clear: “Do good deeds without asking about the future.”
She secretly transmitted: “I’ll go ahead and wait for you at the northern border.”
Xu Qi An smiled and said, “Do good deeds without asking about the future. Well said.”
He transmitted back: “See you at the northern border.”
He boarded the ship, and they set sail.
Xu Qi An stood on the deck, surveying the crowd. His gaze swept over familiar faces in the distance: Yang Qianhuan, who was watching him with the back of her head; Chu Caiwei, who was cupping her hands around her mouth and calling out in her sweet voice; and Zhong Li, who was silently waving goodbye.
Why did you come? I feel like the dangers you might encounter on your way back to the Celestial Observatory from the dock could be more numerous than what I’ll face on my entire journey north… Xu Qi An thought, half worried and half amazed.