Lang Jiuchuan escorted the black-faced Gong Qi out of the Tongtian Pavilion, shooting him several glances along the way.

“If you have something to ask, just ask it directly so I can go handle my affairs,” Gong Qi said irritably.

“It’s only two or three catties of premium agarwood and nanmu incense. The Gong Family is a large and powerful household — surely it’s not worth this?” Lang Jiuchuan said. “If this truly exposes the wrongdoing of the Cong Family and Princess Zhao’an, then it will have been worth it — you’ll have accumulated great merit.”

“He was clearly making outrageous demands.” Gong Qi glanced at her sideways. “You only just returned from the manor a few months ago — how have you gotten so familiar with the manager of Tongtian Pavilion? Don’t tell me you’re in cahoots with him to swindle me!”

Lang Jiuchuan’s face darkened. “Don’t push me into slapping you. What swindle? Just answer me — was that information worth it or not?”

Gong Qi choked, then said with wounded dignity, “It was still too expensive. I can tell he’s targeting me — or rather, targeting all of us in the Xuan Clan. Tongtian Pavilion has always been like this. That manager is thoroughly wicked.”

Lang Jiuchuan was quite curious. “What do you mean by that?”

“If he encounters someone he takes a liking to, or someone in a pitiful situation, he might hand over the same information for free. But if someone from the Xuan Clan comes to buy it, he multiplies the price by ten or a hundred times. He simply cannot stand the Xuan Clan people — so he consistently makes outrageous demands whenever we come to him.”

“It seems the Xuan Clan has offended no small number of people. Consider it a lesson — learn to conduct yourselves properly. Don’t recruit people with compulsion when persuasion fails.” Lang Jiuchuan said coolly. “How curious — the Xuan Clan, claiming to be the top family in the great nation of Dan, with none daring to offend them lightly, and yet they can’t deal with a single Tongtian Pavilion?”

Gong Qi looked up at the sign of Tongtian Pavilion and said, “The owner of Tongtian Pavilion is not to be trifled with.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s interest was immediately piqued. “You’ve met them? Do they have three heads and six arms? Or have they already cultivated into an immortal — is that why even your clan doesn’t dare act rashly?”

If that were the case, she would have to cling to them shamelessly.

Gong Qi shook his head. “I’ve never met them, but this is something the Xuan Clan tacitly understands among themselves — we don’t provoke them, and they won’t move against the Xuan Clan. As for their true background, I genuinely don’t know.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s eyes rolled thoughtfully. So capable — then this was a powerful patron she had to latch onto. Would the Rong Family dare lay a hand on her then?

Gong Qi’s feelings toward Tongtian Pavilion were a tangle of love and hatred. “I’ll go investigate the Cong Family and Princess Zhao’an. If the situation truly matches the hexagram…”

“Then you really ought to report to your clan’s young master first.” Lang Jiuchuan’s expression turned serious, her eyes cold as ice. “If the Cong Family and Princess Zhao’an have truly brought forth this wicked demon, setting aside for now whether the Cong Family is responsible — Princess Zhao’an is a member of the imperial family, bearing the Tantai name. If such a deadly weapon is truly cultivated, will the Xuan Clan destroy it outright — or take it for their own use?”

Her gaze was cold as a blade, driving straight into Gong Qi’s heart. He nearly stumbled as he averted his eyes, not daring to meet hers, and even less capable of firmly answering that they would not.

Because the Xuan Clan was already sick.

If they truly discovered such a formidable weapon — one that also carried the bloodline of a Xuan Clan member — would they execute it? He did not dare gamble on human nature.

“I cannot speak for others, but I would not. Nor would the Gong Family’s young master.” Gong Qi lowered his eyes to look at the tips of his feet. “The Xuan Clan’s failings… now is not the time to speak of this. I’ll go investigate the matter first. You take care of yourself.”

Lang Jiuchuan watched him stride away quickly, her gaze deep and contemplative.

Jiangche, crouching atop her head, said, “If this truly implicates members of the Xuan Clan, then this drama is going to be quite entertaining. Such a formidable weapon is far more useful than using the Vajra Pagoda to refine ghost soldiers — it doesn’t die, doesn’t perish, doesn’t enter the cycle of reincarnation. If it can be controlled, it would be the ultimate treasure.”

“You’ve got it wrong. Being able to control it for a time doesn’t mean you can control it forever — and let’s not forget this thing neither enters reincarnation nor is subject to karmic cause and effect. In other words, the more people and ghosts it kills, the more ferocious it becomes and the harder it is to handle — and things taken to extremes inevitably reverse.” Lang Jiuchuan said coldly. “If they truly dare to keep it, they’ll be burying a catastrophic landmine for themselves that will eventually blow them to dust and ashes.”

If she were that yin-yang entity — truly suppressed for a time due to weakness — she would only bide her time in dormancy, waiting until she was powerful enough to turn the tables.

She could only hope the Xuan Clan was not foolish enough to do something so harmful to others and ultimately to themselves.

“To think the Xuan Clan has already rotted to this extent. Their founding ancestors were all born of the righteous path — every one of them was a great Daoist of immense merit. What a pity.” Jiangche sighed with some feeling.

Lang Jiuchuan said indifferently, “The seas change and the mulberry fields become oceans — what once was is no longer. After occupying a position of eminence for too long, and growing accustomed to being worshipped and flattered, one naturally forgets their original heart. People are like this — without advancement comes regression. There’s nothing remarkable about it.”

Clap, clap.

A’Piao appeared at the doorway at some unknown moment, clapping his hands together. “Well said. That young fellow from the Gong Family isn’t bad, but he doesn’t see things as clearly as you.”

He looked toward her side, even expending ghost energy, yet he could make out nothing of whatever was accompanying her.

Lang Jiuchuan reached up and plucked Jiangche down. “Don’t waste your ghost energy. It’s just a useless remnant spirit — not worth your trouble.”

Jiangche struggled desperately — there were limits to how much one could insult a tiger.

The wooden fish inside the pagoda chuckled mockingly. A fair assessment — wasn’t it indeed a useless piece of deadwood?

Lang Jiuchuan walked into Tongtian Pavilion and returned to the private room, then looked at A’Piao and said, “Given how bluntly dismissive you are toward the Xuan Clan, your grievance with them runs quite deep. Exactly how did they manage to offend Manager A’Piao?”

A’Piao let out a cold laugh. “Offend is too strong a word. It’s simply that I nearly got captured by them to be refined into a ghost or used as a training target, nothing more.”

“Oh?”

“As I mentioned to you before — they capture ghosts, either to command them or to use them as targets, teaching the clan’s disciples how to drive away and slay ghosts, without distinguishing between good and wicked.” A’Piao said in a heavy voice. “I once had a dear friend who was captured by them. They drove that friend, step by step, into becoming a vengeful ghost — and then the friend’s soul was utterly obliterated.”

“You see — we share a common enemy. Let’s join forces.” Lang Jiuchuan leaned in and asked probingly. “Were you saved by your master? Since we’ve been acquainted for some time now, I’ve never once caught a glimpse of your master. Could you introduce us? I’ve long admired them by reputation…”

“My master is in seclusion.” A’Piao immediately cut her off. “I agreed to the matter of cooperation. I’ll do my best to gather information on the Rong Family for you. And that woman — I’ll help you find her as well.”

“What are your terms?” Lang Jiuchuan raised an eyebrow.

A’Piao said, “Soul incense — make more of it.”

Lang Jiuchuan narrowed her eyes. “The way I see it, you don’t use all that much of it yourself. Who are you offering it all to?”

“Stop talking nonsense. Will you do it or not? We’ll prepare the materials for you ourselves.”

“I’ll do it — of course I’ll do it. We’re all on the same boat together — when all goes well for me, all goes well for you, and all goes well for everyone. Soul incense — I’ll make plenty.” Lang Jiuchuan immediately agreed.

No haggling. So smooth and agreeable.

She’s after something!

A’Piao instantly became alert and was just about to probe further when Lang Jiuchuan composed her expression and said, “Do you have a Eight Trigrams formation board and yarrow stalks here?”

“What for?”

“I intend to perform a Grand Divination.” Lang Jiuchuan said with a somber expression. “The Xuan Clan — I don’t place much trust in them. If the wicked demon truly does emerge into the world, I fear they will secretly keep it, thereby nurturing a tiger that will become a disaster. Such a threat allowed to exist and grow will only bring calamity to the world. Not to speak of anyone else — you and I would both come to grief. For that reason, I must not allow the Xuan Clan to play both sides in secret. I must act first and strike before them — and at the very least, even if I’m only able to strike after them, I must thrust a blade in and exterminate this evil. That thing dying by my hand — only then will I be at ease.”