Ji Xuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head:

“We’ll continue collecting the scattered dragon qi. As for that major host, let the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions subdue them.”

“Heh, we currently can’t determine Xu Qi An’s whereabouts. It would be troublesome if we encountered him in Yu Province, just as we didn’t expect to run into him in Yong Province.”

“If it’s the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions though, with their genuine Third Rank combat strength, they’ll surely handle it more easily than us.”

“Even if they’re no match for Xu Qi An, escape shouldn’t be a problem.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded silently.

Liu Hongmian and Qi Huan Danxiang let out sighs of relief, their tense expressions relaxing considerably.

After breakfast, Ji Xuan’s group returned to their temporary residence, an abandoned courtyard in the slums. There were many such vacant courtyards in this small county town.

Their owners might have fled to relatives due to poverty and famine.

Or perhaps they perished during a bandit raid, with none of the family surviving.

Along their journey, Ji Xuan and the others had grown accustomed to seeing decline and poverty, grown used to seeing bones in the snow.

In the simple room, Ji Xuan sat at the table, intently studying the box in his hand.

Opening the purple sandalwood box, the formation inscribed upon it dispersed, revealing a pearl emanating a crimson glow.

It was about the size of a pigeon’s egg.

It contained the concentrated blood essence of a transcendent martial artist.

Ji Xuan stared at it for several seconds, his gaze growing distant as his thoughts drifted.

Knock knock!

At this moment, someone knocked on the door.

Ji Xuan’s pupils contracted, his scattered thoughts snapping back to clarity. With a snap, he closed the box and tucked it into his robe, a smile appearing on his face:

“Come in.”

Xu Yuanshuang pushed open the door, sweeping her gaze across the sparse room and nearly non-existent furnishings. “Seventh Brother.”

Behind her followed Qi Huan Danxiang, White Tiger, Liu Hongmian, and Xu Yuanhuai.

Ji Xuan glanced at them and smiled, “Is there something you wish to discuss with me?”

Xu Yuanshuang nodded:

“Indeed, I wanted to consult with Seventh Brother.”

“After the battle in Yong Province, Daoist Jiao Ye died, and Liu Hongmian and the others were frightened out of their wits by Xu Qi An. Even Yuanhuai, who was the most unwilling to submit, has lost his confidence.”

Liu Hongmian let out a cry of “Aiya!” and said coquettishly: “I’m just a weak woman, and Xu Qi An is both fierce and domineering. It’s only natural to be afraid.”

The proud Xu Yuanhuai twisted his mouth but couldn’t refute his sister’s words.

Regarding that elder brother, he felt nothing but powerlessness.

Ji Xuan remained silent for a moment before asking, “And then?”

The one-armed White Tiger snorted:

“I’ve been thinking these past days, collecting dragon qi isn’t necessary. Whether we obtain the dragon qi or not isn’t important.”

“What’s important is preventing Xu Qi An from gathering dragon qi. As long as the dragon qi doesn’t return to its proper place, Great Feng will become more chaotic, and the City Lord and State Preceptor’s uprising can succeed.”

Ji Xuan nodded slowly.

For them, as long as their opponent’s situation was bad enough, their goal would be achieved.

Dragon Qi could increase their bargaining chips, but it wasn’t necessary.

Xu Yuanshuang continued:

“If that’s the case, why should we fight alone?”

“The Buddhist sect is collecting dragon qi. Although the Compassionate Arhat has been captured, there are still two Vajra in the Central Plains responsible for collecting dragon qi—that’s two Third Rank experts.”

“The Witch God Cult must also be collecting dragon qi. If our three factions join forces and unite, even if Xu Qi An is stronger, he can’t possibly defeat us all at once.”

“This way, we can block his progress in collecting dragon qi, buying time for Father and Uncle.”

Ji Xuan smiled, “A very good plan.”

Qi Huan Danxiang seized the opportunity to interject:

“I can return to the Southern Borderlands and persuade the Poison Clan to help fight against Great Feng. Don’t underestimate the Poison Clan’s strength—they have several experts comparable to transcendent realm fighters.”

“If they’re willing to act, Great Feng will surely fall.”

Liu Hongmian smiled:

“The Poison Clan has a grudge against Great Feng. If it truly comes to the uprising, they might become allies. But now, expecting them to send experts to deal with Xu Qi An…”

The alluring beauty scoffed: “Don’t forget how his poison arts came about. If you say it has nothing to do with your Poison Clan, this lady doesn’t believe it.”

Qi Huan Danxiang frowned, unable to refute.

Ji Xuan said:

“This plan is feasible, but as for the Poison Clan, let’s not contact them for now. We know how to reach the two Vajra, but the Witch God Cult…”

Xu Yuanhuai said: “Leave that to the Heaven’s Mechanics Palace.”

Ji Xuan nodded, ending the meeting while dismissing everyone, then said:

“Yuanshuang, stay behind.”

Xu Yuanshuang closed the door, sat back at the table, and silently watched him.

“What do you think of this Xu Qi An?” Ji Xuan smiled.

“Very strong, frighteningly so,” Xu Yuanshuang gave an objective response.

“Yes, very strong…”

Ji Xuan sighed:

“Before the encounter in Yong Province, I, including our brothers and sisters in Hidden Dragon City, all believed Xu Qi An’s current achievements relied entirely on fate.”

“This might not be wrong, but it’s not entirely correct either.”

“After Yong Province, I truly realized how terrifying he is. Though we’re both Fourth Rank, his ‘Intent’ made me tremble, and this has nothing to do with fate.”

Xu Yuanshuang couldn’t help but recall the scene outside Yong Province that day when his single slash destroyed the monk’s formation.

That slash, powerful and sharp, carried the madness of someone who had nowhere to retreat.

“I know you’re influenced by Aunt and feel pity for him, believing the State Preceptor is heartless and cruel for harming his flesh and blood. Yuanhuai is more influenced by the State Preceptor.”

“He wants to surpass Xu Qi An, to prove to the State Preceptor that he’s no worse than that elder brother from the capital, but to say Yuanhuai bears great hatred toward Xu Qi An, that’s not quite the case.”

Xu Yuanshuang coldly interrupted: “Are you trying to tell me not to show mercy?”

Ji Xuan shook his head and smiled, “Seventh Brother wants a promise from you.”

“Speak.”

“Now is not the time. When the moment comes, I’ll tell you,” Ji Xuan smiled.

Xu Yuanshuang gave him a long look, said nothing, and silently left the room.

……

Capital City, Great Sacrifice Temple in the southern Imperial City.

Great Feng has two major sacrificial ceremonies each year: the Spring Sacrifice at the beginning of the year and the Ancestral Sacrifice at the year’s end.

The Ancestral Sacrifice is held at the Mulberry Lake where the ancestral tablets are enshrined, while the Heaven Sacrifice takes place at the Great Sacrifice Temple south of the Imperial City.

In special circumstances, there might be second, third, or even more ceremonies.

For instance, when Emperor Yongxing ascended the throne, both ancestral and heaven sacrifices were performed. When declaring war, the emperor must lead civil and military officials in sacrifices to both Heaven and ancestors.

After winter arrived and the cold disaster swept through Great Feng, Emperor Yongxing had been thinking of holding a Heaven Sacrifice ceremony to pray for blessings. Now it was the perfect opportunity to do so while calling for donations for disaster relief.

Once the Heaven Sacrifice was complete and the court distributed relief funds, improving the people’s situation, wouldn’t that prove the effectiveness of his prayers as emperor?

At noon, Second Young Master Xu rode his horse to the Great Sacrifice Temple outside the southern Imperial City.

There was still some time before the ceremony, and officials were arriving gradually.

“Lord Xu!”

After Xu Xinnian handed his horse to a clerk, he saw a group of civil officials approaching.

These officials, who should have been cold and hostile toward Xu Xinnian, were exceptionally warm today.

Xu Xinnian maintained his composure as he bowed in greeting.

“Lord Xu, I have a friend who recently decided to take on disciples. Having heard that your young sister is remarkably talented, he developed an interest in accepting her as a disciple. He asked me to inquire on his behalf. Lord Xu, perhaps considering my position…”

“Lord Xu!” Another official interrupted:

“I am fond of teaching and also wish to take on disciples. Your sister is a once-in-a-century scholarly talent. I am willing to be her enlightening teacher.”

“Lord Xu…”

“Lord Xu…”

Those who came to socialize were all officials of modest rank. The true high-ranking officials maintained their dignity, though they seemed quite interested, watching from afar.

Xu Xinnian kept bowing repeatedly, dodging their requests as he squeezed out of the crowd.

What was all this about…

……

Celestial Observatory.

Yang Qianhuan sat cross-legged in his room, perfectly still, though his heart was anxious.

Finally, footsteps echoed through the quiet corridor.

Soon after, a big-eyed cute girl in a yellow dress appeared outside the door, peering through the small ventilation window. Her voice was clear as silver bells:

“Senior Brother Yang, I’ve been to the Eight Trigrams Platform. The Observatory Master’s divine consciousness has left his body.”

Yang Qianhuan’s breathing suddenly quickened, but he suppressed his excitement well and asked:

“Did you call out to him?”

“I did, but Master Observatory Head didn’t respond. Who knows where his consciousness has wandered to,” Chu Caiwei replied.

“Good, very good!”

Yang Qianhuan burst into laughter.

Chu Caiwei reached into her robes, pulled out a note, and tossed it through the window:

“Then our deal is settled. You must get me everything on this list within three days.”

The note was a “menu” – Chu Caiwei had compiled a list of the delicacies and wines mentioned in Xu Qi An’s reply letter.

She had treasured it like a secret manual, planning to travel the jianghu sampling these delicacies once she reached Fourth Rank.

Until Yang Qianhuan found her and asked her to secretly monitor their teacher.

The clever Chu Caiwei immediately proposed a trade – Yang Qianhuan would gather all the food and wines for her within three days as payment.

A win-win!

Chu Caiwei was delighted, her goose egg-shaped face breaking into a radiant smile, though she then showed some concern and said:

“Senior Brother Yang, what mischief are you planning now? Can’t you give Master Observatory Head some peace of mind?”

Yang Qianhuan retorted:

“You’re the one monitoring your teacher for food. What right do you have to lecture me?”

After that, the senior and junior disciples tactfully backed down, not pursuing the topic further.

Yang Qianhuan naturally wouldn’t tell Chu Caiwei that he planned to cause a scene at the Heaven Sacrifice ceremony.

Not to disrupt it, but to make himself renowned throughout the world.

He was going to donate all of the Celestial Observatory’s wealth.

“The common people are suffering in poverty and cold. How can we live lives of luxury behind vermillion gates? I’m not doing this for attention, but to help the suffering masses.”

Yang Qianhuan solemnly told himself in his heart.

A clear light appeared beneath him, swallowing him up.

Chu Caiwei bounced away.

In a room at the other end of the corridor, Zhong Li quietly took out a sound transmission conch and said softly:

“Senior Brother Song, Senior Brother Yang truly hasn’t given up his schemes. He wants to donate the Observatory’s wealth again, just like last time.”

“He even got Junior Sister Caiwei to help monitor Master Observatory Head.”

Song Qing’s voice came through the conch:

“Master Observatory Head’s predictions were correct. I understand… I’ll take out the Heaven’s Mechanics Disk to suppress him. This fool – if he donates all our money, what will I use for my alchemy experiments?”

“Junior Sister Caiwei is also abetting evil. It seems I’ll have to suppress her too.”

“Master Observatory Head promised that if I helped him keep an eye on Yang Qianhuan, he’d allow me one human alchemy experiment. Now with Junior Sister Caiwei involved, I should try to get him to approve another experiment.”

After a pause, Song Qing asked with a laugh: “Junior Sister Zhong, what did Master Observatory Head promise you?”

Zhong Li said innocently in a small voice:

“He didn’t promise anything. I just felt a bit bored lately and wanted someone to keep me company.”

……

Jiang Province City.

Xu Qi An held half of a small bronze mirror, sensing his surroundings while commanding:

“I want a bird’s-eye view of Jiang Province.”

The Cosmic Divine Mirror’s surface displayed a scene:

In a certain inn room, Miao Youfang was soaking naked in a medicinal bath, his expression pained, his entire body as red as a cooked shrimp.

Xu Qi An’s expression froze: “Why are you showing me this?”

The mirror spirit replied: “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted to see?”

Xu Qi An’s mouth twitched: “I’ve told you many times, I don’t want to watch men bathing.”

Cosmic Divine Mirror: “I understand, I’ll switch to another.”

The scene changed, showing an unfamiliar man bathing, much more handsome than Miao Youfang.

Is there something wrong with your reading comprehension? Xu Qi An expressed his attitude through silence.

“I understand, you want to watch males and females mating while bathing.”

Seeing his silence, the Cosmic Divine Mirror took the initiative to change the scene again.

This time, the scene showed a young couple. They were soaking in a large bathtub, their naked bodies pressed together in the rising steam, water splashing as they moved vigorously.

Huff… Xu Qi An let out a breath: “I think we need to talk.”

The scene shattered, and the Cosmic Divine Mirror’s “single eye” emerged, examining Xu Qi An:

“Very well.”

“No need to be so solemn. You can continue the previous scene. Um, I think it would make our conversation more relaxed.”

Once the Cosmic Divine Mirror resumed its broadcast, Xu Qi An said slowly:

“I’ve tolerated you for a long time. Why do you always act on your initiative?”

“Don’t you want to peek at others’ private moments?”

The Cosmic Divine Mirror spoke matter-of-factly:

“My greatest ability is letting you shamelessly spy on people’s most private affairs. This gives you a god-like confidence and sense of superiority.”

Is this what the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox used you for back then? Did she also like watching two men bathe… Xu Qi An seemed to understand.

The Cosmic Divine Mirror continued:

“You haven’t used me to peek at females bathing, so you must prefer watching males bathe. I’m being so thoughtful, you should be grateful.”

No, only I can see Huaiqing and Lin’an bathing. Even if you’re a genderless spirit, that’s not allowed… Xu Qi An let out another breath:

“I won’t waste words with you. My request is simple: from now on, do exactly what I tell you to do, nothing more.”

“Otherwise, you can forget about being nourished by dragon qi.”

“Fine…” the Cosmic Divine Mirror conceded.

“I want to see Jiang Province City from above. Don’t delay my dragon qi collection.”

Xu Qi An had recently developed a new way to use the Cosmic Divine Mirror. He could use it as a medium to observe a city’s situation, then use the Earth Book fragment’s connection to dragon qi to locate dragon qi hosts hidden among the vast population.

The limitation was that he needed to see the dragon qi host in the mirror before he could sense them. He couldn’t directly locate dragon qi hosts just by viewing the city from above.

Xu Qi An used the mirror to observe the northern city, examining street by street.

Meanwhile, he remained in the southern city, sensing for possible dragon qi hosts nearby.

This method proved effective – he had found a dragon qi host in just one morning.

That fellow was a pancake vendor whose business had been flourishing since obtaining dragon qi, becoming the envy of nearby vendors.

Xu Qi An bought two pancakes from him while casually collecting the dragon qi.

……

Yu Province.

Xu Yuanshuang returned from her outing and reported to Ji Xuan and the others in the courtyard:

“The Azure Dragon Seven Mansions have caught that dragon qi host.”

“Also, spies from Xiang Province sent word that two Palace Lords from the East Sea Dragon Palace are searching for dragon qi hosts.”