“Hidden pieces?”

The Bodhi Tree Bodhisattva’s avatar asked in an ambiguous tone that could be either knowing or unknowing.

“Master Divine Observatory is a Destiny Master, and his greatest skill is setting up the board. Long ago, I thought that dealing with Emperor Zhende’s three avatars and Wei Yuan would be enough to gain momentum.

“Fortunately, I never underestimated him. Through countless sessions of closed-door divination, I gradually discovered some extremely well-hidden pieces.”

Xu Pingfeng paused, lifted his teacup, and said with a smile:

“The Martial Alliance is one of Master Divine Observatory’s hidden pieces. It’s like an army nurtured within the martial world—not belonging to the court, yet possessing extraordinary fighting power.

“Most of the time, it’s just a martial arts faction. But when the day comes that the court grows corrupt and the army becomes inadequate, this secret force that has been quietly growing stronger can play a crucial role.

“Specifically for suppressing rebellions.”

Bodhi Tree nodded: “Has the Martial Alliance secretly pledged allegiance to the Divine Observatory Master?”

He knew little about this force in the Central Plains martial world—the Martial Alliance wasn’t worthy of attention from a first-rank Bodhisattva.

Xu Pingfeng shook his head: “No, that old martial artist wouldn’t pledge allegiance to anyone. But alas, what a pity.”

The Bodhi Tree Bodhisattva played with his brilliantly glazed teacup, waiting for the white-robed artificer’s explanation.

“That man agreed with the founding emperor back then—if one day the court became corrupt and followed in Great Zhou’s footsteps, he would raise an army and overthrow Great Feng.

“At first glance, he might seem like a potential ally.

“But he’s not. Today’s Great Feng is different from the Great Zhou of the past. Great Zhou’s fate was exhausted, corrupted to the bone, beyond salvation.

“But after Yuan Jing was executed and the new emperor ascended the throne, dedicated to reform, many intellectuals saw this as a sign of the dynasty’s revival. The winter disaster is a natural calamity and natural calamities always pass. Moreover, the court is actively providing disaster relief.

“This shows the court isn’t completely corrupt and ineffective.

“Furthermore, in that old martial artist’s view, this was caused by Great Feng’s loss of dragon qi. Helping the court recover the dragon qi would certainly be better than launching a war that would engulf the Central Plains.”

Xu Pingfeng poured hot tea into the cups and sighed:

“What I regret is that the old martial artist is a warrior dedicated to reaching the peak of martial arts. Different pursuits mean he could never become an ally.”

If he were someone ambitious, he wouldn’t let go of such a golden opportunity.

That would make for an ally.

The Bodhi Tree maintained an expressionless face as he listened.

Xu Pingfeng waved his hand, and the tea set and porcelain on the table quickly twisted and transformed, forcibly transmuted into a chess board with two boxes of pieces.

He rolled up one sleeve and picked up a porcelain piece, placing it on the board with a “tap.”

“The Transcendent experts in Great Feng’s camp: Master Divine Observatory, the Human Path Patriarch, Confucian Zhao Shou, Xu Qi’an.”

He placed a piece for each name he mentioned.

“Zhao Shou’s destiny is to be the backbone of the Confucian school and restore its glory. For him, it matters little who sits on the throne—he might even prefer to see someone replace the current royal family.

“This would give Confucian scholars a chance to rise, and with the Confucian school so weakened that he’s their only third-rank expert, participating in the dragon qi struggle might risk his life.

“He might not fear death, but the Confucian school can’t afford to lose him. We need not worry about him.”

Xu Pingfeng returned the piece representing Zhao Shou to the box.

“Luo Yuheng’s tribulation is imminent. Though becoming my daughter-in-law has initially calmed the karmic flames, this also means she’s one step closer to the heavenly tribulation. Now she needs to balance her growing spiritual power with the karmic flames—once imbalanced, the tribulation will arrive instantly.”

He returned the piece representing Luo Yuheng to the box.

“Xu Qi’an hasn’t recovered his cultivation—at most, he’s early third-rank now, perhaps even less. Not worth considering.”

He casually tossed the piece representing Xu Qi’an back into the box.

“The Martial Alliance’s old martial artist himself is in poor condition. After the battle in the capital, I expect he’s even worse—probably on the verge of failed ascension, facing the crisis of physical collapse.

“Therefore, to protect the Martial Alliance, Master Divine Observatory must act personally. This naturally resolves the Cloud Province predicament.”

The Bodhi Tree Bodhisattva pressed his palms together and said calmly:

“I presume you’ve long prepared the blade to destroy the Martial Alliance.”

Xu Pingfeng smiled and said: “I wasn’t fully prepared before, but now, we’ve reached that moment.”

…

At a ruined temple on the outskirts of Qing Province’s border.

Jingxin, who had been meditating here for several days, opened his eyes, slowly rose, and walked out of the ruined temple.

He stood in the courtyard, silently gazing into the distance. After a long while, Jingyuan returned from gathering alms.

The Vajra warriors didn’t need to eat, but as fourth-rank practitioners, they still had mortal bodies and needed sustenance.

The fellow disciples exchanged glances, and Jingxin sighed:

“I cannot enter meditation.”

Though Jingyuan understood in his heart, he still asked: “Why?”

Jingxin said softly:

“Demon thoughts have invaded.

“These past days, my mind constantly replays the battle outside Yong Province, the scene of our fellow disciples being killed by his single slash.

“Fear and anger constantly burn my spirit, preventing me from finding peace to meditate.”

Jingyuan remained silent for a moment, his face stern: “What vow did you make?”

Jingxin didn’t conceal it: “I chose the Demon-Slaying Fruition.”

The Demon-Slaying Fruition had two abilities: severing all worldly troubles, and slaying all worldly enemies.

The former could sever one’s troubles and those of others.

The latter was pure violence enhancement, erasing the opponent’s existence from its foundation—in simple terms, killing.

Jingyuan said flatly:

“Senior Brother, this is your opportunity.

“Your troubles began with him—if they can end with him, you can achieve the Demon-Slaying Fruition and advance to Arhat status.”

Jingxin’s eyes were blank: “Killing him—how could that be easy?”

Making vows was a necessary path to achieving fruition, and the Demon-Slaying Fruition-related vows had two patterns.

One: Kill a great enemy of Buddhism, or kill several sworn enemies.

Vows to kill great enemies of Buddhism were difficult to fulfill, as those who could become great enemies of Buddhism weren’t opponents a fourth-rank ascetic could handle.

Killing several sworn enemies was equally difficult—being sworn enemies meant constant risk of death.

Two: Slay one’s inner demons.

This path seemed simple at first glance but was more ethereal, possibly impossible to achieve in a lifetime. Some ascetics died without ever touching their inner demons.

For Jingxin to achieve fruition and become an Arhat, killing Xu Qi’an was the method with the highest success rate, but also the highest mortality rate…

Jingyuan remained silent.

The Arhat fruition could only be achieved by those with great fortune and opportunity.

Just then, a Celestial Mechanism Palace spy wrapped in a black cloak and hood came along the mountain path to the ruined temple.

Jingxin and Jingyuan simultaneously stopped talking and looked over.

“I seek an audience with the two Vajra warriors.”

The spy said.

Has the order from the Master and Teacher arrived? Jingxin pressed his palms together:

“Please, come inside.”

The spy nodded and strode into the temple.

The small temple wasn’t large. Before the fallen clay statue of the Mountain God sat two Vajra warriors with dark golden skin and rings of fire burning behind their heads.

“The Palace Master has a secret message for the two Vajra warriors.”

The spy took out an envelope from within his robes and respectfully presented it with both hands.

Durnan Vajra opened his palm, letting the envelope fly automatically into his hand. He opened it and read it, then said in a deep voice:

“Is there anything else?”

The spy immediately produced a metal box and bowed:

“This is what the Palace Master asked me to deliver to you both.”

Durnan accepted it without opening it and nodded: “We understand.”

Hearing this, the spy bowed with pressed palms and withdrew from the small temple.

Outside in the courtyard, Jingxin and Jingyuan watched the spy leave, then entered the temple together.

Durnan Vajra glanced at the two:

“Bodhi Tree Bodhisattva commands us to depart immediately for Sword Province to destroy the Martial Alliance.”

Martial Alliance? As disciples of Western Buddhism, Jingxin and Jingyuan were quite unfamiliar with this Great Feng martial arts organization.

Durnan Vajra didn’t answer but instead opened the metal box.

A brilliant golden light shone into Jingxin and Jingyuan’s eyes, causing them to instinctively close them.

At the same time, an overwhelming, vast power that made their spirits tremble filled the small temple’s space.

The surrounding air became scorching as if facing a volcanic eruption, making their lungs burn.

“Snap!”

Durnan Vajra closed the metal box at the right moment, and the formations inscribed on its surface activated automatically, screening out this terrible power.

“This is a drop of Bodhi Tree Bodhisattva’s essence blood, which can allow me or Brother Durnan to briefly manifest the Vajra Avatar.”

The ugly Asura Vajra Durfan explained.

Bodhi Tree Bodhisattva’s essence blood… Jingxin and Jingyuan exchanged glances, holding their breath.

Durnan then said: “That Palace Master wants us to head north to Yu Province to rendezvous with Ji Xuan and the others.”

…

So Sword Province had such history—I’d never heard of it… Li Lingsu realized with sudden understanding as he bit into his candied hawthorn, having to admit he felt some admiration for Xu Qi’an.

“That man has both the Left Minister and the Princess Consort, plus numerous beautiful companions in the capital—he’s truly a scoundrel.”

But whether in cultivation or knowledge, he far surpassed his peers.

As the Holy Son of the Heaven Path, Li Lingsu’s pride was natural—and justified.

Before entering the martial world, he considered himself among the elite of his generation across the nine provinces, one of that small group at the very peak, which was indeed true.

However, among this generation of young people, there emerged a Xu Qi’an.

He overshadowed all other talented youths.

Even the renowned experts of the older generation had to sigh: “The younger generation is truly formidable.”

“I see…”

Miao Youfang listened with great interest, saying: “I’ve never heard storytellers tell such interesting history before.”

Though he could read, he wasn’t well-educated, barely past basic literacy.

Most of his cultural knowledge came from storytellers, like the Battle of Shanhai Pass, which was still being retold in some taverns and teahouses.

Miao Youfang had heard many unofficial and official histories from storytellers and believed they knew all of history.

“Do you realize how secret, how important, how valuable what Xu Qian just told us is?”

Li Lingsu sneered, habitually arguing and showing off.

“Oh, and you do?” Miao Youfang responded with his usual verbal sparring, then said: “Tell me about it?”

Li Lingsu snorted:

“These secrets might not be useful, but they’re high-level insider knowledge that people without certain status can’t access. This helps you see the world’s true nature and develop self-awareness.

“Hmph, look at you now, with your crude language about ‘his grandmother,’ ‘the great me,’ and ‘sleeping with women.'”

Alas, being uncultured myself, a single “fuck” serves all purposes… Xu Qi’an concluded internally.

Miao Youfang didn’t mind: “Aren’t martial artists supposed to be crude?”

Li Lingsu was momentarily speechless, unable to counter. After a pause, he said:

“But you’re different now. Being Xu Qian’s attendant is a turning point in your life. If you continue being crude, you’ll never enter refined society.”

Miao Youfang glanced at Xu Qi’an and stopped arguing, pondering:

“Then how should I change?”

Xu Qi’an smiled: “First, mind your cultivation and avoid crude language. For instance, instead of saying ‘you’re a scoundrel,’ say ‘Are you Li Lingsu?'”

The scoundrel mocks me for being a scoundrel… Li Lingsu chuckled: “Senior Xu is truly modest.”

Xu Qi’an pointed at the Holy Son, looking at Miao Youfang:

“See, that’s another example. Learn from him.”

The little white fox, listening to the three human males’ banter, raised her face to look at Mu Nanzhi and said sweetly:

“Auntie, should I learn too?”

Mu Nanzhi pursed her lips: “You’ll learn bad habits. Don’t mind them.”

Xu Qi’an turned back with a smile to look at the reincarnated Flower Goddess, who glared back with bright, moist eyes.

“You know so much about Sword Province—have you traveled there before?”

Xu Qi’an asked the question that had been on his mind.

Li Lingsu nodded: “Sword Province isn’t too far from the Heaven Path. After Sister Disciple and I left the mountain, it was our second stop.”

Heaven Path isn’t far from Sword Province… Xu Qi’an noted silently, then continued:

“Did you have any romantic encounters there?”

Li Lingsu avoided the question.

This made Xu Qi’an curious. Li Lingsu never considered himself a scoundrel and thus wasn’t particularly secretive about his romantic affairs. It was rare for him to be so evasive.

Normal romance wouldn’t warrant such secrecy—it must have been a love affair that was difficult to speak about… Then the issue probably lay with the woman. A married woman perhaps?

Thinking this, Xu Qi’an instinctively looked back at Mu Nanzhi.

“Why are you looking at me?!”

Mu Nanzhi’s eyebrows shot up in fury.

When the topic of romantic encounters came up, Xu Qi’an immediately turned to look at her, clearly putting her in the position of a “romantic encounter.”

The proud and noble reincarnated Flower Goddess would never admit to being a mere romantic encounter.

Miao Youfang chuckled: “I heard the Wanhua House in Sword Province is full of beautiful women, each one a stunning beauty. Brother Li, if you’re truly a romantic, you couldn’t have passed that up.”

Xu Qi’an nodded slowly:

“That’s true, Wanhua House is indeed full of beauties—vibrant young ladies, alluring beauties, and mature women who retain their charm… Especially that Madam Xiao Yuenu of Wanhua House, she’s truly heaven-blessed.

“Her figure, her face, her temperament, her charm…”

Suddenly catching sight of Mu Nanzhi’s darkening expression, he quickly changed course: “None compare to even a single hair of Nanzhi.”

It wasn’t mere flattery—even someone as beautiful as the Left Minister couldn’t quite match the reincarnated Flower Goddess.

The difference wasn’t in features or temperament, but something indescribable.

Xu Qi’an understood this feeling as the unique “enchantment” of the Flower Goddess.

But undeniably, Xiao Yuenu’s overall rating was top-tier among top-tiers.

“The beauties of Wanhua House…” Miao Youfang looked dreamy.

Li Lingsu remained silent, riding his horse “clip-clop” into the distance.

Miao Youfang hurriedly caught up, fawning:

“Brother Li, do you have a sweetheart at Wanhua House? This brother hasn’t found a wife yet, please introduce me. From now on, you’re my dear brother, no, dear father…”

Xu Qi’an watched the two comedic figures chase each other into the distance, while Mu Nanzhi’s sarcastic voice came from beside him:

“Has someone’s heart flown to Xiao Yuenu’s side?”

“Yes indeed, I’ve already taken her virtue with one spear from a thousand li away.”

Because of this comment, Xu Qi’an’s head was pelted with pebbles for the rest of the journey.

…

Yu Province.

When Ji Xuan and the others returned from searching for dragon qi hosts, they found nine uninvited guests at their temporary lodgings.

All wore black robes, though eight of them appeared somewhat bulky as if hiding armor beneath their robes.

The ninth was of normal build.

The Seven Stars of the Azure Dragon, plus one Celestial Mechanism Palace spy.

Having sensed people in the hall before entering the courtyard, Ji Xuan greeted them without surprise:

“You’ve all been waiting long.”

He sat down on the other side with Liu Hongmian, Xu Yuanshuang, and the others, asking in a deep voice:

“What’s happened?”

Without an emergency, the Seven Stars and the Yu Province spy wouldn’t have arrived together.

The Yu Province spy took up a secret letter beside him and tossed it over.

Ji Xuan caught it, opening it with puzzlement.

After reading, his expression became solemn.

“Seventh Brother?”

Xu Yuanhuai asked.

Ji Xuan passed him the letter.

After reading it, Xu Yuanhuai’s eyes widened in disbelief:

“Father wants us to destroy the Martial Alliance?

“The Martial Alliance has a Nine Dragons host…”