Luo Yuheng’s expression was cold as if recounting an insignificant matter: “This Daoist gifted a protective talisman to Chu Yuanzhen.”
After speaking, she half-closed her phoenix eyes, offering no further explanation. Her attitude was perfectly measured.
It was given to Chu Yuanzhen… Emperor Yuanjing’s expression eased slightly. In that case, whoever used the talisman to summon the Imperial Mentor was no longer crucial.
However, Emperor Yuanjing hadn’t completely dispelled his suspicions. He said in a deep voice:
“Imperial Mentor, although you share ties with the Earth Sect, you are also the Imperial Mentor of Great Feng. The Human Sect is the state religion of Great Feng. You knew I sent people to compete for the lotus seeds, yet you still…”
He revealed a hint of anger.
Faced with Emperor Yuanjing’s questioning, Luo Yuheng remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed:
“To be honest, the Earth Sect has encountered an unexpected situation in recent years. The Earth Sect’s leader has become entangled in karmic consequences and fallen into the demonic path, affecting most of the disciples.
“Only a small number of disciples, for certain reasons, remained unaffected. These escaped disciples formed an organization called the Heaven and Earth Society. They are quietly recuperating and gathering strength, attempting to cleanse their sect.
“The nine-colored lotus seeds are crucial to them. Recently, members of the Heaven and Earth Society asked Chu Yuanzhen to contact me, hoping for my assistance.
“Maintaining the continuation of the Three Sects is our consensus, even the Heavenly Sect, which practices supreme detachment, harbors the same thought.”
Luo Yuheng paused, then stared at Emperor Yuanjing with a half-smiling expression: “Surely Your Majesty is aware of this?”
So this was the reason she intervened… The protective talisman was gifted to Chu Yuanzhen, unrelated to Xu Qi An. Was I being too sensitive? Xu Qi An’s involvement in the nine-colored lotus affair was likely due to owing favors to Chu Yuanzhen and Li Miaozheng. That day, they had intervened to stop my imperial guards… Emperor Yuanjing’s thoughts raced, but his expression remained unchanged as he shook his head:
“How could I know the secrets of the Earth Sect?”
The two ended their conversation and, as usual, sat in meditation to cultivate. Afterward, Luo Yuheng expounded on the profound principles of Daoist scriptures and discussed the ultimate truths of immortality. Half an hour later, Emperor Yuanjing rose and left Lingbao Temple.
Returning to his sleeping chambers, Emperor Yuanjing sipped the health-preserving tea offered by a eunuch and instructed:
“Go and handle two matters: First, have Tianji investigate the background of that monk, and capture him alive if possible. Second, summon the Vice Minister of War, Qin Yuandao, to the palace to see me.”
The old eunuch nodded and cautiously asked, “This old servant dares to inquire, how does Your Majesty plan to deal with that Xu Qi An?”
He thought the emperor would likely target Xu Qi An’s second uncle, cousin, or other family members.
Emperor Yuanjing waved his hand: “He’s just Wei Yuan’s dog. I have my plans.”
His Majesty’s silence means he hasn’t decided how to deal with Xu Qi An yet or has no such intention for now… The old eunuch was somewhat confused. Before leaving the palace, the emperor had worn a gloomy expression, as if he wanted to exterminate Xu Qi An’s entire clan.
Now, however, he appeared calm and indifferent.
…
Holy shit!!!!
Xu Qi An didn’t need a mirror to know that his face was now frozen, collapsed, and wide-eyed with shock…
Xu Qi An had three secrets: his transmigration, his luck, and Shensu.
He had always carefully concealed these three secrets. The first-generation and current Divine Pivot were both players and involved in events, so there was no need to hide from them.
Apart from that, Xu Qi An had only revealed the matter of his luck to the old dog from the Martial Arts Alliance. There were two reasons: the commotion caused by the Taiping Blade was too big to conceal, and he wanted to gain support to increase his chances of survival.
As for Wei Yuan, Xu Qi An trusted him, but because he couldn’t fathom this wise and profound statesman, he never dared to be completely candid.
Unexpectedly, Wei Yuan had known all along that Monk Shensu was within him.
“Lord Wei… how did you know?” Xu Qi An’s voice was somewhat hoarse.
Wei Yuan calmly said, “Roll the dice, and then we’ll talk.”
Xu Qi An smiled bitterly, “There’s no need to roll the dice anymore.”
Indeed, there was no need. Wei Yuan hadn’t asked about the first-generation Divine Pivot’s intelligence but about the sealed object beneath Sangbo. This was telling him that all his secrets were known.
It was time to lay all the cards on the table.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Qi An said, “When I was in Sword Prefecture, I encountered a young man named Ji Qian. We had a conflict, and I killed him. After questioning his spirit, I discovered that he was from a royal lineage from five hundred years ago. After the Martial Emperor purged the court, they were protected by the first-generation Divine Pivot and have been lying low ever since.
“The Battle of Shanhai Pass was instigated by the first-generation Divine Pivot and the leader of the Heavenly Gu Sect. Their goal was to steal Great Feng’s national fortune and then support that lineage from five hundred years ago to reclaim the throne.
“They’ve been hiding in a place called Xu Prefecture. I suspect it’s a lawless area, beyond the control of the imperial court…”
He recounted the process of questioning the spirit, temporarily concealing the fact that he possessed luck.
Wei Yuan listened silently, then slowly said, “So that’s why the first-generation Divine Pivot allied with the barbarians to deal with the Northern Frontier King. Am I next?”
Xu Qi An conceded, “Yes.”
Wei Yuan sighed, “I didn’t expect the first-generation Divine Pivot to still be alive. You’ve reminded me that after the Martial Emperor seized the throne, he secretly sent trusted men to search for something all over the world. He even set sail for this. This isn’t recorded in official history, but a great Confucian scholar wrote about it in a biography.”
“The first-generation has been patient for so long, firstly because he hasn’t eliminated the Northern Frontier King and me, and secondly because he temporarily can’t reclaim the luck within you… Hey, why are you crawling under the table?”
Wei Yuan asked with a half-smile.
“I’m looking for Lord Wei’s legs, allow me to hug them for a while…”
Xu Qi An made a joke to cover up the tumultuous emotions in his heart.
Knock knock! Wei Yuan rapped on the table and said sternly, “Come out!”
Xu Qi An crawled out from under the table and sat up straight, “Lord Wei, you know everything. You know it all.”
Wei Yuan sighed:
“You’re someone I’ve chosen. For anyone I want to cultivate, I investigate and monitor them meticulously. Your unusually rapid cultivation progress, the Divine Pivot’s favor towards you, the Spirit Dragon’s attitude towards you, the appearance of the Confucian engraving knife during the Buddhist confrontation, its appearance when you killed the Duke Protector of the State, and well, your consistently rolling maximum points on the dice is also proof, isn’t it? There are many, many more things. You have too many flaws.
“These scattered pieces of intelligence might not mean much individually. But I know you too well. When all the clues are pieced together, combined with some secrets I already knew, it’s easy to guess seven or eight-tenths of the truth with simple deduction.
“That day, after you won the Heaven-Human Dispute, you came to ask me about the details of the Battle of Shanhai Pass. I asked you if there was anything else you wanted to say. I thought you would be frank with me, but you chose to conceal.”
Xu Qi An opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but felt it unnecessary. He said somewhat dejectedly, “Then what about the sealed object beneath Sangbo?”
“The Buddhist confrontation simultaneously revealed that you were blessed with luck and possessed a sealed object. Of course, this alone wasn’t enough. There needed to be other proof, such as how did you kill the fourth-grade barbarian leader and snatch away the princess during your northern journey?”
Wei Yuan sneered, “Since I know you’re blessed with luck, there’s no need to guess who that mysterious expert in Chu Prefecture was, the one who could use the nation-protecting sword. Actually, before the northern journey, I wasn’t sure if the ‘sealed object’ was within you.
“You hid it quite well. Do you trust the Divine Pivot that much? Trust that Buddhist heretic?”
Xu Qi An shook his head, “The Divine Pivot is a supernatural being. Whether I trust him or not doesn’t matter much. As for the sealed object, his Dharma name is Shensu. I promised him I would keep it a secret.”
He also revealed his agreement with Shensu: to search for Shensu’s past.
Wei Yuan pondered, “The Divine Pivot allowed the demon race to unseal Sangbo, probably as a move for you, using him to intimidate the first-generation. As long as Shensu remains within you, the first-generation won’t dare to move against you. Most likely, he’s actively seeking a way to break the seal now.
“Regarding the identity of this Buddhist heretic, I have some guesses. It’s probably related to the Myriad Demon Kingdom and the Jiazi Demon Purge from back then. In the future, when you roam the jianghu, you can go to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains in the Southern Frontier to seek the truth.”
Ah? Shensu is related to the Jiazi Demon Purge campaign from back then? This was something Xu Qi An hadn’t anticipated.
“So, how does Lord Wei plan to deal with me?” Xu Qi An probed.
After speaking, he stared intently at Wei Yuan, afraid of seeing murderous intent in his eyes.
“I’d like to kill you if I could,” Wei Yuan said, his hands folded inside his sleeves, his gaze lowered to the table, his voice low and steady:
“Caught between two generations of Divine Pivots, not knowing what to do, so you simply chose to be frank with me. You aimed to take a gamble, to gain my protection.”
He hit the nail on the head!
Xu Qi An felt somewhat ashamed, as that was indeed his intention.
“If you’re asking whether the Divine Pivot is trustworthy, I can’t give you an answer because I don’t know either. As for the first-generation Divine Pivot, you need not worry about him. The one playing chess with him is the current Divine Pivot. You’re not the one making or countering moves. What you need to do now is simply advance in rank and accumulate resources.”
After a pause, Wei Yuan’s gaze softened, and he said in a low voice, “I will help you.”
Hearing these words, Xu Qi An truly felt relieved, a sense of security settling in his heart.
He smiled and said, “In that case, there’s something I’d like to ask Lord Wei.”
Wei Yuan nodded.
Xu Qi An chuckled, “How to advance to the fourth grade.”
Wei Yuan’s expression froze, and he asked in surprise, “You’ve advanced to the fifth grade?”
Xu Qi An nodded.
Fifth grade, Condensing Energy, in less than a year… Wei Yuan was momentarily dazed. After a while, his pupils flickered, and he regained composure, sighing:
“Indeed, with great luck, even the first grade is possible. It’s a pity that you’ll inevitably have to follow the old paths of the Founding Emperor and the Martial Emperor. You might not know, but luck is a double-edged sword.”
“Those who gain luck cannot attain longevity,” Xu Qi An said.
“You know quite a bit!” Wei Yuan’s expression was complex.
Lord Wei, your current expression seems to say: Have you been secretly studying behind my back?
Xu Qi An couldn’t help but smile.
“For martial artists, the fourth grade is a crucial rank. It determines the path you’ll take in the future. Those who excel in swords will comprehend sword intent, those who excel in sabers will comprehend saber intent. It cannot be changed,” Wei Yuan said:
“The core of the fourth grade lies in the character ‘intent’, which can also be called the Way, the path a martial artist will follow. That’s why the second grade for martial artists is also called ‘Merging with the Way’. Xu Qi An, have you thought about which path you want to follow?”
Lord Wei, may I ask if there’s an intent in this world called freeloading… Xu Qi An tentatively asked, “Does ‘eliminating all injustice under heaven’ count?”
“That’s an aspiration!” Wei Yuan said impatiently, “You think you can just shout ‘eliminating all injustice under heaven’ at everyone you meet, and they’ll submit to your aspiration?”
“…”
“What we call ‘intent’ needs to rely on a martial artist’s violence, or more accurately, their means of attack and killing. Saber, spear, sword, halberd, fist, and so on. You use a saber, so naturally, it would be saber intent.”
“How does one cultivate saber intent?” Xu Qi An humbly asked for guidance.
“I’ve told you before, from the fifth grade onwards, everything depends on enlightenment! Your talent is not bad, and your comprehension is high. You were able to master control over yourself in an extremely short time and advance to the fifth grade. Some people with poor aptitude can never fully control their physical power and cannot advance their entire lives.
“As for how to comprehend saber intent, I can only teach you from experience. First, you need to reach a state of unity between the person and the saber. Simply put, it means comprehending the essence of the saber. This requires you to combine your insights into saber techniques. It takes time to accumulate.
“Secondly, you need to infuse your beliefs into the saber. The Heaven and Earth Saber Slash you practice embodies the beliefs of its creator,” Wei Yuan instructed earnestly.
That’s right, my Heaven and Earth Saber Slash is a form of saber intent. That predecessor’s belief was: There’s nothing that can’t be cut with one slash, and if there is, then run away.
“Lord Wei, does this mean I’ve already comprehended half of the saber intent? Can I add my elements to the Heaven and Earth Saber Slash, making it an ‘intent’ unique to me?” Xu Qi An asked excitedly.
“You’re a quick learner,” Wei Yuan smiled.
As the conversation was drawing to a close, Wei Yuan suddenly said, “Remember our first meeting?”
“The one in the Star-Gazing Tower?” Xu Qi An wasn’t quite sure.
“Yes!”
Wei Yuan nodded, “The song you sang then was quite interesting. I still remember it… ‘I stand in the raging wind, wishing I could sweep away this lingering heartache. Looking up at the sky, clouds moving in all directions, with a sword in hand, I ask who is the hero under heaven.'”
He hummed it quite accurately.
“What comes next? I like this song,” Wei Yuan smiled.
This… I’ve always been most afraid of being asked by teachers to sing in front of the class… Xu Qi An said, “When you tell me the story about you and Her Majesty the Empress in the future, I’ll sing it for you then.”
…
Leaving the Night Watchmen’s office, Xu Qi An rode his beloved mare to a brothel, where he used a potion to change his appearance before setting out again on his mare.
After circling for a long time to ensure no one was following him, he quietly knocked on the gate of the outer courtyard.
“Creak~~”
The gate opened, revealing a plump old woman.
“???”
A string of question marks flashed through Xu Qi An’s mind. Where’s my princess? Where’s the married princess I worked so hard to steal away? Where’s the most beautiful woman in Great Feng?
How did she turn into an old maid?!
“Who are you?”
The old maid stared at Xu Qi An suspiciously, her expression rather unfriendly.
…Xu Qi An simplified his name and said, “My name is Xu Qian. Auntie, why are you in my home?”
“Your home?”
The old maid looked even more suspicious and said, “Wait a moment!”
Without closing the door, she turned and went inside.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the old maid rushed out wielding a broom, cursing:
“You ungrateful dog, you dare to follow us here. This is the capital, not a place for dogs like you to run wild.”
The old maid swung the broom at him. Xu Qi An ducked, avoiding it, and took the opportunity to slip into the courtyard.
The old maid howled in anger, chasing after him and swinging wildly.
The door of the main house opened, and the princess stood there holding a bowl of peanuts, leaning against the doorframe, watching the show with amusement.
Seeing her beaming face, the old maid finally realized something was amiss. She leaned on the broom, looking at Xu Qi An in confusion, then at the princess.
“I am her husband,” Xu Qi An explained, glancing at the young woman wearing plain cloth clothes with a cheap jade hairpin. He walked over and flicked her forehead, “Having fun?”
The widow of the Northern Frontier King, the most beautiful woman in Great Feng, was hit and resumed her cold expression.
She stubbornly ignored him and only said softly, “Aunt Zhang, you can go back now.”
Aunt Zhang muttered a few words, leaned the broom against the wall, and walked out of the courtyard.