On a deep, cold night in the Northern Frontier, the desolate landscape was pierced by a bone-chilling chill.
Xu Xinnian, dozing by the campfire, woke periodically to place his hands on the shoulders of two soldiers, softly chanting: “Boiling Blood!”
The soldiers let out comfortable groans, no longer curling up for warmth as before, and showed faint satisfaction in their sleep.
The Yao barbarians and the Great Feng allied forces had been scattered by the Jing Kingdom’s heavy cavalry, leaving behind many supplies, including rations and daily necessities.
Without tents, beds, or bedding, sleeping outdoors in the autumn of the Northern Frontier was an arduous task. Soldiers could easily catch colds and die from illness.
In the absence of supplies, falling ill was tantamount to death.
So, Xu Qi’an would wake up regularly in the dead of night to cast spells that warded off cold and warmed the bodies of the soldiers.
He was now a Seventh-Rank Benevolent One. At this cultivation level, Confucian scholars not only had stronger physiques than ordinary people but also mastered the rudiments of “words becoming reality.”
Language was power!
Xu Qi’an could, to a certain extent, bestow any state upon his targets, be it weakness, courage, or pain relief…
The “certain extent” meant maintaining reasonability.
To give a specific example, at Xu Qi’an’s current level, he could only help soldiers tap into their potential to ward off cold. However, if Chancellor Zhao were here, he could sing a verse: “The beauty of the great desert, it’s March~” and the surrounding climate would shift from autumn to spring, maintaining that state for quite a long time.
After casting the cold-warding spell on each soldier, Xu Qi’an’s face betrayed his exhaustion. He pulled out a piece of dried meat from his bosom and gnawed on it vigorously.
It was then that he noticed Chu Yuanzhen wasn’t asleep. The top scholar was sitting with his back against the carriage, his feet sunk deep into the ground, leaving profound indentations.
His expression was off, tsk, such a complex expression for a grown man… Xu Qi’an got up, walked over, and sat down beside Chu Yuanzhen, saying:
“What’s wrong? Your expression has been off since you received that message earlier.”
“I just feel that the trust between people can suddenly disappear…”
Chu Yuanzhen wore a self-absorbed expression. Looking at Xu Ciju, he hesitated before speaking softly:
“Second Brother, I’ve said and done many strange things to you before. I hope you don’t mind. Thinking back on those now, I get goosebumps all over, feeling like I’ve ruined my lifelong reputation.”
Xu Qi’an thought for a moment and said, “Are you referring to standing on the street corner and smiling at me for no reason?”
Chu Yuanzhen was thunderstruck: “Don’t, don’t say it…”
The truth was obvious. Number Three was Li Xian, who had been impersonating his cousin Xu Xinnian all along. Number Three had said he didn’t want his identity revealed, so it was best not to mention the Earth Book when meeting.
Number Three had said he was about to go on a military expedition, so the Earth Book fragment would be temporarily entrusted to his elder brother.
All of this was just mystification to deceive people, to cover up the fact that Xu Ning’an was Number Three.
But, but Xu Qi’an had played along too well.
Unwilling to give up, Chu Yuanzhen asked: “You say you don’t know about the Earth Book fragment, but you’ve always seemed particularly… accommodating towards me. No matter what strange things I say or do, you never react.”
Many conversations that he thought were tacit understanding at the time now seemed like he was putting on a one-man show because Second Brother didn’t know about the Earth Book and didn’t share that tacit understanding.
Xu Xinnian replied candidly: “Elder Brother instructed me that no matter what strange things you say or do, I shouldn’t find it strange. I should either smile at you, nod, or ignore it.”
Chu Yuanzhen’s feet sank deeply into the ground once again.
But soon, the quick-witted Chu Yuanzhen realized that Xu Ning’an had been impersonating his cousin all along. To fit the role, he often boasted about “Elder Brother” in the Earth Book fragment, saying many things that would make one’s scalp tingle just thinking about them.
If Xu Ning’an knew that I knew his identity, the embarrassed one should be him!
He absolutely can’t be let off the hook!
Chu Yuanzhen immediately smiled, feeling much better.
…
At the Xu mansion in the capital.
Xu Qi’an felt like someone had tapped his head, instantly waking him up. Having experienced this a few times before, he didn’t suspect it was the Taiping Sword or Zhong Li knocking on his skull.
Having a private chat in the middle of the night, which bastard could it be? It couldn’t be Huai Qing with no nightlife again, could it… He skillfully pulled out the Earth Book fragment from under his pillow, then got up and walked to the table, lighting a candle.
In the fiery light, he sat down and checked the message.
[Four: Xu Qi’an, you’re Number Three, aren’t you? You’ve been deceiving us all along.]
Xu Qi’an was completely stunned.
When did Chu Yuanzhen find out about my identity?
When was I exposed?
Did he finally see through my identity because of the flaws revealed by Xu Qi’an?
At this moment, shame like a tidal wave, no, a tsunami, engulfed him.
After Chu Yuanzhen sent the message, he didn’t speak again. Xu Qi’an was trapped in immense shame, temporarily losing the “courage” to reply.
After a long while, Xu Bai Piao finally composed himself and replied: [Indeed, you’re the first in the Earthly Spirits Society, apart from Daoist Jin Lian, to see through my identity.]
No matter how embarrassing or awkward it was in reality, on the “internet,” I’m still wise and striking hard.
The key is, that only such a calm and indifferent attitude can dissolve the awkwardness.
[Four: Huh, you hid it pretty well. I had suspicions early on, but only fully confirmed it recently.]
[Three: As expected of the top scholar.]
These two, one wanting to fly back to the capital on a sword to chop up the Xu fellow, the other so embarrassed he wanted to cover his face, feeling life wasn’t worth living anymore.
But both deliberately put on a calm facade.
[Three: You discovered it recently?]
[Four: Huh, two hours ago, after I asked about your second uncle’s war comrade, Second Brother confessed to me.]
What’s wrong with Second Brother, so unreliable, hm? What about my second uncle’s war comrade… Xu Qi’an frowned and sent a message: [My second uncle’s war comrade?]
So this Xu Ning’an fellow wasn’t as indifferent as he pretended to be, putting on an act… Chu Yuanzhen then retold the story of Zhou Biao and Zhao Panyi.
Clang!
The sound of the chair toppling startled Zhong Li awake. She rubbed her eyes and looked up.
She saw Xu Qi’an frantically pouncing towards the writing desk, grinding ink, picking up the brush, and writing furiously…
About a quarter of an hour later, she saw Xu Qi’an blow dry the ink, fold the paper, and solemnly insert it into a book, exhaling as he muttered:
“So that’s how the principle of blocking heavenly mechanisms works.”
“What’s the principle?” Zhong Li perked up her ears and asked softly.
“Don’t ask, it’s a secret if you ask.” Xu Qi’an glanced at her. “You’re a professional at giving birth, how dare you ask me, an amateur?”
Zhong Li lowered her head in shame, curling up in the blanket, seeking what little warmth remained in the world.
Xu Qi’an exhaled, composing himself, and sent a message: [Brother Chu, can you keep this a secret for me?]
Chu Yuanzhen replied: [Your identity isn’t a secret, there’s no need to conceal it.]
Xu Qi’an seemed to see Chu Yuanzhen’s mocking and sneering expression in the distant Northern Frontier.
[Three: Well then, if it’s to be revealed, I hope to confess myself. What I did was indeed improper, causing Brother Chu to mistake Ciju for Number Three all along, believing it wholeheartedly, saying many wrong things, and doing many wrong deeds.]
[Four: Actually, I don’t care whether your identity is exposed or not.]
Damn, you, Xu Qi’an, wait till I return to the capital, I’ll strike down your golden body with one sword…
After a pause, Chu Yuanzhen sent another message: [Xu Qi’an knows about the Earth Book now, and also knows that Heng Yuan and I were deceived by you back then, causing him great distress.]
…Xu Qi’an probed: [So?]
I feel so ashamed, I can’t lift my head. I need some leverage to balance the relationship between me and Second Brother… Chu Yuanzhen sent: [I feel somewhat guilty.]
[Three: I understand. When you have time, chat with Second Brother about poetry. His famous work is: “If Heaven hadn’t born me, Xu Xinnian, Great Feng would be in eternal night.”]
[Four: Mm.]
After pacifying the top scholar, Xu Qi’an returned to his bed, stuffed the Earth Book fragment under his pillow, and then, like a maggot, wriggled back and forth.
Venting the surging shame in his heart.
I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life… It’s too humiliating, my image and face as Xu Qi’an are completely gone… Now everyone except Heng Yuan knows about my situation… Wait, if everyone knows but no one says anything, isn’t it like I haven’t died socially?!
Even if everyone knows, each person is keeping the secret for him, even covering up, trying to make others believe that Xu Ciju is Number Three.
This way, it’s as if I haven’t died socially.
Conversely, even if one day in the future everyone lays their cards on the table, because it’s long been common knowledge, I won’t have anyone to die socially to. Instead, those who have been trying to cover up for me and mislead others will be the ones who truly die socially.
Xu Qi’an’s eyes lit up.
Reassured, mm, better sleep early. Tomorrow is the date to explore the Dragon Vein with my aunt.
The next day.
After washing up, Xu Qi’an finished his breakfast and sat in the room waiting. Soon, golden light penetrated the roof ridge without damaging it, and in the magnificent radiance, Luo Yuheng’s tall and graceful figure appeared.
She was still wearing the Taoist robe she had worn the last time they met, cinching her waist and accentuating her chest size.
This undoubtedly enhanced her feminine charm, increased her presence as a woman, and reduced the aura of an inviolable immortal.
“Imperial Tutor!”
Xu Qi’an greeted her with a warm smile.
Luo Yuheng nodded slightly, coolly “mm” -ing, and said: “I’ll take you there.”
Although he had full confidence in Luo Yuheng, to be on the safe side, he cautiously asked: “Will they discover us?”
“They won’t!”
Luo Yuheng’s tone was calm, her face as delicate as a sculpture showing no expression, as she said: “I will conceal our aura.”
Except for martial artists, all the other systems are so fancy, and enviable… Xu Qi’an smiled: “Time is of the essence, let’s act as soon as possible.”
Luo Yuheng nodded, her wide sleeve sweeping out, golden light enveloping Xu Qi’an, and they disappeared from the room.
In the blink of an eye, Xu Qi’an saw the rockery in the back garden of Marquis Pingyuan’s mansion. Luo Yuheng’s voice, full of feminine quality, came to his ears: “Is it here?”
He responded affirmatively, walked to a certain rockery, and skillfully pressed the mechanism.
The surface of the rockery opened a “door”, revealing a dark hole.
“Imperial Tutor, this is the underground passage,” Xu Qi’an said.
Luo Yuheng nodded gracefully and followed him in.
Soon, the two arrived at the stone chamber and saw the large stone disc covered with twisted, strange incantations.
Luo Yuheng stood by the stone disc, concentrating her gaze, and said: “The earth escape technique is of extremely high caliber, indeed seems like the handiwork of Senior Brother Jin Lian.”
“Senior Brother Jin Lian?”
Xu Qi’an expressed his confusion.
According to the feedback from the previous emperor’s daily records, Daoist Jin Lian and the previous Patriarch of the Human Sect were of the same generation. In Sword State, the avatar of the pervert Black Lotus had boasted, calling Luo Yuheng his dear niece and wanting to dual cultivate with her.
The tall and beautiful Imperial Tutor casually explained: “The Patriarchs of the Three Sects are equal.”
In terms of status, the Patriarchs of the Three Sects were equal, so Daoist Jin Lian was her senior brother. But in terms of age, Jin Lian was of the same generation as her father, so he could also be her senior uncle.
Xu Qi’an had a sudden realization as he thought about this, his hand not stopping as he took out the Earth Book fragment and placed it on the stone disc.
…
In Huaiqing Prefecture, in the study.
With her hair piled high, strands falling loosely, giving her a somewhat languid appearance, Huai Qing sat in a soft chair in the study, a purple rhinoceros horn sandalwood desk from the Zhou Dynasty era before her.
A piece of paper was spread out on the desk, a purple brush dipped in ink resting quietly on a white jade brush rest. She lowered her gaze, staring blankly at the paper.
After a long silence of a quarter hour, Huai Qing finally picked up the brush and wrote down “26th year of Zhende,” “pollution,” “Earth Sect Patriarch’s descent into evil,” “Chu State massacre,” “soul pill,” and so on.
Assuming the Earth Sect Patriarch was the root of all evil, Xu Qi’an’s speculation was reasonable and plausible.
Many of the clues discovered so far could be matched one by one, although there were still some inconsistencies, but this was because the matter hadn’t been thoroughly investigated yet.
Therefore, some details didn’t match up, such as the Earth Sect Patriarch’s purpose in polluting Father Emperor and Prince Huai.
“Father Emperor wanted to kill Heng Yuan because Heng Yuan saw the secret passage in Marquis Pingyuan’s mansion. This means the Father Emperor knew about the existence of the Earth Sect Patriarch. From the Chu State massacre case until now, Father Emperor has been paving the way for the Earth Sect Patriarch, but for what purpose?”
This was the most unreasonable part of Huai Qing’s view. From her perspective, without benefits, any alliance would be unstable.
“Unless Father Emperor was completely controlled by the Earth Sect Patriarch… Does Daoist Jin Lian fully understand the intricacies of court politics?”
“The event that exposed Father Emperor, Prince Huai, and the Earth Sect Patriarch’s collusion was the Chu State massacre case, which indicates that the Chu State massacre case was very important to them, and the essence of this case is blood pills and soul pills.”
“Soul pills are very important…”
Time quietly slipped by, and after an unknown period, Huai Qing’s crystal-clear, cute ears twitched slightly, catching distant footsteps approaching the study.
She hurriedly crumpled the paper into a ball, held it in her hand, and tucked it into her sleeve.
After waiting silently for more than ten seconds, the footsteps stopped at the door, and a maid’s soft voice was heard: “Your Highness, Miss Caiwei has arrived.”
Huai Qing replied coldly: “Let her in.”
After the maid withdrew, Chu Caiwei entered with a lively step, each of her small hands holding an orange, and she said sweetly: “Huai Qing, I want to eat osmanthus fish.”
Osmanthus fish was the specialty of Huai Qing’s mansion’s chef, unique and unavailable elsewhere.
Huai Qing smiled: “Alright, I’ll have someone notify the kitchen.”
Chu Caiwei happily pulled out a large package of pastries from her deerskin waist pouch and shared the delicacies with Huai Qing.
As they ate pastries and drank tea, casually chatting for a moment, Huai Qing asked in her usual tone: “Caiwei, do you know about soul pills?”
“Oh? Why is everyone asking about soul pills lately?”
Chu Caiwei looked at her best friend in surprise: “A while ago, Xu Qi’an also came to the Star-Gazing Tower to inquire about soul pills. He even asked me, but how could I possibly know? So I just took him to the library.”
“What are soul pills used for?” Huai Qing humbly sought guidance.
Chu Caiwei immediately put on a “you’re lucky” expression and said smugly: “I didn’t know originally, but after reading books with Xu Qi’an last time, I learned about it.”
After a pause, she said: “Soul pills are good things with a wide range of uses. They can enhance primordial spirit, serve as materials for pill refining, forge magical treasures, repair incomplete souls, and nurture artifact spirits.”
Repairing incomplete souls… Huai Qing’s breathing suddenly quickened, and she accidentally knocked over her teacup.