“Boss… Boss…” The waiter’s face turned deathly pale as he watched the blue-robed guest’s retreating figure.
Even if he had seen a ghost, he wouldn’t have looked this terrified. After all, he had never seen a ghost before. But today, he witnessed a madman who had just downed nearly half a jin of arsenic in one gulp.
“Quick, go fetch a physician from the Golden Needle Hall…” The innkeeper shrieked. He then paused and corrected himself, “No, wait! Catch him and make him vomit!”
The two rushed out of the shop, looking left and right, only to find that the blue-robed guest had already vanished into the sea of people.
…
Bu Zui Ju was one of the finest taverns in Yongzhou City.
For dining in the main hall, the average cost per person was half a silver coin. In the private rooms, it was two silver coins per person. For lodging, a high-quality suite costs three silver coins per night.
Mu Nanzhi and Xu Qi’an had been walking leisurely for a long time, asking for directions several times along the way, before finally arriving outside the tavern.
A waiter at the entrance, busy greeting guests coming and going, noticed the two approaching the tavern and immediately stepped forward with a bow.
“Esteemed guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?”
“We’re staying the night!” Xu Qi’an handed the horse reins to the waiter and took off his water pouch. He poured out the milky water mixed with arsenic, gently smearing it on the saddle.
During this process, his palm turned a bluish-black color. After he finished, he raised his hand, and the flesh of his palm returned to normal.
It was the ability of the Poison Insect, to create special toxins by combining with the surrounding environment and materials.
Xu Qi’an used the arsenic to create a slow-acting poison and applied it to the saddle. Anyone who dared to ride the mare would absorb the toxin through their skin as it slowly evaporated with body heat, penetrating through their pants and into their bloodstream.
Death would occur within a quarter of an hour at most, beyond the help of even immortals.
The waiter, limited in knowledge, couldn’t comprehend the intricacies. He only looked bewildered for a moment before seeing the blue-robed guest toss him a piece of silver, saying:
“My horse needs to be fed premium feed. Beans, wheat, corn, salt, eggs, and honey – don’t miss any of these. I’ll come to check later. If you dare to skimp, I’ll skin you alive.”
Xu Qi’an, in his freeloading persona, lacked neither killing intent nor ferocity. When he furrowed his brows and glared, he was incredibly intimidating.
The waiter, clutching the hefty piece of silver, felt both excited and scared. He replied, “Rest assured, sir. I’ll take excellent care of your beloved horse.”
He immediately led the horse to the backyard.
“When you’re out in the jianghu, you need to have that jianghu spirit,” Xu Qi’an explained to the most beautiful woman in Great Feng. “If you act all meek and humble out here, people will see you as a fat sheep ready for slaughter, and everyone will want to take a bite.”
The jianghu and the imperial court were different worlds. In the capital, one should keep a low profile in personal matters but be ambitious in affairs of state, always mindful of face and seniority.
But the jianghu was different. It was a mix of all sorts, full of youthful bravado and occasional flashes of violence. One had to display a fierce and vicious demeanor to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Entering the main hall of the tavern, Xu Qi’an led Mu Nanzhi towards the counter. On the way, they overheard nearby diners discussing:
“I heard someone discovered a large tomb in the wilderness about thirty li south of the city. Over a dozen people went in, and none came out.”
“They say the Gongsu clan sent people down into the tomb too, but they all perished inside. Now everyone’s saying there must be some rare treasure in there. Why else would it be so dangerous?”
“It’s probably just a rumor spread by the Gongsu family to get jianghu wanderers to act as cannon fodder.”
“Not necessarily. The more dangerous the tomb, the more valuable the treasures. Who would bother setting up traps for just a few measly burial objects?”
“That makes sense.”
“The Gongsu clan has been recruiting heroes in Yongzhou City recently, preferably those skilled in feng shui and mechanisms. Unfortunately, I’m just a warrior with limited abilities. Otherwise, I’d try my luck too.”
Mu Nanzhi’s expression changed slightly as she listened.
Xu Qi’an frowned.
The underground palace outside Yongzhou City has been discovered? Well, the commotion caused by Shenshu and the ancient corpse fighting was quite significant, causing some degree of collapse in that mountain range. It’s normal for curious people to explore afterward…
Given Shenshu’s status, the ancient corpse shouldn’t have broken free in just half a year. Hopefully, it hasn’t escaped, or my trip to Yongzhou would be in vain…
As he pondered this, he approached the counter and said, “Two adjoining high-quality suites, please.”
Beside him, Mu Nanzhi quickly interjected, “No, no, not two rooms. One is enough…” Her voice trailed off, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
She’s chickened out… Xu Qi’an glanced at the Royal Consort. The prospect of sharing a room with the most beautiful woman in Great Feng didn’t excite him; instead, he frowned.
Firstly, the side effect of the Love Insect would cause the host to constantly feel the urge to reproduce. Xu Qi’an feared he might not be able to control himself.
Secondly, the side effect of the Shadow Insect was that the host liked to crawl into dark and damp places, and required at least two hours of undetected private space every day.
The Royal Consort’s spirit essence could only be “harvested” when she reached the peak of the third rank. The side effects of the insects couldn’t be satisfied, which would affect the development of the Seven Deadly Insects and, in turn, impact his cultivation…
Xu Qi’an sighed inwardly: Indeed, women only slow down my sword-drawing speed!
So he asked the innkeeper for a high-quality suite priced at one tael of silver.
After receiving the silver, the innkeeper’s attitude became even more enthusiastic and attentive. He led the two esteemed guests upstairs.
The room was at the end of the corridor, with windows overlooking the bustling main street. Mu Nanzhi loved it, but Xu Qi’an found it noisy.
As expected of one of the most expensive taverns in Yongzhou City, and of a suite meant to uphold the tavern’s reputation, the writing desk was made of huanghuali wood, and the four treasures of the study were laid out on the table.
Upon entering the room, Mu Nanzhi looked around, examining everything. She commented, “All these hanging paintings are famous works, but they’re all forgeries. Not a single genuine piece.”
One of them, a genuine “Record of Burning Incense in the Wine Cottage,” hung in her study at the Marquis of Zhen Bei’s mansion.
“This inkstone is quite nice,” she said, walking to the writing desk and playing with a blue and white Duan inkstone. The blue patterns on the inkstone were like ink stains. Mu Nanzhi remarked with some regret, “The texture is fine, but it’s not moist enough. It’s high-quality, but not quite top-tier.”
Even if it were more moist, it wouldn’t be as moist as you… Xu Qi’an grumbled inwardly.
She went on to critique every item in the room – the writing tools, paintings, antiques, furniture, and so on.
The innkeeper was dumbfounded, exclaiming, “The young lady is truly an expert!”
He immediately shed any trace of contempt he might have harbored. This ordinary-looking couple must be from a noble family, he thought. Only those born with silver spoons could cultivate such taste and discernment.
Xu Qi’an, who had been listening as if to a foreign language, pulled the innkeeper to the table and said with a smile, “May I have a word with you, innkeeper?”
“Of course, of course.” The innkeeper’s attitude had improved significantly.
Xu Qi’an asked, “I just overheard some guests in the hall talking about a large tomb discovered in the southern mountains?”
The innkeeper nodded, “Yes, there’s such a rumor, though I’m not sure if it’s true. They say many people have died there. That area is now occupied by the Gongsu clan.”
Xu Qi’an took a sip of tea and pondered, “The Gongsu clan? Innkeeper, what are the notable jianghu factions in Yongzhou City?”
Although he had been to Yongzhou before, he wasn’t very familiar with the local gang situations.
In the eyes of the Night Watchers, only major forces like the Martial Arts Alliance of Jian Province were worthy of attention. The rest were considered insignificant.
Of course, this didn’t mean that the jianghu factions weren’t strong. It was just that the Night Watchers, being part of the imperial court, had an innate sense of superiority over the jianghu factions.
The innkeeper began speaking without hesitation, not needing to think:
“Near Yongzhou City, the most powerful forces are the Gongsu Mountain Villa, eighteen li to the north, and the Dragon God Fort on the Wanlong River, twenty li to the east. The gangs affiliated with these two major forces include…
“As for the prefectures and counties under Yongzhou’s jurisdiction, I’m afraid I don’t know much.”
Yongzhou was one of the thirteen provinces of Great Feng, with dozens of prefectures and counties under its jurisdiction. The exact number of gangs there could probably only be known through official government statistics.
Large forces like the Dragon God Fort and the Gongsu clan usually didn’t establish their main bases within the city, as the authorities wouldn’t allow it.
Mu Nanzhi frowned and asked, “Isn’t the Yongzhou government concerned about the tomb?”
The innkeeper laughed, “Why should they be? It’s not a flood or locust plague. The government couldn’t care less. As for the deaths, they’re all jianghu folks, not ordinary civilians. Even if civilians were involved, without an official report, the authorities wouldn’t bother, you see.
“Besides, the Gongsun clan has some connections with the Yongzhou Provincial Administration Commissioner. That’s how they managed to ‘cordon off’ that mountain area.”
“The innkeeper makes a good point,” Xu Qi’an said.
The two men exchanged knowing smiles.
Xu Qi’an learned from the innkeeper that this season was when lake crabs were at their fattest, and Yangbai Lake outside the city was the prime spot for crab-eating near Yongzhou City.
During this time, the city’s wealthy households, eunuchs, and jianghu heroes would rent boats to cruise the lake and enjoy the succulent lake crabs.
Mu Nanzhi’s eyes lit up as she listened.
After some casual chat, the innkeeper reluctantly took his leave.
…
Xu Qi’an closed the door and walked behind the folding screen. He moved the bathtub aside and took out the Earth Book fragment, pouring out a large vat. The vat contained shallow silt and slightly murky water, with a dark golden lotus root lying at the bottom.
Half of it was exposed above the silt, while the other half remained buried.
He had two objectives for this jianghu journey with the Royal Consort:
First, to travel to Jian Province and hand over the lotus root to the old codger of the Martial Arts Alliance, fulfilling his promise.
But since the lotus root wasn’t ripe yet, he decided to bring both the person and the root along. By the time they reached Jian Province, the Nine-Colored Lotus Root should be mature.
Second, he wanted to try finding some potent poisonous plants to give to the Flower Goddess for cultivation, to strengthen the Poison Insect.
For this reason, Mu Nanzhi had to be kept by his side.
“Phew…” Xu Qi’an exhaled. With the current strength of his Force Insect, lifting a large water vat was still somewhat strenuous. He needed to eat more.
It’s a good thing I left the capital, he thought. Otherwise, with three more gluttons at home, Aunt would be heartbroken… He sat down at the huanghuali wood desk, contemplating his next moves.
“The dragon qi is scattered in various places. Without something like a radar, finding the dragon qi hosts can only be done through two aspects: First, a powerful intelligence network. Dragon qi hosts won’t show abnormalities in the short term, but over time, they’ll quickly stand out. They won’t remain obscure forever.
“Second, relying on the convergence effect of dragon qi and fate. Maybe I don’t need to deliberately search; while traveling to a certain place, I might encounter one. As long as a dragon qi host is within a hundred meters of me, I can sense it through the Earth Book. I’m essentially a small radar with a range of only a hundred meters.
“There’s no news about Shenshu’s remains yet, but the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox has clues. I just need to wait for her to find me. The most important thing now is to collect materials for the Soul-Summoning Bell.”
Among the materials for the Soul-Summoning Bell, two items were the fingernails and venom of a thousand-year-old corpse. Xu Qi’an happened to know such a corpse, which was why he chose Yongzhou City as his first stop.
“As long as Shenshu’s seal hasn’t weakened, I’m confident I can prevent the ancient corpse from discovering my true state. Hmm, I also need to put more effort into cultivation. Among the seven abilities of the Seven Deadly Insects, the Poison Insect is the easiest to nurture. As long as there’s a constant supply of highly toxic substances, it can grow rapidly.
“Next is the Force Insect. As long as I keep eating and tempering my physique, it can also grow quickly. Although my cultivation is sealed, my physique is at the third rank, so I can skip the tempering stage and just focus on eating.
“The Celestial Insect is the foundation of the Seven Deadly Insects. It’s already developed to an extremely profound level, so it doesn’t need attention for now. The Shadow Insect will grow steadily as long as I maintain two hours of ‘hiding’ every day. Perhaps it also needs combat… I haven’t tried that yet, but I can give it a shot when the opportunity arises.
“The Corpse Insect needs to devour corpse qi. Cultivating the Corpse Insect is also one of the purposes of this trip to Yongzhou. As for the Love Insect and the Heart Insect, I’ll suppress them for now and not cultivate them.
“I don’t want to walk the jianghu and end up becoming a flower-picking thief. Besides, with the most beautiful woman in Great Feng by my side, if I don’t suppress the Love Insect, we might end up in an accident one day.
“The same goes for the Heart Insect. Although I ride the little mare, I can’t ride it.”
It was still early, with some time left before lunch. Xu Qi’an sat at the desk, sipping small mouthfuls of arsenic-mixed water as if drinking wine.
The cleanliness-loving Royal Consort fetched herself a basin of water to wash up, then sat at the dressing table. She styled her hair into a beautiful married woman’s bun and applied lipstick and rouge. Paired with her demeanor, it raised her attractiveness by a few points.
From plain-looking, she became somewhat pleasing to the eye.
“I’ll sleep on the bed tonight, you can make a bedroll on the floor,” said the Royal Consort, sitting at the dressing table. Seeing that he only glanced at her before looking away without any lingering interest, her eyebrows immediately furrowed.
“Or you can sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on top of you,” Xu Qi’an retorted impatiently.
The Royal Consort clicked her tongue, seemingly already accustomed to his flirtatious remarks and not taking them seriously.
She got up and walked behind the screen, reaching into the water vat and idly playing with the water.
The water was suffused with spiritual energy.
As noon approached, Xu Qi’an put the water vat back into the Earth Book fragment. Through Bu Zui Ju’s connections, he managed to reserve seats on a pleasure boat. At this time, if one were just a regular customer, forget about booking seats on a pleasure boat – even small boats would be fully booked.
Fortunately, as a major tavern, Bu Zui Ju had the channels and relationships to fulfill their guests’ crab-eating desires.
…
At Yangbai Lake, the water sparkled brilliantly. Willows were planted along the shore, their branches bare without any hint of green.
In the late autumn season, the lake breeze carried a chill.
A pleasure boat bearing the sign “Wang’s Fish Restaurant” floated on the lake. Mu Nanzhi, wrapped in a fox fur cloak, sat at a table by the window. On the table was a small clay stove warming yellow wine, both heating the wine and warming the person.
Several small dishes were laid out, along with twenty plump river crabs.
“The vinegar tastes good, though the sauce is a bit scarce. Hmm, but this highlights the richness of the river crabs,” Xu Qi’an nodded contentedly, his mouth full of springy crab roe.
In his culinary ranking, lake crabs could easily make the top ten. Of course, crabs varied by type – female crabs wouldn’t make the cut, only male crabs would do.
“Crab roe and crab paste are two entirely different things. Comparatively, the springy crab paste is more aromatic and delicious. Crab roe is ultimately inferior, so I don’t like eating female crabs, but I have no resistance to male crabs…”
Xu Qi’an picked up the wine pot from the small clay stove and poured a cup of warm wine for the Royal Consort.
“Even eating crabs can reflect hierarchy?” Mu Nanzhi gave him a big eye roll. She took a sip of the small wine, her cheeks flushed and her body warm. She turned her gaze towards the lake and suddenly said in a low voice:
“Look, is that the Gongsun clan’s boat?”
Xu Qi’an turned his head and looked out the window. Indeed, he saw a two-story large boat cutting through the waves, bearing the “Gongsun” flag.