Jingxin and Jingyuan received the news and led a group of monks to welcome the visitor.

Vajra Dunan spotted his beloved disciple Jingyuan and immediately discerned his injuries:

“The sword intent within your body is relentless and difficult to erase. Was it he who injured you?”

After Chai Xing’er secretly leaked the information, Jingxin immediately notified Vajra Dunan through secret methods. Dunan already knew that Xu Qi’an was in Xiangzhou.

Jingyuan’s face was pale as he nodded slightly, saying shamefully, “This disciple was incompetent and failed to detain the Buddha’s Son.”

Vajra Dunan calmly said, “Let’s discuss this inside.”

The group of monks entered the Chai mansion and took their seats in the main hall. Jingxin recounted everything that had happened in Xiangzhou to Vajra Dunan.

“That Chai Xing’er is said to be a spy from the ‘Heavenly Mechanism Palace’. We’ve reported this to our superiors. The Buddha’s Son didn’t kill us, probably fearing that if the spy came and discovered the situation had been exposed, there would be a massacre…”

Jingxin concluded his report.

“What a pity,” Vajra Dunan said regretfully. “If I had arrived a step earlier, I could have captured the Buddha’s Son and fulfilled Garuda Bodhisattva’s instructions.”

He rose from his chair and walked to Jingyuan’s side. Placing his palm on Jingyuan’s right shoulder, pale golden energy flowed into his beloved disciple’s body, shattering the remnants of sword intent in his internal organs and meridians.

The skin all over Jingyuan’s body suddenly cracked, and blood flowed freely.

He let out a muffled groan, his face turning deathly pale as large beads of sweat rolled down.

“Such a domineering sword intent,” Vajra Dunan commented, then shook his head. “No, that’s not right. This intent, at the moment of extinction, erupts again, preferring to shatter like jade rather than remain whole. The Buddha’s Son’s fourth-grade sword intent…”

Jingyuan’s complexion gradually returned to a healthy red, like someone recovering from a serious illness.

Seeing his master’s solemn expression, he asked, “What is this intent like?”

Third-grade Vajras didn’t have “intent”, and eighth-grade warrior monks jumped directly to third grade. Their actual cultivation process followed the path of warriors, but after reaching the fifth-grade Energy Condensation stage, warrior monks could skip the fourth grade, comprehend the perfection of the Vajra Divine Skill, and directly advance to third grade.

In other words, the invincible defense of the Vajra Divine Skill was their “intent”.

“This intent can no longer be described as domineering or fierce. When someone of the same level fights him, they must be prepared for mutual destruction,” Vajra Dunan said.

“Why?” Jingyuan frowned.

“Because this is his intent, preferring to shatter like jade rather than remain whole as tile,” Vajra Dunan said slowly.

Jingyuan and Jingxin exchanged glances, once again realizing how terrifying Xu Qi’an was. The Buddha’s Son was undoubtedly the top figure among his peers.

“Uncle Dunan, what business were you, Arhat Duqing and Uncle Dufan going to attend to this time?” Jingxin asked.

Vajra Dunan said solemnly, “We were originally heading to潜龙城 (Qianlong City), but I turned back when I received your message on the way.”

Qianlong City?

Jingxin glanced at Jingyuan, finding the same confusion in his eyes, and asked, “What could be more important than collecting dragon energy and capturing the Buddha’s Son?”

Vajra Dunan remained silent.

Jingxin didn’t press further, but tentatively asked, “So, what’s next? Do we go directly to Yong Province, or do we wait here for a few more days?”

Dunan pondered for a moment: “We’ll depart tomorrow morning.”

At night, Vajra Dunan was meditating in a room in the outer courtyard of the Chai mansion when suddenly there were two knocks on the door.

Vajra Dunan said calmly, “Come in.”

The door opened, and a cloaked figure entered. Judging by the build, it was a man.

“Greetings, Vajra Dunan,” the cloaked man said in a deep, magnetic voice.

“Are you the spy from the Heavenly Mechanism Palace?” Vajra Dunan asked, maintaining his meditation posture without even opening his eyes.

“I am,” the cloaked man replied.

“Is the Heavenly Mechanism Palace under that second-grade sorcerer?” Vajra Dunan asked.

“Yes.” The cloaked man didn’t conceal anything and respectfully said, “When the Palace Master assigned the task of searching for the dragon energy hosts, he mentioned that the Buddhist sect could be cooperative friends. That’s why I’m here. The Palace Master’s foresight is divine; he’s never been wrong.”

Seeing Vajra Dunan meditating silently, he continued:

“Very well, since the dragon energy has been obtained by the Buddhist sect, the Heavenly Mechanism Palace has nothing to say. However, I’ve searched the Chai mansion and found no trace of Chai Xing’er. She’s one of our people, so I hope the Buddhist sect can show mercy and return her to us.”

Vajra Dunan opened his eyes and shook his head solemnly: “Chai Xing’er is not in the hands of the Buddhist sect.”

The cloaked man was silent for a moment, then chuckled, “It seems some unexpected events occurred in Xiangzhou. Please inform me, Vajra.”

In the room, the candlelight was dim, its orange glow barely reaching beyond five meters.

“That person came,” Vajra Dunan’s words caused the breathing beneath the cloak to become heavy.

Then, Vajra Dunan relayed everything he had heard from Jingxin to the cloaked man.

The cloaked man listened attentively, not missing a single word. After pondering for a long time, he said:

“The Palace Master once said that person would eventually enter the jianghu to collect dragon energy. He failed to retrieve the dragon vein in the capital. The jianghu presents a new opportunity. When the Palace Master shattered the dragon vein, besides destroying the foundation of Great Feng, another purpose was for this.

“If he fails to retrieve the dragon energy within that person’s body, we’ll change the battlefield and hunt him in the jianghu. The Palace Master’s foresight is divine; he plans meticulously and has everything under control.

“Master, why don’t we cooperate?”

Vajra Dunan scrutinized him: “How does a mere spy know so much?”

The cloaked man smiled but didn’t answer.

Vajra Dunan said, “How do you propose we cooperate? He has methods to conceal his aura and is highly skilled in disguise. It’s difficult enough to find him, let alone capture him.”

The cloaked man was silent for a few seconds, then laughed:

“Sometimes, to capture prey, one doesn’t necessarily need to chase it. Skilled hunters know how to set traps.

“There are two effective ways to deal with him: First, use the dragon energy hosts to lure him out. This plan can only be used once; with his intelligence, it will be difficult the second time.

“Second, in areas where he might appear, commit atrocities and evil deeds. As long as he knows about it, he will come. This plan can be used multiple times.”

“The Heavenly Mechanism Palace will provide dragon energy hosts?” Vajra Dunan directly discarded the second option.

Buddhist Vajras didn’t abstain from killing, but they only killed those who deserved it—enemies, evil people, those they despised, and so on. Indiscriminate killing of innocents would lead to inner demons plaguing oneself.

The cloaked man nodded and said:

“According to reliable information I’ve received, the martial arts conference in Yong Province is about to begin. With heroes gathering from all around, he will attend to search for dragon energy hosts hidden among the crowd.

“We only need to control a few dragon energy hosts, arrange for them to be active in Yong City, and closely monitor the surroundings of the hosts. Once that person appears, we’ll immediately close the net and catch him like a turtle in a jar.”

The Dharma Protector Vajra nodded slowly: “He has already broken free from part of the seal. In last night’s conflict, the Soul-Capturing Mirror couldn’t shake his primordial spirit. If our guess is correct, the demon-sealing nail in his Baihui acupoint has been removed.”

The cloaked man pondered: “In that case, a third-grade martial artist’s sense of danger will make it much more difficult to ambush him. We need to plan this carefully. To ensure foolproof success, I’ll immediately send a message to the Palace Master asking for his opinion.”

…

On this day, after a day and night of urgent travel, the five-person team arrived in Yong City.

Xu Qi’an abandoned his handsome appearance from his previous life and changed to an unremarkable face. Li Lingsu did the same.

As for Hengyin and Mu Nanzhi, the former was wrapped in a cloak, while the latter wore a veiled hat.

Even the little mare was disguised to some extent. Xu Qi’an dyed its hooves white with pigment and its coat black.

Thus, the little mare transformed from a golden dragon steed to a black horse with snow-white hooves.

Xu Qi’an also realized that the mare was still too conspicuous and was the only weak point in their disguise. After all, people could change their appearance, but it was difficult to disguise a horse, even though most people thought all horses looked the same.

Upon entering Yong City, Xu Qi’an headed straight for one of the best inns in the city: the Buzui Residence. However, he was told it was fully booked with no vacant rooms.

After trying several other inns and still finding no vacancies, Li Lingsu clicked his tongue and said, “Yong Province is hosting a martial arts conference, and all the inns in the city, good or bad, are full. It’s strange though, why would a place like Yong Province, which doesn’t even have a fourth-grade expert, host a martial arts conference?”

Yong Province did have fourth-grade experts, but they all held official positions and were part of the imperial court. In the jianghu, there were no fourth-grade masters.

Lei Zheng from Dragon God Fort and Gongsun Xiangyang from the Gongsun family were both fifth-grade Energy Condensation experts, just a step away from the fourth grade, but they couldn’t seem to cross that threshold.

Mu Nanzhi, sitting on horseback with her slender waist swaying gently with the bumps, heard this and snorted lightly, “Someone must have had a brain freeze.”

Li Lingsu laughed, “What does Madam Xu mean by that?”

Perhaps because the words “Madam Xu” sounded particularly pleasing to her ears, Mu Nanzhi glanced at Xu Qi’an and said, “It was this guy who proposed it.”

Li Lingsu’s mind flashed with a question mark. The martial arts conference in Yong Province was organized by Xu Qian. Why had he never mentioned it before? And what was his intention in organizing this conference?

The Holy Child glanced at Xu Qian, seeing that he had no intention of explaining, and tactfully suppressed his curiosity without asking further questions.

Fortunately, Yong City was large with numerous inns, and after much searching, they finally found a decent inn with vacant rooms.

After checking in with Li Lingsu and Mu Nanzhi, Xu Qi’an sat at the writing desk as usual, contemplating his next move.

“The martial arts conference in Yong Province is a quick way for me to collect dragon energy, but it’s the same for the Buddhist sect, the Witch Cult, and Xu Pingfeng.”

“They will inevitably come when they hear about it. This has already been confirmed by Jingxin and the others. The Buddhist sect’s next stop is here.”

“Reasoning in reverse, the Buddhist sect and Xu Pingfeng must also realize that I won’t give up this opportunity. If I were them, what would I do?”

“Heh, they would certainly seize this opportunity to collect dragon energy and deal with me… But I have the ability of the Heavenly Gu ‘Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations’ to conceal my aura. Even the Aura-Seeing Technique is useless against me.”

“How will they find me?”

Xu Qi’an pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly having an idea: “The Gongsun family and Dragon God Fort are local powers. I’ll have them be my eyes and ears, gathering information.”

With this thought, he left the room and knocked on Li Lingsu’s door.

“Senior?” Li Lingsu opened the door, stepping aside to let him in. As he walked to the table to pour tea, he said:

“I’m trying to break through the seal. Sister Rong was at the peak of the fourth grade, while I had just entered the fourth grade. The difference in our strength is significant. It will take time to break through the seal. If only I had a high-level Taoist master to assist me.”

“When are we going to the capital? My junior sister is now fourth grade; she could help me break the seal.”

Your junior sister can barely protect herself; it’s better to let your master break the seal for you… Xu Qi’an didn’t drink the tea and said straightforwardly:

“Come with me for a while.”

“Where are we going?” Li Lingsu asked instinctively.

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Li Lingsu responded with an “Oh” and turned to walk outside, but noticed that Xu Qian hadn’t followed. Confused, he asked, “Senior?”

At that moment, a sparrow flew in through the open window, fluttering its wings to land on Li Lingsu’s shoulder. It spoke in human language: “Let’s go.”

Having spent so much time together, Li Lingsu had grown accustomed to Xu Qian’s aloof manner of not explaining things. Without further questions, he followed the sparrow An’s guidance and left Yong City.

Two hours later, they arrived at the Gongsun Manor, eighteen li away from the city.

The Gongsun Manor was built among green mountains, beautiful in spring and with its charm in the harsh winter.

Passing through the tall archway at the foot of the mountain, they climbed the steps and stopped at the manor’s main gate. Li Lingsu cupped his hands towards the gatekeeper and said:

“Please inform your master that Xu Qian is here to visit.”

The gatekeeper went to relay the message. Half an hour later, the pot-bellied, middle-aged Gongsun Xiangyang, accompanied by his daughter and designated heir Gongsun Xiu, hurried out.

Upon seeing Li Lingsu, the father and daughter frowned slightly. Gongsun Xiangyang cupped his hands and said, “Senior Xu?”

Seeing the local power, the Gongsun family, being so respectful to Xu Qian, Li Lingsu began to believe some of what Mu Nanzhi had said.

Following Xu Qian’s instructions, Li Lingsu responded with a “Mm” without saying much more.

However, the old playboy Holy Child was quite impressed by Gongsun Xiu’s appearance. She was a fine young lady.

Of course, this was limited to appreciating beauty. The Holy Child currently had no energy to start another romance, as he was comprehending the Supreme Forgetting of Emotions.

Led by Gongsun Xiangyang, he entered the manor and took a seat in the inner hall where charcoal fires were burning.

“We weren’t prepared for your visit, Senior. Please forgive our poor hospitality,” Gongsun Xiangyang said politely before getting to the point:

“The martial arts conference is being held according to your instructions. This gathering of heroes in Yong Province has attracted not only local martial artists but also those from neighboring provinces like Qing and Zhang.”

“Excellent!” Li Lingsu nodded. “Where is the competition venue?”

“It’s at the Grand Arena in the southwest of Yong City. It used to be the barracks for the city defense forces, with a drill ground spacious enough for our needs. Now that the city defense forces have moved to a new location, I’ve temporarily rented that place.”

For such a large-scale gathering, a single arena wasn’t enough. The venue was crucial.

The barracks were far from residential areas and had a sufficiently spacious drill ground, making it suitable for hosting the martial arts conference.

Li Lingsu asked, “Do something for me. Have someone keep an eye on Yong City. If any Buddhist monks are spotted, report to me immediately.”

Gongsun Xiangyang replied, “Certainly!”

At this moment, Gongsun Xiangyang heard the little sparrow on “Xu Qian’s” shoulder speak in human language, laughing:

“It seems the Gongsun family head has been living peacefully lately. Xu shall not disturb you further. Farewell.”

After the sparrow finished speaking, it flew out of the inner hall and disappeared into the horizon.

Gongsun Xiangyang was stunned for a while, then belatedly looked at Li Lingsu and asked, “Just now…”

Li Lingsu nodded: “The one just now was indeed Senior Xu.”

Xu Qi’an did this mainly as a precaution. Putting himself in their shoes, he realized that when the Buddhist sect or Xu Pingfeng’s minions arrived in Yong Province, they might also seek out local powers to search for someone named Xu Qian in the city.

Or, a small group with a warhorse.

Searching for a needle in a haystack was also a method of finding someone.

Now it seemed the Gongsun family was safe for the time being.

Senior Xu Qian turned into a bird? No, he controlled a bird. What an unfathomable technique… Gongsun Xiu was deeply shocked.

Gongsun Xiangyang raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled at Li Lingsu, “Then, who might you be?”

Li Lingsu nodded: “I am Senior Xu’s close friend and junior.”

He briefly introduced himself and then said, “There’s another purpose for this visit. We couldn’t find good accommodation in Yong City. I wonder if Family Head Gongsun has any vacant residences, preferably not in the Gongsun Manor.”

After receiving Gongsun Xiangyang’s affirmation, Li Lingsu finally couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “How did Family Head Gongsun come to know Senior Xu?”

Gongsun Xiangyang smiled bitterly, “The senior instructed us not to disclose this information.”

Li Lingsu persisted, “Does Family Head Gongsun know Senior Xu’s background and identity? I met him during my travels and am particularly curious about his identity.”

He believed that telling the truth was better than lying to express his curiosity.

Gongsun Xiu interjected, “We don’t know much more than you do, brother. We’re equally curious about Senior Xu’s identity.”

After a pause, she hesitated and said, “There’s a poem, I wonder if you’ve heard it.”

“A poem?” Li Lingsu asked.

Gongsun Xiu explained, “I once asked about Senior Xu’s identity. He didn’t say directly but left a poem.”

“What poem?” Li Lingsu straightened up eagerly and asked.

“Eight hundred autumns since attaining the Dao, Never have I flown a sword to take a head. The Jade Emperor’s heavenly seal has yet to arrive, So I trade dark gold to mingle with the world’s flow.”

Gongsun Xiu recited slowly.

Even after many days, reciting this poem again still brought an undisguised shock, stirring one’s emotions.

“Eight hundred autumns since attaining the Dao, eight hundred autumns since attaining the Dao…” Li Lingsu murmured.

After a while, he pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced inwardly. The identity of this old codger Xu Qian was more terrifying than he had imagined.

The people in the hall didn’t notice that the sparrow, after flying around outside, had returned to the Gongsun Manor and was quietly perched on the eaves, like a silent sentinel.

…

Back at the inn, Xu Qi’an took a satisfying sip of tea:

“That bird needs to stay at the Gongsun family as a lookout, to prevent the Buddhist sect and Xu Pingfeng’s people from going there. However, I do hope they come to the Gongsun family…”

At this moment, Xu Qi’an felt a jolt in his heart as he heard an illusory dragon’s roar, and the fragment of the Earth Book in his pocket grew hot.

He sensed that a dragon energy host was nearby.