Zhu Dachang felt as though he “floated” back to the county offices. The shock of the Dragon God Sacrifice had been too overwhelming. He had always been utterly baffled as to why the residents of Cheng County seemed, every one of them, to have gone mad — prostrating themselves before the Dragon God, willing to give their very lives for Longshen Temple.

Today, he finally understood.

Whatever Fangke called “the poison of the talisman water,” whatever doubts and suspicions he had entertained before about Longshen Temple — in the face of the Dragon God’s true manifestation, it all seemed so ridiculous, so laughably absurd.

He wandered in a daze all the way back to the side courtyard of the county offices, pushed open the door in a fog, and was immediately hit in the face with the aroma of food. Zhu Dachang was dumbfounded.

At the center of the room stood a long rectangular table, seven feet in length and four feet in width, that had not been there before. At its center sat a pot of braised mutton — a great copper pot gurgling and steaming fragrantly, tender chunks of white lamb rolling in the broth. Arranged around it was a ring of mixed seasonings: Sichuan pepper, black pepper, and fine salt. Four large platters of sliced raw meat were laid out in parallel — thin fish slices, semi-translucent, delicate and tender, served with a sauce of chopped scallions, mustard, black bean paste, mashed garlic, and crushed orange peel. Bofrog noodles, steamed cakes, light and airy Posuo noodles, and three-colored rice were interspersed throughout, dazzling to the eye and impossible to resist.

A circle of people sat around the table, eating with unrestrained gusto.

Zhu Dachang’s first instinct was that he had walked into the wrong courtyard. He quickly stepped back outside and looked around at the surroundings. No, this was definitely the county offices — definitely his small courtyard.

“The Chief Registrar is back! Don’t be shy, come on in and sit down. Mu Xia, add another pair of chopsticks.” The diner seated at the head of the table directly across from the door raised his head, gesturing with oily chopsticks in greeting.

His smile was as radiant as flowers, his eyes bright and luminous.

Zhu Dachang’s head buzzed. He strode in three steps at a time, pushed the door shut and bolted it, and exclaimed in a low voice, “H — Hua, Hua Hua Hua County Lieutenant?! How — how how how are you here?!”

Hua Yitang blinked. “Chief Registrar Zhu — such words are too formal between colleagues. Visiting and mooching a meal off you hardly seems unreasonable, does it?”

“Longshen Temple, Xiande Manor, and Xuanming Shanren are all looking for you — they’ve practically turned the entire county of Cheng upside down — you — “

Zhu Dachang’s sentence had barely left his mouth before Mu Xia stuffed a pair of chopsticks into his hands, pushed him firmly down into a seat at the table without a word, and thoughtfully ladled him a bowl of fragrant mutton broth. Zhu Dachang was in no state of mind to eat — “The cause of Old Manor Master Qiu’s death is still unexplained, and now the Qiu Clan is making a great fuss over it, even going so far as to request that the county magistrate issue an arrest warrant. You are about to become a wanted criminal! And the talisman water from Longshen Temple, the Dragon God Sacrifice just now, the Dragon God — it was a real Dragon God — “

Suddenly, a hand gently patted Zhu Dachang on the shoulder. He jolted and turned — and found himself looking at Lin Sui’an’s face. He nearly choked on his own breath. “Lin — Lin Lin Lin Niangzi?! H — how how how how are you also here?”

Lin Sui’an was chewing a slice of raw fish. “Things being what they are — eat first.”

Zhu Dachang opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to speak. But when he looked around the table, he saw that Fangke, Jin Ruo, Mu Xia, and Yita were all eating with perfectly unruffled composure — and in addition, four unfamiliar men were gorging themselves in total silence. He was the only one in the room carrying on with all this wailing and hand-wringing.

A sense of helplessness unlike any he had ever felt washed over him. All of a sudden, Zhu Dachang simply deflated, and in a burst of what-does-anything-matter-anymore, he started eating too. But in the time it had taken him to say those few words, the lamb in the pot had already been consumed entirely by Jin Ruo and Hua Yitang. Had Mu Xia not kindly placed a piece in his bowl, Zhu Dachang would have been left with nothing but the smell.

“At the Dragon God Sacrifice, Xuanming Shanren was clearly pointing at me in everything he said — he must have grown suspicious of me,” Zhu Dachang said, gnawing on a bone. “I expect they’ll search the county offices before long. Once you’ve finished eating, you’d best leave quickly.”

“Chief Registrar Zhu need not worry — Fourth Young Master has already made arrangements,” Mu Xia said with a smile.

Before the words had fully settled, the window burst open with a bang. A shadow came swirling in and squeezed in next to Jin Ruo, immediately snatching the last steamed cake from Jin Ruo’s hand. Jin Ruo cursed and traded blows with the newcomer in a rapid flurry, but couldn’t win, and watched tearfully as the “shadow” happily swallowed the steamed cake with great relish.

Zhu Dachang’s chewed bone fell from his mouth onto the table. The newly arrived “shadow” — in clothing, attire, hairstyle, and build — looked exactly like Lin Sui’an, except it wore a man’s face. And that face was, inconveniently, somehow familiar.

Zhu Dachang remembered. “Taoist Xuanqing?!”

The Taoist Xuanqing gave Zhu Dachang a grin, and every hair on Zhu Dachang’s body stood on end.

Whoever this was, it was absolutely not the real Taoist Xuanqing. The real Taoist Xuanqing would never produce such an uncanny expression.

The dutiful Mu Xia made a polite and proper introduction: “This is the world’s greatest thief Yun Zhong Yue, skilled in disguise and escape. She is currently our semi-ally.”

Yun Zhong Yue was displeased. “I’ve done work for you people, and you can’t even save me a piece of mutton?”

“Be grateful you have anything to eat,” Jin Ruo muttered.

Hua Yitang signaled Mu Xia to go to the back kitchen and bring out another small copper pot — fresh braised mutton inside, kept warm over a flame and still steaming.

Yun Zhong Yue was pleased. Jin Ruo was not, and glared daggers at Hua Yitang.

Well-fed and in noticeably good spirits, Hua Yitang fanned his little fan and asked, “Brother Yun, how did the matter you undertook go?”

“I made a few circuits of Cheng Mountain and led them all over there. I expect the people of Longshen Temple and the Qiu Clan are busy searching the mountain as we speak.” Yun Zhong Yue glanced at Lin Sui’an. “Especially Qiu Hong’s group — their hatred for Lin Niangzi is truly bone-deep.”

Lin Sui’an shrugged helplessly.

Only now did Zhu Dachang understand: Yun Zhong Yue had disguised herself as Lin Sui’an and drawn all the searching parties to Cheng Mountain, meaning the county offices were still safe for the moment.

At this realization, he felt five parts relieved and five parts despondent.

Relieved, because for now they did not need to confront Longshen Temple head-on. Despondent, because he had no idea how long Hua Yitang and his companions intended to occupy his home like cuckoos in a nest. Just Jin Ruo alone had already eaten through nearly a month’s worth of his salary grain in just a few days — and then there was this long rectangular table for dining, which he had no idea how much silver it had cost — come to think of it, Zhu Dachang suddenly felt something was off. Looking more carefully, the table was actually assembled from his tea table, his writing desk, and a plank of his bed — were these people not only going to eat through his entire salary, but tear apart his house as well?

Zhu Dachang turned a resentful glare on Hua Yitang, thinking: This is no way to live!

Hua Yitang seemed to sense something, and said with a pleasant smile, “I know the Chief Registrar’s heart burns like fire — but the matter of Cheng County concerns the safety of an entire county’s worth of people. We cannot afford to be reckless. We must proceed step by step, with caution at every turn.”

Zhu Dachang clasped his hands in a salute. “What are County Lieutenant Hua’s thoughts? Zhu is all ears.”

For heaven’s sake — the situation is an inferno already. Can you please drop the formal language?!

Hua Yitang raised two fingers. “To resolve the perilous situation of Cheng County, there are two critical points: first, to cure the poison of the body; second, to cure the poison of the heart. The county’s residents have depended on Longshen Temple’s talisman water for years, unaware that it has been poisoning them the entire time — causing weight loss, organ damage, and a gradual weakening of all five senses. Dr. Fang has already explained this point to the Chief Registrar, I believe?”

Zhu Dachang furrowed his brow and nodded.

Fangke said, “Now that we have the talisman water, we can further refine the antidote — but we are short on medicinal materials, and the catalyst is difficult to find. Both must be purchased outside the city.”

“I have a way out of the city,” Yun Zhong Yue said, finishing the last mouthful of mutton broth. “I’ll sell it to you. Five hundred gold.”

Jin Ruo: “Why not just rob them while you’re at it?!”

Yun Zhong Yue pulled out a densely marked map and slapped it on the table. “I risked being chopped into mincemeat to explore and document this secret passage map. If you think you can, go explore your own copy.”

Jin Ruo: “…”

Lin Sui’an grabbed the map and looked it over — she couldn’t make heads or tails of it at all. The passages recorded in the map were like an ant colony: interconnected in all four directions, bewilderingly intricate. If she were to try to navigate using this map herself, she had about an eighty percent chance of dying lost inside the passages.

“The secret passages under Simian Manor and Xiande Manor were built decades ago,” Yun Zhong Yue said. “The underground passages of Longshen Temple were built in the last two years. The old and new sections connect underground and form one complete system.” She pointed to a circular area at the center of the map. “This section here is Xuanming Shanren’s secret vault — inside were months’ worth of goods stockpiled by Longshen Temple. Xuanming Shanren had planned to sell them off after the Dragon God Sacrifice and make a great profit — but as it turned out, last night Fourth Young Master Hua and Lin Niangzi burned everything to ash.”

Zhu Dachang’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Good heavens — in just one night, these two had caused this much mayhem?!

Was this not practically poking a tiger in the eye, pulling hairs off a dragon’s chin?!

“Though thanks to the two of them making such a spectacular mess of things, they forced Xuanming Shanren to reveal to me a concealed exit from the passages,” Yun Zhong Yue said, then pointed to the lower left of the map. “It leads directly out of the city to the southern bank of Dragon God Lake.”

Lin Sui’an understood at once: that was the exit she and Hua Yitang had escaped from.

“Whether from Xiande Manor or Simian Manor, the passages can all lead to this exit. The route is just somewhat rough going.”

Hua Yitang frowned. “Jin Ruo — can you read this map?”

Jin Ruo studied the map in focused concentration for a moment and nodded. “It’s not too difficult. I can manage.”

“Can you memorize it?”

“Yes.”

Yun Zhong Yue looked at Jin Ruo with some surprise and clicked her tongue in reluctant appreciation. “The Junior Sect Leader has indeed inherited the Net Sect’s ancestral gift of tracking and finding one’s way.”

Jin Ruo shot her a sideways look.

She truly is my Lin Sui’an’s disciple — so reliable! Lin Sui’an was genuinely gratified. She took out the Clandestine Censor’s token and placed it in Jin Ruo’s hands. “Take this and go to Guangdu City to find the Guangdu Grand Prefect Che Ting. Inform him of the situation in Cheng County and request that he dispatch people here at once as reinforcements.”

Jin Ruo said, “Yes, Shifu!”

Hua Yitang removed the Hua Clan jade pendant from his waist and also placed it in Jin Ruo’s hands. “Take this jade pendant to Guangdu City and find Bai Xiang. The Bai Clan and the Hua Clan will find a way to gather all the necessary medicines and aromatic materials.”

Jin Ruo paused briefly, then nodded. “Understood.”

Fangke took out a prescription list and handed it to Jin Ruo. “This is the list of required medicinal materials.”

“Yes, Dr. Fang!”

“And one more thing,” Hua Yitang said, drawing out a short, narrow scroll. “Once you reach Guangdu City, use the Net Sect’s fastest method to send this letter to Ling Sixth Young Master at the Court of Judicial Review in the Eastern Capital.”

“Ling the Judicial Investigator?” Jin Ruo asked in puzzlement. “What does the letter say?”

Hua Yitang replied, “I need Ling Sixth Young Master to help me look up some information in the Court of Judicial Review’s records hall — to verify my conjecture.”

Zhu Dachang asked, “What conjecture?”

Hua Yitang raised an eyebrow and smiled. “The truth behind the Dragon God!”

At these words, everyone except Lin Sui’an was visibly shaken.

Zhu Dachang, who had nearly become a brand-new devotee of the Dragon God, was the most affected of all. “What does County Lieutenant Hua mean by this? Are you saying the Dragon God’s manifestation has some hidden explanation behind it?”

Hua Yitang rolled up his sleeve and rose from his seat, beginning to pace around the table in a performative fashion. After returning to the county offices, his very first act had been to bathe, change clothes, and perfume himself. Mu Xia, even while fleeing for their lives, had not forgotten to bring Fourth Young Master Hua’s finest wardrobe. At this moment, the Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master was dressed in the “Rippling Cloud Silk Robe,” shod in the “Mountain-Form Water-Echo Boots,” adorned with the “Falling Catkins, Drifting Flowers” hairpin, and fanning the “Setting Sun, Eventide” patterned fan — cutting a strikingly magnificent and eye-catching figure. Lin Sui’an found it rather amusing.

The man’s middle-school-drama syndrome was acting up again.

In truth, the first time she laid eyes on the Dragon God’s manifestation, Lin Sui’an had also been dumbfounded — but once she calmed down and thought it through carefully, she had guessed the rough outline of the answer. A scene so grand and glorious was clearly beyond any human contrivance — it was the handiwork of nature itself. If she was not mistaken, it was most likely a phenomenon well known in the modern world.

Seeing Hua Yitang’s self-satisfied posturing — could this good-for-nothing young master know about it too?

Well — thought Lin Sui’an — matters of stealing the limelight were best left to professionals.

“The ‘Historical Records, Annals of Celestial Chronology’ states: the three immortal mountains of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou lie in the Bohai Sea, near impossible for man to approach; seen from afar, they appear as clouds; within the clouds dwell flood dragons; the dragon’s breath may form towers and great walls, or birds and divine creatures — ” Hua Yitang snapped his fan shut with a crisp crack, executed a flamboyant spin, and struck an affected pose. “This phenomenon is called — the Mirage!”

Everyone: “The what?”

Hua Yitang’s pose nearly broke. “Not ‘the what’ — the Mirage!”

Everyone looked even more confused. “The WHAT?!”

Lin Sui’an was barely suppressing her laughter. “Are you talking about a mirage — as in the optical illusion of a mirage?”

Hua Yitang struck his fan against his palm. “A mirage — yes, that is a far more elegant term.”

Zhu Dachang said, “S — so the Mirage is born of a dragon’s breath — does that not mean it truly is the Dragon God descending to this world?!”

Hua Yitang rolled his eyes. “Absolute nonsense. A mirage is simply a meteorological phenomenon — much the same as wind, lightning, thunder, and rain. It is merely rarely seen, that is all.”

Everyone gaped at him, struck silent.

Lin Sui’an immediately looked at Hua Yitang with new eyes. She had not expected Hua Yitang’s understanding of the true nature of a mirage to be so accurate. Truly a good-for-nothing young master who read every sort of miscellaneous book.

“That lifelike Dragon God was — was nothing but a meteorological phenomenon?” Zhu Dachang wore the expression of a man questioning the nature of reality itself. “It truly is difficult to believe.”

Yun Zhong Yue scratched the back of her neck. “Then couldn’t we just tell the residents the truth about the mirage?”

“It is not so simple,” Fangke said. “A phenomenon of such scale, combined with the bodily euphoria caused by the talisman water, produces the hallucination of receiving the Dragon God’s blessing. That is why the county’s residents believe so unshakably in the Dragon God’s existence. If we merely try to tell them with our mouths, no one will believe us.”

Yita said, “Like — A’Niu’s mother — Dr. Fang saved her life — but she said it was the Dragon God who saved her life — she won’t listen, she won’t believe — she won’t believe, she won’t listen — is there really no way?…”

Zhu Dachang said, “It truly is too difficult to believe — “

Lin Sui’an also felt somewhat troubled. This was what one might call the double reinforcement of “controlling the body” and “brainwashing the mind.” To break out of this situation would be no easy task.

“Hua Yitang — what do you plan to do?” Lin Sui’an asked.

Hua Yitang said, “We must not only cure the poison of the body, but also the poison of the heart — the blind worship the county’s residents have for the Dragon God is the poison within their hearts.”

Fangke asked, “How do you plan to cure it?”

“Fight poison with poison!” Hua Yitang smiled, radiant and dazzling, like a peony in full bloom beneath the sun. “The county’s residents so devoutly revere the Dragon God for no other reason than this: the Dragon God manifests, and the talisman water cures illness. Then I shall create a god a thousand — ten thousand — times more powerful than the Dragon God!”

Mini Theater

Lin Sui’an: Well, well — using magic to defeat magic, is it?