Seeking Aid at the City God Temple

"Zheng Heibei's run off?" "Sure has... Last night the Taixing Coach House made the first move, and they struck like a thunderbolt!" "I heard it took only a moment. Seventy or eighty of the Iron Saber Gang's best fighters were crippled — vicious work, arms and legs all smashed..." "Zheng Heibei must have been scared out of his wits. That very night he fled without a trace. Word is he made off with all the gang's money. Now a good many bladesmen are out hunting for him, ready to turn on their own kind and bite off a fat piece..." "Oh, and this one's truly a piece of work — on his way out he even left his senior brother in the lurch." "How so?" "He shipped all his wounded and crippled underlings over to Wang Yao's clinic, said he'd pay in full, then ran off. Now the clinic's packed wall to wall with injured men, and they can't very well throw them out." "Hah — low enough for you..." On the roads of the jianghu, all manner of rumors spread the fastest. What had happened last night had swept through all of Xianyang before dawn. Those of the jianghu needed no telling — everyone knew the Zhou family's end was near. The common folk of Xianyang, though, relished the gossip. Some clapped for joy, more jeered and mocked, and those who cursed hardest would spit for good measure — it was truly satisfying. "Coming through, coming through!" Sha Lifei pushed his way through the crowd jammed at the city gate. Any other time, with his temperament, he'd have had to stop and brag a line or two, telling everyone about the key part he'd played in this whole affair. But now he was frantic, with no thought to spare for anything else. The great gates of Xianyang only opened at the mao hour. He had neither the skill to scale walls and vault rooftops nor the face to have the guards lower a basket and haul him over, so he'd had no choice but to wait honestly. A full shichen had passed since Li Yan left. He didn't want to lose a moment and have something go wrong. Of course, what Sha Lifei did not notice was that Zheng Heibei, leader of the Iron Saber Gang, had also disguised himself as a northern merchant and slipped out through the city gate... ………… "I'm here to see Daoist Qingyangzi." Outside the Xianyang City God Temple, Sha Lifei respectfully presented his calling card. The temple was ancient, first raised back in the Qin and Han, and though it had weathered war and been destroyed and rebuilt several times, it was now a vast complex of some twenty mu, with nearly a hundred buildings of every kind. Enshrined within was the Qin general Meng Chong. Such temples of the common gods depended on the incense of the people, and so their gates stood open the year round to let folk in to burn incense; every year on the fifteenth of the fifth month, too, there was a grand temple fair. But Sha Lifei had not come to burn incense, so naturally he had to present a calling card — otherwise he wouldn't so much as catch sight of that Daoist Qingyangzi. "Please wait a moment, layman." The young acolyte saw Shopkeeper Wan's name on the card and naturally would not turn him away. With that, he hurried off into the rear hall. Anxious at heart, Sha Lifei waited outside, and his gaze happened to fall on the temple's couplet, which read: "Divine eyes like lightning, perceiving the finest hairs; The human heart like a mirror, knowing good from evil." The horizontal banner above it read, "Perception Keen as Autumn Down." He had always kept such places at a respectful distance — after all, anyone who wandered the jianghu had done a few things to weigh on his conscience. Seeing it now, Sha Lifei could not help but sigh inwardly: Lord City God, I pray your divine eyes flash like lightning and your sight miss no detail. Strike down that wicked man and save the Daoist, and Old Sha will surely come to offer you incense often... Just as his thoughts wandered, the acolyte came back out, made a bow, and lifted a hand. "Please come with me, layman." Sha Lifei followed the acolyte, passing through the Ying Gate and the great archway, then along the corridors of the side halls to the rear hall. In the main hall was enshrined a warrior god in golden armor, white-faced and red-bearded, a sword in his right hand and a great seal held in his left, his eyes round and glaring, majestic and awe-inspiring. Before the statue, the altar table was tiered like terraced fields, packed thick with all sorts of black pottery jars, each pasted over with a yellow talisman, oil lamps burning all around and incense smoke curling through the air. Off to one side of the altar, an old Daoist sat cross-legged on a rush cushion — white-haired and long-bearded, with a full, high forehead and a kindly face. This was Qingyangzi, keeper of the Xianyang temple. On his head he wore a nine-ridged cap, and he was dressed in a Tongtian robe. The Taixuan Orthodox Sect holds black as most honored, and so the robe was black without and white within, embroidered with the Azure Dragon on the left, the White Tiger on the right, the Black Tortoise at the back, and the Vermilion Bird at the front, and fastened with the twin dragon-and-tiger sashes. Such majestic, resplendent garb was worn only when performing the rites. Sha Lifei did not understand any of it, yet his manner was most respectful. Wang Daoxuan had told him that the City God Temples everywhere fell under the Bureau of Mysterious Sacrifices of the court's Ministry of Rites. That office assessed the Xuanmen cultivators of the realm and issued Dao ordination certificates, and it wielded no small power. One fit to serve as keeper of a local City God Temple was, naturally, no ordinary man. This Qingyangzi, though his cultivation was only three stories high, was held in the highest esteem, with disciples and grand-disciples beyond counting. He must on no account be offended. "Oh — so it's been found?" Hearing Sha Lifei recount all that had happened, Qingyangzi stroked his beard. "I never thought Xianyang would be hiding a living underworld runner. Still, it seems Chen Fakui is fated never to escape this calamity. You may go now. Come back to the City God Temple at the si hour, and someone will go with you." "What?" Sha Lifei grew frantic at once. He hastily clasped his hands. "Daoist, a man's life hangs in the balance! My young brother is over there keeping watch, and Wang Daoxuan's living soul is still in that wicked man's hands. What if..." "Do not panic." Qingyangzi shook his head slightly. "Chen Fakui stays in the tomb only because spirit soldiers and puppets are hard to deploy by day, while the ancient tomb's yin qi runs heavy and is not so affected. Whenever anyone enters, he will sense it. "Likewise, for this poor Daoist to drive the She Ling spirit soldiers to seize a man also calls for the night. If we rush it, we'll beat the grass and startle the snake, and only make the rescue the harder. "Come at the si hour. Nothing will be held up." High in rank and power though he was, the old Daoist's manner was mild, and Sha Lifei could hardly argue. With a bitter face, he left the City God Temple. Remembering Li Yan's instructions, he hurried back, obtained a calamity placard, then ran to a nearby coffin shop and picked out a fine coffin. Taking some men with him, he rushed outside the city, laid out Wu Laosi's body, and set it for the time being in the charity morgue. By the time all this was done, it was already the si hour (9 to 11 a.m.). Sha Lifei hurried back to the City God Temple. In the main hall, besides Qingyangzi, there were now two more Daoists. One wore a dark Daoist robe with a taiji diagram embroidered on the back and carried a Seven-Star sword at his back; his features were clean and upright, yet between his brows there hung a trace of sha qi. The other wore a white Daoist robe with a white bagua band tied about his head. His skin was dark and swarthy, his whiskers a full bush, and his frame tall and imposing. He looked fierce and mighty, yet there was a thread of sorrow in his eyes. Qingyangzi said to Sha Lifei, "This is Daoist Luo Mingzi of the Enforcement Hall, and this is Master Zhao Facheng of the Jiuyuan Sect. They will go with you." "Ah — greetings to you both." Sha Lifei clasped his hands respectfully, but his heart gave a lurch. He well remembered that Chen Fakui had come of the Jiuyuan Sect. Why send them to make the arrest? What if they bent the law for a private favor and ruined everything? Zhao Facheng of the Jiuyuan Sect gave a slight nod, then cupped his hands respectfully toward Qingyangzi. "My thanks, Senior Qingyangzi." "It's nothing." Qingyangzi shook his head. "Your Jiuyuan lineage has guarded the Mausoleum of the First Emperor for generations and rendered service to the realm. This much face must be granted." So there's something fishy after all! Sha Lifei was fit to burst, yet dared not say a word. He could see that this Luo Mingzi had an uncommon presence and was surely a master of hidden jin; with his techniques besides, he was no man Sha Lifei could hope to handle. If he acted rashly and spoiled things, that would be a fine mess. Bidding Qingyangzi farewell, the three left the main hall and went out the rear gate of the City God Temple, where acolytes already stood holding three fast horses. Without another word, the three whipped their mounts and rode out of Xianyang... ………… Rumble, rumble! The autumn sky hung sullen and gray, and a few muffled peals of thunder rolled overhead. Deep in the woods, Li Yan stared hard at the earthen hill across from him. He had set out early and ridden hard to the place Wu Laosi had spoken of, only to run into trouble. There was indeed an ancient tomb here, far from any village or town, out among the wild hills and rising from level ground. Seen from a distance, it looked like a great turtle gazing down over the Guanzhong Plain. Though he understood nothing of fengshui or geomancy, he could tell it was a blessed site. But the trouble was that there was more than one ancient tomb up there! With the naked eye alone he made out three, all of them ancient, their very tomb doors already forced open — clearly the victims of tomb robbers. And he could not tell what technique Chen Fakui had used, but it masked his aura. Even calling upon his divine powers, Li Yan could catch only a faint trace of yin qi from a few of the tombs, and could not find the man's trail at all. He did not dare go charging up the hill, lest the man detect him. At this thought, Li Yan could not help but grow anxious. In a fix like this, his methods were still too few. Just then, the faint sound of hoofbeats came from the distance. Had reinforcements come? Li Yan's heart leapt, and he hurried to the edge of the trees to look. On the dirt road far off, two riders came galloping. One wore a sheepskin jacket and a dog-skin cap; the other was dressed in coarse black cloth. Disguised as they were, Li Yan saw them plainly. They were unmistakably Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei!