Inside the grand manor of Shangyi Village, craftsmen worked day and night in a clamorous rush. Wang Daoxuan preferred peace and quiet, and with his soul injured, he needed calm to recuperate. Wendao Hall was naturally far more suitable.
After bidding farewell to Shopkeeper Wan, Li Yan and his two companions headed straight back to Xianyang.
"Daoist Wang, you're back?"
"Young Brother Li, if you beat those drums again, we'll report it to the authorities!"
The residents of the old alley were as "warm and hospitable" as ever.
An elderly neighbor tottered over and produced a bronze key with trembling hands. "What an outrage. Those bailiffs smashed the hall's main gate, breaking the lock completely. Fearing thieves would slip in, this old woman put a lock of my own on it."
"Many thanks, Granny Liu."
Wang Daoxuan took the key and unlocked the gate.
Just as the old woman had said, the yamen runners had turned Wendao Hall completely upside down. Some with sticky fingers had even made off with the hall's few prunus vases.
Worse still, the ancestral master's altar had been overturned.
Seeing Wang Daoxuan's darkened face, Sha Lifei hurried to offer an easy smile. "Don't be angry, Daoist Master. Out with the old, in with the new! We're rich now, so renovating Wendao Hall for you won't be any trouble at all!"
He was not wrong.
The three of them had run into plenty of trouble lately, but they had also struck a windfall.
From the bandit stronghold, they had recovered gold bars that, by their estimate, would be more than enough for Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan to build their Daoist tower, leaving plenty to spare.
When they had gone to the desolate mountain tomb to rescue the captives, Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei had not possessed a single copper, but Chen Fakui had amassed a considerable stack of banknotes. Sha Lifei had found every last one—roughly seven hundred taels, more than enough for their upcoming expenses.
There were also Yuan Qu's and Zheng Heibei's horses.
Luo Mingzi and his companions had looked down on such mundane spoils, so the beasts had all gone to the trio.
In short, while they were not wealthy tycoons, they no longer had to worry about food and drink.
By the time they finished a rough cleanup of Wendao Hall, night had already fallen. Sha Lifei was the sort who loved showing off the moment he had silver in his purse. He immediately dashed off to Qingfeng Tower, ordered an assortment of fine wine and dishes, and had them delivered to Wendao Hall to celebrate surviving their recent ordeal.
Drinking and eating together, they discussed their next steps.
"In another two months, it will be the Winter Solstice Grand Jiao,"
Wang Daoxuan remarked with a smile. "When that time comes, every Daoist temple and shrine on Mount Taibai will hold a temple fair. Pilgrims will arrive in endless streams, including pilgrim delegations from outside prefectures.
"To prevent mishaps, the several earth-vein spirit apertures on Mount Taibai will be sealed, not to reopen until next spring.
"If we want to build our Daoist tower, it must be finished before the winter solstice."
"That works,"
Li Yan mused for a moment. "I promised Senior Wu that I would escort his coffin back to his ancestral home and rebury his wife and daughter. Once that is settled, we'll head to Mount Taibai.
"Also, in two days, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect is going to hold a ritual at the mass graves to assist the mountain god in returning to his post. Senior Luo Mingzi agreed to let us observe."
"Oh?"
Wang Daoxuan's eyes brightened. "That truly is a rare opportunity. The Taixuan Orthodox Sect's rituals are unmatched under heaven. This poor Daoist would certainly like to broaden his horizons."
With their plans set, the three retired to their respective rooms to sleep.
Perhaps because the heavy weight had finally lifted from their shoulders, they drifted off quickly.
With Wang Daoxuan's soul injured and Sha Lifei naturally carefree, both slept dead to the world.
Only Li Yan, not long after falling asleep, had eyelids that twitched incessantly as cold sweat gradually beaded on his brow.
In a daze, he sprang upright, only to find himself still inside Wendao Hall. A light mist enshrouded the surroundings, however, blurring everything from sight.
"Daoist Master! Old Sha!"
Sensing something was amiss, Li Yan shouted, but no one answered.
He hurriedly formed the Yang hand seal, yet his divine power did not manifest.
Is this... some kind of sorcery?
Alert and wary, Li Yan cautiously pushed open the door and stepped out. In the next instant, his face drained of color as a sudden chill gripped him.
At some point, a figure had appeared in the courtyard, dressed in white robes that resembled mourning garb, wrapped in bloodstained chains.
The figure stood with lowered head, disheveled black hair masking the face, before slowly raising a deathly pale left hand to point toward the exterior of the courtyard...
Whoosh!
Li Yan jolted awake with a start, scanning his surroundings.
He was still in Wendao Hall. From the wing across the small courtyard, Sha Lifei's snores were clearly audible.
"It was only a nightmare..."
Li Yan formed the Yang hand seal and caught no unusual scent. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and lie back down.
This time, no nightmares troubled him.
Yet he was completely unaware that on the palm of his left hand, the brand of the nether warrant was faintly radiating a faint, eerie blue glow, strikingly conspicuous in the dark...
* * *
The night was quiet along a dilapidated street in Xianyang's West City.
Accompanied by a flurry of footsteps through the dark, two squads of figures emerged at opposite ends of the alley.
Every man wore black garments and a black cap, armed with long sabers and quarterstaffs, while several collaborated to carry a hooked iron net.
This hooked iron net was woven from fine chains, with sharp iron hooks fitted at every junction. Known as Ghost Sorrow, it was specially designed to deal with jianghu martial artists.
They were all constables from the Xianyang yamen.
A middle-aged man stepped forward at a measured pace. His temples were flecked with gray, and his square features held an imposing dignity. It was Guan Wanche, Xianyang's head constable.
Gazing toward a sprawling compound in the distance, he turned and cupped his hands.
"My lords, the undercover lookout says it's right here!"
From behind the bailiffs, three figures stepped out. They wore black brocade robes embroidered in silver thread with the ferocious beasts Yazi and Bi'an across the chest and back, topped by official caps. Even their leather waistbands and bracers were crafted with exquisite hammered patterns.
One look at this attire identified them as men of the Commandant Bureau.
The Commandant Bureau was much like the Brocade Guard, answering only to the emperor. From gathering intelligence and suppressing rebellions to monitoring the civil and military officials, they handled it all. Combined with their formidable martial prowess and mastery of coordinated group tactics, their name struck terror throughout the jianghu.
Their leader was a one-eyed, middle-aged man. A black patch covered his right eye, while a sword scar ran straight down his left cheek, giving him a hideous, menacing appearance.
"Move!"
At his command, the two Commandant Bureau agents behind him sprinted forward with bows and arrows in hand. Reaching a nearby high wall, hidden jin surged through their limbs. With a sharp leap, they pushed off the brickwork with a light tap of their boots, landing noiselessly atop the wall.
In the same breath, they drew their bows and nocked arrows, the bowstrings groaning under tension as they aimed down into the courtyard.
Seeing this, Guan Wanche showed no surprise.
These two were Xiaoqi banner leaders of the Commandant Bureau, both adept at hidden jin.
He waved a hand, and the constables surged out from hidden alleys on both flanks to secure every avenue of escape. Then, with a solid kick, they smashed open the front gate and rushed inside.
Yet despite the ruckus, no one emerged from within.
Guan Wanche's heart sank.
Sure enough, a constable soon came running back out and clasped his fists. "Sir, the suspects have already fled!"
His face darkened as he accompanied the Commandant Bureau agents into the compound. They searched room after room, but every chamber was indeed empty.
"Officer Chang, this was my failure."
Guan Wanche hurriedly cupped his hands to take the blame.
"No matter."
The one-eyed Commandant Bureau officer was not surprised. In a calm voice, he said, "For them to steal from the Chang'an prefectural yamen, they are clearly no ordinary folk. That you were able to catch their trail in such a short time is already commendable..."
Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly froze.
The one-eyed man walked over to a corner of the wall and picked up a stone jar.
Guan Wanche stepped closer as well, lowering his voice. "Sir, that is a grinding jar used by pharmacies for medicine. If we question local craftsmen, we might uncover a lead."
The one-eyed man said nothing. Instead, he scraped a bit of black powder from inside the jar, brought it to his nose, and took a sniff. His gaze hardened slightly, then he flicked the powder away.
Surveying their surroundings, he remarked evenly, "Head Constable Guan, with your talent, staying in Xianyang City is truly a waste. Would you be willing to join the Commandant Bureau?"
A flash of delight crossed Guan Wanche's eyes. He hurriedly bowed with cupped hands.
"I am willing to serve you, my lord!"
* * *
In the East City, at Jinbao Gambling House on Paifang Street.
Inside a dark alley behind the establishment, the short, plump Shopkeeper Wu peeked out anxiously, scanning back and forth.
Right at that moment, two figures glided swiftly along the shadowy base of the wall—the very pair who had wreaked havoc at the Zhou family manor earlier that day.
Overjoyed, Shopkeeper Wu turned at once to unbolt the door.
Once the two slipped inside, Shopkeeper Wu checked the surroundings again, made sure no one had followed, and then barred the door shut.
He had already dismissed all the clerks in the back courtyard. Leading the two down a secret passage, they entered a hidden chamber nestled in the gambling house's corner, where the two finally removed their bamboo hats.
The concubine in white had been waiting for a long time. Overjoyed at their arrival, she joined Shopkeeper Wu in bowing respectfully, their hands forming the gesture of a blooming lotus.
"Greetings, Incense Master!"
The middle-aged man disguised as an itinerant physician brought a hand to his neck. With a gentle rub and a peel, a finely crafted human-skin mask came away in his grip.
Beneath the mask was a handsome countenance, with sword-sharp brows and starlike eyes, carrying an air of nobility. Yet within his eyes, a distinct thread of red blood penetrated directly into the pupil, and his complexion was unnaturally flushed crimson.
In physiognomy, these two traits were known respectively as Crimson Vein Piercing the Pupil and Ruined Heavenly Net, both ominous portents of an imminent death.
Yet this man was clearly very much alive.
"There is no need for such ceremony between us."
The man's voice carried a peculiar magnetic warmth as he spoke gently. "We are all brethren of the sect. I have merely walked a few steps ahead; there is no distinction of rank between us."
"Thank you, Incense Master."
The concubine in white and Shopkeeper Wu straightened up respectfully.
Laying a hand over his chest in lingering fear, Shopkeeper Wu said, "When I heard yesterday that the Incense Master and Brother Fire Ghost had raised such a storm at the Zhou family manor, and that the dogs of the Commandant Bureau were hot on your scent, this old man couldn't sleep a wink all night."
"It does not matter,"
the man said with a slight smile. "I have tangled with those hounds for a long time and know their methods inside and out. I had already set up false trails suggesting our departure so as not to implicate you, Brother Wu.
"Brother Fire Ghost has avenged his deep grievance. Even if he had been caught, it would have been worth it."
"Incense Master, it was all my own willful recklessness." Beside them, the scarred youth wore an expression filled with remorse, though the look in his eyes grew all the more reverent.
The man paid it no mind and asked, "What is the current situation in Xianyang City?"
Shopkeeper Wu hurriedly cupped his hands and replied, "That traitor Chu Shan dispatched numerous beggars to search the city for Miss Wang, and Yuan Qu, head of the White Ape Gang, has also been eyeing this old man's gambling house like a hawk.
"To protect ourselves, this old man leaked the word that the Mountain Tai Sui Chu Shan has been scheming for is now known to various figures throughout the jianghu. Word is that the Taixuan Orthodox Sect is also heading there. His lair is likely doomed, and with the Zhou family wiped out, our incense altar is safe for the moment."
A chill flickered through the man's eyes. "Rest assured, before we leave, we will eliminate that traitor for good!"
Then he turned back to the two of them, his voice unconsciously turning urgent:
"Where is the painting?"
Chapter 82