Taken Seriously

Within the study, aside from the quietly burning sandalwood incense, all was still. Pondering carefully, Xu Changge gave a slight shake of his head. Even though it was over a woman yet again, Changtian had finally saved them some worry for once. What had been an enemy in the dark and them in the open had actually turned around because of his third brother—now the enemy was exposed, and they held the shadows. Without having alerted the enemy, if he quietly slipped off to Jingjiang Prefecture right now, he might catch the other party entirely off guard. With that in mind, Xu Changge gave a slight nod. "Very well. I will set out for Jingjiang Prefecture this very day." Xu Yinhe said no more. Rising at an unhurried pace, he walked over to the study's latticed window and looked out across the sill. The Imperial Capital of Great Yan was built upon Mount Qilong, but over a thousand years of construction and reshaping, the colossal mountain had long since become a towering, majestic metropolis. Bustling market streets and rooftop eaves spread from the foot of the mountain all the way to the Imperial City at its summit. Three towering city walls—outer city, inner city, and imperial city—divided the vast capital. The Chancellor's Manor stood immediately adjacent to the Imperial City at the mountain peak. Looking down from on high, the densely packed rows of residences within the Imperial Capital stretched endlessly beyond the horizon. After a quiet moment of observation, Xu Yinhe spoke an instruction after all: "Changge, if the matter proves impossible, bring Changtian back to the capital and we will take our time to plan. Do not force it." Hearing the admonition, Xu Changge offered a faint smile and replied, "Do not worry, Father. In those years past, I could gravely wound that Qin Weijiu with a single sword strike, and naturally, it will be no different today." Over these years, Qin Weijiu might truly have encountered some fortuitous opportunities, but that would not hinder his actions. You might have grown stronger, Yet, What did that have to do with whether I could kill you? This was the confidence belonging to Xu Changge, the peerless figure of his generation throughout the world. Xu Yinhe looked back, his eyes resting deeply upon his eldest son, without a smile. "Changge, this world is vast." "Changge naturally understands." "Hmph." Xu Yinhe let out a faint snort of mild dissatisfaction, but offered no further dissuasion. He merely instructed in an even tone: "If you find that lad named Qin Mo along the way, remember to deal with him personally." Xu Changge raised his eyes slightly, a touch of surprise surfacing in his gaze. That Qin Mo had only reached Eighth Rank Meridian Tempering at nearly twenty years of age. Why would a waste like that warrant a special instruction from Father? After holding his gaze for a second, Xu Yinhe explained in a quiet voice: "This Qin Mo was most likely raised together by that bunch of banes. There were several Origin Realm experts in Burial Village. For Qin Mo to possess such cultivation at his age is not normal. Perhaps he cultivates a secret technique of building up strength slowly before a sudden breakthrough. If he grows rapidly, he may cause some trouble." Pausing for a moment, Xu Yinhe's gaze carried a hint of profound meaning. "Furthermore, he might be holding a secret treasure from Burial Village." A secret treasure? Xu Changge raised a brow. "The Soul-Nourishing Ring." Xu Yinhe uttered the three words and explained, "When we wiped out Burial Village back then, I searched the entire mountain forest and still could not find that item. Perhaps that Soul-Nourishing Ring is in Qin Mo's hands." "The Soul-Nourishing Ring?" Xu Changge's eyes held confusion; Father had never mentioned this object to him before. Toward his eldest son, Xu Yinhe had no intention of playing the riddler or hiding anything, explaining directly: "This ring can house the spirit and nourish the soul. If that ancient text was not mistaken, it should harbor the intent-soul of a Saint." "A Saint?" Xu Changge's brow furrowed even tighter. Yet speaking of the word 'Saint,' Xu Yinhe's tone was not particularly solemn, his gaze even carrying a few traces of disdain. "There is no need to worry overmuch. Even a Saint cannot rival the passage of time, let alone one reduced to a remnant soul. "Besides, Saint or not, choosing to hide inside that Soul-Nourishing Ring to eke out an existence to this day makes him nothing more than a stray dog clinging to life. "If you go all out, killing him will be as easy as turning over your hand. "Alright, you may withdraw." Having said that, Xu Yinhe turned his back. Seeing this, Xu Changge stood, bowed deeply, and turned to walk out of the study. Pulling open the door, he was just about to slip away when— "Ah, right." "..." Xu Changge halted in his tracks and immediately turned back to look. "Before you leave, remember to take some pills from the manor and bring them over." "..." Xu Changge was taken aback upon hearing this, but then bowed with a light chuckle. "Understood, Father." *** The vast underground chamber was completely empty, save for the spherical communication crystal radiating pulses of white light. Xu Yuan had already been standing there by himself for several minutes. This thing didn't even have a call-status prompt, so he had no idea whether the other side had hung up or not. Still, if the other side didn't speak, Xu Yuan was more than happy for the peace and quiet. He used his intent-soul to gently probe the intricate communication array patterns beneath the crystal sphere. Toward novel things, he had always possessed a great desire to explore. He wanted to see how this formation achieved ultra-long-distance communication, but after tinkering for quite a while, the complicated patterns only made his head spin. He couldn't fathom the operational logic at all. Once his curiosity was spent, he had no intention of delving deeper and directly withdrew his intent-soul back into his sea of consciousness. Don't ask how the communication worked. If you ask, the answer is Source Qi; if you ask, the answer is formations. Speaking of formations, however, Xu Yuan recalled some information he had previously read in the Book Depository. The formations in this world were not only used for combat and aiding cultivation, but had also penetrated every aspect of common people's daily lives. The imperial court had even established specialized institutions to study civilian-use formations. Bright-pattern lamps illuminated the night markets along the streets, Sound-dampening arrays were carved into homes to block out noise, Torch-fire arrays gathered heat to provide warmth in winter, And certain high-end carriages even featured specialized stabilization apparatuses for shock absorption. With that device, no matter how violently the carriage swayed inside, it remained as steady as ever—sturdier than a bed, heh... "Third Young Master." In the quiet chamber, a soft call from behind suddenly startled Xu Yuan, who was pondering serious business, making him jump. He turned his head around inch by inch. Sure enough, it was that woman Ying'er again. Beside her stood a little old man whose hair was half white. A steward of the Jingjiang Manor. His cultivation was not high, having barely stepped into the ranks—not even Ninth Rank. Yet his authority here in Jingjiang Prefecture was quite substantial because he was a deft hand at operations, a classic administrative talent. Xu Yuan took a deep breath and said to Ying'er, "Next time you show up, remember to make some noise. Don't creep around like a ghost." "Oh." Ying'er lowered her eyes and nodded, though whether she took it to heart remained unclear. She merely said in an even voice, "The Chancellor has already disconnected. Do you have anything else to say to him?" Well, the other side had hung up without a word again. Xu Yuan said nothing, turning directly to walk toward the surface. His goal had already been achieved. He had brought the story's protagonist and that Qin Weijiu hiding in the dark into the field of view of his final-boss father. Given the man's nature, he would inevitably take it seriously. In that case, the subsequent matters had nothing to do with him. Yet the moment he turned around, the steward with half-white hair immediately hurried after him, his tone tinged with humble ingratiation: "Third Young Master, Third Young Master..." Xu Yuan glanced sideways at the half-gray-haired steward. Low in personal strength, yet wielding substantial power. A classic case of humble standing paired with weighty authority. In his memories, this little old man had always known his place very well. Ever since Xu Yuan arrived in Jingjiang Prefecture, this old fellow had never stopped delivering money and women to him. "What matter does Steward Li have with me?" The ingratiating tone remained thick in Steward Li's voice: "Hehe, Third Young Master, as you previously instructed, the internal dispatches from the past ten days have all been sent to your wing." "Is that so? I understand." Xu Yuan nodded. Yet the little old man showed no signs of stopping. Leaning close with an air of secrecy, he drew a paper scroll from his sleeve: "Third Young Master, this is a secret report sent from Jincheng in Jiangnan Prefecture the day before yesterday. Please look it over."