Storytelling

Over the past few days, Chu Qiguang had grown familiar with the servants under Hao Yongtai, and the servants naturally felt very warm toward this Young Master Chu, who slipped silver into their hands every time they met. Chu Qiguang invited the servant to sit down and asked about the Hao family's recent situation. Shaking his head, the servant said, "The Second Master has had quite a foul temper lately, flying into a rage at the slightest thing. In my view, it still has to do with the matter of relinquishing land." Chu Qiguang nodded. He knew that the Hao family's First Master was a Hanlin compiler in Shenjing, while the Second Master had always stayed in Qingyang County managing the family estate. After chatting with the servant a bit longer, Chu Qiguang watched his departing back and mused to himself, *The struggle between the local magnates of Qingyang County and the county magistrate seems to be growing fiercer by the day. The magistrate wants to survey the fields and force the magnates to relinquish their lands. A prominent clan like the Hao family naturally won't submit. I'm afraid a fierce contest of dragons and tigers is about to unfold.* *Still, according to Qiao Zhi, in another month or two, the current Senior Grand Secretary will return to his hometown for mourning leave, and Grand Secretary Wu will take over as the new Senior Grand Secretary.* Chu Qiguang thought it over, then resumed his reading. As the night deepened, he suddenly heard a creaking sound echoing from deep within the library. *Hmm? Could it be a rat? Or a stray cat?* Chu Qiguang frowned, paying it little mind. Just as he was about to continue his studies, he sensed the wind rushing behind his head. He quickly dodged forward, evading an attack from the rear. Turning around, he saw a fair-skinned young woman glaring at him, declaring indignantly, "Where did you sneak in from, little thief? How dare you steal from the Hao family's library!" Noticing her extraordinary bearing and the fine martial training robes she wore, Chu Qiguang knew this had to be a misunderstanding and said at once, "Young Lady, you misunderstand. It was Young Master Hao Yongtai who brought me to the library to study." She had been about to strike again, but hearing this, she looked at Chu Qiguang skeptically until he called over a servant from outside the library to vouch for him. Having heard the servant's testimony, the young woman looked at Chu Qiguang with an embarrassed expression, a faint blush brushing her fair cheeks. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't know Eldest Brother brought you here. Normally, no one ever comes to this library." Chu Qiguang observed her fair complexion, slender frame, and curvier figure, and immediately recalled the intelligence he had gathered from the servants about the Hao family. *This must be Hao Yongtai and Hao Yongnian's younger sister, Hao Xiangtong. I heard she's loved wielding weapons and running around wild since she was little. Right... I even saw her at Hao Yongnian's funeral.* Hearing Hao Xiangtong's apology, Chu Qiguang politely told her not to worry about it. After introducing themselves to one another, they hit it off, their friendship forged through a brief clash. Hao Xiangtong then dismissed the servant, reminding him not to tell anyone she was here, before looking Chu Qiguang up and down with curiosity. "You're the one who found the fox monster that killed Hao Yongnian?" Seeing Chu Qiguang admit it, Hao Xiangtong eagerly pried into how he had investigated the case, bubbling with enthusiasm. Observing her reaction, Chu Qiguang thought, *The servants said Hao Xiangtong and Hao Yongnian didn't share the same mother. Judging by her reaction, they really weren't on great terms as brother and sister.* Once Chu Qiguang finished describing the investigation, Hao Xiangtong, still wanting more, said, "How fascinating! Have you solved any other cases?" Gazing into her large, blinking eyes, Chu Qiguang recalled the intelligence Qiao Zhi had shared with him. *The Hao family's current generation, including Hao Yongnian and Hao Yongtai, isn't particularly remarkable. But this Hao Xiangtong is extraordinary...* In this world, because Daoist cultivation only came into its own in the very late stages, martial arts were the mainstream choice for the nobility and wealthy, with Daoist arts practiced as a secondary pursuit at best. And because men held a natural physical advantage over women in strength, they possessed a greater edge in martial arts cultivation, which generally afforded them higher social standing than women. *However, women are naturally more meticulous and resilient, possessing greater potential in Daoist cultivation than men. And this Hao Xiangtong is a rare Daoist prodigy. What a pity, though...* In Qiao Zhi's account, Hao Xiangtong possessed top-tier family background and beauty alike. She had even been betrothed to the son of Grand Secretary Wu, making her the quintessential winner in life—the peak of the privileged youth. Yet only a few years into marriage, she was abducted by the northern wolf race to the northwestern steppes, taken as an imperial concubine by the Great Qian Emperor, and had all the martial arts she had painstakingly cultivated completely crippled during her fierce resistance. Stranded among aliens, surrounded entirely by enemies without a single friend or kin, constantly facing threats of death and humiliation by her foes... even in those circumstances, she never gave up resisting. Instead, she secretly and arduously cultivated the Shenxian Dao technique *Principles of Terminology*. According to Qiao Zhi, Shenxian Dao's *Principles of Terminology* and *Elixir of Immortality* both belonged to the Twenty-Five Orthodox Arts. And Shenxian Dao was the very first human sect to transmit Daoist arts to the northern demon race. Relying on an unbelievably tenacious will and determination, Hao Xiangtong endured immense pressure and humiliation, ultimately entering the Dao after twenty years of bitter cultivation. Once she entered the Dao, the very first thing she did was assassinate the Great Qian Emperor. Wreaking havoc across the imperial palace, she killed the Emperor, the Empress, and concubines—eight in total—and slaughtered a combined 121 eunuchs and imperial guards before finally dying under siege by Great Qian's top experts. She was truly an extraordinary woman of her era. Yet looking at the soft, fair-skinned Hao Xiangtong before him, Chu Qiguang saw only a sheltered young lady from a prominent clan who knew little of the world. Just as Chu Qiguang was lost in thought, Hao Xiangtong asked again, "Don't you have any other cases? Tell me another, please!" *This girl... she's really getting in the way of my studies.* Chu Qiguang frowned, thinking, *Still, she has tremendous potential—worth at least a hundred Chen Gangs. It's well worth squandering some time to invest in her.* With that in mind, Chu Qiguang put on a warm smile. "Does Miss Hao know a lot about solving cases for the yamen?" Hao Xiangtong nodded. "Not really, but I love listening to them!" *Good thing, because I don't know much about it either.* Chu Qiguang probed further. "Then how about I tell you a story?" In truth, whenever Hao Xiangtong used to feel bored, she often came to the library looking for miscellany like sword immortal records and supernatural tales: *Fox Lore*, *Ghostly Words*, *Strange Cat Tales*... She loved all kinds of stories in those books best. Her parents, however, worried she was reading too many such books and forbade her from coming to the library, so she had taken to sneaking in through the window. At the mention of a story, Hao Xiangtong's eyes opened even wider, and she nodded repeatedly. "What story?" Thinking of her future experiences and feats, Chu Qiguang said slowly, "Legend has it that ten thousand li across the seas, there is a small kingdom called the Great Tang. Within the Great Tang, the Dao reigns supreme; there are no martial arts, only Daoist arts that have flourished to the absolute pinnacle." "Our story begins with the Third Young Miss of the Wu family, Wu Zetian, who had just had her engagement broken off..." Hao Xiangtong listened with rapt attention as Wu Zetian, after the annulment, shouted, 'Do not bully a young girl just because she is poor!' before being punished to sweep the ancestral hall, where she ended up finding an Evil Dragon Fruit... Living in a world whose culture was far more barren than Earth's, Hao Xiangtong had truly never heard a story so entertaining and immersive. Chu Qiguang's way with words was vastly more engaging than anyone else's, and the peculiar aura about him drew her in even deeper. Hearing how Wu Zetian leveled up her cultivation step by step, brought honor to her clan, and won the affection of everyone she met, Hao Xiangtong felt her blood surging with excitement. Right as Wu Zetian stormed Mount Helan, on the verge of capturing the fiancé who broke their engagement alive while giving the mistress a beating on the side, Chu Qiguang abruptly stopped. Standing up, he said, "The night has grown late. Let's call it a day here. I should be heading home." Hao Xiangtong hurriedly reached out to grab Chu Qiguang, gritting her teeth. "How can you do that! It was just getting to the good part!" "A story can't be told in a single day. When telling a few chapters each day, there's always got to be a stopping point, right?" Chu Qiguang said. "This is called a cliffhanger."