The Cage

"A pack of fiendgods?" Qin Xuan was slightly taken aback, but quickly broke free from the infectious fervor in Geng Zhi's voice. "Brother Geng, I ate before coming here. There is no need to feed me pie in the sky." Geng Zhi nodded, then shifted to a grievance designed to stir resentment: "Last time, I mentioned sending you several cartloads of Luo wine. They were already on the road, but men from the Xieling Sect mistook them for treasure and plundered them." Qin Xuan appeared unbothered. "A gentleman is magnanimous and broad-minded; he does not stoop to bickering with scoundrels." Geng Zhi knew he could not out-talk him. Abandoning the suspense, he said, "My master's cave abode indeed holds other array diagrams. But a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and they are not on me at the moment. As for that old tortoise, I also have a way to track it. If you are interested, I am willing to share it with you." Qin Xuan asked, "Have monks from Liangfeng Temple approached you?" "They came. Zen Master Puguan said I had an affinity with the Buddha—if only I took the tonsure and entered the temple, the Xieling Sect would retreat in an instant. Elder Ji An of your esteemed temple also sent someone to negotiate terms with me, even probing for news about you." Geng Zhi smiled wryly. "Outsiders all believe I possess an extraordinary background, so for now they dare not act rashly. As the saying goes, seeing flowers through fog keeps a veil between us. But the Xieling Sect will soon pierce that thin paper window, and when they do, I will be doomed beyond redemption." Qin Xuan asked again, "Why were you so certain I would come to find you?" "It was not certainty, but a gamble." Geng Zhi's expression dimmed. "If you had not come, Young Master Qin, I would have had no choice but to take that desperate path of ruin." Qin Xuan carefully weighed Geng Zhi's words and predicament. "When will the Xieling Sect strike? And how am I supposed to offer timely help? There are plenty of people out there whose cultivation surpasses mine. I cannot withstand them alone." "Two days from now, on the night of the full moon. Yin energy will peak then, perfectly suited for the Xieling Sect to cast their arts." "Young Master Qin, on that night, all I need is for you to help me deal with the Xieling Sect." Geng Zhi spoke with underlying intent. "As long as you are willing to make a move, the other factions in the commandery will likely not dare enter the fray. And all I need is a little time." Just as Qin Xuan was about to speak, Geng Zhi cut in: "Six disciples from the Xieling Sect came this time, but only two truly matter." "One is named Lian Ji, and the other Gong Kun, both among the five core successors of Mount Tong's Xieling Sect. They showed their faces several days ago; Lian Ji is at the tenth level of Qi Refining, while Gong Kun is slightly weaker." "However, core successors of various sects possess many secret arts. Once magical combat begins, life and death hang in the balance of an instant. Cultivation level alone makes it difficult to judge who holds the upper hand." Qin Xuan was puzzled. "Only them?" Geng Zhi shook his head. "No. Behind them are Foundation Building elders of the Xieling Sect, though I do not know how many have come." So that was it. Qin Xuan finally understood Geng Zhi's calculation—this was where the trap lay waiting for him. Even so, he had already made up his mind. The Xieling Sect had backers, but did he lack backing of his own? They ought to consider where they were standing. Right then, he drew a message crane from his hundred-treasure pouch, penned a letter, and sent it flying toward Yuansong Temple, straight to Old Daoist Wu at Pine Breeze Lodge. Roughly half an hour later, the crane flew back. Qin Xuan retrieved the reply, unfurled it under the lamp, and then smiled faintly before consigning the letter to the flames. Seeing this, Geng Zhi knew he had gambled correctly. To carry a Talisman of Conferment on one's person could only mean it was bestowed by the temple head of Yuansong Temple. That old Daoist presided over Pingyuan Commandery, and though he lived in tranquil seclusion and had long ceased meddling in worldly affairs, everyone knew he was not one to be provoked. Those in the commandery capable of enlisting his help were exceedingly rare. Geng Zhi glanced once more at Qin Xuan, only to find him already sitting peacefully in meditation within the room, seemingly not taking the battle two days away to heart at all. *This Old Daoist Wu's judgment is indeed not bad.* He smiled, refrained from disturbing him, and left the quiet room to Qin Xuan while he went off to make his own preparations. "Master, how did it go? Did Young Master Qin agree?" Deep into the night, Geng Zhi arrived in the rear courtyard, where Old Huang, Old Wu, and some twenty others gathered around him. Six men had already perished in the clashes of recent days. Under their watchful eyes, Geng Zhi nodded. The burly men exhaled in relief, gratitude showing on their faces. "Over twenty years of suffering—we brothers will surely endure this final hurdle...!" That night, the Geng residence was extraordinarily tranquil. At dawn the following day, visitors came calling, among them no shortage of probes from the Xieling Sect. Geng Zhi's attitude remained as it had been, yet it gave people the distinct impression that he possessed far more confidence than before. Having conducted business for so many years, his mastery over his own expressions was superb. Certain factions could wait no longer. The city's two great clans, the Chai and Tang families, stopped beating around the bush and came straight to inquire about the treasures from the Yunxiu Mountain water mansion—a massive fortuitous encounter right before their eyes. However, Geng Zhi's response failed to satisfy them. Before long, someone smashed the lintel of the Geng gate as a warning. Another cleaved one of the stone lions before the Geng residence in two, reeking of blatant threat. That evening, a kindly-faced monk came to call. He counseled Geng Zhi patiently, offering to safeguard the treasures obtained from the water mansion and return them once the crisis had passed. Geng Zhi politely declined. As night fell, a middle-aged burly man drifting with the scent of incense arrived, claiming to come by order of Hawk's Beak Mountain's mountain god Tan Gang. He declared that evil monsters were making trouble here, and promptly devoured two horses from the stable. The next day, Captain Lu of Yingyang Prefecture sent an envoy with an official commission. This was an opportunity to join Yingyang Prefecture. Geng Zhi presented gifts of wealth and expressed gratitude for Captain Lu's kind intentions. The eagle guard was thoroughly displeased; pocketing the wealth, he flicked his sleeves and stormed off. Elder Ji of Yuansong Temple also lost his patience, dispatching his disciple Qi Baiyan to make trouble. Geng Zhi found the matter difficult to handle, but Qin Xuan showed his face. The moment Qi Baiyan laid eyes on him, he knew his purpose would come to nothing. Concealing his malice, he said: "Senior Brother Qin, the people from Enforcement Hall are looking for you." Holding that scroll of Spring Flowers, Autumn Harvest, Qin Xuan said with unruffled calm, "I have pressing matters at hand. I will return to the temple tomorrow on my own. You may head back first." Qi Baiyan ground his teeth and said, "Yes!" Before leaving, he shot Qin Xuan a venomous glare, silently cursing him to be swallowed up by the pack of wolves outside, which would leave a core disciple position vacant. After Qi Baiyan departed, Qin Xuan said to Geng Zhi: "Brother Geng, for your sake I have offended yet another sect genius and an elder with real power. I have even broken sect rules by ignoring Enforcement Hall's summons." Unaware of the feud between Qin Xuan and Elder Ji, and unfamiliar with Yuansong Temple's rules, Geng Zhi felt somewhat ashamed. "I will remember this kindness." He pulled a letter and an iron badge from his sleeve. "A small token of my gratitude. Brother Qin, read it once this matter is settled." Without standing on ceremony, Qin Xuan took them with a smile and carried the book elsewhere. He took in everything happening within the Geng residence, gaining a profound appreciation for the sinister depths of the human heart. Truly, do not say the innocent invite no blame; clutching rare treasure already conceals peril. Toward the end of the Shen hour, the world's yang energy began to recede. Qin Xuan received another message crane from Yuansong Temple. After reading it, a look of relief surfaced on his face. Right at that moment... Boom! With a thunderous crash, the northern wall of the Geng compound collapsed. Before long, the side gate connected to the wall was also smashed to pieces. If this continued, the Geng residence would inevitably be reduced to ruins. Yet Geng Zhi grew only more agitated with excitement. Looking up at the moonlight glowing brighter in the sky, he felt a sense of liberation. This residence had felt like a cage. And at this very moment, someone was tearing it down...