Qin Xuan felt much more at ease after leaving Jinghu Manor. With a wisp of Secret Demon Divine Quail True Fire to protect him, his sense of security had surged.
When he returned to the mountain gate of Yuansong Temple, he was greeted by repeated cries of "Senior Brother Qin."
Along the way, he met seven or eight disciples, all of whom came over to greet him.
As it turned out, word of the events at Lianyun Manor had already reached the temple. The Xieling Sect had suffered many casualties, and another of their five great disciples had been slain; every faction in the city had caught wind of it.
Qin Xuan's joint operation with Zhao Huaimin had shown the people of the commandery the depth of Yuansong Temple's foundation.
"Senior Brother, people in the city are gossiping, saying that the demonic scoundrels of the Xieling Sect only got targeted and slaughtered because they hijacked your wine."
Liu Xi and Yu Han were well-acquainted with Qin Xuan, and the moment they saw him return, they asked inquisitively.
"Nothing of the sort," Qin Xuan said, shaking his head slightly.
A bright, lively smile blossomed across Yu Han's youthful face. She turned to Liu Xi and said, "See? I told you so! How could Senior Brother Qin hold a grudge over such a trivial matter?"
Liu Xi replied rather helplessly, "Fine, you win."
Qin Xuan patted Junior Brother Liu on the shoulder. "Junior Brother, you're the one who won. I've only targeted them so far—I haven't wiped them out completely yet. Next time the Xieling Sect shows up, I'll keep killing."
"Huh?!"
Hearing this, the expressions of the two turned magnificent.
Qin Xuan stopped teasing them and walked straight toward the mountain gate.
Only then did the two remember their actual business, hurrying after him. "Senior Brother, someone called at the mountain yesterday looking for you."
"Who?" Qin Xuan assumed it was someone sent by his maternal grandfather.
"The youth announced his name, claiming to be Lord Gutless from the Yishui River God's Mansion."
"What does that crab demon want with me?"
Liu Xi replied, "He wants to invite you as a guest to the Lan River Water Palace. He said he wishes to speak with you privately."
Beside him, Yu Han chimed in, "I think he harbors ill intentions. You definitely can't go, Senior Brother."
Qin Xuan nodded slightly. That crab demon refused to give up on his wicked designs; going to a banquet at the Lan River Water Palace would be walking right into a trap—only an idiot would go.
He had no time to waste bickering with him.
And yet...
'Senior Mao asked me to find out the relationship between the Lan River Water Palace and the spider demon. Perhaps this crab could serve as a breakthrough.'
Reconsidering, he said to Liu Xi and Yu Han:
"If he comes again, tell him I refuse to see him. And make your words as harsh and insulting as possible to enrage him—say those were my exact instructions."
"Oh, all right!"
Though baffled, the two agreed immediately and were itching to try. Enraging a demon was hardly difficult...
When he arrived at Pine Breeze Lodge, Old Daoist Wu was engaged in his usual daily reading lesson, slowly flipping through a Daoist text, paying no mind to the white crane chattering noisily beside him.
"Temple Head, Brother Crane," Qin Xuan greeted.
"Have a seat." Old Daoist Wu pointed to a stone stool and said casually, "Tell me what happened at Lianyun Manor in detail."
Holding fort at Yuansong Temple, Old Daoist Wu was naturally kept informed of events.
In less than half a cup of tea's time, Qin Xuan laid out all the details—sparing only what he had promised Old Zhu to keep secret—along with his own circumstances, deductions, and Senior Mao's arrangements.
As he spoke of the clashing factions, a flicker of worry crossed Qin Xuan's face.
Old Daoist Wu naturally noticed it. "The strife between orthodox lineages is longstanding; you were bound to encounter it sooner or later. Being drawn into it now is not necessarily a bad thing. The Upper Court has already intercepted the troublesome figures among the demon sects; those who land in our commandery remain within controllable limits.
"The Xieling Sect is not only a threat to you, but to the peace and security of the entire commandery.
"I have already contacted the City God. The deities under his jurisdiction span every corner of the commandery and its counties, making their intelligence second to none. If the Xieling Sect launches an invasion in force, it will never escape their eyes and ears. Our sect has also stationed elders outside, ready to liaise with those divine spirits at any moment.
"On the matter of the Xieling Sect, both sides share common ground.
"As for that spider demon..."
Old Daoist Wu pondered for a moment, but the white crane piped up first:
"The two most troublesome demons in the commandery are both at Hawk's Beak Mountain. One is that Black Bear Monster, and the other is Lady Soul Snatcher—she's also a scorpion spirit. She seems to have ties to the Poison Scorpion King of Poison Scorpion Valley in Chuanlai Commandery. You must be careful."
Qin Xuan nodded, recalling what Mei'er had mentioned about the shopkeeper of Huyue Book Pavilion, who was said to be familiar with the demon clans' forces.
Once he caught up with the little fox, they could go ask him together.
Perhaps Senior Mao's task could be settled just like that.
Old Daoist Wu suddenly recalled something and said to Qin Xuan, "Set aside the matter of the King's tomb for now. Go first to the Records Hall and inform Supervisor Qian that you have confirmed the exact location of an earth evil spirit vein."
"Can that be exchanged for contribution points too?"
"If you go early, yes; if you delay, it won't be worth anything. You wiped out the Renmao Sect members, so the matter of the King's tomb cannot be kept under wraps. Soon everyone will know. Go quickly."
"Understood."
Qin Xuan took his leave.
The white crane watched his retreating figure and said to Old Daoist Wu, "Zihou's aura has changed. Could my senses be mistaken?"
"No, they're not." Old Daoist Wu picked up the Daoist scroll again, pausing for several breaths before adding, "He has already achieved embryonic breathing."
He Wushuang raised a wing to calculate the days, his eyes brimming with astonishment...
Why was his cultivation getting faster and faster?!
"Old Daoist, is there anything wrong with this?"
"I don't know, but I see no issue."
...
Supervisor Qian of the Records Hall was a meticulous man. Although he knew the Temple Head had sent Qin Xuan, he still verified the details several times.
He needed to report this matter to the Upper Court. As an evil qi born from the accumulated corpses of demons, Spirit-Corroding Cold Evil mostly arose from subterranean caverns.
Cultivators seeking to refine such evil qi thus had to brave great peril entering the deep caves.
The evil vein in the Pingyuan King's tomb was clearly far safer.
"Supervisor, is this contribution enough to exchange for some five elements metal crystals?"
"About so. You'll just have to wait a while, as the vault currently lacks such spiritual materials."
Seeing Qin Xuan's slight disappointment, Supervisor Qian smiled. "Rest assured, even if the vault doesn't have them, we can requisition them from the Upper Court. How could the sect ever mistreat a disciple who has made contributions?"
After expressing his thanks, Qin Xuan hurried back to his courtyard; he had a whole haul of treasures to take inventory of.
Meanwhile...
Song Jiwei, the disciple whom Elder Pan Ang had sent to Lianyun Manor to deliver the message demanding the cat that day, was heading toward a secluded wooden cabin in the rear mountains.
This was Pan Ang's place of quiet contemplation.
"Elder, Qin Xuan has returned to the temple."
Pan Ang did not turn around. "Tell me of his recent doings."
Song Jiwei dared not hide anything, reporting everything he knew.
When Pan Ang heard that Qin Xuan had slain a corpse general of the Xieling Sect, astonishment appeared on his face. Compared to the night at the Geng residence, how could the boy's swordsmanship have advanced so dramatically in such a short time?
If word of this reached Elder Lai's ears, it would only breed greater wariness.
Considering that Elder Lai might inquire about it, Pan Ang asked, "Do you know why his sword skills progressed so rapidly?"
"Well..."
Song Jiwei hesitated, prompting Pan Ang to turn around and shoot him a frowning glance. "Speak freely."
"This disciple has indeed heard some rumors."
Song Jiwei had always been low-key and prudent among the core disciples. Right now, he carefully chose his words:
"It is said that Qin Xuan enjoys reading romance novelettes to cultivate his sentiment, keeping his mind perpetually clear and unburdened, which benefits the tempering of his heart and the nurturing of his sword. Privately, some disciples have begun calling him the Breeze and Moon Little Sword Immortal."
Pan Ang's face darkened. "Utter bullshit!
"If this reaches the ears of Ancestor Xuannian in the Upper Court, our Xuanling lineage will be laughed to death!"
Ancestor Xuannian was, of course, the foremost sword master of Guanjiang Mountain.
Seeing his anger, Song Jiwei held his tongue. He had never taken the white crane's drunken ramblings seriously either.
"Continue to keep an eye on his affairs, and see what Elder Ji An is up to while you're at it. Come report to me every few days. In the Enforcement Hall, you are the only one who still comes to look after this old man during my fall from grace. Once your cultivation advances, I will write to Daoist Ou so that you have an opportunity to enter the Upper Court."
"Understood!"
...
Back in his courtyard, the two little birds, Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin, flew out to greet him. Qin Xuan took them up to the loft, found a shallow earthenware crock, and transplanted the jeweled-canopy spirit grass into it.
This herb preferred shade; placing it in a dark corner with a sprinkle of spirit water was enough for now.
Next, he took out that piece of Nether Root Divine Wood.
The True Fire of the Sun was one of heaven and earth's divine flames. If it could be imbued with even a few wisps of this fire's aura, the true fire he refined might rival the Secret Demon Divine Quail True Fire that Senior Mao Yan had cultivated for decades.
Though he could not cultivate it at the moment, that did not stop Qin Xuan from letting his imagination run wild.
Suddenly, he let out a soft exclamation and examined the divine wood closely:
"Divine wood is still wood; it shouldn't be fundamentally different from spirit flowers or spirit herbs. What would happen if it were cleansed with the ancient mirror's spiritual radiance?"
"No, that's not good. If it turns out like that evil bead—doing harm instead of good—wouldn't I suffer a huge loss?"
Qin Xuan paced back and forth in the loft, his mind locked in debate. Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin's eyes followed his movements, tilting their little heads side to side, unable to comprehend what Ancestor Qin was pondering.
In the end, Qin Xuan could not resist.
Bidding the two birds to step back, he drew forth a halo of spiritual radiance from the ancient mirror, placed it into an earthen jar alongside the divine wood, sealed the lid tight, and stored it inside his hundred treasures pouch.
He truly could not feel at ease leaving such an object behind; regardless of the alternation of sun and moon, he would keep it on his person first.
Having finished this, he inspected the miscellaneous items from the Renmao Sect. Aside from that oil-paper umbrella, the gourd containing evil qi, and the bronze divine beast zun chosen by the cat, the disciples of the Renmao Sect carried little of value.
Inside the hundred treasures pouch belonging to Shi Biao, who had refined a wood xiao yin body, the most precious item was a book titled *Puppet Wood Technique*.
It could be used to craft puppets and pagoda tree serpents, a secret art of the Renmao Sect.
Of the rest, Qin Xuan kept only two spirit talismans, intending to take everything else to the Records Hall to trade for some Qi Gathering Bait.
Stepping out into the courtyard, he placed the oil-paper umbrella onto the stone table and first washed the bronze divine beast zun with water.
The beast ears, four claws, wings, and spine-tail surrounding the beast head grew clearer, looking remarkably lifelike.
As an artifact meant to suppress evil and guard a king's tomb, such craftsmanship was not surprising. Qin Xuan attempted to inject magic power, repeatedly casting the Weapon Manipulation Technique from among the temple's Twelve-Storied Tower arts, yet there was no response whatsoever.
He then tried roasting it with beast charcoal, dousing it with spirit water, and dripping blood to claim ownership, but none had any effect.
Qin Xuan did not give up.
'The cat is a golden civet capable of scouting immortal mountains, and it behaved very obediently in front of me. There is no reason for it to point randomly just to deceive me.'
There had to be something more to it!
As the saying went, divine artifacts possessed spirits.
Furrowing his brows, an idea struck him. He barked at the divine beast zun currently being roasted by flames: "Evil-Suppressing Beast Zun, I have already sensed your artifact spirit! You had better submit and recognize me as master at once!"
After waiting a moment, there was still no reaction.
Qin Xuan spoke again: "If you still refuse to budge, I will burn you soft and shatter you to pieces."
Before the words had completely left his mouth, a stirring finally rippled through the courtyard.
Yet this stirring did not come from the bronze divine beast zun...
The needles and branches of the pine tree in the courtyard gleamed with a faint emerald hue.
In an instant, a gentle breeze seemed to drift in, rustling the pine needles—not with the ordinary moan of wind through pines, but like someone plucking the silk strings of a zither far in the distance.
A strange, lingering melody drifted softly into Qin Xuan's ears.
In the next moment, he faintly heard a gentle, delicate female voice, floating weightlessly as though borne aloft by a feather:
"This is a spirit artifact, or perhaps even a spirit treasure. Inside its belly lies Central Dipper Heavenly Tiangang, which is extremely unstable. Burn it no further, or it might destroy the entire Daoist temple..."
Chapter 53