Temporary Residence Token

Before the two had even gone down the mountain, someone came calling the very next day.

When the visitor paid his respects at the mountain gate, Liu Xiaolou was hunting at the foot of the mountain. As he carried a fat wild boar back up the mountain on a shoulder pole, the man happened to stop him on the mountain path.

"Are you Liu Xiaolou, the one Lord Xingde mentioned?" The man looked to be around forty. His mustache split to either side of his mouth as he eyed Liu Xiaolou up and down.

"And you are...?" Liu Xiaolou looked puzzled.

"I am a Qingyu Sect Patrol Steward. My surname is Hou, given name Sheng." The man introduced himself with his left hand behind his back and his right hand stroking his mustache.

Liu Xiaolou hurriedly set down his shoulder pole and cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Steward Hou!"

The Qingyu Sect was located on Junshan Island in the heart of Dongting Lake, less than two hundred li east of here. It was one of the world's blessed cultivation lands. The Qingyu Sect ranked among the Renowned Great Sects, its name even more illustrious than the Zhanglong Sect of western Xiang, the Dongyang Sect of Xiangnan, or the Lu Clan of Tianmu Mountain in Xiangzhong. As for a Patrol Steward, he was usually a cultivator in charge of investigating cases within a sect. His cultivation might not necessarily be high, but to Liu Xiaolou, he was absolutely someone he could not afford to provoke. Behind the man stood an entire sect.

"You are a Rogue Cultivator from Wulong Mountain in western Xiang?" Steward Hou continued.

"Yes." Liu Xiaolou was very honest, as honest as he had been when dealing with the Zhanglong Sect's Patrol Stewards. He could not afford to be dishonest over such minor details. They could investigate at any time, and if they discovered he had lied, they might well tie him to some case in their hands. That would be a huge mess.

"Where on Wulong Mountain do you cultivate?"

"In reply to Steward Hou, I cultivate at Qianzhu Ridge."

"Let me ask you this. What mountain lies northwest of Qianzhu Ridge? What mountain lies northeast? Who lives beside you?"

Was this an interrogation? Was he verifying whether Liu Xiaolou had fabricated his background?

Liu Xiaolou had come here openly and aboveboard, so there was naturally no need to lie. He immediately answered every question.

Steward Hou neither confirmed nor denied his answers. Presumably, he did not know what mountains surrounded Qianzhu Ridge or who lived there. He merely warned, "I will verify this. You had better be telling the truth."

Liu Xiaolou felt helpless. "Steward, please investigate as you please. One need only ask at Wulong Mountain to learn the truth."

Next, Steward Hou asked why Liu Xiaolou had come to Xingde Mountain, how long he planned to stay, and so on. Then he said, "Since Rogue Cultivators like you have come here, behave yourselves. Do not entertain any messy thoughts, or my Qingyu Sect will not spare you lightly!"

Liu Xiaolou had been stopped and interrogated for no reason, yet he could only swallow his anger and nod again. "Yes."

Steward Hou asked again, "Have you seen any suspicious people recently?"

"By suspicious, Deacon means...?"

"People of unknown origin, hiding their heads and showing their tails, sneaking about like ghosts... that sort of thing."

"No, I have not. If I encounter any, I will certainly report them to the Deacon at once."

Steward Hou nodded and pondered for a moment. "My Qingyu Sect is currently clearing out the Taoyuan Mountain Range. Those people of unknown origin must all be driven away, to safeguard the peace of this region. You are rather fortunate—Lord Xingde is willing to vouch for you. But if you wish to reside here long-term, you should still register your name and obtain a Temporary Residence Token."

As he spoke, he patted his waist.

Only then did Liu Xiaolou notice the string of small wooden tablets hanging from Steward Hou's belt. He immediately understood. "May I ask, Deacon, how much is customarily charged?"

The Qingyu Sect's actions were no different from those of the Zhanglong Sect, which dominated western Xiang. Every three to five years, the Zhanglong Sect would send Stewards into the mountains to clear out outside Rogue Cultivators of "unknown origin," so Liu Xiaolou knew the ropes inside out.

Steward Hou nodded, looking as though he found the boy teachable. His tone improved considerably as he smiled. "Twenty taels of pure silver."

This cleaned out every last bit of silver Liu Xiaolou had on him. After paying, he received the Wooden Tablet, engraved with a line of words: "Permitted temporary residence at Taoyuan Mountain."

Steward Hou left in satisfaction. Liu Xiaolou spat fiercely onto the ground. "What a piece of work!"

When he returned to Xingde Temple, Lord Xingde cautioned Liu Xiaolou, "Do not go down the mountain for the next couple of days. Something has happened at the Qingyu Sect, and they are searching for suspicious Rogue Cultivators from outside. Though I have vouched for you, it is not entirely secure. If you encounter an unfamiliar Qingyu Sect steward alone while I am not at your side, you may well suffer a little."

Liu Xiaolou asked, "Is the Taoyuan Mountain Range under the Qingyu Sect's protection?"

Lord Xingde said, "This place lies between the territories of two sects. To the west is the Lu Clan of Tianmu Mountain, and to the east is the Qingyu Sect of Dongting Lake. If something happens, both sects will involve themselves. If nothing happens, neither sect will bother."

Liu Xiaolou asked again, "What happened to the Qingyu Sect?"

Lord Xingde shook his head. "I heard that a few days ago, outside Rogue Cultivators looted the Zhou Clan. The Zhou Clan is a cultivation family attached to the Qingyu Sect, with considerable wealth. This time, their losses were severe. I heard the gang was gathered by a bandit chief surnamed Wang. Those petty scoundrels..."

Liu Xiaolou was instantly struck dumb. Old Boss Wang had sent out another Hero's Invitation?

Then longing surged through him. What a pity. I never received Hermit Dai's Hero's Invitation. From Lord Xingde's words, this Zhou Clan was a fat sheep...

"Xiaolou? Xiaolou?" Lord Xingde asked. "What are you daydreaming about? Could it be that you know something about these bandits?"

Liu Xiaolou hurriedly denied it. "How could this junior have any news? Senior knows that this junior has stayed in the temple for over half a month. Those treacherous bandits, robbing the rich... going about and plundering homes everywhere, are truly hateful. If I knew anything, I would immediately report it to the Qingyu Sect. I certainly would not let them roam free outside!"

Lord Xingde stroked his beard. "Actually... there is no need."

"Ah? What does Senior mean?"

"None of those Zhou Clan members in charge are good people. It is only right that they suffer a little."

"The Zhou Clan are not good people? So that is how it is..."

"There are good people in the Zhou Clan, but the ones in charge are not good people."

"This junior... understands..."

Thus Liu Xiaolou avoided the sharp edge and did not go down the mountain to hunt. One wild boar weighed a full hundred jin. In the depths of winter, it would not spoil easily, and it was enough for Lord Xingde to eat.

A few days passed like this. Lord Xingde felt that his injuries had recovered seventy to eighty percent, and finally called for Liu Xiaolou to accompany him down the mountain.

On the way down, he led Liu Xiaolou halfway into the woods and arrived at a Mountain Hollow. "Have you seen chicken-blood stone?"

Liu Xiaolou nodded. "Its texture is like wax, and its color like blood."

Lord Xingde nodded. "Then you should know what chicken-blood stone is used for?"

Liu Xiaolou said, "It contains cinnabar. I have heard it is a material for Pill Refining."

Lord Xingde said, "Cinnabar can connect Heaven and man. It is not only used for Pill Refining; talisman refining and artifact refining also require cinnabar. With cinnabar as the conduit, true essence may flow freely through an artifact. My Xingde Mountain has chicken-blood stone of excellent quality, but others do not know of it."

Liu Xiaolou looked at a small cave in the side of the Mountain Hollow. "Is it here? It looks like a bear's den."

Lord Xingde took out a foot-long pickaxe with a crane's beak and handed it to him. "Go dig out two pieces of chicken-blood stone. Remember not to damage them. Chicken-blood stone is the essence of Heaven and Earth, and possesses its own vitality. Once damaged, its vitality leaks away. Some mediocre masters who do not understand this principle think it an ordinary thing and grow careless when mining it. Some even directly pound, grind, and crush it into powder. The cinnabar they obtain is then utterly mediocre, incapable of refining superior artifacts."

Though it sounded utterly ordinary, the key often lay in something this simple. Lord Xingde had immediately imparted the true method, which greatly surprised Liu Xiaolou and filled him with solemn respect. Carrying the crane-beak pickaxe, he entered the cave. Turning sideways inside, he dug around in every direction, carefully prying the sand, stones, and soil downward bit by bit.

After spending an hour at this, he finally dug out two pieces of chicken-blood stone. Both were perfectly intact. He did not even dare wipe away the dirt clinging to them before handing them to Lord Xingde.

Lord Xingde put them away with satisfaction and waved his hand. "Come, let us go to the next place."