Underlying Currents

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

Bata sat cross-legged in the courtyard like an iron tower, practicing his technique. His tall, round body glistened beneath the sunlight.

Xia Qi'an stood to the side, carefully using Crimson Pupils to inspect the flow of his qi and blood. Whenever a mistake appeared, he immediately reminded Bata and had him start over.

Over these three months, with Xia Qi'an's help, Bata had successfully entered the Blood Refining Realm. He had also cultivated the Golden Body Technique to the second layer, completing the tempering of his entire skeleton.

After all, Xia Qi'an was no longer short of silver, so obtaining Bone Tempering Fluid was as easy as turning over his hand.

It was just that Bata was truly honest to a fault—one could even say that his mind was incomplete.

Without Xia Qi'an's instructions at his side, he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Xia Qi'an did not think him foolish, however. On the contrary, he greatly admired Bata's simplicity and loyalty.

In Xia Qi'an's eyes, Bata was a hundred or even a thousand times better than the likes of Su Changqing!

During this period, Bata and Xiao Cao had gotten along extremely well. The two, so vastly different in size, had somehow become playmates!

Gradually, Xia Qi'an stopped treating Bata as a servant and instead accepted him as a new member of the family.

The residence known as Xia Manor was large, but with only Xia Qi'an and Xiao Cao inside, it inevitably seemed cold and empty.

Now that Bata had joined them, the two good companions roamed everywhere, pulling up weeds, catching bugs, capturing birds, and netting butterflies.

The sight of the big and little pair bursting into laughter now and then added a great deal of warmth to the cold, spacious manor.

It also filled Xia Qi'an with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

Because all of this had been earned through his own efforts!

After leaving home, Xia Qi'an went straight to Si Nan Manor like an arrow loosed from a bow.

He had secluded himself for three months, so the first thing he naturally had to do after emerging was report to Si Nanyue.

Si Nan Manor.

Seeing that Xia Qi'an had already entered the Bone Forging Realm and possessed a profound aura, Si Nanyue nodded in satisfaction. "Mm... not bad! Are you confident about the Steward Examination half a month from now?"

Xia Qi'an cupped his fists. "This subordinate will not disappoint Lord Sinan!"

"Mm!..."

"Did you visit a brothel last night?" Si Nanyue suddenly changed the subject. Her words shot straight into Xia Qi'an's heart like a sharp sword.

Xia Qi'an immediately broke into a cold sweat and stammered out an explanation. "This subordinate did accept Su Changqing's invitation... I did go have a drink! But I returned home afterward and did nothing improper..."

"I know... But Su Changqing is no good. Keep your distance from people like him in the future!" Si Nanyue's voice was gentle, like a spring breeze brushing past Xia Qi'an's ear.

At that moment, Si Nanyue gave off the air of a girl next door. She was somewhat nagging, but Xia Qi'an knew that her concern came from the bottom of her heart.

"This subordinate understands!..."

After leaving Si Nan Manor, Xia Qi'an could not help wiping away a layer of sweat.

It seemed that the Hound Guard and Snake Guard had truly joined forces.

Si Nanyue and Liu Qing had clearly become thick as thieves. Otherwise, how could Si Nanyue have known even about something like this?

The message must have been passed along in secret by the Snake Guard.

With that in mind, Xia Qi'an felt it was time to find Liu Qing and have a talk, lest she keep sending Snake Guards to watch him.

Although Xia Qi'an could deliberately use Crimson Pupils to easily spot the Snake Guards secretly watching him, that would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

Surely he could not spend every day doing nothing but catching the Snake Guards assigned to watch him?

Besides, if Liu Qing could send one Snake Guard, she could send two—or even more—to keep an eye on him.

After all, monitoring people was exactly what the Snake Guard did. Such a task was as easy as turning over their hand, as effortless as slacking off at work.

The Snake Guard had always been mysterious. Xia Qi'an did not even know where their stronghold was, so avoiding their surveillance was harder than reaching the heavens.

If he wanted to contact Liu Qing, he had no choice but to send word through the special method they had agreed upon.

As for the location, it was usually Xia Qi'an's home.

Half an hour later.

As expected, Liu Qing appeared at Xia Qi'an's home right on schedule.

Even after becoming the Snake Guard Commander, Liu Qing still dressed as neatly and efficiently as when Xia Qi'an had first met her. She still wore that Snake Guard mask and retained the same languid air.

"Why didn't you go to the Treasure Pavilion to flirt with that vixen? What do you want with me?"

After not seeing him for three months, Liu Qing immediately began teasing him the moment they met.

"...Can the Snake Guard show some respect for personal privacy? About this sort of thing... could you not make it common knowledge?... I'm begging you..." Xia Qi'an grumbled sourly.

"Didn't we agree back then that if I let the Snake Guard participate in Jinling's business, you would stop sending people to watch me? What you're doing now is far too dishonorable, isn't it?"

Hearing this, Liu Qing rolled her eyes and retorted irritably, "Give me a break! What do you think you are, some sort of sweet bun? Do you think I want to send people to watch you every day?"

"This is Lord Sinan's order..."

"As for matters between you and Lord Sinan, of course our Snake Guard listens to Lord Sinan."

Xia Qi'an furrowed his brows, his face filled with confusion. "Why is Lord Sinan watching me? I'm only a lowly Hound Guard..."

Liu Qing shook her head, her tone casual. "I don't know either... But... I also think Lord Sinan is showing a little too much concern for you...!"

"She couldn't have taken a fancy to you, could she?"

Liu Qing clearly enjoyed watching the world burn, and her words were astonishing.

Xia Qi'an's expression instantly fell. "Oh, stop it... Do you think that's possible?"

"Then I don't know... Perhaps she appreciates you... Or perhaps you're young and inexperienced, and she's afraid you'll lose your way?" Liu Qing spread her hands, unconcerned.

"This..."

"That really is possible..." Xia Qi'an considered it and felt that this explanation was actually more likely.

Coming back to himself, Xia Qi'an turned to Liu Qing with a solemn expression. "But no matter what... there should be no need to report my personal affairs, right?"

"Got it... Got it! From now on, I'll selectively report your affairs. Will that do?"

"Wait... Can't you stop having the Snake Guard watch me, at the very least?"

By the time Xia Qi'an noticed that Liu Qing had already left, she was striding toward the entrance and was about to walk out the door. He hurriedly shouted after her.

"No... There's no room for discussion! Unless Lord Sinan gives the word..." Liu Qing's voice gradually faded into the distance, like the sound of a broken zither string, ending abruptly.

In addition, before Liu Qing left, she tossed out one more airy remark: "Su Changqing has already left Jinling. He probably won't be coming back for the rest of his life!"

Xia Qi'an understood that Su Changqing was merely a minor pawn pushed forward. He could be sacrificed at any time.

The several great clans allied behind him, however, were the greatest obstacle Xia Qi'an would face in his upcoming promotion to steward.

In the past, Xia Qi'an had only been a minor figure. Even after creating the two businesses of Scented Soap and refined salt, he had been unable to touch the interests of Jinling Commandery's great clans.

But now, the position of Hound Guard steward in the Wei Dao Si was involved, and that concerned the great clans' standing and influence within the Wei Dao Si.

Thus, the nature of the matter had changed.

It was like throwing a massive boulder into a tranquil lake, stirring up raging waves.

After Liu Qing left, a Snake Guard delivered intelligence about a mission.

It said that strange incidents had occurred in the southernmost part of Jinling Commandery: all the women from several nearby villages had vanished mysteriously.

The Snake Guard suspected that a spirit or monster was behind it and had Xia Qi'an make the trip.

Xia Qi'an accepted the mission. After making some simple preparations, he called for Bata, boarded a carriage, and rode out of Jinling City.