Chen Qing followed the shopkeeper up to the second floor, musing to himself, Since he knows old tales of the Immortal Dynasty, I might be able to find out a thing or two. But I should be wary of a trap. Maybe this is some kind of scam...
As he was thinking, he saw a young man in fine clothes sitting by the window, engrossed in a book.
The shopkeeper said respectfully, "Young Master, I've brought him."
"Old Zhou, you may go down first." The young man finally looked up and sized Chen Qing up. "I'm Bai Shaoyou. What should I call you, fellow Daoist?"
"Chen Qing of the Hidden Star Gate."
"Fellow Daoist Chen, you mentioned the Primordial Immortal Dynasty earlier?" Bai Shaoyou set down his book. "May I ask where you heard of it?"
Chen Qing sat down unhurriedly and replied, "I came across it by chance in an old text."
"An old text?" Bai Shaoyou leaned forward. "Would you be willing to sell it? Name your price."
"It's already lost." Chen Qing shook his head. "But I still remember some of what it said."
"Tea!" At his words, the young man called for tea, then took three pieces of Spirit Marrow from his sleeve and pushed them over. "I'd be glad to hear the details."
What a way to open with money!
Chen Qing glanced at the Spirit Marrow, his eyelid twitching. He fought down the urge to take it and asked instead, "Weren't you going to listen to a storyteller?"
"Ha!" Bai Shaoyou gave a derisive laugh. "Those people follow me around all day just to get a tip. It's a nuisance, and they interrupt my reading. I had Old Zhou spread the word that I wanted to hear a story, so naturally they all ran to the teahouse to wait." He patted the book in his hand. "As for that Daoist Yu, though he's after money too, at least his stories are fresh."
This young master knew his way around. He wouldn't be easy to fool!
Chen Qing considered this for a moment, then said, "How about this? I'll tell you a secret from the Immortal Dynasty. If you find it interesting, you can tell me some of the old tales you know. We'll trade what we know. How does that sound?"
"Excellent!" Bai Shaoyou's eyes lit up. "Please, go ahead."
"This story begins in the early years of the Primordial Immortal Dynasty..."
Chen Qing lowered his voice and recounted his dream, from the Star Pivot Sect's destruction to his escape from the Mysterious Prison, from his cultivation in Tingfeng City to his meeting with the Tenth Princess. He left out only the fact that he had experienced it himself.
Bai Shaoyou listened, rapt, and even called for a servant to write it all down.
When Chen Qing reached the part where Chen Xu had grasped the essentials of cultivation, he deliberately stopped and took a sip of tea.
Bai Shaoyou had been completely absorbed. Seeing Chen Qing stop, he hurriedly asked, "What happened next? Since Chen Xu had made such a discovery, Elder Su must have taken notice of him, right? And that Xu family girl—going by the conventions of strange tales and romantic legends, she must have seen Chen Xu in a new light and secretly fallen for him, right? Did she climb through his window and into his room that very night?"
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Chen Qing nearly choked. He composed himself and asked, "What do you think of the story?"
"Excellent!" Bai Shaoyou sprang to his feet and slapped the table. "The details are so vivid, it's as if you witnessed them firsthand! And the abolition of the Hundred Sects and the Mysterious Prison's suppression—those crucial details match the Immortal Dynasty's institutions recorded in my family's ancient books exactly!"
Chen Qing's heart skipped a beat. He asked, "Does your family really have ancient books from the Immortal Dynasty?"
"Of course." Bai Shaoyou smiled mysteriously. "My family has a copy of Immortal Dynasty Anecdotes brought from the South Flame Continent. It records quite a few secrets of the Primordial Immortal Dynasty. If you're interested, once you've finished telling the story, I'll have someone fetch it from my home and lend it to you."
"We'll talk about that later." Chen Qing was greatly tempted, but didn't let himself show too much eagerness. Instead, he continued with Chen Xu's later experiences. However, when he mentioned that the Tenth Princess's title was "Xiyao," Bai Shaoyou raised an eyebrow and suddenly interrupted him!
"You said the Tenth Princess's title was Xiyao?"
"That's right."
Bai Shaoyou thought for a moment, then said, "How strange! A surviving fragment of my family's Chronicles of the South Flame also mentions someone named 'Xiyao,' but that person wasn't an Immortal Dynasty princess. She was a nine-tailed Heavenly Fox who wreaked havoc across the land and was eventually sealed away. Though the text doesn't mention Chen Xu."
"What?"
Chen Qing immediately asked, "When did this Heavenly Fox cause that havoc?"
Bai Shaoyou shook his head. "There's no specific date recorded."
Chen Qing frowned at once.
Could events from his dream really have traces in the real world?
But could the Heavenly Fox Xiyao Bai Shaoyou spoke of be Princess Xiyao?
A nine-tailed Heavenly Fox... the bloodline of Qingqiu...
As he pondered this, Bai Shaoyou suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, I'll pay fifty pieces of Spirit Marrow for the exclusive rights to your story! All you have to do is write it down today."
Chen Qing's fingers twitched, and he nearly dropped his teacup.
Fifty pieces of Spirit Marrow!
In the mortal world, that was worth over ten thousand gold! Enough to cover the Hidden Star Gate's expenses for half a year!
But what mattered more to him now was the phrase "Heavenly Fox Xiyao."
He forced the thought aside and asked, "What else do you know about the Heavenly Fox?"
Bai Shaoyou narrowed his eyes with a knowing smile. "Fellow Daoist Chen seems particularly interested in this Heavenly Fox."
Chen Qing replied without changing his expression, "Strange tales naturally make one curious."
"Very well. Let me see." Bai Shaoyou took a damaged Jade Slip from his robe and spread it open. "Heavenly Fox Xiyao, bearer of the bloodline of Qingqiu. She broke through the seal three times, unleashing vast, surging waves and freezing ten thousand miles of land. In the end, she was sealed with the Five Dragons Dismemberment method!"
Five Dragons Dismemberment?!
Chen Qing's pupils shrank.
"Is that all?"
"That's all." Bai Shaoyou put away the Jade Slip. "The past is a mighty river. No matter how extraordinary someone was, they're but a drop in the ocean. After the erosion of so much time, even a line or two surviving to the present is already rare."
Chen Qing listened and found the explanation reasonable.
"But," Bai Shaoyou suddenly lowered his voice, "my clan's secret vault also holds something connected to the Heavenly Fox."
Chen Qing immediately asked, "What is it?"
"I don't know. I never asked for the details." Bai Shaoyou changed tack. "How about this: once you've finished writing the story, I'll send someone to ask."
Chen Qing thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I only know the first half of the story. If I find out what happened next, I'll come share it with you."
Bai Shaoyou sighed in disappointment, but then untied the green jade token at his waist. "In that case, I'll give you this Five Qi Token. You can come see me whenever you like with it. If you have a new story, I'll pay double."
Chen Qing accepted the token. The character "Bai" was engraved on the front, while the back bore the image of five swirling qi.
"Good!"
By the time Chen Qing left the Five Qi Pavilion, he had five pieces of Spirit Marrow, one piece of Earth Marrow, and half a piece of Lightning-struck Wood tucked into his sleeve. Bai Shaoyou had insisted on giving them to him as an advance.
But Chen Qing's thoughts were now fixed on "Heavenly Fox Xiyao."
Could the Tenth Princess in his dream really be this Heavenly Fox Xiyao?
If so, had her end truly been so tragic?
In a private room on the second floor, Bai Shaoyou stood by the window, watching Chen Qing disappear around the corner of the street.
"Old Zhou," he called without turning around.
The shopkeeper in fine clothes hurried forward. "What are your orders, Seventh Young Master?"
"Look into Fellow Daoist Chen's background." Bai Shaoyou pointed outside. "Especially the Hidden Star Gate behind him. Find out whether it's connected to the Immortal Dynasty's legacy."
Old Zhou furrowed his brow. "Seventh Young Master, your lord sent you to South Shore to learn the trade routes and local customs..."
"I know." Bai Shaoyou turned and cut him off. "But these account books and cargo manifests are unbearably dull." He picked up the book from the table. "Wouldn't finding the Immortal Dynasty's legacy and cultivating the path to immortality be better than fiddling with an abacus all day?"
Old Zhou hesitated, wanting to speak.
"Don't worry, I won't let it interfere with my duties." Bai Shaoyou waved a hand. "Also, go to the ancestral estate and ask what the Heavenly Fox item in the treasury is. If it isn't too valuable, bring it to me."
Old Zhou sighed and was about to leave.
Bai Shaoyou suddenly remembered something else and added, "Also, check whether the Immortal Dynasty records mention anyone named 'Chen Xu.'"
Old Zhou said helplessly, "That's obviously a made-up character. The man earlier must know something about the Immortal Dynasty and have woven a story based on it."
Bai Shaoyou's smile faded. "Just go ask."
"Yes, sir."
Before you continue