Calamity Qi

Within the dilapidated Daoist temple.

Only after Wu Ming had left did the old Daoist rise. He gazed at the statue and let out a sigh. "His aptitude is average, but his temperament is decent. Alas, with Calamity Qi upon him, he is unsuited to my Path of Purity and Non-Action..."

He calculated with his fingers, and his expression shifted again. "He has no past, no afterlife... and divine power protecting him... What exactly is this man's origin? Could it be... that the great calamity is coming, and the world is about to undergo a drastic change?"

At that thought, he hurried toward the rear courtyard, his brows knitted and his steps brisk.

Wu Ming had been rejected, but he felt somewhat invigorated.

After all, as long as the person and the Daoist Incantations were there, they were tangible things he could find a way to obtain.

Lost in thought as he made his way back to the inn, he was preparing to turn in when two constables in black stopped in the middle of the road. "Young Master Wu, our Lord Wu Hong requests your presence!"

Oh? They've finally lost their patience?

Wu Ming smiled inwardly, but said, "Of course. Please lead the way."

He didn't mention that he had seen through their surveillance over the past few days.

"Come... sit. Try these. The wontons are good!"

Wu Hong was at a roadside stall up ahead, dressed in plain clothes, though there was no concealing the air of authority about him. "Old Zhang Tou, another bowl!"

"Right away!"

The old man beside them cheerfully boiled the water, mixed up a fresh batch of meat filling, then wrapped it in wonton skins thin as paper and dropped them into the boiling water. A moment later, he served up a bowl. The wontons were translucent, sprinkled with scallions and ginger. Their fragrance filled the air, just right for the chilly weather.

"They're excellent—so fresh and savory!"

Wu Ming didn't refuse. He tried one and found it savory and delicious, with a clear broth that somehow carried the rich flavor of a hearty stock. Though crystal clear, it was intensely flavorful, leaving a lingering taste.

"I'm glad you like them, honored guest. This old man's been making them for decades..."

Old Zhang Tou smiled and cupped his hands, then stood to one side.

Wu Ming ate at his leisure, but keenly noticed more than a dozen pairs of eyes watching them closely. One or two of them even made him feel uneasy.

He knew Wu Hong had received a warning and must have tightened security. Perhaps he even meant to draw the enemy out. Neither of them brought it up, though. Only after they had eaten their fill did Wu Ming ask, "Thank you for the meal, sir. May I ask why you summoned me?"

"Of course there's a reason!"

Wu Hong sipped his broth, his eyes darkening. "You were behind last night's disturbance, weren't you?"

"I was."

The Government Office naturally had skilled trackers. Wu Ming hadn't expected to keep the truth hidden for long. "Those people... did you catch them?"

"Hmph!"

Wu Hong snorted. "One died, one was captured, and the other is the one you delivered today!"

"I'd planned to introduce you strange talents to one another, but I never expected you to be working together!"

Displeasure colored his words, and a Killing Intent mingled with his official authority, pressing down on them. An ordinary street tough would have been scared out of his wits at the sight of him.

Wu Ming, however, remained perfectly composed, as though he hadn't been affected at all.

After all, in his previous life he had seen even senior officials on television. A mere ninth-rank official couldn't intimidate him. Besides, he had the Main God Hall behind him, and he now possessed Martial arts. That was his confidence!

A man filled with learning carried an air of refinement; a man with confidence carried himself with ease. Even Wu Hong couldn't help but feel surprised.

Wu Ming cupped his hands and said, "Those bandits dared to assassinate an Imperial Official. They're utterly audacious and out of their minds! We have absolutely nothing to do with them. Did you manage to get anything out of them, sir?"

"Isn't this enough?"

Wu Hong's face darkened. "When I heard they meant to assassinate the county magistrate, I thought they must have eaten a bear's heart and leopard's gall. But when I tried to question them further... one of them died!"

"How did he die? Was the torture too severe?" Wu Ming asked with interest.

"Too severe?" Wu Hong snorted. "What nonsense! The people in the Government Office who do this for a living can make a prisoner wish he'd confessed his family's secrets for three generations, without leaving a single mark on him afterward. How could they be so heavy-handed?"

"They were being questioned about Black Mountain. Just when they reached the crucial point, one of them died without a sound!"

As Wu Hong spoke, he shuddered. The sight had clearly shaken him badly. "The examination afterward showed he hadn't died of illness or poison. With the Prison God keeping watch, it couldn't have been Daoist Sorcery and Evil Spirits, either..."

The Main God Hall's execution?

Wu Ming felt a chill inside, but showed no hint of it. He put on a look of shock. "Could Lord of Black Mountain have done this?"

His expression turned grave. He stood and bowed deeply to Wu Hong. "Sir! I can guarantee that we have nothing to do with those bandits. If we were involved, why would we have brought one in and handed him over to the authorities?"

"That's true..."

Wu Hong's indignation eased somewhat. "The county magistrate met with Lin Qizhi today. They discussed poetry for half an hour, and he was quite impressed... I believe you have nothing to do with Lord of Black Mountain, but... I hope you won't make things difficult for me."

He had real experience, after all, and was an old hand in official circles. His words even carried a sincere tone.

"Rest assured, sir. We'll set out today and deal with Black Water Town!"

Wu Ming spoke with pointed meaning. "We won't miss the county magistrate's deadline..."

"Excellent!"

Wu Hong stood and paid the bill, but Old Zhang Tou stubbornly refused to accept the money. In the end, Wu Hong had to put on a stern face before the old man reluctantly took it and saw him off.

Wu Ming remained unhurried. "Old Zhang Tou, your broth is truly excellent. Bring me another bowl!"

"Of course, honored guest. Just a moment!"

Old Zhang Tou turned around, wiping away his cold sweat. It was hard to tell whether he felt as though he'd just seen off a plague god. After all, with Wu Hong sitting at his stall, he'd lost an entire afternoon's business!

It seems the authorities aren't just sitting on their hands. With so many old hands from the Government Office working together, it's easy enough to get a few answers out of a handful of newcomers...

Wu Ming slowly ate and drank, a cold smile tugging at his lips. But they're mere newcomers. They don't even understand the Main God Hall—what could they tell anyone? Even if they couldn't take the torture and were forced to spill secrets, they'd still be executed...

Of course, there were bound to be a few clues left behind. Wu Hong certainly won't trust us now...

Trust or no trust, he still needs us for the moment. I've made my intentions clear, and that's enough!

To those in power, whether they trusted a few outsiders of questionable origin hardly mattered. What mattered was whether they were useful!

Now that Wu Ming had made it clear he meant to fight Great General Black Wind to the bitter end and set out immediately, Wu Hong naturally had no grounds to object. They weren't his people anyway. He could let them raise hell in Black Water Town. If they solved the problem, all the better; if they died, no great loss. And if both sides ended up badly wounded, that would be the best outcome of all.

"If we insist on staying in the county seat... I'm afraid they'll soon do more than just keep us under surveillance!"

Wu Ming returned to the inn where they were staying and found Ling Guhong and the others there. When Shan Lan saw him, she came over with a smile. "We have Young Master Lin to thank this time. Black Platform County Magistrate Zhang Zhengyi turned out to be a refined gentleman. They got along wonderfully, and he even granted us official papers and ordered the constables to assist us. We're now acting with full authority!"

Acting with full authority meant they could draw on the fortune of the authorities, which was extremely important.

Wu Ming was delighted to hear it. Seeing that Shan Lan and Ling Guhong were also beaming, he said, "It seems things went fairly smoothly for you two!"

"Not exactly smoothly, but we did manage to make some gains! Was your trip less successful, little brother Wu Ming?"

Shan Lan asked thoughtfully.

"Mm..."

Wu Ming gave a noncommittal reply, then explained what he had intended to do.

"You want to find a master in the Reincarnation World?"

Shan Lan smiled. "That's clever... It really is the quickest and easiest way. But for us Reincarnators, that path is extremely difficult!"

"How so? Is there some trick to it?"

Wu Ming's thoughts stirred. "If Sister Shan Lan is willing to tell me honestly, I'll be deeply grateful!"

"There's no need to be grateful. Everyone knows this anyway!"

Shan Lan rolled her eyes at Wu Ming and explained, "If you want someone in the Quest World to take you as an apprentice, martial artists aren't so difficult. But when it comes to wizards, Daoists, or eminent monks who wield magical power, very few are willing to accept Reincarnators. Pleading, wearing them down, clinging to them—it's all useless! Some people have even knelt to death at their doorsteps, and it still didn't help!"

"Is it really that strict? Why?"

Wu Ming asked, puzzled.

"The reason... according to the rumors, those great practitioners have opened their spiritual eyes. They can see the Calamity Qi on us, and they hate it."

Shan Lan said, "Having Calamity Qi means you're bound to enter the world and weather a calamity. If they take you as an apprentice, they'll become entangled in your karma, and may even be dragged down with you. Practitioners of the Dao seek freedom by nature. Unless you're their flesh and blood, or they're in a situation where refusal is impossible, they'll never agree to pass on their teachings!"

"Calamity Qi? You mean us?"

Wu Ming's expression turned grim. "Could it be referring to the Main God Hall?"

"Living amid the Six Paths of Reincarnation and all these worlds, forced by the Main God Hall's missions to keep risking our lives—isn't that a great calamity?"

Shan Lan gave a bitter laugh. "That's why, if you want to learn Daoist Incantations in the Quest World, unless you have a Great Opportunity and Great Fortune, there's only..."

With Lin Qizhi there, she didn't finish what she was saying, but Wu Ming understood at once.

The only option is to kill the person and seize their teachings?

Wu Ming gritted his teeth. But we haven't reached that last resort yet...

Though she hadn't finished, Lin Qizhi snorted. "Everyone! I'll take my leave first!"

A cultivator of Confucianism's Righteous Qi could never go against his conscience.

Even Confucius hadn't taught people to kill others and steal their treasures. It would have been strange if Lin Qizhi had been able to keep listening.

In fact, the fact that he hadn't immediately severed ties with them showed he was rather accommodating.

Of course, perhaps Lin Qizhi saw them as nothing more than fellow teammates on a single mission. There was no "loyalty" to speak of, so there was nothing to sever.

"Brother Lin, wait a moment. There's something we really need to discuss!"

Wu Ming's expression turned solemn as he recounted what had happened with Wu Hong that day. He concluded, "It seems... our mission is urgent. If we don't act at once, Black Platform County won't tolerate us, and we'll be beset on both sides. We'll die a truly miserable death!"