Forty-Five: Those Who Excel in War Leave No Great Deeds Behind; Those Who Excel in Healing Leave No Glorious Fame (Third Update)

Xu Residence.

"Brother Yuan, you're finally here! I've prepared a feast to welcome you."

Xiang Yuan had just entered with Xiao He when Xu Jixian came hurrying over, hollering. His dark horse face was just as it had been the first time they met. He was still that lecher who wet his pants.

The show was over. Why were you still acting?

Xiang Yuan stared coldly at Xu Jixian. The latter dropped to his knees with a thud. "If Brother Yuan won't forgive me, I'll kneel here until you do."

Who were you trying to scare?

"Then stay on your knees!"

Xiang Yuan stepped around Xu Jixian and strode into the corridor. Before, when he'd seen the Xu Residence in such a sorry state, with only an old servant around, he'd looked down on Xu Jixian for lacking ambition and spending all the rent money on keeping his second brother happy.

Now, seeing it again, he realized every arrangement had been carefully thought out. The Xu Residence was the Imperial City Directorate's secret base in Fengxian County. It wouldn't do to have too many people coming and going.

As for whether all that money had really gone to his paramours, that was probably just a cover story.

Xu Jixian knelt stiffly on the ground. When Xiao He passed, he reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

Xu: What's going on? You said you could handle it.

Xiao: Why all the questions? The fact that he didn't kick you is already a good sign. He told you to kneel, so kneel.

Xu: What does that mean? I suffered through outsiders, and now it's the teacher's turn to suffer?

Xiao He hurried after Xiang Yuan, leaving Xu Jixian behind to sigh, "Since ancient times, the worthy and talented have faced hardship. A widow's gate is rife with gossip. A worthy talent like me is bound to suffer a little."

With that, he resumed his proper kneeling posture.

Xiao He led Xiang Yuan straight to Xu Jixian's room. He lifted the bedboard and activated a mechanism, revealing a tunnel.

This was somewhat unexpected. Xiang Yuan had thought the dry well was the entrance, and that moving the boulder would let them in. Simple and unassuming—that was the idea.

"A crafty hare has three burrows. The well is both an entrance and an exit, and it's protected by an array, so we can't just move it around."

After explaining, Xiao He bent down and entered the tunnel. Xiang Yuan followed and found that the base was enormous. After walking a few dozen steps, the passage opened into a space almost as large as the entire Xu Residence above.

"The Xu Clan spent three generations building this underground palace. It also has an array, so even if an expert enters the Xu Residence, they won't realize there's another world beneath it." Xiao He walked ahead, showing Xiang Yuan the different areas. The most valuable was a secret room full of documents detailing the Southern Border's many factions. The Xu Clan's ancestors had paid for every bit of it with their lives.

A map of the wilds had just dropped!

Xiang Yuan's eyes lit up. He didn't rush off to read it, though. Maintaining a dignified air, he merely nodded.

The other secret chambers housed weapons or martial arts manuals. The armory held swords, spears, blades, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks, each exquisitely crafted and razor-sharp. The library had books on both the literary and martial arts, covering everything from medicine and divination to astrology and physiognomy. There were also many quiet rooms for cultivation and meditation. Some walls might bear cultivation diagrams; others had mental cultivation formulas carved into them, offering guidance to cultivators.

The whole place was like a maze, with passages running in every direction. It also had several hidden mechanisms and escape routes, so no one would be trapped underground in an emergency.

Seeing this underground palace gave Xiang Yuan a deeper understanding of the Western Chu court. Its plans weren't just talk. It had been plotting against the Southern Border and the leading factions within its own territory all along.

"Brother Yuan, take whatever weapons or manuals you like. Read whatever you want. The cultivation manuals in particular are better than anything that pretty boy gave you, I guarantee it. He has ulterior motives. I'm the one who's sincere." Xiao He spoke earnestly.

Xiang Yuan flipped through the manuals and found several fundamental cultivation methods, progressing smoothly from Acupoint Opening to Foundation Establishment and then to the innate realm. Their origins were impressive, too. Some were methods practiced by the Xiao Clan of the court, while others were closely guarded secrets of the leading factions of the day.

"What comes after the innate realm?"

"I'll have to seek approval from Shendu and request a separate reward."

Xiao He shook his head slightly. "The borderlands aren't as peaceful as the Inner Capital Circuit. When the Imperial City Directorate operates outside the capital, we use the Six Doors as a front. If you have any special requests, I can make a trip to the pharmacy on West Street and contact Shendu through them."

"Tell me more."

"The Imperial City Directorate..."

Xiao He explained it all, and Xiang Yuan understood.

The Imperial City Directorate had a tightly controlled structure. Those above knew only their subordinates, and those below knew only their superiors. No one in the middle could skip levels. A vassal's vassal wasn't your vassal. The rules had been strict ever since the organization was founded.

The system was meant to protect the Directorate's spies. Working undercover was a dangerous job, and their identities could never be exposed.

The Directorate also planted its agents in Noble Families and major sects. If an agent's identity were exposed, many leading factions would inevitably grow hostile and trace the connection back to the source, carrying out assassinations. The resulting losses would be unimaginable.

That was why members of the Imperial City Directorate all claimed to be spies for the Six Doors. They were especially good at shifting the blame to the Six Doors, using that chaotic organization as a shield. Sima Qingyan and county lieutenant Qin Yun both thought Xiao He was from the Six Doors and had no idea he belonged to the Imperial City Directorate.

The Directorate took secrecy to the extreme. Xiao He was the Snake of the Twelve Earthly Branches, with the codename "Mountain-Crossing Wind." His subordinates were Wang Wenxu and Xu Jixian. His superior was in Shendu, and unless something major happened, they made contact once every six months through the pharmacy on West Street.

Xiao He spent a full half hour explaining all the secrets.

Xiang Yuan listened until his head hurt. "If your superior dies, wouldn't your identity in the Imperial City Directorate be lost?"

"Yes."

Xiao He nodded. If he died, no one would know who Wang Wenxu or Xu Jixian were. That would ensure their safety, but proving their identities would be incredibly troublesome.

Xiang Yuan nodded. That was much stricter than the Six Doors.

"I've told you everything. What do you think, Brother Yuan?"

Xiao He gave him a plaintive look. "If you don't want to join, just tell me. This back-and-forth, this uncertainty—I'm tired of it. I don't want to go on like this."

"I don't want to."

"I don't believe you!"

"Believe whatever you want. As long as I'm happy."

Xiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Suppose I joined the Imperial City Directorate. What would you have me do?"

"An endless supply of pills and weapons. You wouldn't have to risk your life. You could just focus on practicing martial arts." Xiao He smiled.

So getting kept like this was an option?

Xiang Yuan didn't believe him. He frowned at Xiao He, telling him to stop trying to fool him with empty promises.

"Everyone has their own aspirations and strengths. Your future lies in the Martial Path, Brother Yuan. How could I put the cart before the horse?"

Xiao He sounded certain. He couldn't tell where Xiang Yuan had learned his martial arts, but even a blind man could see how high his talent was.

Take the night at the mass grave, for example. Sima Qingyan had used her sect's ultimate technique, hoping to turn the tables. But Xiang Yuan had learned it after watching once, and after watching twice, he could use a sword to imitate seven or eight tenths of its intent.

And Xiang Yuan had always practiced with a saber. His talent was truly astonishing.

Now that he had found such an uncut jade, Xiao He naturally wanted him to develop along the Martial Path. Sending him out to take risks wouldn't just be a waste of talent—it would be throwing away a hard-won opportunity for nothing.

Xiao He meant every word. He promised him all kinds of benefits and invited Xiang Yuan to bring his talent to the Imperial City Directorate.

After hearing him out, Xiang Yuan nodded to himself and said frankly, "It's good of you to keep me safe, but practicing martial arts is like rowing upstream. If I lose the will to advance, I'll stagnate at best. My master once said that cultivation can't be done in isolation. I need outside forces to temper myself. Only by learning from the strengths of others and enduring a thousand trials can I reach the summit and look down on all the mountains below."

"That won't be difficult. Fengxian County borders the Southern Border. It has no shortage of whetstones."

Xiang Yuan nodded. If that was the case, then he was the one getting the better deal. Not bad—Xiao He was really laying it on thick.

"Brother Yuan, I've already thought it through. First, I'll arrange an identity for you in the open. Then I'll teach you disguise and transformation techniques. One identity in the open, one in the shadows—they'll complement each other. In three to five years, I guarantee you'll be a master in your own right." Xiao He narrowed his eyes.

In three to five years, Xiang Yuan would at the very least have reached the innate realm. Who knew where he'd be in ten years? By then, Xiao He would be the one clinging to his lucky star.

And if he could also get close to Xiang Yuan's mysterious master, he wouldn't have to lift a finger. He could lie back and fulfill his ambitions.

"But there's one thing I should make clear first. You need to be prepared, Brother Yuan."

Xiao He's expression turned serious. "Everyone in the Imperial City Directorate is a nobody. We live in the shadows and die in the shadows. Xu and I are both useless. You won't earn a reputation for righteousness by joining the Directorate. Even if you become famous, it'll only be a cover. I have many plans in motion, and I'm not deliberately deceiving you."

Those who excel in war leave no great deeds behind; those who excel in healing leave no glorious fame. Keep your head down and strike from the shadows—brilliant!

Xiang Yuan wasn't interested in fame. Take Old Daoist Quexin, for example. He had been lying low in Dezhou for ten years, and who knew he was a divine master with unfathomable methods? Even the strongest in the world could treat fame like dirt. Why should Xiang Yuan care?

Besides, the Dry Abyss Realm was only one world. The brilliance of the myriad heavens was what truly mattered.

He could do without that kind of fame!

Xiang Yuan had no more questions, so he changed the subject. "What about Mister? Why hasn't he come?"

"He's embarrassed. The food and wine are ready. He said he'd come apologize tonight, and he won't back out."

Xiao He led Xiang Yuan out of the underground palace and found Xu Jixian still kneeling there. He had Xu demonstrate the wonders of his disguise and transformation techniques.

Xu Jixian's codename in the Imperial City Directorate was "Black Ringed Snake," a fitting match for his dark face. Wang Wenxu's codename was "Red Centipede." For Xiang Yuan, Xiao He had originally picked "Five-Step Drop," but Xiang Yuan thought it sounded awful and changed it to "Bamboo Leaf Green."

At least that sounded more refined.

Xu Jixian fetched his tools and, right in front of Xiang Yuan, made a lifelike human-skin mask. He placed it on his face, and it was so convincing it was practically indistinguishable from Xiang Yuan.

A long face, protruding ears, tall and burly, with a strong build—like Xiang Yuan after three to five years of growing up badly.

"Brother Yuan, does it look like you?"

Xu Jixian sounded proud. "I have plenty of tricks, but I'm best at making human-skin masks. They won't come off in water or let blood seep through. They're light, breathable, and full of advantages. And with these eyes of mine, I can change into anyone's appearance after seeing them just once. No one could find fault with it."

Like hell it did!

You could pass for a big, burly water ghost, but you couldn't handle a refined face.

Xiang Yuan's face darkened. Other than a clean-cut look, that lanky monkey in front of him didn't resemble him in the slightest. Who did Xu think he could fool with such a shoddy disguise?

"It is a little off, but I have another idea. Qingyan has a similar build to you. When the need arises, she can impersonate you." Xiao He nodded firmly.

Xiang Yuan's eyelid twitched. Maybe their heights were similar, but the young lady had an exaggerated chest. It wouldn't work... right?

Besides, he was still growing. Sima Qingyan could pass for him for a while, but within half a year, they'd be found out.

For a moment, Xiang Yuan thought of the Formless Seal Method. If they were talking about disguises and transformations, that divine art encompassed ten thousand appearances and was surely the greatest of them all!