Amid the clinking of cups and crisscrossing chopsticks, the two men chatted about everything under the sun.
From Wang Kuohai, Li Qing had gained a fairly detailed understanding of the entire Great Tang Dynasty.
The Great Tang Dynasty had ruled the realm for nearly 300 years and seen fifteen emperors, yet not one had been a foolish ruler.
The current emperor, Emperor Kuntai, had originally been hailed as a wise ruler who could rival the dynasty's founding emperor, the Great Tang Ancestor.
Since ascending the throne, he had pacified the four quarters, clarified land ownership, and required officials and gentry alike to pay grain taxes. He had accomplished everything the previous fourteen emperors had failed to do.
But several years ago, Emperor Kuntai had suddenly become obsessed with seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao. He had begun levying all kinds of taxes throughout the realm and requisitioning spiritual materials and precious medicines.
All manner of exorbitant taxes had made the entire Great Tang Dynasty begin to feel strange.
Especially in recent years, several natural disasters had struck, and an undercurrent was already coursing through the Great Tang Dynasty.
Their conversation grew animated, with one speaking and the other listening.
Suddenly, Wang Kuohai said, "Mr. Qin, I have a question I'd be so bold as to ask."
Li Qing looked at Wang Kuohai and smiled faintly. "Go ahead."
A hint of unease and curiosity crossed Wang Kuohai's face.
He glanced at the songstress beside them, then spoke with a calm expression.
"You may all leave."
"Yes!"
The songstresses and dancers quickly withdrew from the room, leaving only Wang Kuohai and Li Qing.
Wang Kuohai's expression turned slightly serious as he spoke cautiously.
"I wanted to ask which school you come from: the Daoist Sect, the Buddhist Sect, the Hundred Schools of Thought, or somewhere else?"
Li Qing's heart stirred, but he kept his expression neutral. "Where do you think I come from, Chief Escort?"
Wang Kuohai gave a dry chuckle. "I don't know. I only happened to hear that beneath the surface of this Great Tang Dynasty, there's another world beyond the reach of ordinary people like us."
"Legend says it's a world known only to Buddhism, the Daoist Sect, Confucianism, Monsters, Demons, Ghosts, and the Hundred Schools of Thought."
"A world known as the Dao Lineage."
"I've only heard that the Dao Lineage has influenced many dynasties since ancient times. Its members can be found among the Three Teachings and Nine Schools, in the imperial court and the martial world."
"But those who have actually seen them are few and far between. They hide among the crowds, yet no one knows who they are."
"It's only because people have witnessed strange and wondrous things that tales of the Dao Lineage began to spread."
"From ancient myths to strange tales recorded in unofficial histories, the legends all have something to do with the Dao Lineage."
"That mysterious Flood Dragon apparition you summoned that day told me you must be part of the Dao Lineage."
"I'm asking so boldly only because I can't put the matter out of my mind. I wanted to ask Mr. Qin for guidance."
"I want to know what this Dao Lineage is really like."
"Is the legendary immortality real?"
"They say there are immortals and dragons in this world, but I don't know whether it's true."
Wang Kuohai's face was full of wonder, and he seemed to yearn for that mysterious world.
Li Qing pondered. The Dao Lineage? Hidden among ordinary people?
How is that different from the cultivation novels in my previous life, where cultivators all avoided the world to pursue their training?
There must be a secret behind this.
Seeing the hopeful look in Wang Kuohai's eyes, Li Qing replied with a faint, rueful smile.
"Ah, to be honest with you, Brother Wang..."
"I've always practiced in the mountains with my master. I only came down recently because of certain matters."
"I don't know much about the Dao Lineage you mentioned, either."
"But since its members walk among the world, I'll run into them sooner or later."
"When I've learned something, I can answer your questions."
A trace of disappointment showed in Wang Kuohai's eyes.
But thinking of Li Qing's age, he knew there was no reason for him to lie.
Wang Kuohai's expression grew a little bitter. "Ah, I've heard these stories since my ancestors' time, and I've always yearned to learn more. Unfortunately, I've never had the chance to encounter the legendary Dao Lineage."
After Wang Kuohai had hosted Li Qing, the two men climbed into separate sedan chairs and headed for the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.
Li Qing sat in the sedan, swaying gently with its movements.
Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling rose within him, as if something were watching him.
His eyes narrowed slightly. He realized this was his spiritual sense, detecting something he couldn't quite identify.
"A monster? A person? Or someone from the Dao Lineage?"
A faint, cold glint flickered in his eyes. Looks like I'll have to be careful tonight.
A quarter of an hour later, the sedan returned to the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.
Wang Kuohai and Li Qing chatted and laughed as they entered the agency.
Li Qing returned to his small courtyard, closed the door, and went to the bed.
He rolled the inner quilt into a bundle, then covered it with another quilt to make a decoy.
Then he climbed up the room's pillar and onto the rafters.
Sitting cross-legged on the rafters, he gripped the Hundred-Forged Steel Blade in his hand.
I hope it's just my imagination.
A dark look entered Li Qing's eyes. If someone really is coming, how did they get onto my trail?
He couldn't make heads or tails of it. The whole affair was shrouded in a thick Mist.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Dry weather tonight. Mind the candles and lanterns."
The night watchman's voice came from outside.
A cold expression settled in Li Qing's eyes. He simply waited in silence as his vital essence slowly circulated through his body.
Because he was deliberately keeping it under control, his vital essence gave off no Radiance beyond his body.
Suddenly, a shadow seemed to appear outside the door.
Sitting on the rafters, Li Qing immediately noticed the change outside.
His left hand drew out the Spirit Summoning Tablet, while his right gripped the Hundred-Forged Steel Blade.
The Spirit Summoning Tablet might not work, so he needed a backup plan.
The shadow outside seemed to be observing something. A hole was poked through the paper window in the door.
An eye glowing with a faint, bloody light appeared in the hole.
Then something happened that shocked Li Qing.
A figure like a shadow slowly walked through the doorway, without touching the door at all.
Cloaked in darkness, it looked like a human shape. In an eerie fashion, it headed toward the bed.
A trace of greed flickered in Zhang Yutai's eyes.
"I can't believe I've found such pure blood essence in this place."
"Swallowing his blood essence should bring me to the peak of Body Strengthening."
"That will take me one step closer to Foundation Establishment."
Greed filled his eyes as a faint bloody light spread across the man's hand.
Like a whirlpool, the bloody light reached for the bulge beneath the covers.
The instant he grabbed the bedsheet, he sensed something was wrong. There was no vital essence fluctuation ahead.
His scalp went numb. "Oh no."
A dragon's roar rang out behind him.
"Grrr!"
The moment the sound rang out, Zhang Yutai's mind was struck as if by lightning. His entire consciousness froze for an instant.
The illusory Flood Dragon behind him lunged forward, and a terrifying aura of death jolted him awake.
"A soul attack!"
He whipped around in alarm and saw an illusory Flood Dragon pouncing at him.
Without the slightest hesitation, a Jade Talisman appeared in his hand. He immediately thrust it toward the dragon behind him.
A phantom light flickered into being and collided with the oncoming Flood Dragon apparition.
The light and the dragon apparition collided, and delicate ripples shimmered around them both.
A figure leapt down from the rafters, a dazzling blade of light cutting straight toward Zhang Yutai below.