An Instant Kill

At the third quarter of the midnight hour, the moonlight was dim, and the sky hung high, black as pitch.

In the rear courtyard of Peace River City's prefectural office, two squads of armored soldiers patrolled in intersecting routes. The scrape of their armor plates was especially clear in the night.

Shen Qingzhou stood in the shadows by the wall, a spirit talisman pinched between his fingertips. He drew off a thread of spiritual energy from his sea of qi and infused it into the talisman. Then he stepped out of the shadows. Two soldiers approached him head-on, no more than three feet away.

Shen Qingzhou did not slow his stride. He simply walked straight through the gap between them.

In that instant, it was as though they had become blind men with their eyes wide open. A living person passed right between them, yet they saw nothing.

The study was brightly lit, with the scent of wine drifting from within.

On the window paper, the side profile of a man was bent over something.

This man was the newly appointed prefect. He leisurely picked at his nails, his eyes fixed on the account books spread before him.

He gave a low chuckle and muttered, "That old dog of the Xu Family really thinks he's somebody... Once I confiscate his household, that residence will be perfect for hiding a beauty in a golden house—no, for entertaining immortal masters."

He recalled the Xu Family's daughter he had seen that day, and his heart immediately began to itch.

"But I'll have to keep that little girl for myself... She's fresh and lovely, with more flavor than those playthings I brought from the capital. I can have the first taste, then reward her to my subordinates once I'm tired of her."

Shen Qingzhou stopped outside the window. Separated by only a layer of paper, he could hear the prefect's breathing.

He raised his hand.

Within his sea of qi, metal and water energies spun rapidly, compressing together.

A droplet of inky water formed at his fingertip. No spiritual fluctuations could be seen on its surface, yet within it lurked lethal metal energy.

With a flick of his finger.

The water droplet pierced the window paper without a sound and sank directly into the back of the prefect's head.

The prefect's hand, which had been moving the abacus, froze.

Once the droplet entered his brain, the outer layer of water-aspected spiritual energy dispersed, and the suppressed metal energy exploded.

Clang.

The prefect's head slammed onto the abacus, scattering shattered wooden beads across the floor.

He did not even manage a scream before dying on the spot.

Shen Qingzhou turned and left the prefectural office by the same route. The entire affair took less than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

At the inn, Shen Qingzhou's face was somewhat pale. Nearly thirty percent of the spiritual energy in his sea of qi had been consumed.

"Served him right."

He spat out those two words, closed his eyes, and began circulating the Abyss-Sinking Formula to restore his spiritual energy.

A hundred li outside Peace River City, inside a stone chamber built over earthfire.

A middle-aged Daoist in an ochre robe opened his eyes, his face filled with confusion.

On the stone platform before him was a row of Soul Jade Slips. The one at the far right, engraved with the words "Peace River," had already shattered into powder.

"Useless trash!" the Daoist cursed under his breath.

He formed a hand seal, but saw nothing. There was nothing at all.

This power had been concealed well, yet it was also razor-sharp.

"...Was it a method of the Kan Water Lineage? Or Kang Metal?" The yellow-robed Daoist could not quite determine it.

He had been plotting over that precious Kan Water Site outside Peace River City for some time. It had nearly fallen into his hands, yet someone had dared ruin his plans?

No matter how cautiously he had acted, he had still drawn the attention of other cultivators.

"Hmph, a rat that hides its head and shows its tail."

The Daoist exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, killing intent stirring in his heart. "...I'd like to see just who you are."

He rose and flicked his sleeve. The stone chamber doors opened, and a transmission talisman transformed into a streak of fire that flew away.

The next day, Peace River City erupted into an uproar.

News that the prefect had suddenly died of an acute illness the previous night swiftly spread throughout the city.

The government offices descended into chaos. With the prefect dead, officials from every faction began openly and secretly fighting over the vacant positions left behind.

The seals on the Xu Family's shops were quietly torn off by some minor clerk, and the detained accountant was released as well.

Shen Qingzhou sat in that teahouse, listening to the surrounding tea drinkers discuss the matter, his face expressionless.

Only when the sky was nearly dark did he rise from the teahouse and head toward the Xu Family estate.

"Who exactly did this... Who was it?!"

Xu Bonian, the family head, had not slept all night. He sat in the seat of honor, the tea before him changed seven or eight times without him taking a single sip.

The prefect had simply died.

Sweat beaded in his palms. One moment, he felt that Heaven had finally opened its eyes and rejoiced that his entire family had escaped calamity; the next, he was terrified out of his wits...

He knew very well that mortal methods could not make a prefect die so silently and suddenly. An immortal master must have acted behind the scenes.

Was this fortune or disaster?

As Xu Bonian's thoughts ran wild, a servant stumbled and crawled into the main hall, his voice trembling beyond recognition. "M-Master! Outside... outside the gate..."

"You worthless fool! Has the sky fallen or something?" Already vexed, Xu Bonian slammed his palm against the table.

"N-No..."

With a thump, the servant dropped to his knees. His face was somewhat pale as he stammered.

"There's a young Daoist outside... H-he's just standing there, b-but when this servant looked at him... I can't even say how frightening he was!"

A young Daoist?

Xu Bonian's heart sank. Forgetting all decorum, he scrambled up from his chair and staggered toward the main gate.

With a creak, he personally pushed the gates open.

Outside, the sky had already darkened. A young man in a green Daoist robe stood there.

He looked to be in his twenties, tall and slender, with an indescribable air about him.

When Xu Bonian saw this young man and connected him with what had happened yesterday, his legs went weak, and he nearly could not remain standing.

"D-Daoist... Immortal Master!"

"Oh? You've seen..."

Shen Qingzhou was somewhat curious about the other man's reaction. He seemed to have recognized at once that Shen Qingzhou was a cultivator.

"I've come to take something."

He paused, then added the latter half of his sentence.

"An iron box."

Xu Bonian froze, biting his lip.

The iron box... the one passed down by his ancestors?

At that thought, how could Xu Bonian fail to understand?

He did not dare ask, nor did he dare show the slightest neglect. He knew that the young man before him was someone he could not afford to offend!

"Daoist! P-Please come in!" Xu Bonian hurriedly bowed and ushered Shen Qingzhou into the main hall.

After dismissing all the servants, Xu Bonian personally brought forth a dust-covered black-lacquered wooden case. Opening it revealed a palm-sized iron box resting quietly within. Its surface was covered in intricate water-ripple patterns, and it felt icy cold to the touch.

Shen Qingzhou took one look and saw that it was identical to the one his senior sister had drawn.

"Daoist, this is the item passed down by my ancestors." Xu Bonian pushed the iron box before Shen Qingzhou.

Shen Qingzhou did not take it immediately.

His fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop.

"The Xu Family's troubles are already gone."

Cold sweat sprang onto Xu Bonian's forehead. His legs weakened, and he nearly fell to his knees. "Y-Yes... Yes... Thank you for acting, Daoist! The Xu Family... the Xu Family will never forget your kindness!"

"Daoist, the Xu Family... the Xu Family is willing to offer all of our assets. We ask only for your protection!" Xu Bonian said in a trembling voice.

"I don't want your assets."

Shen Qingzhou picked up the iron box and tucked it into his sleeve, smiling. "What use are your assets to me?"

Xu Bonian did not react at once.

Shen Qingzhou glanced at him. "Who left this iron box behind?"

Xu Bonian hurriedly answered, "It was recorded in my ancestor's notes. More than sixty years ago, when my ancestor was young and traveling in the northern lands as a merchant, he rescued an unconscious girl in a snowy plain. That girl was only around ten years old and had a cold temperament. After waking, she did not say a single word. She only used a small sword to write on the ground and was extremely wary of others."

"She was wounded and appeared to be hiding from someone. She recuperated in our home for three months. Before leaving, she left behind this iron box and said that she would come for it someday. She also said..."

"What did she say?"

"She said that by keeping this item for her, the Xu Family had taken on karma. Therefore, the person who came to retrieve it could grant the Xu Family one not-unreasonable request, thereby settling the matter. My ancestor had not wished for this, but that girl was stubborn by nature. She said it was the rule, and so she forcefully left behind those terms."

After Xu Bonian finished, he watched Shen Qingzhou nervously.

"So Senior Sister had such a past as well... Interesting..."

Shen Qingzhou recalled Su Yu's lazy appearance.