White Goddess Shrine

Xie An had previously observed the qi of countless dead things and living things, and made many comparisons.

The qi of living things rose, while the qi of dead things remained still... but he had never seen qi that sank.

The utterly different situation left Xie An somewhat uneasy.

Was it a lingering effect from my sudden drop after exhausting too much qi and blood just now?

Xie An got up and practiced the Mountain-Suppressing Stance once, then went through the Mountain-Taming Fist once more before returning to the mirror to inspect himself... that wisp of qi was still descending.

It was very steady.

There was no change whatsoever.

That was downright bizarre.

"Young Master, the ginseng chicken soup is ready." Qiu Lan entered just then, carrying the steaming bowl of soup. Perhaps because she had hurried all the way over, a fine sheen of sweat covered her rosy little face.

Xie An carefully examined the hot chicken soup in the porcelain bowl.

Though ordinary eyes could see the steam from the chicken soup rising, under qi-sight... its qi did not move.

By contrast, although Qiu Lan's qi was not as robust as his or Zhou Ji's, it was indeed rising, without the slightest trace of descending qi.

When Qiu Lan noticed Xie An staring at her all this time, her pretty face immediately flushed slightly. "Young Master, drink your chicken soup."

Only then did Xie An come back to his senses. He took the chicken soup and drank it unhurriedly.

After finishing the soup, Xie An had Qiu Lan drape a fox-fur cloak over him. Then he strolled out through the West Courtyard gates and headed to the training ground to watch the guards practice martial arts.

The Xie Residence governed its household guards strictly. There were morning lessons and evening training...

By observing the qi of the guards, Xie An summarized the precise uses of qi-sight:

The density of one's qi signified the strength of one's life, and this was directly linked to martial prowess.

For instance, the qi of guards at Skin Tempering was less dense than that of guards training their sinews.

Yet not a single person showed any signs of descending qi.

"When Uncle Shui returns, I'll have him take a look at the living qi inside me. Uncle Shui has seen much and knows much; if there really is something wrong with me, I can prepare a response in advance."

Xie An was not someone given to hesitation. He immediately made his decision.

Uncle Shui was considered the strongest martial master Xie An could presently come into contact with.

When faced with something so strange, asking Uncle Shui was definitely the right move.

Returning to the West Courtyard, Xie An removed his fox-fur cloak and tossed it to Qiu Lan. Standing in the courtyard, he said, "Zhou Ji, come feed me some moves."

Zhou Ji set down his saber and cupped his fist toward Xie An. Then he threw a punch directly at him.

Xie An's pupils contracted. He immediately assumed the opening stance of the Mountain-Taming Fist, one arm thrusting up like a pillar reaching the heavens to block the heavy strike.

Boom!

The force of the punch exploded, and Xie An's arm instantly went numb. Before he could even catch his breath, Zhou Ji threw another punch...

Zhou Ji was different from Zhao Hu. He had none of those flattering lines, would not give a warning before making a move, and certainly would not provide Xie An with any emotional reassurance. He simply launched into a savage, relentless assault.

It was admittedly exhausting, but Xie An also knew that if he wanted to grow as quickly as possible, he needed a ruthless and brutal whetstone like Zhou Ji.

After getting down from the carriage, Uncle Shui turned directly into Qingping Lane.

Qingping Lane was a very secluded alley, far less bustling than the other streets.

That was mainly because most of its shops dealt in matters of the dead—funeral shops.

Coffin shops, paper effigy shops, bier houses, mortuaries, and even opera troupes dedicated to singing ghost operas for the dead.

Everywhere, one could see paper effigy shop assistants scattering joss paper, bier house assistants shaking bells to drum up business, coffin bearers polishing their carrying poles, and suona players... the entire street carried a gloomy, eerie atmosphere, with a damp, chilling smell permeating the air.

Uncle Shui proceeded all the way to the end before stopping.

At the end stood an imposing building of white walls and black tiles.

Its walls were high and its courtyard deep. Two yellow lanterns hung from the gate tower, while a redwood plaque bore two large characters written in a flourish of dragons and dancing phoenixes: Xie Clan White Goddess Shrine.

Eight burly guards carrying sabers stood at the entrance, their tiger eyes flashing like lightning as they watched both sides of the road, looking ready to hack to death anyone who dared approach.

Seeing Uncle Shui, the guards all cupped their fists in salute. "Uncle Shui."

Uncle Shui nodded. "Is the master inside?"

The guard hurriedly replied, "The master came early this morning. He's inside offering incense and praying."

"Guard the gates well. Do not let strangers approach."

Leaving those words behind, Uncle Shui strode into the White Goddess Shrine.

Beyond the entrance was a large courtyard paved with bluestone bricks. There was not a single plant anywhere, leaving it broad and open. In the center stood a statue three zhang tall.

The statue depicted a gentle, compassionate woman, but it had no face carved upon it.

Uncle Shui crossed the courtyard and arrived at the entrance to the shrine's main hall.

Four large characters were written above the hall doors: Xie Clan White Goddess Shrine.

The hall was filled with burning candles, and a red carpet had been laid down its center.

Xie Zhengtang, dressed in the robes of a wealthy gentleman, was kneeling on a cushion at the end of the red carpet. His hands were pressed together as he worshipped devoutly.

"Master."

Uncle Shui called softly. Then he entered the shrine, knelt on the cushion to Xie Zhengtang's left, and bowed toward the front, knocking his head on the ground three times.

Xie Zhengtang opened his eyes. "Brother Shui, you're back. Offer three sticks of incense to the White Jade Goddess first."

"Alright."

Only after another deep bow did Uncle Shui rise. He walked to the incense table in front, lit three incense sticks, and respectfully inserted them into the censer. The incense smoke rose straight upward, all the way to the roof beam three zhang above.

At the far end of the censer, upon the altar table, stood a three-meter-tall statue. It was covered by a large piece of red cloth, making it impossible to see what lay beneath.

In the corner beneath the red cloth were scattered bones and dried bloodstains, giving off a faint smell of blood.

Uncle Shui seemed long accustomed to this and showed no surprise. After bowing, he returned to kneel on the cushion to Xie Zhengtang's left.

Xie Zhengtang maintained his devout posture with his hands pressed together as he slowly spoke. "Did today's sacrificial rites go smoothly?"

Uncle Shui frowned.

Xie Zhengtang suddenly sensed something. He whipped his head around to look at Uncle Shui. "Something really happened?"

Only then did Uncle Shui recount, in full detail, everything that had happened at the entrance to Li Family Village.

After hearing Uncle Shui's account, Xie Zhengtang's hands trembled involuntarily. "What does Brother Shui think?"

Uncle Shui said, "Li Family Village is probably not as simple as a grain official slaughtering a village. It may involve something else. Should we ask Li, the court clerk at the county yamen, what that grain-collection official did to Li Family Village back then?"

Xie Zhengtang said in a grave voice, "Things have already come to this. The evil entity has taken shape. Even if we ask, I fear it will be useless. If we drag the authorities into this, it will instead become harder for us to control the situation afterward."

Uncle Shui nodded. "How about finding the Eldest Miss and asking her to help take a look at the village entrance?"

The Eldest Miss Uncle Shui referred to was Xie Zhengtang's eldest daughter—Xie An's elder sister, who had supposedly died young.

Xie Zhengtang frowned. "In outsiders' eyes, Yu'er died long ago. It would be inappropriate to disturb her over such a matter. Better to find a formal outer disciple of Returning Dragon Abbey and have them try performing rites again."

Uncle Shui said solemnly, "The resentment over Li Family Village is soaring into the heavens. I fear even a formal outer disciple of Returning Dragon Abbey may not be able to suppress it. The outer sect is still only the outer sect; they merely bear the name and are not truly part of Returning Dragon Abbey."

Xie Zhengtang pondered in silence for a long while, then raised his head to look at the thing on the altar ahead, covered by the red veil. "Let's try it first. If it fails, we can only ask the White Jade Goddess to make a trip to Li Family Village."

Uncle Shui said no more and nodded heavily.

"Today, the Xie Household has encountered trouble. We ask the White Jade Goddess to grant us her protection!" Xie Zhengtang gave a deep bow and knocked his head against the ground.

At his side, Uncle Shui also bowed down in worship.

Though there was clearly no wind in the shrine's main hall... the incense smoke that had been rising straight upward from those three sticks suddenly reversed direction and sank straight down. Then, like smoke slipping into a crack, it drilled into the red cloth, as though something had absorbed it...