Night had fallen deep.
Two Daoists walked along the street outside the Prince of Nankang's Residence.
One of them was Zhou Youzi.
He was saying, "Senior Brother, the Attendant Tower deliberately made things difficult for us today. If the Prince of Nankang's Residence will intervene, the situation will be different."
The Daoist beside him was thin, with a long beard and a Fly-Whisk in hand. His expression was serene.
He nodded. "I'll have to rely on you to deal with the Government Offices."
"On our sect's reputation," Zhou Youzi said, shaking his head. "The Attendant Tower gave us too little time. There's no word of the two missing attendants, and we're no good at divination. We have no leads and too few people. We need help. But to visit the Prince's Residence at night and ask them to commit their people, we'll have to offer something in return..."
"To gain something, one must first give. I understand." The thin old Daoist nodded. "Of course I'll deal with the Marquis of Linru County's trouble, but I can't free myself for the next two days. We can agree for now and give him a Heartblood Talisman for protection. While we're at it, I'll examine him with the Mind-Discerning Mirror. That will give us some idea of what to expect before we visit our martial uncle at Kunlun."
Zhou Youzi could not help saying, "You said you would visit that martial uncle several days ago, Senior Brother. But since then, you've only visited a few nearby Daoist Temples."
"We'll need their support later. With these Daoist Temples behind us, it'll be easier to negotiate with Kunlun," the thin old Daoist said evenly.
Zhou Youzi nodded in agreement, but he knew perfectly well that if his senior brother had not hit a wall at