An Impostor Guest in a Noble House

Li Fuchan was not foolish enough to go straight to Jia Hua.

Having had his spiritual essence wounded by Li Fuchan, the man was probably suffering.

If he flew into a rage and killed him, Li Fuchan would lose even his guaranteed share.

Over the past year, he had nurtured his "Mirage Pavilion" Spirit Talismans to ever greater perfection, and had gone on to refine a second Spirit Talisman called "Flying Glare." It, too, was a material Transformation Spirit Talisman.

Its uses were simple: first, greatly enhancing eyesight; second, lending objects liveliness.

Li Fuchan had tested the enhancement to his eyesight in private. Once he activated the Spirit Talisman, he could see every minute detail a hundred zhang away, as though a telescope had appeared before his eyes. If he eventually refined it to full mastery and combined it with several other Spirit Talismans, his gaze itself could acquire a measure of power.

For now, though, its most useful function was "lending objects liveliness."

Combined with his Illuminating Light, that ability produced all sorts of Transformations.

Applied to weapons, it could confer certain qualities upon their blades—cutting through iron like mud or concealing hidden force, depending entirely on how he used it. On his flying sword, it enhanced sharpness and speed; on a Qi-Form False Body shaped from qi, it added a spark of vitality out of nowhere, making its eyes expressive and its movements natural rather than wooden and dull.

Ordinary cultivators could not see through it.

Using this method, he gathered some mundane qi outside and carefully fashioned two false bodies, concealing one inside the other with a seamless fit.

The identity he was assuming now was Gao Qin. Fortunately, Gao Qin had a burly build and a broad frame, so these layers of disguise fit just right. Rather than looking bloated, he cut an imposing figure.

Moreover, Gao Qin was only at the second level of Aperture Opening and attracted little attention.

He did not need to steal the heavens and swap out the sun. It would be enough to let Daoist Jia Hua know he had arrived.

Once everything was ready, Li Fuchan put on Gao Qin's face and swaggered toward a town under the Gao Household's rule.

It was called Rouran Town, one of the two towns governed by the Gao Household.

The two cultivators guarding the town spotted a burly figure approaching from afar. At first, they paid him little mind, but once they made out his face, surprise showed on both their faces.

Looking neither left nor right, Li Fuchan went straight to a blue-brick courtyard in town and announced himself to the man in charge.

The steward was an elderly cultivator with graying hair and beard, surnamed Zhou, the dominant surname in Rouran Town. His ancestor had once been a groom who led horses for the Gao Household's forebear. Seventy years ago, a traitor from their ranks had caused the Gao Household considerable trouble. Had it not been for that old bond, they would long since have been reduced to mortals.

He, too, paused at the sight of Gao Qin, then smiled. "Gao Qin? You've been away quite a while."

As they spoke, someone emerged from the teahouse nearby—a tall, thin man with slightly prominent cheekbones and eyes that darted rapidly about.

At the sight of Gao Qin, he froze, then hurried over and looked him up and down. "Brother Qin? Why did it take you so long to come back? The lads thought you'd met your end out there!"

Gao Qin had not attained Outer Scenery, and Li Fuchan had read roughly eighty percent of his memories, so he showed no uncertainty.

Knowing that this man was rough and forthright by nature, always speaking bluntly without restraint, he waved a hand and laughed at the top of his lungs. "Met my end, my ass! I took an assignment from Warm-Cool Mountain and wound up away for four years. I only just got free and rushed back as fast as I could!"

Understanding dawned on the tall, thin man's face. "No wonder. Warm-Cool Mountain has been handing out more mapping and record-making assignments these past few years, surveying the terrain. Four years away isn't all that unusual."

As he spoke, another three or five people heard the commotion and gathered around, greeting him all at once. These were all people Gao Qin regularly caroused with—some sons of collateral branches of the clan, others retainers of different surnames. Every face wore a warm welcome.

The tall, thin man grabbed Li Fuchan's arm and laughed. "Good to have you back, good to have you back! We haven't seen Brother Qin in four years. Whatever happens, we're giving you a proper welcome feast today. Come on, come on! We're going to Longwind Tower. My treat!"

Someone beside him immediately jeered, "Feeling generous today, are you? Usually you're an iron rooster that won't shed a feather. Don't tell me you need a favor from Brother Qin?"

The tall, thin man cursed with a laugh. "Bullshit! When have I ever been stingy? Brother Qin finally comes back, and there's something wrong with treating him to a decent meal?"

Amid the laughter, the crowd escorted Li Fuchan toward Longwind Tower.

Longwind Tower was not particularly large, and his arrival caused another flurry of surprise. A large table by the window was personally arranged and cleared for them. Everyone bustled into their seats, several pots of warmed spirit wine were brought over, and dishes followed in a steady stream.

Li Fuchan sat upright in the seat of honor and raised his wine bowl, his smile brimming with sky-high bravado. Inside, however, his mind was clear as a polished mirror, taking in every sight and sound around him.

After three rounds of wine, the tall, thin man's face had reddened. He leaned over and lowered his voice. "Brother Qin, a lot has changed at home in the four years you've been away. The ancestor is still in seclusion, and the main branch over at Warm-Cool Mountain... tsk, they're getting harder and harder to deal with."

Another man chimed in, "Exactly. Now that you're back, you ought to go make the rounds at Warm-Cool Mountain first. Your assignment might not have earned you much credit, but you put in the work. Don't let someone pocket it."

Listening, Li Fuchan merely picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and tossed it into his mouth. "What's the hurry?" he mumbled. "Let's eat and drink our fill first."

Inwardly, though, he carefully committed every name and every connection to memory. They might prove useful someday.

Meanwhile, somewhere beyond Li Fuchan's sight, up on Warm-Cool Mountain...

Two men were talking. The man in the seat of honor held a document bearing Gao Qin's name.

"He suddenly vanished four years ago. I've already sent clan guards to question those connected to him. He found a Resurrection Clam and wanted to keep it all for himself. Now he's returned after four years, and his purpose is unclear."

"Could it be Self-Sacrifice Zen? Back then, the ancestor shot him dead with one arrow and sent him off to reincarnate. Has he come back for revenge?"

The man at the head shook his head. "Now that we've been chosen, we can just about claim to have a backer. Self-Sacrifice Zen won't lightly wade into these muddy waters. Besides, I've already sent someone to look. It probably isn't a person—more like some uncanny creature or spell."

A vicious glint crossed Gao Gongjin's broad eyes beneath his long brows. "Most likely something from the Yuchi Household, sent to disgust us. I'll go shoot him dead right now..."

He snatched up the heavy black bow beside the table and rose to leave.

Gao Gonglu had headed the household for twenty-three years and knew his younger brother's temper all too well. He quickly stopped him. "What's the hurry? I had someone inspect this person's disguise closely. The workmanship is crude, hardly clever, and that is precisely what suggests he has no hostile intentions. If he meant to infiltrate our Gao Household and cause trouble, why hide in an outlying town? He would have wormed his way into the inner residence long ago. Showing himself so brazenly like this, I suspect he's reminding someone that he's arrived."

Gao Gongjin was not simply a mindless killer. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll notify the envoy from the higher sect."

With that, he slung the bow over his back and strode away.

Watching him go, Gao Gonglu sighed softly, a faint cloud of worry weighing on his brow.

Wearing Gao Qin's identity, Li Fuchan spent two days idly mingling in town as though nothing were amiss.

On the morning of the third day, he woke and strolled out through the courtyard gate. Everything seemed the same as usual, but a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes, and he noticed something wrong.

The peddler on the street corner and the customers in the teahouse had all been replaced by unfamiliar faces. There were several times as many clan guards on patrol as before. Though all wore ordinary clothes, that faintly discernible air of menace could not escape his eyes.

They moved quickly. Li Fuchan returned indoors without betraying anything on his face.

At dawn the next day, Li Fuchan rolled over and sat up. His gaze happened to sweep past the head of his bed, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

A line of writing had appeared there: "All of this arose from Hua's rashness. Please do not worry. Bring your true body here; Hua can resolve the matter of how to cultivate the Ancient Arts."

At the sight of the writing, Li Fuchan sneered and, without the slightest hesitation, slapped his own brow. His body and clothes underwent Transformation into a cloud of mist that dispersed with a soft puff, soaking the bed and bedding through.

A little later, a servant of the Gao Household walked openly into the room. Feeling the dampness on the bed, he frowned. "Where on earth did this ruthless fellow come from? How does he know so many Ancient Arts? It seems I offended him earlier. Now he won't release the hawk until he sees the hare."

On a barren mountain far from Rouran Town, Li Fuchan opened his eyes, a cunning glint flashing through their narrow depths. The old bastard takes me for a fool. He wants to see my true body without offering any benefits? Not a chance.