An opening, a Confucian cultivator subdues a demon [Bonus chapter for the Most Innocent Alliance Leader]

Inside the inn.

After exchanging a few casual words with Wang Ru, Xu Qingxiao returned to his room alone.

The Prefectural Examination was the day after tomorrow, so Wang Ru did not want to disturb him. Seeing that Xu Qingxiao had returned, he had nothing more to say.

The Prefectural Examination was imminent.

Most of the Confucian scholars were preparing for it.

Notices had been posted throughout Southern Yu Prefecture, asking everyone to remain as quiet as possible. Even some bustling markets had closed, all to avoid disturbing the scholars taking the Prefectural Examination.

Inside his room.

Xu Qingxiao took a sheet of white paper and a writing brush from his luggage.

The inn provided an inkstone. He poured in a little water and began grinding ink.

Cheng Lidong posed far too great a threat to him.

The man was ambitious, ruthless, and intelligent. That was what gave Xu Qingxiao a headache.

Merely by fighting Wu Yan, he had deduced that Wu Yan had handed something over to Xu Qingxiao.

Fortunately, Xu Qingxiao had already burned it, so Cheng Lidong would never find any clues unless Xu Qingxiao revealed them himself.

The item involved something major. Xu Qingxiao believed what Cheng Lidong had said earlier; the man had not been lying to him.

They were both intelligent men. Sometimes, telling the truth worked better than telling lies.

But what did it involve?

The clue was Ping'an County.

Who could possibly figure that out?

Xu Qingxiao did not dwell on what Wu Yan had given him. That was not the point. Dealing with Cheng Lidong was his most pressing concern.

With that thought, Xu Qingxiao began writing a plan on the paper.

The first matter, however, was not Cheng Lidong, but entering the ranks.

After the Prefectural Examination, he would find time to enter the ranks. He had an excuse, too: he could say that Literary Qi had entered his body, bringing him an insight that allowed him to break through to the Ninth Rank in one burst of momentum.

It was not entirely convincing, but it was not far-fetched.

So his first task was to enter the ranks-the Ninth-Rank Martial Dao.

Only the second task concerned Cheng Lidong.

Every additional day the man lived was another day Xu Qingxiao had to guard against him. Now that he had thoroughly offended Cheng Lidong, the man probably would not let him off either.

In other words, there was only one possible outcome to their current situation.

Either you die, or I live.

How do I kill Cheng Lidong?

That was a question worth considering carefully.

The man did not seem like someone who took bribes or embezzled money. Someone with such grand ambitions would disdain those flyspeck profits.

He was also conscientious in his work and drew a clear line between public duty and private affairs, as had been evident in Ping'an County.

Aside from his deathly pale complexion, he seemed to have no flaws.

After thinking it over carefully, Xu Qingxiao realized that Cheng Lidong really did seem to have no shortcomings. Killing him would be difficult.

This was troublesome.

As a Confucian scholar, he certainly could not commit murder and robbery. That would violate both his conscience and moral principles.

Morality was the main issue. His conscience was secondary; after all, they had a grudge.

The Master had said, "Repay resentment with uprightness." Cheng Lidong wanted to kill him, so there was nothing wrong with his wanting to kill Cheng Lidong in return.

But morality was the greatest obstacle. From the standpoint of the Confucian Dao, the man was troubling him as part of his duties, and Xu Qingxiao had indeed done something wrong. Yet he refused to accept it and even wanted to kill the man.

Of course, the fundamental reason was still... he could not beat him.

If he could, Xu Qingxiao would find a suitable justification.

Even if he advanced to the Ninth Rank, he would be no match for Cheng Lidong. The man was an Eighth-Rank Martial Warrior, and every rank was a whole new heaven, a gulf difficult to cross.

The Righteous Haoran Qi within him was useless, too. Cheng Lidong was not an evil spirit.

"Uh... what if I make him practice an Unorthodox Art, too?"

Suddenly, a thought surfaced in Xu Qingxiao's mind.

The instant it appeared, it sprouted like a seedling and grew into a towering tree.

Exactly. Make him practice an Unorthodox Art, too. Then, if he dares report me, I can report him right back. Let's see whether people believe a scholar or a martial warrior.

There was an old saying that put it well.

People did not want to believe a bandit was named Zhang Muzhi. They would rather believe he was called Zhang Mazi.

This was a good plan.

Xu Qingxiao made up his mind.

But how could he get the man to practice an Unorthodox Art willingly?

Take out an Unorthodox Art and tell him, "Practice this, and I'll tell you the secret"?

He shook his head. Cheng Lidong was no fool. He would not fall for it.

Xu Qingxiao frowned.

He could not think of a way to make Cheng Lidong willingly practice an Unorthodox Art.

"I can't think from my own perspective. I have to think from his."

Xu Qingxiao shook his head. He would never find a solution from his own perspective. He had to put himself in Cheng Lidong's shoes.

Immediately, Xu Qingxiao closed his eyes and began imagining himself as Cheng Lidong.

"Suppose I'm Cheng Lidong now. There are two things I want most."

"Kill Xu Qingxiao, or uncover the secret and then kill Xu Qingxiao."

"Given the current situation, uncovering the secret is impossible, so all I can do is kill Xu Qingxiao. But the Prefectural Lord only permits me to investigate this matter in secret. I can't act against him openly. I can only keep tailing him."

"The problem is, even if I follow Xu Qingxiao, that little bastard probably won't let his horse's hoof show."

"Killing him outright won't do. It would bring me trouble, and the trail would be cut off completely."

"I must find evidence that will drive him to despair. Only then can I control him."

"What evidence could make him despair completely?"

"Despair!"

"Evidence!"

Xu Qingxiao's brow furrowed more and more tightly. He had fully immersed himself in Cheng Lidong's perspective, so deeply that he was even cursing himself.

Whoosh.

After a long while, a gust blew through the window and extinguished the oil lamp.

The room instantly went dark.

Silence.

Silence.

A falling needle could have been heard.

Xu Qingxiao held his breath as one thought after another flashed through his mind.

Finally, Xu Qingxiao sprang to his feet.

He had found an opening.

Doctor Zhao.

He was the only opening.

Xu Qingxiao himself could never become the opening, and only two and a half people currently knew that he practiced an Unorthodox Art.

One was himself, another was Doctor Zhao, and the remaining half was Zhou Ling. After all, Zhou Ling had only spoken in very veiled terms; whether he knew remained uncertain.

Besides, Cheng Lidong would not dare provoke Zhou Ling.

The only person he could control was Doctor Zhao.

So the only opening was Doctor Zhao.

With that thought, Xu Qingxiao did not hesitate.

He rose, left his room, and found an inn attendant, asking him to lead the way to the Prefectural Lord's Residence.

Xu Qingxiao did not know whether Cheng Lidong would think of this, but he had to guard against future trouble. If Cheng Lidong realized it and left Southern Yu Prefecture to find Doctor Zhao, things would become troublesome.

He was not merely worried about being exposed. He was more concerned that Cheng Lidong, now burning with rage, might harm Doctor Zhao. That would be bad.

Xu Qingxiao believed the man would dare do it. With "a thorough investigation into Unorthodox Arts" as his excuse, his superiors would say nothing. After all, the target was only a physician.

He ran the entire way.

Xu Qingxiao arrived at the Prefectural Lord's Residence.

"Who goes there?"

Outside the Prefectural Lord's Residence, eight martial bailiffs stood watch with sabers at their sides, glaring fiercely at Xu Qingxiao.

Once they saw his appearance, however, their expressions softened somewhat.

"I am Xu Qingxiao, a friend of Li Xin, the Prefectural Lord's son. Sorry for the trouble, but could you go inside and announce me? I have urgent business with Brother Li."

Xu Qingxiao introduced himself as he spoke, then took out a banknote and offered it to them.

No one took offense at excessive courtesy.

Ten taels of silver was a great deal, but the matter was important, so he could not fuss over details. Besides, it was not his money anyway.

"Xu Qingxiao? Xu Wangu?"

Hearing Xu Qingxiao introduce himself, the man looked surprised. A moment later, his expression grew even warmer.

"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll announce you immediately. Please keep the silver. We couldn't possibly accept it."

Even the gatekeeper of a prime minister held Seventh-Rank standing; the bailiffs outside the Prefectural Lord's residence were certainly no ordinary men either.

Knowing who Xu Qingxiao was, the man did not dare accept his silver. He opened the gate and went straight inside to announce him.

The others stole occasional glances at Xu Qingxiao. Whenever their eyes met his, they invariably gave awkward, ingratiating smiles.

Such were the benefits of fame.

Tap, tap, tap.

Before long, Li Xin hurried into view before Xu Qingxiao, barefoot and visibly excited.

"Brother Qingxiao, what's wrong?"

A late-night visit surely meant urgent business. Li Xin asked directly, full of curiosity.

"Brother, do me a favor."

"Whatever happens, keep watch over Cheng Lidong until I leave Southern Yu Prefecture. You must not let him leave, no matter what. As for why, I'll explain after the Prefectural Examination."

Xu Qingxiao pulled Li Xin aside, then lowered his voice to a whisper at his ear.

"All right. Understood."

Li Xin knew better than to ask more. His answer was simple, but his resolve was firm.

"Thank you."

Xu Qingxiao offered a formal bow. Li Xin immediately shook his head, feeling that Xu Qingxiao was being far too polite, then tried to invite him inside to rest.

But Xu Qingxiao declined.

He politely excused himself on the grounds that the Prefectural Examination was imminent.

Li Xin did not insist. After watching Xu Qingxiao leave, he headed back into the residence. Before entering, however, he looked at the bailiffs by the gate and said,

"As far as you're concerned, Brother Xu never came to see me tonight. This is a small token of my appreciation."

As he spoke, he took out a banknote worth five taels of silver. It was indeed a small token.

"We understand."

Those serving at the Prefectural Lord's gate certainly did not lack brains. Once instructed, they would not act recklessly.

Meanwhile.

Back at the inn once more.

Xu Qingxiao let out a long breath.

He felt somewhat relieved of a heavy burden.

Yet a stone still weighed on him.

Looking at the bright moon outside, Xu Qingxiao felt a jumble of emotions.

He had thought he had broken free of the game.

Unexpectedly, he was still caught within it.

Fortunately, he held the initiative.

After some thought, Xu Qingxiao did not forget his proper business. He went to the bed, preparing to enter the Literary Palace and tell the handsome man some good news.

At that moment, the moon shone bright among sparse stars.

Twenty li outside Southern Yu Prefecture.

Deep within a great mountain.

An unbearably piercing growl rang out.

An enormous red-and-white snake slithered through the mountain forest.

The giant snake was a zhang thick and dozens of zhang long, a deeply unnerving sight.

It was a snake, not a python.

On the eastern side of the mountain.

The giant snake plowed through everything in its path, its twisting body looking even more terrifying beneath the moonlight.

But when it reached the foot of the mountain.

A figure suddenly appeared.

"Demonic beast, how dare you!"

A furious shout rang out. Streams of Righteous Haoran Qi swirled around the man, shining in the darkness.

It was Master Liu.

Facing the demon, he showed no fear whatsoever. His furious shout shook the Serpent Demon into a startled roar.

Roar.

A piercing hiss rang out. The giant serpent dared not charge; instead, it twisted around and fled.

As the giant serpent turned away.

Master Liu remained utterly still, showing no intention of pursuing it.

There was no other reason.

Grand Confucians suppressed demons; Confucian Cultivators cowed monsters.

At the Eighth Rank of Body Cultivation, all they could do was intimidate demons and monsters.

Simply put, demons and monsters could do nothing to Confucian Cultivators, but likewise, Confucian Cultivators could do nothing to demons and monsters.

Upon reaching the realm of a Grand Confucian, they would gain a few methods, though these were still less direct than those of martial artists or cultivators.

In the southern area.

Master Chen's furious roar rang out.

In the northern area.

Master Qi's furious roar rang out as well.

Finally, in the western area.

The martial artists among Southern Yu Prefecture's constables had long since been sharpening their blades, eager for action.

Special thanks to the generous Black 21 for becoming an Alliance Leader!

Three extra chapters, to be finished next week. This week, I'll first deliver the chapters owed to the generous Most Innocent!