Who Gave You the Right?

Jiang Che sat motionless in his room for a long while, but his thoughts gradually grew clearer.

Instances arose from crises.

Another Demon Calamity would erupt in Ailin this year.

Both were still only conjectures, nothing he could rely on. Yet the more he turned them over in his mind, the more likely they seemed.

More importantly, if he guessed wrong about something like this, he would merely waste some effort and invite a few laughs.

But if it came true, the entire city would be toppled, its people wiped out.

Could he gamble on that?

Since he could not, he would have to investigate.

Having thought it through, Jiang Che pushed open the door and stepped outside.

As luck would have it, he ran straight into his fellow disciples returning from a celebratory drinking session. Still tipsy, they nodded to him one after another, and Jiang Che returned each greeting.

During their three days of rest, they had gone out to enjoy themselves almost every day. They had been under far too much pressure, and Ailin's wretched environment hardly helped. Not only was spiritual energy scarce, it was also mixed with traces of demonic qi, making cultivation anything but smooth. So almost everyone who did not need to recover from injuries went out.

The others dispersed, leaving only Zhang Erguo and Hu Yan behind.

Those two had faced life and death alongside him. Zhang Erguo, in particular, could tell at a glance that something was wrong.

"What happened?"

Jiang Che did not explain in detail. He simply asked, "Senior Sister Hu, Senior Brother Guo'er, do you trust me?"

"Why would you ask that?" Zhang Erguo said. "Whatever happens, of course I trust you."

Hu Yan, meanwhile, said nothing, but her expression had already turned serious.

She had her own thoughts on the matter: Jiang Che had always been close to Lord Du and had received a warning from him before the battle at Little Hidden Temple. During that battle, when the True Demon appeared, its first strike had been aimed at their group. Jiang Che had been within the area covered by the Sword Qi, and Lord Du had blocked it with his treasured cauldron, saving his life.

That made it clear that Jiang Che truly was close to Du Yongchang. Most likely, he had obtained some information from that lord again, or received a hint that could not be spoken of openly.

How could Hu Yan take this lightly? She asked cautiously, "Has Lord Du said something else?"

Jiang Che could more or less guess what Hu Yan was thinking, but he could not tell her the truth.

The truth was absolutely out of the question. The consciousness space, the instances, events from years ago... If he spoke of such things, he would either be taken for a madman or treated as some evil creature and hauled away for interrogation.

If he wanted to enlist Hu Yan, who was practically the strongest person below Qi Refining in Ailin, Du Yongchang's name was his only useful leverage.

He neither confirmed nor denied it. "It's not something I can readily discuss."

"I understand. Then... what do you need me to do?"

"There are indeed two things I hope you can help with," Jiang Che said. "First, look through Ailin's County Gazetteer. Focus on two things: how it recorded the Demon Calamity seven years ago, in Xianxi Year Twenty-Two, and what records it has concerning Little Hidden Temple."

"I'll go," Hu Yan said. "I have access to the Hall Department's archives. Even at the County Office, no one would dare stop me once I gave Azure Mystic's name."

Her standing was the highest, making her suited to the task.

Jiang Che nodded slightly, then turned to Zhang Erguo and brought up the second matter.

"Then, sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother Guo'er, but please ask around and see whether anyone survived the Demon Calamity seven years ago. If you find someone, ask what happened back then. You can also ask whether anything unusual happened before this latest incident at Little Hidden Temple."

Zhang Erguo thumped his chest. "All right. I'll definitely get you some answers, Junior Brother."

"Thank you for the trouble." Jiang Che cupped his hands.

"What about you?" Hu Yan asked.

"I'm going to see Lord Du."

After parting with the two, Jiang Che headed straight to the Hall Department and gave his name, requesting an audience with Du Yongchang.

Something this serious was more than their few scrawny arms and legs could shoulder. But if he could gain the support of a Qi Refining lord, things would become much easier.

The Upper-Level Route was more reliable.

The only problem was that he could not tell the truth, which made things difficult.

Still, he had to give it a try.

Even if he failed, gaining some new information or clues would be worthwhile. Perhaps the Qi Refining lords knew something else that he did not.

The disciple who went to announce him soon returned to lead the way.

Ordinary registered disciples in the Hall Department did not receive such courtesy. As he walked through, he drew several envious looks.

Once inside, Jiang Che first paid his respects, then took out a handwritten booklet and presented it with both hands.

"This disciple has come to report something. While clearing the battlefield in the ruins of Little Hidden Temple, I happened upon a fortuitous opportunity and obtained a cultivation method called the Candlelight Thousand-Jin Finger. I dared not keep it to myself, so I copied it out and brought it here for your inspection, my lord."

He still adhered strictly to his principle of not lying. The opportunity had indeed come while he was clearing the battlefield at Little Hidden Temple, and the cultivation method had indeed been an unexpected gain. He had merely skipped a large stretch of what happened in between.

He had brought it both to open the conversation and to give the cultivation method a legitimate origin.

After all, something like this could not remain hidden. Once he used it in a fight, he would need to explain where it came from. Rather than conceal it and arouse suspicion, he might as well lay it out first and claim the credit for being forthcoming.

Du Yongchang took it and gave it a casual glance, then raised his brows slightly.

"It really is a fine cultivation method. A speck of candlelight, the force of a thousand jin. Its approach is upright, its execution mature. Among Embryonic Breath methods, it ranks at the very top. Even someone who has just entered Qi Refining could use it without embarrassment if they had nothing better. Your luck truly leaves nothing to be desired, boy. However..."

Du Yongchang changed tack and continued, "This is a cultivation method of the Buddhist Path. You need a foundation in Buddhist learning to cultivate it properly. We of Azure Mystic have never practiced Buddhism. Without that foundation, even three or five years of practice will only get you the barest surface. Give up on it early and stop wasting your time."

"This disciple accepts your instruction," Jiang Che said. "But with a mountain of treasure before me, I cannot bear to return empty-handed. I thought I would try first. If it truly proves impossible, it will not be too late to set it aside."

"I can't be bothered with you. Young people never turn back until they've smashed their heads bloody."

Perhaps reminded of his own failed attempts at sword cultivation, Du Yongchang lost interest and casually tossed the booklet back to him.

Clearly, this thing held little value for him.

With the preliminaries out of the way, Jiang Che finally asked about the real matter, his tone casual, as though making conversation. "My lord, there is something else this disciple is curious about. What became of the Demon Sword the True Demon wielded that day?"

"Why are you asking about that?"

"I was merely curious. One stroke from that thing nearly cleaved this disciple in two that day. It was truly formidable."

"Steward Wei took it. He's wanted to refine a magic sword that suits his hand for a long time. That blank was just right."

Jiang Che's heart sank, but he did not let it show. "My lord, this disciple was close to that sword that day and saw it clearly. Its evil runs bone-deep. I fear it may be dangerous."

Du Yongchang snorted. "A low-level cultivator after all, with no knowledge to speak of. If you Embryonic Breath cultivators took an evil thing like that, even a trace of residual demonic qi could kill you. But in a Qi Refining cultivator's hands, it's nothing more than a blank. Find a few treasures to purge its evil qi, and it becomes a fine sword. With Old Wei's abilities, could a lifeless object really get the better of him?"

"In this disciple's humble opinion, the sword's origins are unknown. It would still be... better not to use it."

Du Yongchang's expression darkened.

"Who gave you the right?"