Is this a relative's child?

Upon receiving the summons, Chu Caiwei immediately left the palace, rode her horse and followed the guards to Lingbao Temple, passed through gardens and ancestral halls, and arrived at a small courtyard deep within the temple.

"Miss Caiwei, please."

An elderly eunuch in a python robe stood at the entrance of the courtyard, smiling and gesturing for the guests to enter.

Chu Caiwei hummed in agreement, then stepped lightly through the courtyard into the quiet room, her skirt swaying gently.

Inside the quiet room, Emperor Yuanjing and Luo Yuheng sat facing each other across a tea table. On the Daoist School sat a Daoist classic and an incense burner, from which wisps of smoke rose.

Chu Caiwei glanced around, saw there were no delicious pastries on the table, and disappointedly looked away. She then cupped her hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty; greetings, Imperial Advisor."

Emperor Yuanjing scrutinized his junior sister through the eyes of the white-robed Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy. She had large, bright almond-shaped eyes, a round face, and a sweet, hidden charm. She was a cheerful girl who could make people happy without them even realizing it.

"Why has the Imperial Censor summoned you to see me?"

"It's like this, my third senior brother Yang Qianhuan suffered Qi Deviation while practicing yesterday. My second senior brother isn't in the capital, and my senior brother Song and I aren't good at fighting."

Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Yuanjing frowned and interrupted, saying in a deep voice, "What? Yang Qianhuan Qi Deviation?"

The old emperor rose in a state of shock and rage, as if things were going to rain on top of a rainy night.

Luo Yuheng raised an eyebrow, her eyes gazing intently at Chu Caiwei; this was hardly the behavior of a supervisor.

Chu Caiwei remained calm and said, "Therefore, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory has asked me to borrow someone from His Majesty to fight that bald monk from the Western Regions on behalf of the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy."

Borrowing someone?!

The shrewd and calculating Emperor Yuanjing did not immediately agree. Instead, he racked his brains for a moment, but failed to identify the person he had anticipated. Only then did he frown and ask:

"Whom does the Supervisor want?"

"The Nightwatchers, Xu Qi'an, the silver gong bearer," Chu Caiwei's voice was clear and crisp.

The quiet room suddenly fell silent.

After a long pause, the old emperor asked uncertainly, "Xu Qi'an, the Silver Gong Xu Qi'an?"

"Yes, it's Xu Qi'an, the one who's really good at solving cases and died once after returning from Yunzhou," Chu Caiwei said sweetly.

Emperor Yuanjing waved his hand, "Of course I know it's him. What I mean is, why Xu Qi'an?"

The female disciple, the supervisor, is a bit too naive. You have to speak to her very clearly for her to understand.

Chu Caiwei shook her head honestly. "I don't know."

Emperor Yuanjing let out a breath and waved his hand. "I understand, you may go now."

"OK."

Chu Caiwei walked briskly, intending to go to Princess Huaiqing's Dexin Garden for tea and pastries, and to share her experiences.

After Chu Caiwei left, Emperor Yuanjing held his teacup, pondered for a long time, and asked in a heavy tone, "Grand Preceptor, what do you think?"

"Xu Qi'an is indeed talented, but as a martial artist, he has no chance of winning against the Buddhist School sect." Luo Yuheng has exquisite and dignified features, and when she is expressionless, she is like a goddess carved from jade.

"However, the Heavenly Secrets Compass is Law Artifact of the Supervisor, and it would never be lent out. Perhaps there is another reason."

Emperor Yuanjing sighed, "Never mind him. That old man is too cunning; I've never been able to see through him. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll return to the palace now."

The person Emperor Yuanjing disliked the most was the Supervisor. Throughout the entire Great Feng, he looked down on all the civil and military officials. Even Luo Yuheng, the head of the Human Sect, addressed him as a fellow Daoist and treated him as an equal.

The only one he truly looked up to was the Supervisor, whom Emperor Yuanjing could not see through at all.

This was a very difficult thing for an emperor who held supreme power.

After boarding his carriage, Emperor Yuanjing ordered, "Summon Xu Qi'an to the palace to see me."

"His Majesty wishes to see me?"

When Xu Qi'an received the message, he was eating melons Star-Gazing Tower, observing the monks led by Du'e Luohan in the crowd.

"Yes, the palace guards are waiting at the yamen. Lord Xu, please hurry." The messenger urged.

If I had arrived any later, my entire salary for the year would have been deducted. Without another word, Xu Qi'an mounted his little mare, smacked its plump rump, and hurried back to the yamen.

After meeting with the guards waiting at the yamen, Xu Qi'an entered the palace, silently passed through the east gate, and arrived at the imperial study.

Six thick red pillars supported the tall dome, and behind the large desk covered with yellow silk, there was no one.

Xu Qi'an waited for a quarter of an hour in the quiet imperial study. Emperor Yuanjing, dressed in a Daoist robe and with his black hair tied with a Daoist hairpin, arrived late. He did not sit on his own dragon throne, but stood in front of Xu Qi'an, squinting and scrutinizing him.

That look was somewhat like a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law, carrying a hint of scrutiny, confusion, and hostility!

Emperor Yuanjing stopped in front of him and said to the meek and obedient Silver Gong, "Have you heard about the contest between the Supervisor and Du'e?"

"Your Majesty, I just saw it on the imperial edict," Xu Qi'an replied respectfully.

"Battles of wits are usually divided into literary and martial arts contests. Both Du'e and Jianzheng are rare masters in the world and will not personally take action; these are usually matters between disciples."

That's understandable; the big shots sit in the back giving instructions while the disciples charge into battle. But what does that have to do with me?

As he was wondering, he heard Emperor Yuanjing say calmly, "The Supervisor just asked me for men, and I'm selecting you to fight!"

".?"

Xu Qi'an suddenly raised his head and looked at Emperor Yuanjing in astonishment.

Emperor Yuanjing stared at him. "What are your thoughts?"

"You old geezer, what are you up to? Knowing that Shen Shu is inside me, you still eagerly send me to Buddhist School." Xu Qi'an immediately said, "This humble servant is of meager strength and lacks knowledge, and I am afraid I am not up to the task. Please allow me to refuse, Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanjing snorted. "Since the Supervisor has made his decision, it will not be changed. I didn't summon you to hear these things. I wanted to tell you that this contest of magic concerns the face of the Great Feng Dynasty, and you must do everything in your power to win."

Don't you even think about why I should win?

Xu Qi'an, expressionless, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble servant obeys the decree."

Lingbao Temple.

Not long after Emperor Yuanjing left, a woman dressed in a layered, elaborate white dress, adorned with magnificent jewelry, and with her face covered by a silk scarf, entered Lingbao Temple under the protection of her guards.

Without needing to announce her arrival, she went straight into the depths of the Daoist temple and sat down in the pavilion.

On the pond beside the pavilion, sat the stunningly beautiful female imperial advisor, Luo Yuheng, suspended in mid-air.

The woman with her face covered by a silk scarf picked up a pebble and quietly threw it at Luo Yuheng. When the pebble was about three feet away from Luo Yuheng, it was bounced back by a protective aura and hit the veiled woman's forehead accurately.

She cried out "Ouch!" and squatted down, clutching her forehead, angrily saying, "So what if you're a second-rank expert? Does that mean you can bully people like that?"

Luo Yuheng opened his eyes and said helplessly, "What are you doing here? Don't disturb my cultivation if you have nothing to do."

The veiled woman, lifting her skirt, approached the pond and said excitedly, "The Buddhist School is going to have a magical duel with the Supervisor; there'll be a spectacle to watch tomorrow."

"Go and see for yourself."

"Of course I want to go see, but Emperor Yuanjing won't allow me to leave the palace. I'll have to change my appearance and sneak around to see. But I want to observe up close," the masked woman snorted.

"You can disguise yourself and have someone else take you in," Luo Yuheng said with a smile.

"After I disguise myself, nobody will recognize me. How can they take me in?" she said irritably, seemingly feeling deflated. She changed the subject, saying:

"Let me tell you, that Xu Qi'an is really annoying. I've run into him several times. He's a complete scoundrel."

"With your looks, isn't this just common sense?" Luo Yuheng replied.

"See? See? You're not even talking to me sincerely. You don't even think before you speak. How could I possibly show my true self? If I did, that lecherous man would definitely fall in love with me on the spot."

"I have transformed my appearance. After the disguise, I am a woman with an ordinary appearance, but with exceptional temperament and charm."

Luo Yuheng interrupted impatiently, "With such excellent temperament and charm, isn't it reasonable for me to be glib and smooth-talking in front of you?"

She was speechless for a moment, stunned.

"I'm not saying anything more!" The masked woman turned away angrily.

She would never admit that the person she was pretending to be was just an ordinary woman of average looks.

And yet Xu Qi'an still developed a strong sexual interest in such a woman; this man is simply a lecherous scoundrel who will not discriminate.

A despicable person.

"Do you know who will be representing the Bureau of Astronomy tomorrow to fight against the Buddhist School sect?" Luo Yuheng suddenly asked.

The masked woman pricked up her ears.

"Xu Qi'an." Luo Yuheng didn't keep her in suspense.

"Um?"

The veiled woman suddenly turned around, her beautiful eyes widening. "Him? The one replacing the Bureau of Astronomy?"

Luo Yuheng nodded.

The masked woman was immediately indignant. Sitting there, hands on her hips, she said, "Does the mighty Great Feng have no one left? They actually let a brat represent the Bureau of Astronomy in this magical contest!"

She shivered and felt cold for a while, but when she saw Luo Yuheng close his eyes and sit down to meditate again, she calmed down as well.

He sat there, his eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

At Haoqi Tower, Xu Qi'an, holding a cup of tea, told Wei Yuan the information he had learned from the palace. Wei Yuan, seemingly unconcerned, said, "Just do your best."

"I'll definitely be punished by His Majesty if I lose," Xu Qi'an said worriedly.

Wei Yuan chuckled and said, "Don't worry, tomorrow's duel might not be as difficult as you imagine."

Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up. "Duke Wei, do you know anything inside?"

Wei Yuan glanced at him. "Use your brain!"

The chief eunuch prompted, "What are the stakes for this contest of magic?"

"The Diamond Sutra and the Heavenly Secrets Compass."

"The Celestial Compass is the Imperial Censor's personal Law Artifact, unique in the world. If you lose the contest, you will only be punished by His Majesty, while he will lose a priceless treasure. If he wasn't confident, would the Imperial Censor borrow it from His Majesty?"

"Am I really that amazing? How come I didn't know?" Xu Qi'an wondered to himself.

That evening, he told his family about his confrontation with the Buddhist monks on behalf of the Buddhist School Bureau of Astronomy, and said, "If you want to join in the fun, you can take my badge to the area belonging to the Nightwatchers's Office."

Xu Pingzhi frowned. "Is there any danger?"

"It's just a contest of magic, I don't think so." Xu Qi'an wasn't too sure either, since he didn't know the details of tomorrow's contest.

"Oh, we can go in and watch?" Auntie said cheerfully, seemingly carefree.

"I want to go too! I want to go too!"

While swallowing her food, Xu Lingyin raised her little hand high.

"You want to go see the excitement too?" Xu Qi'an was a little surprised; his silly younger sister rarely spoke while eating.

"There's bound to be good food in lively places," Xu Lingyin said confidently. This was a life philosophy she had learned in her short six years of life.

Why did the supervisor choose the eldest brother?

The only educated person in the family, the brains of the household, Xu Cijiu frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

To his younger brother's question, Xu Qi'an could only say helplessly, "Who can know what the supervisor is thinking? Do you know? I certainly don't."

The young man shook his head, indicating that even someone as intelligent as him couldn't fathom the supervisor's thoughts.

After dinner, Xu Qi'an practiced breathing exercises to calm his mind. Once he was in a very good state, he stopped meditating, intending to have a good night's sleep to recharge for tomorrow's battle.

"It seems that not going to the Imperial Academy of Music these past few days was the right choice; a man should know how to conserve his energy."

He closed his eyes, about to drift off to sleep, when a familiar feeling of palpitation washed over him.

He had no choice but to take out the fragment of the Earth Book, light the candle, and check the message.

[Part Four: Tomorrow is the duel between the Supervisor and Du'e. I heard some surprising news from the Imperial Preceptor.]

What news?

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society asked one after another.

Only Xu Qi'an's expression changed drastically, thinking to himself, "Shut the hell up, shut up!"

Chu Yuanzhen used his finger as a pen to convey the message: [The Bureau of Astronomy has surprisingly chosen to send Xu Qi'an, the Silver Gong, to face the challenge.]

After sending the message, Chu Yuanzhen expected to see the shocked reactions of the "group members" and then express their opinions, but there was no feedback at all.

"?"

Chu Yuanzhen frowned. Did they already know?

[2: What's with this number four? Are they deliberately keeping us in suspense?]

[Six: Number Four doesn't seem like that kind of person; maybe something came up unexpectedly.]

Number 4 had something come up, hahaha, thank God, he didn't reveal my secret. Otherwise, if Number 2 had heard I was still alive, he would have exposed my identity in the group chat on the spot. Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, he saw a message from Master Jinlian appear on the mirror: [Nine: I've temporarily blocked them all, including number four.]

The Daoist priest's shielded number four?!

Xu Qi'an was taken aback, then quickly sent a message: [Thank you, Daoist Master.]

[Nine: You're welcome.]

No need to thank me. Now that Li Miaozhen knows about your resurrection, she can focus on preparing for war after arriving in the capital. You, this troublemaker, will be useless then.

[Nine: But secrets can't stay hidden forever. You're a smart person; you should understand what I mean.]

[Three: I know what I'm doing.]

Xu Qi'an plans to meet with Li Miaozhen to discuss their shared past of social death, hoping that Li Miaozhen will agree to keep his identity a secret.

Master Jinlian, you think I'm on the second level, but I'm actually on the fifth level.

[Three: By the way, Daoist priest, I think I saw that woman with whom I have a connection.]

[Nine: Hehe, you were bound to meet sooner or later, which means your destiny has brought you together.]

"Fate has brought us together, "Xu Qi'an swallowed hard, his face contorted with misery as he sent a letter. "[Is this fate you're talking about a real fate? She's old enough to be my aunt.]"

The older woman was probably only a few years younger than my aunt, who is 36 years old this year.

[Nine: I don't think I told you about the abilities of that Bodhi seed bracelet. Well, it can shield one's fate and change one's appearance. Buddhist School are best at concealing their own fate.]

[I won this bracelet from a high-ranking monk during my travels in the Western Regions, when I was doing good deeds and consolidating my merits.]

Oh, I see. Well, if that older woman is a still-attractive beauty, I can accept her. Besides, in my past life's experience and perspective, being in your thirties is actually the prime of a woman's life—oops, I can't let my thinking slip. I seem to have already decided that we're destined for a tragic fate?

It must have been the suggestion from Master Jinlian.

[Three: Master, what is meant by "origins"?]

[Nine: There are many kinds of connections. A bond that develops between people is a connection. But this connection can be friendship, confidantship, benefactorship, and so on.]

Whew. Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief.

After ending the chat, he wrapped himself in a thin quilt and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Xu Pingzhi took leave and returned home. He then took the women in his family out and personally drove them to the Star-Gazing Tower to watch the excitement.

Xu Erlang rode his horse alongside the carriage.

Just as he drove out of the small path in front of his house and was about to turn onto the main road, he saw an ordinary-looking woman emerge from a simple carriage parked by the roadside and stop Xu Pingzhi's carriage.

Xu Pingzhi frowned and sized up the woman, asking, "Who are you?"

"Are you Xu Qi'an's second uncle?"

"Yes!"

"Go to the Star-Gazing Tower?"

"Yes."

The woman nodded, then climbed onto the carriage on her own. "Take me to the Star-Gazing Tower and tell Xu Qi'an that the matter of picking up my sachet is now forgotten."

Second Uncle Xu had originally intended to push the woman down, but upon hearing the following words, his expression turned somewhat strange.

It sounds like this woman and her nephew have some kind of entanglement?

"Given Ningyan's status and qualifications, he shouldn't have any entanglement with a woman so much older than him. I'm overthinking it, I must be overthinking it."

Xu Pingzhi planned to go home and question Xu Ningyan properly, but he refrained from mentioning it for now.

After the older woman climbed into the carriage, she was visibly taken aback when she saw her plump and beautiful aunt and the elegant and refined Lingyue. Then, recalling the incomparably handsome young man outside, she muttered to herself:

The whole family has good looks.

Then, she saw Xu Lingyin, who looked just like herself at that moment, with ordinary features. She had her hair tied in a bun and was sitting on a long bench with her two short legs dangling in the air.

She paid no attention to his arrival, focusing intently on eating the jerky in her arms.

The aunt scrutinized the old woman carefully, then asked with a reserved air, "Whose wife are you?"

The elderly woman smiled gently, "We're just ordinary people. We wanted to go to the Bureau of Astronomy to watch the excitement, but we couldn't get into the area. Luckily, we know Lord Xu's nephew, so we came to bask in his company."

The aunt nodded. As long as the woman wasn't involved with her husband, she didn't care.

After the two women, who were of similar age, chatted for a few minutes, the aunt realized that the other woman's self-description as "an ordinary family" was probably just modesty.

This woman spoke with elegance and smiled with restraint; she was definitely not an ordinary woman.

She must be a wife from the household of an official who was acquainted with Ningyan. But why haven't I seen any of her husbands?

At this moment, the older woman looked at Xu Lingyin and casually asked, "Is this a relative's child?"

PS: Updated first, revised later.

P. S.: Thank you to "Mike and McDull" for the generous donation, love you!