Intelligence for Pills

Night fell, the stars and moon were dim, and a thick fog enveloped the night.

Xu Qi'an carried Zhong Li on his back, looking down at the capital city from high above. This largest city in the world lay quietly in the darkness.

Every twenty steps along the ramparts of the city wall, a raised bonfire was set up for illumination. Combined with the candlelight in the palace, the imperial city, and the inner city, the scene was quite dazzling.

"So beautiful," Zhong Li murmured, clinging to his back.

"Can't the Eight Trigrams Platform of the Bureau of Astronomy see such a night view?" Xu Qi'an laughed.

"We can't see it this beautiful. Besides, the teacher needs to observe the celestial phenomena at night, and we're usually not allowed to go up to the Eight Trigrams Platform at that time, except for Caiwei," Zhong Li said regretfully.

"Why is Caiwei allowed?" Xu Qi'an asked in surprise.

"Perhaps it's because she's the youngest and the least intelligent, so the teacher shows her special favor," Zhong Li guessed.

Are you talking badly about Caiwei? I didn't expect you to be like this, Zhong Li. Well, given this unlucky fifth senior sister's personality, what she said is probably the truth. It seems that Caiwei's lack of intelligence is a well-known fact in the Bureau of Astronomy.

Thinking to himself, Xu Qi'an changed the subject and said in a low voice, "I dreamed of a city where, every night, lights would be lit up along the streets, winding around every corner of the city."

"I dreamt of a city filled with towering buildings like Star-Gazing Tower, radiating lights of various colors."

"I dreamt of a city where glowing carriages traveled through the streets, the whole city was dazzling and radiant, and candlelight burned all night until dawn."

Zhong Li listened, somewhat mesmerized, and murmured, "That must be a fairyland."

Xu Qi'an didn't answer, but smiled, a smile filled with longing and melancholy.

The flying sword and paper crane did not land immediately, but hovered in the air above the outer city for a moment, which was similar to knocking on the door, giving the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy or the experts in the capital a chance to react.

Let them know that those who come are not enemies, but one of our own.

If they land abruptly without warning, the experts from the capital city might react and attack.

The flying sword and paper crane landed in a secluded alley not far from the city gate. Everyone bowed and said goodbye. Lina, who was unconscious, was taken away by Daoist Jinlian, who would take care of her for the time being, since Jinlian was the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society.

He should rightfully bear this responsibility.

Xu Qi'an carried Zhong Li towards the guards at the city gate.

There was a lithe and graceful horse tethered there.

Last night, he went out of the city with Daoist Jinlian and others. He also brought the mare with him and handed her over to the patrolling Imperial Saber Guard along the way, asking them to leave her at the city gate and have her guarded by the soldiers.

"Little mare, your needle man is back."

Xu Qi'an patted the mare's neck, untied the reins, and rode back to the inner city with Zhong Li.

It would take until midnight to walk from the outer city gate to the Xu Residence in the inner city; riding a horse would be much faster. Xu Qi'an was glad he had the foresight.

Using her privileged silver gong, Zhong Li opened the inner city gate and returned to the Xu Residence late at night. After a quick wash, she used the wooden stick given to her by Xu Qi'an to set her bones.

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. You could have avoided this suffering," Xu Qi'an said guiltily.

"Take me back to the Bureau of Astronomy tomorrow; my teacher will heal my leg injury."

Zhong Li lowered her head, rubbing her legs, and whispered, "I need to borrow your luck to avoid misfortune, so naturally I have to give something in return. In your words, this is Equivalent Exchange, the unchanging Principle of Alchemy."

"Senior Sister Zhong is so understanding, it's truly touching. Um, Senior Sister Zhong, are you sleepy?"

Zhong Li shook her head.

Snap! Xu Qi'an placed a blank booklet in front of her and said, "If you're not sleepy, help me type. I carried you all the way from Xiangcheng back to the capital; it was exhausting. Equivalent Exchange, the unchanging principle of Alchemy."

Zhong Li was stunned.

As Xu Qi'an poured water and ground ink, he urged, "Hurry up, I promised the princess I'd send her a storybook. I've already stood her up for a whole day."

"Oh"

Zhong Li responded weakly, hobbled over to the table and sat down, straightening her back and taking the calligraphy brush that Xu Qi'an handed her.

The next day, Xu Qi'an dressed neatly, tied on a gong, hung up his sword, and escorted Zhong Li back to her parents' home.

As Xu Qi'an watched Zhong Li enter the Star-Gazing Tower, he suddenly heard a long, drawn-out chanting sound behind him:

"The sea reaches its end, the sky becomes its shore; the art of strategy reaches its peak, I stand alone at the summit."

"Senior Brother Yang, you've changed your catchphrase? No, did you consider the feelings of the Supervisor when you said that under the Star-Gazing Tower?" Xu Qi'an smiled warmly and turned around to say:

"Senior Brother Yang, what brings you here?"

"You seemed to have some problems last night. Do you need my help?" Yang Qianhuan said quietly.

Xu Qi'an felt a chill run down his spine, narrowed his eyes, and stared sharply at Yang Qianhuan's back.

What did he mean by that? Was he referring to the luck I seized in the ancient tomb yesterday? Impossible, how could Yang Qianhuan have discovered my strange luck?

Amidst the confusion and uncertainty, Yang Qianhuan stood with his hands behind his back and said, "I'm just relaying a message from the teacher. Tell me your thoughts, and I'll go reply."

My thought is to beat you up!!

Xu Qi'an's lips twitched.

"As expected, when I returned to the capital last night, the Supervisor probably noticed my unusual behavior at the Eight Trigrams Platform. There's no doubt that a first-rank Warlock can see far and wide from a high place couldn't have only noticed it now."

"The Supervisor asked Senior Brother Yang to pass on a message to me, meaning that the Heavenly Secrets he shielded me from have lost their effect? Is it because of the impact of the Qi Luck yesterday?"

"Of course I'd refuse! Du'e Luohan has gone back to the Western Regions, what reason do I have to endure the 404 law? Every time I go to a brothel these days, my heart bleeds. A life without getting something for nothing is meaningless."

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an gave his reply, "No need, please thank the supervisor for me."

The little mare spurred on and galloped away.

On his way to the yamen, bathed in the morning sun, Xu Qi'an suddenly saw a carriage ahead go out of control. The horses pulling the carriage seemed to have been provoked and went berserk, running wildly.

The coachman tried his best to stop them, pulling hard on the reins, but he couldn't stop the horses.

The carriage lost control and crashed into a young child who was squatting and playing by the roadside, while his mother was picking out cheap jewelry from a nearby stall.

The unexpected turn of events caught everyone off guard. The young mother heard the exclamations of passersby, turned her head, and saw a carriage hurtling towards her son.

She immediately let out a terrified scream.

Just then, a young man dressed as Nightwatchers appeared like a ghost, reaching out and placing his hand on the horse's forehead.

"Lülü."

The horses neighed and their forelegs buckled, but the young man in the Nightwatchers's uniform remained motionless.

"Thank you for your help, sir. Thank you for your help, sir."

The young mother hugged her son, tears of joy streaming down her face, and repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

The passersby who witnessed this scene erupted in loud cheers.

"Isn't this Lord Xu? Isn't this our Great Feng's hero?"

Someone recognized him and exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, some bystanders who had witnessed the duel recognized Xu Qi'an and shouted, "That's right, it's Lord Xu! It's Lord Xu!"

Now, even those who hadn't witnessed the magical duel knew that the handsome silver gong who had saved people was the hero who had stolen the limelight in the duel and suppressed the arrogance of the Buddhist School.

"So I'm already this popular? So beloved by the people of the capital?" Xu Qi'an sighed, cupped his hands in acknowledgment, and rode away on the mare.

Behind him, shouts of "Lord Xu" echoed from afar, lingering for a long time.

"This is pretty cool. There's a saying, 'Pretentiousness is a natural talent, and skillful execution is a matter of chance,'" Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

But then he encountered another case of a lost child. To prevent the child from being trafficked, he waited at the spot for the child's family to come looking for him, earning him a lot of gratitude and praise from passersby.

An elderly woman fell while crossing the street, and no one helped her up. As a model youth, Xu Qi'an naturally felt obligated to help, earning the elderly woman's gratitude and praise from passersby.

Then, Xu Qi'an realized something was wrong. "Why do I act all high and mighty wherever I go? This doesn't make sense. After helping an old lady cross the street, am I supposed to help Miss Qiu beat up Li Fu?"

The thought flashed through my mind, and sure enough, I saw a disheveled woman rushing out from the side of the street, sobbing uncontrollably.

A man chased after him, raised his hand to slap him, and shouted angrily:

"I'll beat you to death, you shameless woman! I'll beat you to death, you shameless woman! I'll write a divorce letter right now!"

Something's not right. Xu Qi'an turned his horse around, gave the mare's rump a tug, and galloped off towards the Bureau of Astronomy.

On the way, he calmed down and thought it over, and came up with a fairly reasonable guess.

The strange fortune within his body was slowly awakening as his cultivation improved—a gradual process. This manifested outwardly as him picking up silver, increasing from one qian to five qian.

Now, having seized the fortune within the jade seal, it's like pulling up seedlings to help them grow; the fortune has spiraled out of control.

"Zhong Li is plagued by misfortune and must constantly guard against unexpected accidents. I, on the other hand, am blessed with good fortune, so I must constantly guard against unexpected opportunities to show off. This is not a good thing. Moreover, I'm not sure if these unexpected events are bound to happen, or if they are deliberately caused by my presence, with the purpose of letting me show off (gain reputation)?"

Thinking about this, Xu Qi'an chuckled to himself: I could write a book called "I Really Didn't Want to Show Off"

He hurried back to the Bureau of Astronomy, and before he could even dismount, a long, drawn-out chanting sound came from behind him:

"The roc rises with the wind, soaring ninety thousand miles high. Holding the bright moon in my hand, I pluck the stars from the sky; there is no one like me in this world."

As the sound lingered, a piece of purple jade flew to Xu Qi'an and remained suspended in mid-air.

Yang Qianhuan said, "My teacher asked me to give this to you. He said you might encounter some minor trouble, but this jade pendant can resolve it."

"Can this jade pendant shield my luck?" Taking the pendant and examining it, she found it shaped like a round plate, about the size of Xu Lingyin's palm, and warm to the touch. Xu Qi'an was completely convinced.

"The supervisor is truly a divine being; he knew I would return."

Yang Qianhuan shook her head upon hearing this. "No, it was given to me before."

"?"

Xu Qi'an's expression froze on his face. "Then why didn't you hand it to me just now?"

Yang Qianhuan said matter-of-factly, "The most important things should naturally be saved for last. Just as heroes always appear in times of crisis."

"I can't take it anymore! Superintendent, please beat this guy to death!" Xu Qi'an cursed Yang Qianhuan's ancestors a hundred times in his mind, his face dark, and whipped his horse away.

Dexinyuan.

Xu Qi'an and Princess Huaiqing sat at a table, each holding a cup of hot tea. The rising steam clung to their handsome faces. Xu Qi'an said:

"I've heard that Your Highness is well-versed in history and possesses talent that rivals that of any young man."

Huaiqing crossed his hands over his lower abdomen, straightened his back, and asked in a cool and aloof tone:

"Not inferior to any young man?"

Those clear, bright eyes, like autumn water, scrutinized Xu Qi'an for a few seconds.

"It's my understatement to describe you; you're no less than the top scholar," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

Huaiqing didn't speak again, but instead extended her jade-like hand from her wide sleeve, took a sip of tea, and asked, "What can I do for you?"

It's so easy talking to smart people. Xu Qi'an asked, "Does Your Highness know about the Great Liang Dynasty?"

The exploration of the ancient tombs outside Xiangcheng was a gang mission within the Heaven and Earth Society. As a double agent planted by Wei Yuan within the Heaven and Earth Society, Xu Qi'an should have reported this matter to his superiors, but because of the matter of the Jade Seal's fortune, he planned to keep it a secret.

There are three dynasties named "Da Liang". The earliest one dates back more than three thousand years. The most recent one was the Da Liang, which was established by the remnants of the previous dynasty with the support of the Witch God Cult after the founding of the Great Feng Dynasty. It was destroyed by Emperor Gaozu eighteen years later.

Huaiqing gave the answer without hesitation.

"Are there any earlier ones?" Xu Qi'an frowned.

Huaiqing shook his head.

It seems that the official historical records indeed do not mention the era in which the murals were created. This answer was expected, but Xu Qi'an was still somewhat disappointed.

Before the emergence of Confucian School, although humans also had the habit of recording history, they mostly painted it on murals. Murals were not easy to preserve and could be destroyed in a war.

The tradition of compiling books truly took hold after the emergence of Confucian School, when scholars began to devote themselves to compiling books and histories, regarding it as a lifelong and glorious endeavor.

"Is there anything else, Lord Xu?" Huaiqing asked.

"There is none left"

Thinking it over, Xu Qi'an subconsciously shook his head.

"That's all?" Huaiqing's voice rose slightly.

"Look at my memory! I promised to deliver a storybook to His Highness." Xu Qi'an slapped his forehead, took out the booklet from his robes, placed it on the table, and said:

"Something came up at home yesterday, which caused the delay. Your Highness must have been waiting long."

Huaiqing didn't even glance at the storybook, and said indifferently, "It's fine if a few maids want to read it, why should I say I'm 'impatient'?"

"There's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Xu Qi'an was still thinking about his date in Lin'an Prefecture.

Women are such a hassle. I don't even have time to cultivate properly, and you're asking why I'm raising so many fish? Thinking of Lin'an's charming and amorous face, Xu Qi'an couldn't wait any longer.

No need to see me out.

After Xu Qi'an left the hall, Huaiqing lifted her skirt and stood up, walked straight to the table, picked up the booklet somewhat hastily, glanced at it quickly, and after confirming that there was plenty of content, a look of satisfaction flashed in her bright eyes.

Lingbao Temple.

An orange cat nimbly leaped onto the wall, glanced at the quiet courtyard, and pounced down from the top.

With its tail held high, it crossed the cobblestone path to the door of the quiet room, raised its paw, and knocked.

The lattice door opened automatically, and Luo Yuheng's cool voice rang out. "What brings you to my Lingbao Temple again?"

"Well!"

The orange cat sighed, its voice echoing through the air, carrying a sense of vicissitude. "Junior sister, I'm in dire need of help! My physical body is failing."

"I think you quite like your current physical body," Luo Yuheng teased.

"Junior sister, don't speak nonsense." The orange cat was a little angry and said righteously, "We people don't concern ourselves with trivial matters."

"Enough with the nonsense, what is it?" Luo Yuheng said impatiently.

The orange cat grinned like a human and shamelessly said, "I'd like to ask my junior sister for two Blood Embryo Pills."

Luo Yuheng sighed, "I am merely a femme fatale who bewitches the emperor to cultivate Daoism and wreaks havoc on the court. My elixirs are all made from the blood and sweat of the people. Senior brother, aren't you afraid that after consuming them, you will be burned by karmic fire and die?"

"This petty and vengeful woman." Master Jinlian said in a deep voice, "Junior sister, you are mistaken. What does Emperor Yuanjing's desire to cultivate Tao have to do with you? If a person with wicked intentions were to become the national advisor, that would truly bring chaos to the court."

"Junior Sister took on the role of Imperial Preceptor and personally oversaw Emperor Yuanjing because she cared deeply for the people. Otherwise, the court would have been in chaos long ago."

Luo Yuheng sighed softly, "If everyone in the world could see things as clearly as my senior brother, how wonderful that would be. Actually, you're right. Since we've borrowed the imperial court's fortune to cultivate, it's only right that we're subject to criticism and condemnation."

"Then, the Blood Plaque Pill?"

"One Blood Embryo Pill costs thirty-eight taels of gold. Out of consideration for our fellow disciples, I'll round it down to sixty taels of gold for you, senior brother."

If I had that much silver, why would I need to ask you for anything?!

Master Jinlian's cat-like face stiffened.

After a moment's hesitation, Daoist Jinlian stepped over the threshold and entered the meditation room. Looking at the stunningly beautiful woman sitting cross-legged on the futon, he discussed:

"I'll trade intelligence for the Blood Embryo Pill."

Luo Yuheng kept her eyes closed, her face upturned, her delicate features like jade carvings, her red lips slightly parted. "Senior brother may have a lot of information, but I'm not interested."

The orange cat stared at her with its deep blue eyes and said, "What if it's Xu Qi'an's?"

Luo Yuheng immediately opened his eyes.

P. S.: Finished writing and going to sleep. Will correct typos tomorrow. I can only concentrate on writing in the middle of the night. What will I do after I get married?

This is a headache.

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