The trap

In the reception hall, Xu Qi'an sat on a chair, holding a cup of tea brewed by a maid, with a cloth bag standing at his feet, about knee-high.

He sat quietly for a few minutes, his ears twitching slightly as he heard the sound of scales rustling. Then, he saw Chu Xianglong step over the threshold and go straight inside.

"Many thanks to General Chu and Duke Cao for their help."

Xu Qi'an's words lacked sincerity, because he didn't even get up; he took a sip of tea as he spoke.

Chu Xianglong didn't care, glanced at him, and then his gaze fell on the cloth bag at Xu Qi'an's feet. He asked, "Where's the stuff?"

Xu Qi'an put down his teacup, opened the cloth bag, and revealed a stone Buddha statue. The carving was extremely poor, even worse than that of a beginner.

Chu Xianglong's eyes immediately burned with fervor as he stared intently at the Buddha statue. Although its carving was simple and its face only had an outline, the subtle Buddhist aura it exuded made him realize its extraordinary nature.

"I have inscribed the essence of the Vajra Divine Skill into the Buddha statue. As for whether you can master it, that is your business, General," Xu Qi'an said.

"Nature."

Chu Xianglong withdrew his gaze, looked at Xu Qi'an, and nodded with satisfaction. "You are a man of integrity."

Ha, if I lacked credibility, you would say, "How dare you go back on your word with just a lowly silver gong? Even Wei Yuan couldn't protect you!"

Xu Qi'an sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm. "Actually, this Cultivation Method is free money. If General Chu is interested, I'll sell it for five hundred taels of silver. There's no need for all this trouble."

Chu Xianglong walked over, wrapped the Buddha statue in a cloth bag, and carried it in his hand, his face filled with mockery and ridicule.

"I don't think it's worth spending five hundred taels of silver for something that can be obtained with a little trickery. Of course, Buddhist School statue is priceless. Farewell, Xu Yinluo, no need to see me off."

Buddhist School statue is priceless; am I unworthy of your money? Xu Qi'an remained unperturbed, smiling and saying, "The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow on forever."

He turned and left.

As soon as they reached the courtyard, a maidservant hurried over and asked, "Is this Xu Qi'an, Xu Yinluo?"

"That is indeed me." Xu Qi'an nodded.

"My princess wishes to see you," the maid said.

The Princess Consort of Zhenbei wants to see me? The most beautiful woman in the Great Feng wants to see me? This is possible. Xu Qi'an was extremely curious about this renowned woman.

"It's just a meeting, it's nothing serious," Xu Qi'an said with a smile. "Please lead the way, sister."

The maid led Xu Qi'an through winding corridors, courtyards, and gardens, and after a quarter of an hour they arrived at their destination, a pavilion with curtains hanging on all four sides.

A graceful figure could be vaguely seen sitting on a recliner, holding a book in her hand.

Xu Qi'an tried hard to see her face clearly, but found that there was another veil behind the curtain.

"You're Xu Qi'an?"

From behind the curtains came a mature woman's voice, clear yet magnetic.

Although his face was obscured, his voice was very pleasant. Xu Qi'an clasped his hands in greeting. "What brings Your Highness here?"

The woman in the pavilion sneered, "I heard that you single-handedly stood in front of a hundred officials outside the Meridian Gate, composing poems to mock them. Is that true?"

Xu Qi'an said, "I was young and impetuous, and acted rashly. I am ashamed."

You feel ashamed? Bah! The woman in the pavilion was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "See the guest out."

"That's it?" Xu Qi'an glanced blankly at the woman in the pavilion, then turned and followed the maid.

Just then, a bright yellow object was suddenly thrown out of the pavilion and landed on Xu Qi'an's back with a thud.

Why did the princess hit me?

Xu Qi'an turned around and glanced down at the gold on the ground. He hadn't received a warning from his divine sense about the danger, which meant there hadn't been any crisis just now, but he was still a little angry.

The woman in the pavilion ignored him.

A look of doubt flashed in Xu Qi'an's eyes. Seeing that the princess did not explain, he bent down, picked up the gold, and stuffed it into his pocket without changing his expression.

"Next time the princess wants to throw something at me, remember to use a gold brick."

Xu Qi'an made a sarcastic remark and left with the maid.

In the quiet bedroom, Chu Xianglong closed the doors and windows tightly. He placed the stone Buddha statue on the table and gazed at it intently for a long time, feeling a wonderful Buddhist aura flowing through it.

But no matter how much he tried to understand, he was never able to extract Cultivation Method from it.

"The Vajra Divine Skill of Buddhist School indeed requires a certain amount of fortuitous opportunity and a foundation in Buddhist teachings. Xu Qi'an's ability to cultivate the Vajra Invincible Skill does demonstrate some talent. However, he is still a nobody without any real foundation, and a little trickery was enough to make him obediently submit."

Thinking of this, Chu Xianglong sneered, both smug and contemptuous.

What Martial Dao genius? What talent comparable to the Prince of Zhenbei? Without the secret assistance of the Supervisor, how could he possibly fight against Buddhist School Arhat?

Of all the rumors in the capital that boasted about him, Chu Xianglong disliked and hated most the comparisons between him and the prince.

A silver gong who rose to fame through the art of quick-wittedness, a lowly person from a military family—does he even deserve such a title?

"Aside from his Vajra Divine Skill, there's very little else to be gained from this kid. Otherwise, we could have squeezed every last drop of value out of him in the imperial examination cheating case."

There was a reason why Chu Xianglong and Duke Cao plotted the Vajra Divine Skill. Given their status, position, and knowledge, how could they not know the profound mysteries of the Vajra Divine Skill?

Chu Xianglong joined the army at a young age. In his early years, when he was with the army to suppress bandits, he encountered a traveler from the Western Regions.

The pilgrim tried to use Buddhist teachings to convert the starving bandits, but he was instead bound by them and they intended to cook and eat him.

Chu Xianglong saved the traveler, and to repay his kindness, the traveler gave him a bronze amulet. This amulet was engraved with Buddhist script and had a flowing Buddhist aura. Whenever he wore it, he felt calm and all his anger disappeared, and he entered a state as if he had suddenly realized something.

After each battle, Chu Xianglong would wear it to dispel his violent energy and gain insight into the profound Buddhist teachings.

"Squeak"

He opened the bedside table, took out a small sandalwood box, and opened the lid. Inside, wrapped in red silk, was a palm-sized bronze talisman.

"Although I am not Buddhist School, this talisman is mysterious and magical, and can help me enter a state of enlightenment. Perhaps I can use it to comprehend the profound mysteries of the Vajra Divine Skill."

"Once I achieve the Vajra Invincible form, my combat power will increase by more than one level. The key is that my physical body, far superior to that of ordinary martial artists, will allow me to survive better on the battlefield."

"Furthermore, if I can master the Vajra Divine Skill with the help of the bronze talisman, the prince will surely be able to as well, and he will definitely reward me handsomely."

Thinking of this, Chu Xianglong's eyes burned with fervor, wishing he could immediately comprehend the Buddha statue.

He took a deep breath and, over the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, calmed his emotions, allowing his heart to settle and remain undisturbed.

Then, he grasped the bronze talisman and began to meditate.

Gradually, he felt a vast and gentle aura, which made his mind clear, allowing him to calmly examine his emotions and desires, and no longer be troubled by distracting thoughts.

Once in this state, Chu Xianglong opened his eyes and focused intently on observing the Buddhist aura emanating from the stone statue.

This time, he clearly saw the Buddha statue moving, changing into various postures, each posture accompanied by a different way of circulating qi.

Chu Xianglong was overjoyed and almost lost his composure.

Subconsciously, he tried to imitate the posture of the stone statue and its unique way of circulating qi.

A golden lacquer appeared between his brows, quickly covering half of his body.

Suddenly, the flow of Qi within his body was affected, like a volcanic eruption, impacting his meridians and Dantian.

"Puff!"

Chu Xianglong spat out a mouthful of blood, his blood vessels ruptured, and his Dantian was shattered by the violent energy, leaving him severely injured.

His face suddenly flushed red, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face. He looked down at himself and saw the gold paint on his arms gradually fading away.

"How could this be? Even the bronze talisman doesn't work?" The thought flashed through Chu Xianglong's mind, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Half an hour later, Chu Xianglong's confidant came looking for him and finally found him unconscious and on the verge of death.

"There's an assassin! There's an assassin!"

After hearing the guard's report, Princess Zhenbei suppressed her joy and asked, "Did you Qi Deviation while practicing martial arts? How did you suddenly Qi Deviation?"

The guard shook his head. "This humble servant does not know."

Princess Zhenbei asked happily, "Is he dead?"

The guard shook his head again. "His life is not in danger, but he has suffered a serious injury. The Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy said he needs to stay in bed for a month to recover. Moreover, he was discovered too late; his vital energy is reversed, and his meridians are completely severed, so he may suffer from chronic illness."

Princess Zhenbei was immediately disappointed.

"However, I've heard that it's very likely related to the Buddha statue that Xu Yinluo sent," the guard said after a slight hesitation.

"It's related to him? That brat has done something truly gratifying," Princess Zhenbei thought with a smile.

On the rugged mountain path, Li Miaozhen, dressed in a Daoist robe and with her hair tied up in a jade crown, carried the long sword, Law Artifact given to her by her sect, and walked slowly.

Wildflowers bloomed along the roadside, the sun shone brightly, and the mountains and rivers were beautiful. She walked along, admiring the scenery, feeling completely at ease.

A bright red oil-paper umbrella followed beside her, beneath which stood the stunningly beautiful Su Su. Her eyes were as black as lacquer, her lips were bright red, her skin was snow-white, and she wore an elaborate and gorgeous long dress.

Li Miaozhen is beautiful, but her aura is too fierce.

In contrast, Su Su was dressed like a stunningly beautiful heiress, her eyes sparkling with natural charm and an indescribable allure.

"We'll be in the capital in another eighty li, Master. Shall we stay here for a while?" Su Su looked south, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"I'm not familiar with the Bureau of Astronomy. Xu Qi'an is already dead. Without his influence, it's no wonder Song Qing wouldn't bother with you." Li Miaozhen curled her lip, mercilessly attacking him.

"That"

Su Su's eyes darted around, and she smiled slyly, "I'll just say I'm Xu Qi'an's betrothed."

Li Miaozhen sneered, "That's perfect, I might as well send you to the afterlife right now and let you join him."

Su Su turned around angrily, stood by the roadside, and huffed, "I'm not going! I'm going back to Tianzong! I'm going back to Tianzong!"

Her coquettish manner can easily evoke a man's tender feelings of pity and protectiveness.

Unfortunately, Li Miaozhen wasn't a man; she slapped the back of her head and said, "Are you leaving or not?"

After being hit, Su Su immediately became obedient. "Ouch, don't hit my head anymore, it's all squashed."

At this moment, Li Miaozhen sniffed, her expression turning serious. "I smell blood."

She looked around for a moment, then locked her gaze onto the bushes ahead.

P. S.: I'd like to ask for your monthly votes; it's been a while since I asked for them.