Protection

Luo Yuheng's expression was indifferent, as if he were recounting a trivial matter. "This humble Daoist gave Chu Yuanzhen a protective amulet."

After saying that, she half-closed her phoenix eyes and stopped explaining, her attitude perfectly measured.

Emperor Yuanjing's expression softened slightly after presenting the talisman to Chu Yuanzhen. In that case, who used the talisman to summon the Imperial Preceptor was no longer the key issue.

However, Emperor Yuanjing did not completely dispel his doubts, and said in a deep voice:

"Grand Preceptor, although you and the Earth Sect share a sect bond, you are also the Grand Preceptor of the Great Feng Dynasty. The Human Sect is the state religion of the Great Feng. You knew perfectly well that I sent people to seize the Lotus Seeds, yet you still..."

He showed a hint of anger.

Faced with Emperor Yuanjing's questioning, Luo Yuheng remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed:

"To be honest, the Earth Sect has encountered an accident in recent years. The sect leader is entangled in karma and has fallen into the demonic path, affecting most of the disciples."

"Only a very small number of disciples were unaffected for certain reasons. These escaped disciples formed an organization called the Heaven and Earth Society. They secretly recuperated and accumulated strength, attempting to cleanse the sect."

"The nine-colored lotus seeds are of great importance to them. A while ago, the people from the Heaven and Earth Society asked Chu Yuanzhen to contact me, hoping that I could lend a hand."

"Maintaining the continuation of the incense offerings of the three sects is our consensus, and even the Heavenly Sect, which embodies the principle of detachment from worldly desires, shares the same idea."

After a pause, Luo Yuheng stared at Emperor Yuanjing, his tone ambiguous, "Does Your Majesty not know?"

The reason she acted was because the talisman was a gift to Chu Yuanzhen, and had nothing to do with Xu Qi'an. Was I being too sensitive? Xu Qi'an's involvement in the Nine-Colored Lotus matter was likely due to owing favors to Chu Yuanzhen and Li Miaozhen; the two had intervened to stop my imperial guards that day. Emperor Yuanjing's thoughts raced, but he shook his head without changing his expression:

"How did I learn of the secrets of the Earth Sect?"

The two ended their conversation and, as usual, sat in meditation to cultivate their spiritual practice. Afterward, Luo Yuheng expounded on the profound meaning of the Daoist scriptures and explained the ultimate principles of longevity. Half an hour later, Emperor Yuanjing departed from Lingbao Temple.

Returning to his palace, Emperor Yuanjing drank the health-preserving tea served by the eunuchs and gave the following instructions:

"Go and do two things: First, have Tianji investigate the monk's background and try to capture him alive. Second, summon Qin Yuandao, the Vice Minister of War, to the palace to see me."

The old eunuch nodded and tentatively asked, "If this old servant dares to ask, how does Your Majesty intend to deal with Xu Qi'an?"

He felt that they would most likely start by targeting Xu Qi'an's second uncle, cousin, or other family members.

Emperor Yuanjing waved his hand. "He's just Wei Yuan's dog. I have my own plans."

The fact that His Majesty didn't say anything meant that he hadn't figured out how to deal with Xu Qi'an yet, or that he didn't have that idea for the time being. The old eunuch was somewhat puzzled. Before leaving the palace, he had looked gloomy and determined to exterminate Xu Qi'an's entire family.

Now, however, he acts as if nothing is amiss.

Holy crap!!!!

Xu Qi'an didn't need to look in a mirror to know that his face was contorted, distorted, and filled with astonishment.

Xu Qi'an possesses three secrets: time travel, destiny, and divine favor.

He had been carefully hiding these three secrets. The first and current supervisors were both players and participants in the events, so he couldn't hide them from them, nor did he need to.

Apart from that, Xu Qi'an only revealed the matter of destiny to the old scoundrel of the Martial Alliance. There were two reasons: the Taiping Blade incident was too big to hide; and he wanted to curry favor with a powerful figure to increase his leverage in the struggle.

As for Wei Yuan, Xu Qi'an trusted him, but because he couldn't see through this wise and profound statesman, he never dared to be frank with him.

Unexpectedly, Wei Yuan already knew that the monk Shenshu was inside him.

"Duke Wei, how did you know?" Xu Qi'an's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Wei Yuan said calmly, "Let's roll the dice first."

Xu Qi'an said with a wry smile, "There's no need to roll the dice."

There was no need for that. Wei Yuan didn't ask about the information from the first supervisor, but instead asked about the sealed artifact beneath Sangbo. This was his way of telling him, "I know all your secrets."

Let's just play our cards straight.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Qi'an said, "In Jianzhou, I met a young man named Ji Qian. We had a conflict, and I killed him. After consulting the spirit, I discovered that he was originally a member of the royal family from five hundred years ago. After Emperor Wuzong purged the court of corrupt officials, they were protected by the first supervisor and have been lying low ever since."

"The Battle of Shanhai Pass was instigated by the first supervisor and the leader of the Tian Gu tribe, with the aim of stealing the fate of the Great Feng Kingdom and then supporting the lineage from five hundred years ago to regain the throne."

"They've been hiding in a place called Xuzhou, which I suspect is a lawless place, outside the control of the imperial court."

He recounted the process of seeking spiritual guidance, temporarily concealing his possession of divine favor.

Wei Yuan listened silently, then slowly said, "So, the first Supervisor joined forces with the barbarians to deal with the Prince of Zhenbei. Am I next?"

Xu Qi'an was convinced and said, "Yes."

Wei Yuan sighed, "The fact that the first Supervisor is still alive is quite unexpected. You reminded me that after Emperor Wuzong seized the throne, he secretly dispatched trusted confidants to search for something all over the world. They even went so far as to set sail overseas for this purpose. This event is not recorded in official history, but it was written in a biography by a great Confucian scholar."

"The First Generation has endured for so long, firstly because he couldn't eliminate the Prince of Zhenbei and me, and secondly because he couldn't temporarily reclaim the fortune within you. Hey, why are you crawling under the table?"

Wei Yuan asked with a half-smile.

"I'm looking for Duke Wei's legs; please allow me to hold them for a while."

Xu Qi'an made witty remarks to mask the turbulent emotions churning within him.

Tap, tap! Wei Yuan tapped the table and said in a deep voice, "Come out!"

Xu Qi'an crawled out from under the table and sat up straight. "Duke Wei, you know everything, you know everything."

Wei Yuan sighed:

"You are someone I've chosen. Anyone I intend to cultivate will be thoroughly investigated and monitored. Your extraordinary cultivation speed, the Supervisor's favor towards you, Linglong's attitude towards you, the appearance of the Confucian School carving knife during the Buddhist School duel, the appearance of the carving knife when killing the Duke of Protectorate, and, well, isn't your constant rolling of perfect numbers on the dice proof enough? There's much more; you have too many flaws. These scattered pieces of information, taken individually, are nothing."

"But I know you too well. Piecing together all the clues and combining them with some secrets I already knew, a simple recap is enough for me to guess most of the truth."

"After you won the battle between Celestial Person and Man, you came to ask me about the details of the Battle of Shanhai Pass. I asked you if you had anything else to say. I thought you would tell me the truth, but you chose to keep it from me."

Xu Qi'an opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but then felt it was unnecessary, and said with a slightly dejected tone, "What about the sealed artifact beneath Sangbo?"

"The Buddhist School duel also revealed your extraordinary luck and the fact that you possess a sealed artifact. Of course, that alone is not enough; other proof is needed, such as how you killed the fourth-rank barbarian chieftain and abducted the queen during your journey north?"

Wei Yuan chuckled, "Since I know you are blessed with good fortune, then I don't need to guess who that mysterious master in Chuzhou who can wield the National Sword is. Actually, before heading north, I wasn't sure if the 'sealed artifact' was on you."

"You've kept it a secret quite well. You really trust the Supervisor that much, and that heretic in Buddhist School?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head. "The supervisor is a divine being; whether I believe him or not is of little significance. As for the sealed artifact, his Dharma name is Shenshu, and I promised him I would keep it a secret."

He also revealed his promise to Shen Shu: to find Shen Shu's past.

Wei Yuan pondered and said, "The Supervisor tacitly approved the Demon Race's breaking of the Sangbo seal, probably for your sake, to use him to intimidate the First Generation. As long as that deity is inside you, the First Generation will not dare to touch you. If nothing unexpected happens, he is now actively looking for a way to break the seal."

"I have some guesses about the identity of this heretic in Buddhist School. He is most likely related to the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons and the Sixty-Year Demon Purge Campaign of that year. When you travel far and wide in the future, you can go to the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the Southern Frontier to seek the truth there."

Huh? Shen Shu is related to the Sixty-Year Demon Purge Battle back then? This was something Xu Qi'an hadn't expected.

"So, how does Duke Wei plan to deal with me?" Xu Qi'an probed.

After saying that, he stared intently at Wei Yuan, afraid of seeing murderous intent in his eyes.

"I'd like to kill you, if I could." Wei Yuan's hands were tucked into his sleeves, his gaze lowered to the table, his voice low and calm:

"Caught between two generations of supervisors, not knowing what to do, you simply confessed to me that your goal is to gamble and gain my protection."

That hits the nail on the head!

Xu Qi'an felt somewhat ashamed; that was indeed what he thought.

"If you're asking whether the Supervisor is trustworthy, I can't give you an answer, because I don't know either. As for the first Supervisor, you have even less to fear. The one who's playing against him is the current Supervisor; you're not the one making the moves or countering them. What you need to do now is simply advance in rank and accumulate capital."

After a pause, Wei Yuan's gaze softened, and he said softly, "I will help you."

Hearing this, Xu Qi'an finally felt relieved and at ease.

He smiled and said, "Well, there's something I'd like to ask Duke Wei."

Wei Yuan nodded.

Xu Qi'an chuckled, "How do I advance to the fourth rank?"

Wei Yuan paused, then asked in astonishment, "You've advanced to the fifth rank?"

Xu Qi'an nodded.

In less than a year, Wei Yuan, a fifth-grade Transformation Realm expert, was momentarily lost in thought. After a long while, his pupils flickered slightly, and he recovered, sighing:

"That's true. If one is blessed with great fortune, one has a chance of becoming a first-rank official. Unfortunately, one will inevitably follow the same path as the founding emperor and the Martial Emperor. You may not know, but fortune is a double-edged sword."

"Those who possess great fortune cannot live forever," Xu Qi'an said.

"You know quite a lot!" Wei Yuan's expression was complicated.

Duke Wei, the way you're looking right now seems to be saying, "Have you been secretly getting extra lessons without me knowing?"

Xu Qi'an laughed.

"The fourth rank is a very important rank for martial artists; it determines the path you will take in the future. Those skilled in the sword will comprehend the intent of the sword; those skilled in the saber will comprehend the intent of the saber. It cannot be changed," Wei Yuan said.

"The core of the fourth rank lies in the word 'intention,' which can also be called the 'way,' the path a martial artist will follow in the future. Therefore, the second rank for a martial artist is also called 'harmonizing with the Way.' Xu Qi'an, have you thought about the path you want to take?"

"Duke Wei, is there such a thing as 'getting something for nothing' in this world?" Xu Qi'an probed. "Does eliminating all injustices in the world count?"

"That's ambition!" Wei Yuan said irritably. "You're going to shout to everyone you meet, 'I'll eliminate all injustice in the world!' and then people will submit to your ambition?"

"."

"The so-called 'intention' relies on the violence of a martial artist; to be precise, it refers to offensive and killing methods, such as swords, spears, halberds, and fist techniques. Since you wield a sword, your intention is naturally that of a swordsman."

"How can one cultivate the intent of the sword?" Xu Qi'an humbly asked for guidance.

"I told you before, from the fifth rank onwards, everything depends on comprehension! You have good talent and high comprehension, and you can master yourself in a very short time and advance to the fifth rank. But some people have poor talent and can never fully master their physical strength in their entire lives, so they cannot advance."

"As for how to comprehend the essence of the sword, all I can teach you is experience. First, you must reach the state of oneness with the sword, which simply means comprehending the profound meaning of the sword. This requires you to combine your own understanding of sword techniques with your own practice. It takes time and accumulation."

"Secondly, you must infuse your beliefs into the sword. The Heaven and Earth Slash you cultivate is the belief of the person who created this Cultivation Method," Wei Yuan earnestly instructed.

Yes, my "Heaven and Earth One-Slash Slash" is a kind of sword intent. That senior's belief was: there is nothing that cannot be cut down with one slash. If there is, then run away.

"Duke Wei, does that mean I've already grasped half of the essence of the sword? Then, can I add my own elements to the 'Heaven and Earth One-Sword Slash' and make it my own unique 'essence'?" Xu Qi'an with some delight.

"This child is teachable," Wei Yuan said with a smile.

As the conversation drew to a close, Wei Yuan suddenly said, "Do you remember our first meeting?"

"That time at the Star-Gazing Tower?" Xu Qi'an wasn't quite sure.

"Um!"

Wei Yuan nodded. "The song you sang back then was quite interesting. I still remember standing there in the fierce wind, wishing I could wash away all the lingering heartache. I looked up at the sky, the clouds moved in all directions, and with my sword in hand, I asked the world who was the hero."

He hummed it quite well.

"What happened next? I really like this piece of music," Wei Yuan said with a smile.

This is something I've always been most afraid of: being called up to the stage by the teacher and having to sing in front of everyone. Xu Qi'an said, "I'll sing it for you when Duke Wei tells me your story with the Empress."

After leaving the Nightwatchers's office, Xu Qi'an rode his beloved mare into a brothel, where he used a potion to change his appearance before riding the mare back on his journey.

After circling around for a while and confirming that no one was following him, he quietly knocked on the outer gate of the courtyard.

"Squeak~"

The courtyard gate opened, revealing a plump old woman.

"??"

A string of question marks flashed through Xu Qi'an's mind: Where is my queen? Where is the wife I painstakingly stole? Where is my most beautiful woman in the Great Feng?

How did she turn into an old woman?!

Who are you?

The old woman stared at Xu Qi'an suspiciously, her expression quite unfriendly.

Xu Qi'an simplified his name and said, "My name is Xu Qian. What brings this auntie to my house?"

"Your home?"

The old woman's eyes widened with suspicion as she said, "Wait a moment!"

He didn't close the door, just turned around and went inside.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the old woman came rushing out, broom in hand, shouting and cursing:

"You ungrateful bastard, you actually tracked me all the way here. This isn't the capital; you can't run wild here."

The old woman swung a broom at him, but Xu Qi'an ducked and dodged it, then slipped into the yard.

The old woman was furious and chased after him, hitting him wildly.

The door to the main house opened, and the princess, holding a bowl of peanuts in her small hands, leaned against the door, watching the show with great delight.

When the old woman saw her radiant smile, she realized something was amiss. Leaning on her broom, she glanced suspiciously at Xu Qi'an, then at the princess.

"I really am her man."

Xu Qi'an offered an explanation, glanced at the young woman dressed in plain clothes with a cheap jade hairpin in her hair, walked over, and tapped her on the head. "Was that fun?"

The widow of the Prince of Zhenbei, the most beautiful woman in the Great Feng, returned to her cold expression after being beaten.

Stubbornly ignoring him, she simply said softly, "Aunt Zhang, you should go back now."

Aunt Zhang muttered a few words, leaned the broom against the wall, and walked out of the yard.