Reversal

The scene before Xu Qi'an's eyes shifted, from blurry to clear, in less than a second.

Then he found himself at the mouth of a valley, a quiet valley with withered flowers and bare trees, desolate and peaceful.

Xu Qi'an closed his eyes, sensed the temperature and humidity of the air, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. The climate was not much different from that of the capital, which meant that the first supervisor had not taken him out of Great Feng or to the border.

For most high-level cultivators, aside from martial artists, distances of tens or hundreds of miles are merely a step away.

The white-robed Warlock raised his hand, his middle finger pressed against his thumb, and flicked out a drop of blood. With a "hum," the drop of blood struck an invisible wall of air, causing ripples to spread through the air.

"This is a secret place that I painstakingly built back then. Only I, or someone of my bloodline, can enter. Even the Supervisor cannot enter. Forcibly breaking in will only cause this place to crumble."

The white-robed Warlock carried Xu Qi'an and stepped into the barrier.

Xu Qi'an passed through the thin, transparent barrier of energy. The scenery before his eyes had completely changed. The valley was still a valley, but there were no grass or trees, only a huge stone disc engraved with various incantations.

The stone disc is ten zhang in diameter, covering almost every inch of land in the valley.

Upon seeing the stone slab, Xu Qi'an felt a familiar wave of dizziness again, like a pregnant woman feeling nauseous.

"I've been carving this formation on and off for over thirty years. It's a combination of 108 individual formations, making it unparalleled in both offense and defense. Apart from a first-rank supervisor, it's very difficult for anyone to break through it."

The white-robed Warlock explained in a gentle tone.

Why would his secret location be so close to the capital? Xu Qi'an frowned, a question flashing through his mind.

Xu Qi'an didn't think much of it, because his attention was drawn to a dried corpse sitting cross-legged in the formation.

The clothes worn by the mummified corpse were rather strange, made of cloth and animal hides, with brightly colored stones hanging from its waist, and a layered turban hat on its head.

People from Southern Frontier?

This is a typical style of clothing from Southern Frontier.

"He... he's the former leader of the Heavenly Gu Clan?!" Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat, and he voiced his suspicion.

"That's right, he's the Heavenly Gu Elder who stole the Great Feng Dynasty's fortune with me."

The white-robed Warlock answered every question with a calm and collected demeanor, as if everything was under his control.

How did he die here?

Xu Qi'an stared at the face of the first supervisor, which had been blurred out, his expression full of doubt, as if to say, "Are you having internal strife?"

"His lifespan was already short, and his plot with me to seize the Great Feng's fortune backfired. He perished not long after the Battle of Shanhai Pass ended."

The first supervisor lamented, "Stealing the nation's destiny will inevitably bring backlash, including now that I'm extracting your fortune; I will suffer the same backlash. This is a price that must be paid."

Lina had said that the Heavenly Gu Elder's purpose in seeking the Great Feng Dynasty's fortune was to repair the Confucian Sage's statue and reseal the Witch God. Xu Qi'an pondered:

Would he willingly become your stepping stone?

A powerful figure capable of scheming for the fate of the Great Feng Dynasty would surely know his own lifespan and physical condition; how could he possibly do something so lucrative for someone else?

The white-robed Warlock stood side by side with Xu Qi'an, gazing at the desiccated corpse in the center of the formation, and said:

"This gift comes at a price, and that price is the sealing of the Gu God. This is the karma between me and him; you don't need to worry about it."

Xu Qi'an paused for a moment, then whispered, "Must I die?"

The white-robed Warlock remained silent.

Xu Qi'an turned his head and looked at him sincerely. "I don't care about this luck. It was originally yours, and I can return it to you."

The white-robed Warlock slowly said:

"Once you reach the second rank and become a Dao-Merging Martial Artist, you will be able to bear the consequences of having your destiny extracted. But I can't wait that long."

"Wei Yuan is dead, Zhen De is dead, the dragon vein has dissipated. These are all inevitable trends. Qi Refinement must follow the trend. If you don't seize this opportunity, by the time you advance to the second rank, the opportunity will have passed."

"To achieve great things, you must seize the opportunity; you should understand that."

He paused, then sighed, "Moreover, once you become a Dao-Merging Martial Artist, I may not be able to subdue you anymore."

A hint of sadness flashed in Xu Qi'an's eyes, but he quickly composed himself and asked:

"How did you manage to deceive the supervisor and place your fortune on me?"

This question had troubled him for a long time. You see, the Supervisor was a first-rank Warlock, and no one understood fortune better than him. How did the first generation manage to keep fortune dormant within him for twenty years without making a sound?

The white-robed Warlock gazed at the desiccated corpse and said calmly, "This is not my ability, but the method of the Heavenly Gu Elder. He used the same method to deceive the Supervisor and successfully steal the fortune."

What method? Xu Qi'an waited for a moment, but the white-robed Warlock did not provide an explanation.

"The one who tied the knot must untie it; to draw upon your fortune, you need his help, as well as this great formation."

The white-robed Warlock casually placed Xu Qi'an in a spot, seemingly nonchalant but actually concealing a hidden strategy, right in front of the mummified corpse.

He needed the help of this formation to draw upon his fortune; he had been planning this for thirty years. Xu Qi'an thought to himself, "Old Silver Coin's actions are always meticulously planned."

He did not resist, nor was he able to resist. After obediently standing still, he asked:

"I'm really curious, if shielding the heavenly secrets could erase my name."

The white-robed Warlock paused for a moment, then asked, "Why do you ask that?"

Xu Qi'an smiled expressionlessly:

"Just personal curiosity. To what extent can you block someone? Completely erase them from the world? What would the world's reaction be if you blocked someone who is known worldwide? Like an emperor, or like me."

Have people completely forgotten, or are their memories fragmented? What would happen if someone whose secrets have been hidden from the world reappeared in the public eye?

What difference is there between the close relatives of someone who is blocked and others?

The white-robed Warlock looked at him without speaking for a long time.

Xu Qi'an met his gaze calmly. "If things are written down beforehand, what if your closest relatives see something that doesn't match their memory?"

On the official road in the outskirts of Beijing.

Xu Pingzhi spurred his horse toward the Cloud Deer Academy, while the great Confucian scholar Zhang Shen leisurely rode alongside his horse, taking three zhang (approximately 10 meters) at a time.

Amidst the swirling mist ahead, a figure appeared, wearing a scholar's cap and an old scholar's robe, exuding a free and unrestrained air.

"Dean?"

Zhang Shen was taken aback for a moment, and said in a rather surprised tone, "What are you doing here?"

Dean Zhao Shou ignored him, took out three slips of paper from his pocket, unfolded one of them, and read:

"If you forget to save (blank) tomorrow, please give the second note to Xu Pingzhi."

There's a blank space in the middle. Who should be saved? The paper doesn't have any writing on it, or perhaps it was written on it but was erased.

What does this mean?

Zhang Shen looked at the contents of the note and saw that Zhao Shou's expression was more serious than ever before, which made him realize that the dean seemed to be in some trouble.

Sitting on horseback, Xu Pingzhi frowned. He had also seen the note Zhao Shou had shown him. Although his Second Uncle Xu had never been to school, he held a public office and had served the royal family for many years. He must have been exposed to books and writing regularly, so it was impossible for him to be completely illiterate.

He recognized most of the words on the note, except for two or three that he didn't know.

"I just went through a great battle, but I can't remember who I fought, let alone why. Until I found these three slips of paper on my person."

Zhao Shou spoke, he unfolded the second slip of paper, on which was written in vermilion:

"Second Uncle, save me!!"

The four striking, bright red characters caught Xu Pingzhi's eye, causing his pupils to contract abruptly as if struck by a bright light.

It made his cheek muscles twitch slightly, and caused large beads of sweat to appear on his forehead.

Xu Pingzhi clutched his head and roared in pain, veins bulging on his forehead. He fell off the horse, clutching his head and rolling on the ground in agony, howling incessantly.

Zhao Shou said in a deep voice, "Everything will be over soon!"

Law Follows Speech.

Second Uncle Xu's headache had indeed improved a lot. He was breathing heavily, his face was no longer contorted with pain, and he was covered in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

Xu Pingzhi slowly stood up, his lips trembling, and his rugged face was already covered with tears.

"It seems you've remembered something."

Zhao Shou's voice was gentle as he unfolded the third slip of paper, which read, "Go to Quanrong Mountain in Jianzhou and find the Martial Alliance Ancestor. You will know once you get there."

Quanrong Mountain, inside the Stone Gate.

Wriggling chunks of flesh circled around a piece of paper with a line of text written on it:

"It is very important to wait for Zhao Shou, the dean of the Cloud Deer Academy, to come and go with him to rescue people."

"It is very important to wait for Zhao Shou, the dean of the Cloud Deer Academy, to come and go with him to rescue people."

"It is very important to wait for Zhao Shou, the Dean of the Cloud Deer Academy, to come and go with him to rescue people!"

I'll say it three times because it's important.

An aged voice echoed in the dimly lit cave:

"Why is there a note here? I seem to have forgotten something. I have been in seclusion for many years; how can I easily emerge? This will consume what little life I have left."

"Etc."

One of the pieces of meat wriggled, and from the corner rolled out a letter that read:

"Senior, I will soon face a great calamity, and I hope you can lend a helping hand. In return, I promise to give you a section of nine-colored lotus root within six months to help you reach the second rank of Dao Integration."

Inside the grotto, the aged voice echoed once more, "Whose letter? Whose letter?"

His voice was somewhat agitated.

"I don't remember, but the fact that I kept this letter speaks volumes. I seem to have forgotten something. Oh right, Zhao Shou, wait for Zhao Shou."

An aged voice murmured to itself.

The white-robed Warlock laughed:

"It's quite interesting that you can think of these questions. I'm somewhat surprised. But that's not important. It will only take half a quarter of an hour to extract the luck from your body. Even if the Supervisor defeats Salun Agu and arrives here now, he will not be able to dismantle the formation that I spent more than thirty years inscribing in half a quarter of an hour."

"Moreover, this place contains methods left behind by the Heavenly Gu Elder, possessing unknown characteristics."

The unknown nature... Is this why my destiny has remained hidden within me for twenty years without being discovered? Xu Qi'an suddenly realized, and he sighed, saying:

"It's absolutely flawless."

The white-robed Warlock remained silent, lightly stomping his foot. A beam of clear light emanated from beneath his feet, instantly igniting the entire array. The light spread like ripples on water, illuminating the incantation.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an felt a tremendous sense of crisis; every hair on his body and every nerve was sending out "danger" signals.

This is a warning from a martial artist at the Spirit Refining Realm, and it's giving feedback.

But no corresponding image appeared in my mind; this crisis was mysterious and elusive, seemingly impossible to capture or visualize.

In the the Unseen, he felt something inside him moving away, slowly rising, trying to emerge from the top of his head.

The formation was draining my luck. Xu Qi'an suddenly had an epiphany.

At this point, the extraction of fortune stopped, seemingly encountering an insurmountable obstacle.

Just then, at the center of the formation, the mummified corpse slowly opened its eyes.

Those eyes had only whites, no pupils, and seemed to contain a terrifying vortex.

Click!

Xu Qi'an seemed to hear the sound of shackles being torn off. One of the shackles that had bound his fortune to him had broken, and nothing could stop the stripping away of his fortune anymore.

Seeing this, the white-robed Warlock finally smiled.

After twenty years of planning, it has finally come to fruition today, and the great mission is accomplished.

But the next moment, his smiling face froze.

The immense, boundless, and unseen aura of fortune, just as it was about to leave Xu Qi'an, suddenly solidified, then slowly sank back into his body.

"You possess other fortune that doesn't belong to the Great Feng!"

The white-robed Warlock spoke, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, but it became low and somber.

"Looks like I made the right bet."

Xu Qi'an was drenched in cold sweat, feeling utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. Despite not having expended any physical strength, he was panting heavily, laughing between breaths:

"I've now confirmed two things. First, the fortune you have hidden within me has been refined by you using the methods of Qi Refinement. But the other portion of fortune within me, you haven't refined, and it doesn't belong to you."

"Secondly, you are different from the Supervisor. The Supervisor's flawless calculations are based on his 'Destiny' rank and the means he uses. However, as a second-grade Qi Refinement, you are still within the realm of humanity. You don't know everything. For example, you don't know that I once had a fortuitous encounter and obtained a Qi of unknown origin. It seems that the two Qi have merged, which is why you cannot retrieve your own share of Qi."

"Ha, ha, ha ha ha."

His smile gradually became exaggerated, a mixture of the exhilaration of surviving a disaster and the lingering fear of having just escaped death!

The white-robed Warlock did not refute, seemingly acquiescing, and smiled:

"It just takes a little more time; it's not difficult for Qi Refinement cultivator to refine an extra bit of luck. On the contrary, I should thank you for your gift, which has allowed me to obtain a substantial amount of luck."

Haha, hahaha, hahahaha

Xu Qi'an was still laughing there, laughing like a madman.

I laughed and laughed until tears streamed down my face.

The white-robed Warlock frowned, his tone unusually displeased. "What are you laughing at?"

Xu Qi'an wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, looked at the white-robed Warlock with a mixture of sorrow and hatred, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth:

"Should I address you as the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, or the Scholar of the Xu Household, or Lord Xu? Or perhaps, call you Father?"

PS: The next chapter is where Xu Bai Piao will show off his skills. You'll need some patience to read my book. After getting used to writing crime-solving stories, it's hard to change my writing style. Crime-solving involves giving the result first, then finding clues. So a lot of content in the book is written directly first, and then the foreshadowing that was planted beforehand is revealed.

Because the foreshadowing was placed quite subtly, many readers couldn't recall it, which made it seem illogical. This also happened during Joan of Arc's "rebellion," and some readers complained about it. Later, however, they were deeply impressed by my foreshadowing.

The drawbacks of concealing celestial secrets will be discussed in the next chapter, so please be patient.