Strange Happenings

Xu Qi'an tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, thought for a moment, and said:

"Duke Wei, let me first report on our work. After Emperor Yuanjing's death, the dragon's aura dissipated, and the Great Feng is in grave danger."

"The Witch God Cult, Buddhist School, and the lineage from five hundred years ago are all coveting the dragon energy. After a month of travel, I have collected three crucial dragon energies and one fragmented dragon energy."

"The supervisor said that the scattered dragon energy can be ignored. As long as the nine crucial dragon energies are gathered together, the scattered dragon energy will gather on its own."

"However, I reckon it's not necessary to collect all nine dragon energies, because it's too difficult. If even one of them is found by the enemy and brought back to their base, I'll be completely helpless."

"Therefore, we should collect as much dragon energy as possible to stabilize the crumbling Great Feng. For example, collecting more than half of the dragon energy would be enough. Or perhaps, the supervisor has other plans in mind; he is truly unfathomable."

"If you were still alive, Duke Wei, I wouldn't be so troubled."

Xu Qi'an took another sip of wine, accompanied by a soft sigh:

"Your sacrifice did not bring about any positive changes for the Great Feng, although the Supervisor and Zhao Shou said that you bought time for the Central Plains."

"Throughout this journey, the weather has been freezing cold, and all I've seen are things I can't bear to look at. Whether the country prospers or falls, the people suffer. This is truly not an exaggeration."

"I will try my best to change this situation and save the Great Feng from the brink of destruction. This is also related to my own life. Once the Great Feng is destroyed, I, who bear half of the nation's fate, will also die for my country."

Sometimes I feel lost and don't know which way to go. I wish you were still alive.

"Oh right, I finally practiced dual cultivation with the Imperial Preceptor. She's now my dao companion, but right now she probably wishes she could stab me to death with a sword. What a tigress!"

"I used to be purely attracted to the Imperial Preceptor's body; she was just too beautiful and captivating. But our time practicing together has given me some different feelings for her. This is probably what they call 'getting on the bus first and buying the ticket later.'"

"The only problem is that she's not very friendly to my other women. But I can't control her. Once she calms down her karmic fire and transcends her tribulation, she will become a first-class terrestrial immortal."

"Just thinking about it fills me with despair; perhaps, the women in Lin'an are even more desperate. Fine, my womanizing is my fault. Duke Wei, can such a great lover as you understand me?"

"Once I recover my cultivation and reach the peak of the third rank, I will be able to cultivate with Mu Nanzhi. With my outstanding charm, she will definitely not refuse, but I do not want to seize her spiritual essence."

"Perhaps the High Antiquity Daoist School bedroom arts can solve this problem, allowing us to benefit each other."

"Also, Huaiqing has a very strong and domineering personality. When I went to see her yesterday, she blocked me outside for half an hour, citing her physical discomfort."

"Guess how I met her later? I said: I haven't been to Lin'an yet."

"She only just saw me. If she knew I'd gone to Lin'an first..."

Xu Qi'an sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the bed. While drinking, he glanced back at Wei Yuan and said helplessly:

"I'm sorry, I really don't have the energy or time to collect the materials for the Soul-Summoning Bell. The situation forces me to prioritize collecting dragon energy."

"In the past, I would have chosen to revive you first. Now, I choose to save the country first; this is a responsibility I must shoulder. You learned martial arts in the first place so that you could reach the third rank and take the Empress away from the capital."

"But later, when you truly possessed the cultivation and power to look down upon all living beings, you chose to remain in the court, willingly becoming Yuan Jing's pawn, a mender of an empire."

"How can one find a way to have it all, to be true to both the people and to my beloved?"

Xu Qi'an withdrew his gaze and continued his rambling:

"I have taken on a new apprentice named Miao Youfang. He is of average talent, but he has a chivalrous heart and dreams of becoming a great hero."

"I suddenly felt that I should give him a chance, because it was you who gave me the opportunity, the opportunity that gave someone like me who had no relatives or friends, and that's how Xu Yinluo came to be today."

"You cultivate talent for the imperial court, and so do I."

"Duke Wei, this is the legacy you passed down to me."

After saying that, the pot of wine was empty.

Xu Qi'an propped himself up, bowed before the bed, and left the secret room.

While maintaining his "Star Shifting and Constellation Changing" ability, preventing his aura from leaking out in the slightest, he used the conch shell to contact Sun Xuanji.

He made a succinct statement regarding the one-way communication:

See you downstairs!

Without giving Senior Brother Sun a chance to reply, they cut off communication.

When Sun Xuanji arrived at the first underground level, he saw Xu Qi'an rubbing his fifth junior sister's messy hair.

"Wait for me to return at the Bureau of Astronomy. It's not that I don't want to take you with me, but it's too dangerous."

"You wouldn't want to die young without ever getting married, would you?"

Xu Qi'an felt the smoothness of the hair between his fingertips. Zhong Li looked unkempt, with messy hair, often giving the impression that she didn't care about personal hygiene.

But her hair is smooth and she doesn't smell bad; she's actually very clean.

Zhong Li didn't resist Xu Qi'an's pat on the head, and whispered in defense:

"Your good fortune can offset misfortune; I might not be in any danger."

Senior Sister Zhong, you are a woman, yet you have no self-awareness at all,"Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice.

"Have you forgotten the scalding meat soup Master Hengyuan served outside Yongzhou City? Have you forgotten what happened in the underground palace? Have you forgotten all the unfortunate things that happened to you in my house?"

Zhong Li said, "But now you have dragon energy surrounding you, plus your original luck."

Xu Qi'an glared at her. "You're still Qi Ingestion?"

Zhong Li lowered her head, looking wronged and speechless.

Xu Qi'an then looked at Sun Xuanji and said:

"Senior Brother Sun, please take this out of the capital."

He feared that the Imperial Advisor was still patrolling the capital, and if they encountered each other, the Imperial Advisor's little fists would pound him in the chest, pounding him to death.

Putting yourself in his shoes, if someone had driven him to this point of utter ruin, Xu Qi'an would have gone crazy too.

Sun Xuanji hummed in agreement, glanced at Zhong Li, and said:

"She"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Qi'an had already handed him paper and pen.

Sun Xuanji immediately lost the will to speak, stomped his foot heavily, the teleportation array lit up, and he disappeared with Xu Qi'an.

"Junior sister, do you want to advance to the fourth rank as soon as possible so that you can help him withstand future crises?"

Zhong Li turned her head at the sound and saw Yang Qianhuan's back head peeking out from the doorway.

She obediently hummed in agreement.

"These are truly turbulent times."

Yang Qianhuan sighed and said, "After I finish dealing with matters in the capital, I'll have to make a trip to the martial world. My supervisor has assigned me a task. Although I hate that scoundrel Xu Qi'an, we've known each other for a while, so I should help him if I can."

Zhong Li asked curiously:

"What business does Senior Brother Yang have in the capital?"

Yang Qianhuan whispered:

"It's a secret, but I can tell you something, well, it's related to donations."

Zhong Li suddenly realized:

"Senior Brother Yang wants to donate all the assets of the Bureau of Astronomy again?"

"Oh, how did you guess? No, no, no, I didn't think that. Don't wrong me."

Yang Qianhuan stammered incoherently for a while, then said dejectedly, "Junior Sister Zhong, remember to keep this a secret. I'm planning to catch the Supervisor off guard."

Yunzhou!

Qianlong City, the Star-Gazing Pavilion atop the mountain.

"Cough cough."

A hoarse cough echoed in the tea room. A middle-aged man dressed in white sat at the table brewing tea, occasionally covering his mouth and coughing.

Outside the teahouse, on the observation deck, stood a golden figure as tall as an iron tower.

He was eight feet tall with a perfect physique, wearing a semi-naked robe, his exposed muscles looking like they were cast in gold.

His facial features have distinct Western Region characteristics, and when he stands there, he has a bamboo-like uprightness and strength.

His gaze was deep and imposing, giving those who met his eyes the feeling of standing on the edge of an abyss.

"In your current state, you will be killed by the supervisor within ten moves."

The golden figure spoke, its voice not loud, yet it possessed a thunderous power.

"The backlash of luck on Warlock is far more terrifying than you imagine," Xu Pingfeng said with a sigh as he patiently brewed tea.

"To use self-harm to cast a curse on me—my eldest son's combat talent is terrifying. Give him another five or ten years, and rebellion will be nothing but a joke."

The golden figure surveyed the entire Hidden Dragon City and slowly said:

"We haven't been able to find the Bodhisattva of Dharma Salvation yet, otherwise his image as the Pharmacist could have healed your injuries."

"Since you are unable to start anything now, you must focus your energy on collecting dragon energy."

"The current situation is dire. The Arhat of Compassion has been captured, and at least half of the Demon-Sealing Nails on the Buddha's body have been removed. Even without regaining his immortal body, he has always been able to barely reach the third-rank combat strength."

The white-robed Warlock brewed the tea, took a sip, and smiled:

"Aren't there still two Vajras and my Azure Dragon Seven Constellations? Last night, while observing the stars, I discovered an additional brilliant star in the west. Is this the birth of a new Arhat, or the awakening of an Arhat from the cycle of reincarnation?"

"The Asura King's youngest son has returned to his throne," the golden figure said.

Xu Pingfeng nodded:

"The Asura race are born warriors, practicing both Buddhism and martial arts. With the return of that young son, Buddhist School has gained both a Vajra and an Arhat."

"Collecting dragon energy isn't urgent. I have other plans. Since Master Jianzheng has cornered us in Yunzhou, we can finally relax and discuss the details of what to do after the uprising begins."

After speaking, the white-robed Warlock and the golden figure simultaneously raised their heads and looked up at the sky.

In the azure sky, the clouds surged and shifted, coalescing into a gigantic face, coldly and indifferently surveying the earth.

Supervise!

On this day, Xu Qi'an and his group arrived in Jiangzhou and passed through a place called "Shengyi County".

The city walls were low, and four soldiers stood guard at the entrance of the county town, holding long spears, their posture slumped, shivering in the cold wind.

"This damn weather, the sun is practically useless."

Miao Youfang grumbled and cursed, but he was only one step away from having a body of steel and was no longer afraid of the cold or heat.

But his mindset is still that of "us ordinary people," instinctively putting himself in the shoes of ordinary folks.

Seeing the hunched-over figures of pedestrians, I felt as if I too had been affected by the "cold wave."

The group entered the city. The bluestone slabs of the main road were riddled with cracks. The houses were low and, while not too dilapidated, were rather unremarkable.

This indicates that Shengyi County is in poor economic condition.

Pedestrians hurried to and fro on the street, busy with their own lives, their faces red from the cold wind, and if you looked closely, you would find that most of them had chilblains on their hands.

The group found a restaurant on the street and sat down to eat.

What would you gentlemen like to eat?

The waiter came over and pointed to the wooden signs hanging on the wall, each sign listing a dish.

Xu Qi'an casually ordered a few dishes and three jugs of wine, then asked with a smile:

"Waiter, have anything strange happened here lately?"

The waiter looked around and whispered:

"What a coincidence, there really are a few strange things happening."

PS: I've written half of Chapter Two. I originally wanted to post both chapters together, but it's impossible to do so in the "morning." So I'm posting Chapter One first.