Having made up his mind, Zhao Yunxiao had a quick meal at the inn before heading straight for the Hei Residence.
Time to get things over and done with!
The Hei Residence was not difficult to find by any measure. Holding the title of the wealthiest faction in the city, their residence was naturally one that was grand and eye-catching. Even without asking anyone, he easily found it by looking for the largest residence in Thousand Autumn City.
Located in the heart of the city, pretty much right next to the city hall, the Hei Residence was even more extreme than Zhao Yunxiao had expected, and that was not just in terms of its grandeur.
More so than that, it was because the entire residence was built with jade.
From the tall walls around the perimeters to the numerous houses within, the dull greenish shine of jade could be seen no matter where one looked.
Lou Quping, the administrative deacon at the Black Tortoise Sect's Beastiary, was someone who loved jade accessories. But even he would probably find such architecture a little too excessive!
Nevertheless, everyone had their preferences, so Zhao Yunxiao knew better than to let his disbelief show. He knocked on the front gate, and it did not take long before a middle-aged lady appeared before him.
She was donned in a neat gown, her slightly greying hair held up with a beautiful hairpin. If not for the whip hanging by her waist, she could easily be seen as a scholarly woman.
The moment the door opened, the woman quickly eyed Zhao Yunxiao from head to toe. After which, her expression hardened.
"What do you want?" the woman questioned.
"I am looking for a Gang Yeshan," Zhao Yunxiao stated the name of the mission requestor.
"Gang Ye- you are looking for Granny Gang?" the woman immediately frowned. "You can speak to me instead. What business do you have with her?"
"May I know who you are?" Zhao Yunxiao enquired carefully.
"You don't need to know that. All you need to know is that apart from Granny Gang, I call the shots around here!" the woman snapped. "Not everyone can talk to Granny Gang just because they want to!"
"Is that so?" Zhao Yunxiao said with a smile. "Well then, please let her know that someone from the Black Tortoise Sect is here to see her."
"Black Tortoise Sect?" the woman took another quick scan of Zhao Yunxiao before snorting in disdain. "Even if you want to pretend, at least try to look the part. Just look at yourself. If you are from the Black Tortoise Sect, then I must be the empress of the Duyuan Empire! It'd be wise for you to just get lost and stop wasting my time. Otherwise, don't blame me for calling the guards to teach you a lesson!"
Bang-!
The gate slammed shut in Zhao Yunxiao's face.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
He felt helpless, but not entirely surprised.
There were plenty of people in this world who judged others by their appearances. In fact, this was not the first time that others had not believed his identity.
After all, the whole point of dressing shabbily was to avoid being seen as someone from an influential faction, so he could not possibly blame others for thinking exactly that.
That said, it would be great if she could at least try to ascertain his identity a little.
With a single thought, the clothes that he was wearing changed.
The shabby robes that had been mended and patched up at numerous spots vanished, replaced by fitting battle robes that gave off a noble air. Zhao Yunxiao still did not want to don the disciple robe of the Black Tortoise Sect to avoid drawing the attention of other cultivators, but this much should be enough.
Knock-! Knock-!
The gate opened soon, and the same lady appeared once again.
"You again?" the woman immediately furrowed her brows upon seeing him. "I told you to try to look the part, and you really came right back after doing that? Do you actually think that appearances are the only things that matter?"
"Madam, you misunderstood. I was just donning a disguise earlier," Zhao Yunxiao explained.
"Yeah, sure. And I am also the empress pretending to work here at the moment!" the woman rolled her eyes and proceeded to close the gate again.
But this time, Zhao Yunxiao did not just stand there and watch her do that.
[Xuanwu Movement Art – Snapping Burst]
By the time the gate closed, Zhao Yunxiao was already standing within the compound.
Thinking that she had closed the door on the disturbant, the woman's eyes widened in horror upon turning around to see the exact same person standing before her.
"Y-You-!" the woman pointed at Zhao Yunxiao in shock. "When did you get in here?!"
"Do you believe me now?" Zhao Yunxiao said helplessly.
"This...! Someone bring our esteemed guest to the front hall! I will go inform Granny Gang!" the woman rushed into the residence.
She did not know if Zhao Yunxiao was truly from the Black Tortoise Sect as he had claimed. However, there was no doubt that he was a cultivator.
That alone meant that she was in no position to represent the Hei Clan in discussing matters with him!
At her command, two beautiful young ladies hurried over to attend to Zhao Yunxiao, leading him to the front hall where the Hei Clan usually entertained their guests.
Zhao Yunxiao recognised one of them instantly – she was one of the female slaves whom Hei Lao had purchased yesterday. It would appear that she was already being put to work.
The two young ladies waited on him attentively as he waited, offering tea and fruits. In fact, they even offered to give Zhao Yunxiao shoulder and leg massages – offers that he refused without hesitation.
He was here to work, not to relish in luxury. And he definitely did not want to owe the Hei Clan any unnecessary favours.
That said, he had to say that the interior of the Hei Residence was just as visually shocking as the exterior.
The ceiling, the walls, the pillars, and the floors – all of them were jade.
This was truly a jade paradise.
Soon, a woman who looked to be in her sixties appeared. She had long grey hair and skin that was rather wrinkled from the weathering of time. She arrived with a few servants by her side, including the middle-aged woman from earlier.
"Greetings, Young Hero," the old lady clasped her fists towards Zhao Yunxiao the moment she arrived.
"Greetings. I assume you are Gang Yeshan?" Zhao Yunxiao returned the greeting.
"I am, indeed," the old woman nodded. "Our housekeeper, Old Ping, didn't know what was best for her and thus ended up offending you earlier. Please be magnanimous and not hold it against her."
"Please forgive this lowly one!" the middle-aged woman knelt down without hesitation.
"The ignorant are innocent. Please rise," Zhao Yunxiao said casually.
"Thank you, Young Hero!" Old Ping got up and meekly stepped behind Gang Yeshan.
"That said, it might be rather presumptuous of me to say this, but would it be possible for us to ascertain your identity?" Gang Yeshan said. "I hope you don't take this to heart, but there have been quite a lot of malicious activities going on in the region recently."
"Don't worry, I understand," Zhao Yunxiao showed her the Black Tortoise Sect's disciple token without hesitation. "Here it is."
"Thank you for understanding, and even more so for coming to our aid, Young Hero. You must be tired from your journey, so please allow us to see you to the room that we have specially prepared," Gang Yeshan said. "After which, we will throw a huge banquet in honour of your arrival."
"No, let's forget all that and cut to the chase," Zhao Yunxiao declined while bringing out a scroll. "The Black Tortoise Sect has received your description of the ominous signs that your arhat idol statue has been displaying, and I brought with me recommended steps for you to resolve the matter."
In the request to the Black Tortoise Sect, Gang Yeshan had carefully included all the strange signs that the arhat idol statue had exhibited.
It had initially started with very slight movements, where the arhat idol statue began to slowly inch towards the entrance of the temple, almost falling from its altar as a result.
When the Hei Clan discovered that, Gang Yeshan tried putting some simple seals on the statue to no avail, and thus had no choice but to resort to physically bind the statue to the altar. But who knew that the arhat idol statue would actually start bleeding from its eyes not long after?
Frightened by the sudden turn of events, Gang Yeshan could only seal the entire temple and seek help from the Black Tortoise Sect!
"That's great to hear!" Gang Yeshan's face lit up in joy, receiving the scroll with both hands. "Do you mind if I take a look right now?"
"Please go ahead," Zhao Yunxiao agreed.
Gang Yeshan did not need to be told twice. Upon getting Zhao Yunxiao's permission, she unsealed the scroll and unrolled it atop a long table with great care, as though afraid of damaging it in the process.
With that, the contents within the scroll were revealed.
For message delivery missions, the messages would typically be sealed by the sect administrators to prevent any sort of tampering along the way. Therefore, Zhao Yunxiao had to read it on the spot along with Gang Yeshan and Old Ping.
Basically, the conclusion from the information received was that the arhat idol had either been afflicted with a curse or possessed by an evil spirit.
As for the solution, it naturally varied depending on the actual cause.
If it was caused by a curse, then the arhat idol statue would have to be purified with a special ritual or sealed away for good.
If it was possessed by an evil spirit, soul ferrying chants would have to be conducted to relieve it of existing obsessions and deliver it for reincarnation. Should that prove insufficient, then the evil spirit would have to be eliminated by force, even if it meant destroying the arhat idol statue in the process.
These recommendations could be considered simple and straightforward. Rather than that, it was the actual steps needed to carry out these recommendations that made this message valuable.
"This is great! I will get to it immediately!" Gang Yeshan exclaimed excitedly after reading the scroll. "Would it be possible for Young Hero to come along as well, so that I can seek your advice along the way?"
"Certainly," Zhao Yunxiao nodded.
He had intended to do so even without her asking.
On paper, his mission should have been completed the moment he passed the message to Gang Yeshan. After all, this was supposed to be a simple delivery mission.
But from the fact that he was required to take a test on arrays before he could be assigned the job, it was clear what the sect had expected of him.
Since that was the case, he naturally had to go one step further and ensure that these steps were executed properly. Otherwise, it would reflect badly on him should any problems arise after his departure.
That aside, he was actually rather surprised by Gang Yeshan's reaction to the message.
He already knew from the mission request that Gang Yeshan was a cultivator herself, especially since it mentioned that she had tried putting seals on the arhat idol statue. However, the stated recommendations involved slightly complex rituals and arrays.
For her to treat these messages as lightly as she did, she must already possess a certain level of experience with arrays.
If even someone who possessed such experience could not deal with the matter and had to send a request to the Black Tortoise Sect...
Zhao Yunxiao could only hope that the sect administrators' recommended steps would be sufficient to deal with the matter!
"Thank you, Young Hero. Please follow me," Gang Yeshan eagerly led the way deeper into the residence.
The Hei Residence was huge, enough to be divided into separate areas, each comprising their own buildings and courtyards. To ease the awkward silence while navigating through the complex network of corridors and aisles, Gang Yeshan started sharing more about herself and the Hei Clan.
Gang Yeshan, whom everyone else referred to as Granny Gang, was actually an unaffiliated cultivator.
After being saved by one of the Hei Clan's ancestors in the past, she decided to repay this life-saving favour by swearing an oath to aid the Hei Clan as its grand elder. Just like that, she had ended up looking after the clan for decades.
"Do you regret making such an oath?" Zhao Yunxiao asked carefully.
"Not at all," Gang Yeshan shook her head with a smile. "This is the least that I could do for a friend."
"I see..." Zhao Yunxiao was rather relieved upon hearing her answer.
On the topic of oaths, he could not help but think back to Cha. Unlike Gang Yeshan, Cha seemed to regret his oath that had ended up severely restricting his interactions with members of the Origin Lake Sect even up till today.
It was reassuring to know that not all cultivators made oaths in such a careless manner.
While engaged in casual conversation, the trio eventually arrived at their destination. It was a small jade temple, albeit with numerous talismans pasted all over the exterior.
"A sealing array?" Zhao Yunxiao thought out loud. "Not too badly done."
"These old bones tried my best to do what I can. I can only hope that Young Hero does not laugh at my amateur work," Gang Yeshan said.
"Not at all. I couldn't have done much better myself," Zhao Yunxiao answered politely.
"Haha, Young Hero sure is humble. Well then, please allow me," Gang Yeshan stepped in front of the door.
With a few simple taps, the talismans on the door fell to the ground. She then carefully pushed open the door to reveal the interior of the temple.
Zhao Yunxiao peered in from the outside, and his eyes immediately widened in disbelief.
The entirety of the temple, from the interior to the exterior, was constructed of jade. But this was just like the other parts of the Hei Residence, so it was far from being a surprise at this point.
At the far end of the temple was a simple altar on which sat a jade statue. In terms of height, it was only around fifty centimetres tall. This much was nothing special either.
Yet at this moment, numerous images flashed across Zhao Yunxiao's mind – all of them portraits that he had come across back in the Sect Library. Texts that described this appearance also resurfaced in his memory, further corroborating his conclusion.
There was no doubt about it.
This was no arhat idol.
Instead, this statue was that of the Untethered Sage Jiang Taiming!