"Is Zheng Blackback gone?"
"No kidding… Last night, the folks from Taixing Carriage Company struck first, and their move was like a thunderbolt!"
"I heard it was over in a flash. The Iron Blade Gang's toughest fighters—seventy or eighty of them—were crippled. Ruthless strikes, limbs broken…"
"Zheng Blackback must've been scared witless. Fled that very night, no one knows where. Word is, he took all the gang's money with him. Now, plenty of bladesmen are hunting him down, looking to pull a black-on-black and take a chunk of that fat loot…"
"Oh, and that kid's really a piece of work. Before he bolted, he even screwed over his own senior brother."
"How'd he do that?"
"He sent all those maimed underlings to Wang Yao's clinic, claiming he'd pay in full. Then he vanished. Now the clinic's packed with wounded, and they can't just toss them out."
"Hah, that's low even for him…"
In the martial world, rumors spread faster than wildfire.
What happened last night hadn't even waited for dawn before it swept through Xianyang City.
The martial folks kept their mouths shut—everyone knew the Zhou family's end was near.
But the common folk of Xianyang relished the gossip. Some clapped and cheered, others mocked and sneered, and the angrier ones spat on the ground, genuinely relieved.
"Make way, make way!"
Sha Lifei shoved through the crowd at the city gate.
On any other day, with his temperament, he'd have stopped to brag a bit, boasting about his pivotal role in the affair.
But now, he was in a frantic rush, no time for anything else.
Xianyang's gates opened only at the Mao hour (5–7 a.m.). He lacked the skill to scale walls or leap rooftops, nor did he have the clout to make the guards lower a basket. So, he waited, honest and impatient.
An hour had passed since Li Yan left.
Sha Lifei wasn't about to dawdle and risk a mishap.
What he didn't notice was that Zheng Blackback, the Iron Blade Gang's leader, had also slipped out the gate, disguised as a northern merchant…
…
"I'm here to see Daoist Qingyangzi."
Outside Xianyang's City God Temple, Sha Lifei respectfully presented his calling card.
This temple was ancient, built in the Qin and Han eras. It had been razed in wars and rebuilt several times, now sprawling over twenty acres with nearly a hundred buildings.
The temple enshrined Meng Chong, a great general from the Qin era.
Such folk deity temples thrived on local worship, so the gates were always open for commoners to offer incense. Every May 15, a grand temple fair drew crowds.
But Sha Lifei wasn't here to burn incense. Without a proper calling card, he'd never get to see Daoist Qingyangzi.
"Please wait, layman."
The young daoist saw Manager Wan's name on the card and didn't dare refuse. With a word, he hurried to the rear hall.
Sha Lifei waited anxiously, glancing at the temple's couplet: Divine eyes like lightning discern the smallest details; human hearts like mirrors know good from evil. The horizontal plaque read: Piercing Insight.
He'd always steered clear of such places. Wandering the martial world, who hadn't done a few things that pricked the conscience?
Now, looking again, Sha Lifei sighed inwardly: City God, may your lightning eyes see clearly. If we can slay that demon and save the daoist, I, Old Sha, will come burn incense for you often…
Lost in thought, the young daoist returned, gave a salute, and gestured. "Layman, please follow me."
Sha Lifei trailed the boy through the ceremonial gate and grand archway, then along the side hall's corridor to the rear hall.
There, a statue of a martial general stood, clad in golden armor, white-faced with a red beard, right hand gripping a sword, left holding a great seal, eyes wide and imposing.
Before the statue, the offering table was tiered like terraced fields, packed with black pottery jars, each sealed with a yellow talisman. Oil lamps burned around them, incense smoke curling thickly.
To the side, on a prayer mat, sat an old daoist with white hair and a long beard, his forehead broad, his face kind. This was Qingyangzi, Xianyang's temple priest.
He wore a nine-beam cap and a celestial robe, black outside and white within, as was the custom of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, which revered black. Embroidered on it were a green dragon on the left, a white tiger on the right, a black tortoise on the back, and a vermilion bird on the chest, with dragon and tiger sashes tied at the waist.
Such grand attire was worn only for rituals.
Sha Lifei, though no expert, was deeply respectful.
Wang Daoxuan had told him that City God Temples fell under the Ministry of Rites' Mysterious Sacrifices Division, a bureau that oversaw all mystical practitioners, issuing daoist licenses with considerable authority.
To be a temple priest in such a place was no small feat.
This Qingyangzi, though only at the third level of cultivation, was highly respected, with many disciples and grand-disciples. He was not to be crossed.
"Oh, you've found him?"
Hearing Sha Lifei's account, Qingyangzi stroked his beard. "To think Xianyang hid a living yin agent. Yet Chen Fakui's fate was sealed. Go now, return at the Si hour (9–11 a.m.), and someone will accompany you."
"What?"
Sha Lifei panicked, clasping his fists. "Daoist, this is life and death! My young brother is guarding the place, and Daoist Wang's soul is still in that demon's hands. If something goes wrong…"
"No need for alarm."
Qingyangzi shook his head slightly. "Chen Fakui stays in the tomb because his soldiers and puppets are weakened by daylight, but the tomb's heavy yin energy shields him. Anyone entering would be noticed."
"Likewise, my shrine soldiers can only act at night. If we rush and startle the snake, saving anyone becomes harder."
"Come at the Si hour. It won't go amiss."
The old daoist held high status yet spoke gently. Sha Lifei couldn't argue, leaving the temple with a bitter expression.
Recalling Li Yan's orders, he hurried back, obtained a death list, then visited a nearby coffin shop for a fine coffin. He rushed outside the city, collected Wu Laosi's body, and placed it temporarily in a charity morgue.
By the time he finished, the Si hour had arrived.
Sha Lifei raced back to the City God Temple. In the main hall, beside Qingyangzi, stood two new daoists.
One wore a black robe with a taiji diagram on the back, a seven-star sword strapped behind him. His features were sharp, but his brow carried a hint of menace.
The other wore a white robe, a white eight-trigram band around his head, his skin dark, with a long beard and a tall, sturdy frame. He looked fierce, yet his eyes held a trace of sorrow.
Qingyangzi spoke to Sha Lifei. "This is Daoist Luo Mingzi of the Enforcement Hall. This is Mage Zhao Facheng of the Nine Origins Sect. They will go with you."
"Greetings, sirs."
Sha Lifei bowed respectfully, but his heart sank.
He remembered that Chen Fakui was from the Nine Origins Sect. Sending their own to catch him—wouldn't that risk favoritism and ruin everything?
Zhao Facheng of the Nine Origins Sect nodded slightly, then bowed respectfully to Qingyangzi. "Many thanks, Senior Qingyangzi."
"No matter."
Qingyangzi shook his head. "Your Nine Origins lineage has guarded the First Emperor's tomb for generations, serving the state. This small favor is due."
There it was—something fishy!
Sha Lifei fumed but dared not speak.
He could tell Luo Mingzi was formidable, likely a master of hidden strength, enhanced by mystic arts—far beyond his ability to challenge.
If he acted rashly and botched things, trouble would follow.
Bidding Qingyangzi farewell, the three left the main hall, exiting through the temple's rear gate, where a young daoist had prepared three swift horses.
Without a word, they mounted and rode out of Xianyang City…
…
Boom!
On a gloomy autumn day, muffled thunder rolled through the sky.
In a dense forest, Li Yan stared grimly at the earthen hill opposite.
He'd set out early on a fast horse, reaching the spot Wu Laosi described, but trouble awaited.
There was indeed an ancient tomb, far from villages, nestled in the wild hills, rising from the plain like a giant tortoise overlooking the Guanzhong Plain.
Though he knew little of feng shui or geomancy, he could see it was a precious site.
The problem? There wasn't just one tomb.
With the naked eye, he spotted three, all ancient, their entrances already breached, clearly looted by tomb raiders.
Worse, Chen Fakui had used some technique to mask his presence. Li Yan's divine senses could only detect faint yin energy in the tombs, with no trace of the man.
He dared not climb the hill, lest he alert his quarry.
Frustration gnawed at him.
In this situation, his skills were too limited.
Just then, distant hoofbeats echoed.
Reinforcements?
Li Yan's heart lifted. He hurried to the forest's edge to look.
On the dirt road, two riders galloped closer. One wore a sheepskin jacket and a dogskin cap, the other rough black cloth.
Though disguised, Li Yan saw them clearly.
It was none other than Yuan Qu and Zheng Blackback!
*(End of Chapter)*