Chapter 128: Moves in Chang’an
“Second Nephew-Disciple, why do you think that guy from the Buddhist Sect chose to hide in this cave in Godly Spring Manor?”
Xiang Qingniu got tired after walking up the mountain, so he sat on a boulder and took out a pack of candies from his sleeve. Then, he threw one piece into his mouth and chewed.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist replied, “I found the person that night and severely injured him. Although I don’t know who saved him, since he was so severely injured, he must need to rest somewhere even if he carried the precious Bodhi Pill. Also, the smell of blood must be too strong on him. Cultivation masters from the Royal Guard, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice are looking for him, and so are the disciples of our daoist temple. In order to find a safe spot to hide, he would need to cover the strong smell of blood. Without a question, the Liquor Pool of Godly Spring Manor is a great place.”
Xiang Qingniu nodded and finished eating the candy. After not hearing the howls of the mastiff dogs, he shook his head and said, “I won’t wait anymore; I’m going in to check. I don’t have time to waste here. After finishing everything here, I need to get to the training field. I hope that I can see Fang Jie’s last test. If I don’t go, that guy will say that I lied about my identity. I’m a supervisor! How can I be looked down upon by him?”
Xiang Qingniu got up and slowly walked toward the cave.
“Little Uncle-Master, let me do it.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist tried to convince him.
“Do you think that I can’t handle it?” Xiang Qingniu rolled his eyes at Phoenix-Chirp Daoist and then walked toward the cave with his black daoist fluttering in the air.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist didn’t dare to lower his guard. After hesitating for a moment, he followed Xiang Qingniu.
Before entering the cave, the slit on his forehead slowly open, and a dark-red light could be vaguely seen.
“Nephew-Disciple, were you born with your godly eye?” Xiang Qingniu asked while walking.
“Yeah.”
“How did you find that you have this ability?”
“Little Uncle-Master, can I… not say it?”
“What do you think?”
“Little Uncle-Master, my third eye could see through all the fakeries in the world, and I learned the Illusion Bind from Master. It is all due to Master’s teachings. Eh, that is it,” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist blushed while replying with a righteous expression.
“Do you think I would believe that? Let me ask you this. Did you accidentally found that the eye on your forehead could see through walls and see girls bathing naked? And that is why you cultivated diligently? Don’t pretend to be righteous. How can I not know the characters of the daoists on Pure Joy Mountain?”
“Little Uncle-Master… you are also a member of One Qi Daoist Temple.”
“That is why I know you guys well,” Xiang Qingniu replied.
While talking, they already walked into the cave.
Xiang Qingniu got used to the dim light in the cave. Then, he frowned and saw those mastiff dogs stiffing in the cave, looking confused as they didn’t find anything.
Xiang Qingniu shook his head and asked, “Did we come to the wrong place?”
“No.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist’s expression changed, and he looked around carefully and said, “Before we came up the mountain, people were monitoring this place; no one escaped. The intelligence reports from the Royal Guard shouldn’t be wrong. Since they said that the person is here, there shouldn’t be any mistakes.”
Xiang Qingniu nodded and walked forward.
“Little Uncle-Master, let me go first.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist took a step forward and walked in the front.
Those mastiff dogs couldn’t find a target, so they all calmed down. A few of them couldn’t resist the temptation and even licked the liquor jars with their tongues; it looked like they wanted to taste the delicious liquor.
It was Xiang Qingniu’s first time seeing dogs liking liquor, and he found it funny.
This time, Xiang Qingniu didn’t argue with Phoenix-Chirp Daoist. He followed Phoenix-Chirp Daoist and walked into the depths of the cave. With his left index finger and left middle finger together and pointing out, a faint light blinked on them.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist concentrated on searching the cave. In his third vertical eye on his forehead, it seemed like there was an eyeball moving back and forth, so it felt like his eyes were looking in different directions.
After entering the dim cave, the dark-red light in his third eye seemed even clearer.
“Someone must have hidden here before.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist pointed at a few liquor jars that were opened and said, “If the injured person didn’t have healing pills and ointments, the strong liquor can be used to clean the wounds.”
“Not carrying healing pills and ointments when traveling around? How dumb must he be?” Xiang Qingniu snorted.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist shook his head and said, “He is conceited.”
Xiang Qingniu pouted and replied, “Does he think that no one could injure him in Great Sui? He is a conceited dumb*ss!”
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist smiled bitterly and thought, “I have never met a daoist like Little Uncle-Master who is this unpredictable. Compared to Little Uncle-Master, Master is too normal and kind.”
After taking a few steps forward, Xiang Qingniu suddenly stopped and sniffed.
“Get out!” He suddenly pulled Phoenix-Chirp Daoist and dashed backward.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist didn’t know what was going on, but he followed Xiang Qingniu subconsciously and moved back as well.
One black one red, these two figures dashed out of the cave like two beams of light, too fast for the naked eye to track.
When they reached the entrance of the cave, the air inside the cave suddenly vibrated intensely. Then, a streak of powerful airflow jetted outward followed by an explosion.
Boom! The air jetted out of the cave and carried a ton of dust and liquor with it.
Then, it felt like the entire mountain shook, and giant boulders fell, almost burying the entire cave.
The scene looked shocking.
Xiang Qingniu and Phoenix-Chirp Daoist all looked disheveled. Although they backed out of the cave in time, the explosion took them by surprise. They were all prestigious figures in the Daoist Sect, but their fancy clothes were cut by the strong airflow.
If the complex patterns on their clothes didn’t blink at the critical moment and block a portion of the impact force, they might have been injured already.
After dashing out of the cave, Phoenix-Chirp Daoist instantly turned around and opened his hands toward the entrance. Two streaks of repulsive forces shot back violently.
It was both the repulsive forces and their daoist robes that protected them and allowed them to be unharmed in this explosion.
“He indeed had healing pills,” Xiang Qingniu sighed while dusting off his robe, “He would rather mix the spiritual pills with other ingredients and put them in liquor, creating this killer bomb, instead of healing his injuries. This guy… he is indeed vicious. He gave up healing and tried to get us. Is he even human? Those mastiff dogs did make discoveries. When some mastiff dogs licked the liquor jars, I felt like something was wrong. I was a little careless and didn’t connect the dots right away.”
“Little Uncle-Master, it is fortunate that you figured it out fast,” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist said with fear in his voice.
Even though he was a cultivation master, he might not be able to block such a powerful explosion.
He was only showing superficial respect toward Xiang Qingniu in the beginning, but now he truly respected this Little Uncle-Master of his.”
“Even your master might not be as good as me in terms of understanding of ingredients and medicine.” Xiang Qingniu didn’t forget to brag. Then, he shook his head and sighed, “Giving up a spiritual pill comparable to the Small Golden Pill of the Daoist Sect just to ambush the people who would come here. What if only a few policemen or apprentices of Godly Spring Manor come here? Did he never think about this? It would be a waste of such a spiritual pill. Damn it! I can’t stand such a wasteful behavior!”
“Maniac.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist thought for a bit and said, “This person must be a maniac.”
-The Training Field-
Zhou Banchuan who was watching the mounted archery test suddenly raised his brows. He turned around and looked toward the curvy mountain in the distance.
After a moment of silence, he said to the person behind him, “Yan Ji, go to Godly Spring Mountain.”
Yan Ji didn’t ask any questions and nodded. “Ok, I will be going now.”
In order not to attract any attention, he walked to the back of the small city before dashing away like a giant eagle. Soon, he disappeared into the buildings behind the training field.
As soon as he disappeared, a loud muffled noise came from the direction that Zhou Banchuan was staring at.
…
-Chang’an-
The sapphire-robed senior who almost killed Chen Qingshan with one strike and battled with the crippled old man was drinking tea at a pavilion in Smooth Spring Garden.
When he lifted the teacup, he suddenly froze and then said to someone beside him, “Go ask Captain Luo and Deputy Hou to come here and protect His Majesty. I need to leave the city!”
The guard beside him didn’t dare to ask any questions, and he instantly ran out to find Luo Weiran.
After running for only a few dozen meters, he saw Luo Weiran walking in with a gloomy expression.
Luo Weiran nodded toward the senior from afar, and that senior instantly disappeared.
Then, Luo Weiran walked into the pavilion that the senior was in a moment ago and asked for a clean cup, drinking the leftover half a pot of tea.
The Emperor who was dealing with the memorials to the throne on the heatable brick bed in his room looked out the window, and he was surprised when he saw Luo Weiran inside the pavilion.
Anger appeared on his face, but he quickly refocused on the memorials to the throne on the table.
-Beckon of the Red Sleeve-
The crippled old man was humming an unknown tune that sounded desolate and deep while he lay on a bench. He sat up, looked out, and then lay down again.
A window on the third floor opened, and Xi Huamei appeared in front of it.
The crippled old man shook his head toward her and said, “It has been ten years since anyone dared to be reckless in Chang’an. Some people think that Chang’an isn’t scary anymore without him, so it makes sense that they are more arrogant. It is good that troubles came. Those people will get a new perception of Chang’an. Many people in the city are capable of killing, and many of them are better at killing than me.”
Xi Huamei nodded and didn’t say anything else. Then, she closed the window and went back to reading books.
Next to her room, Xi Zhuxin’s expression changed a little upon hearing the crippled old man’s words, but she also looked a little proud.
…
-Military-Supervising Agency in Chang’an-
Great General Xu Xiaozong of Right Reverent Guard was drinking tea and chatting with Hou Wenji, the Head of the Intelligence Department. He suddenly stopped laughing and looked extremely angry.
He looked at Hou Wenji, and he saw the latter sitting there calmly, not planning to do anything. He was confused, but he didn’t plan on asking.
Xu Xiaozong got up and said, “Pardon me.”
Just as he was about to leave, Hou Wenji smiled and said, “Great General, please take a seat. I didn’t come here to only drink tea.”
“Huh?” Xu Xiaogong stopped and looked at Hou Wenji. “Then, what are you here for, Department Head?”
After thinking for a moment, Hou Wenji replied earnestly, “His Majesty said that Chang’an wouldn’t be peaceful in the next few days. Some small villains think that Chang’an isn’t as powerful as ten years ago, so they are here to cause trouble. However, the military doesn’t need to move. If the military is needed for this small incident, others would look down on Great Sui. Great General, please sit down and relax. The military isn’t the only force that protests His Majesty’s dignity.”
At this moment, a scholarly-looking middle-aged man walked in.
After looking at Xu Xiaogong, he looked at Hou Wenji and asked with a cold tone, “How come His Majesty knows that troubles would arise today? If you told His Majesty, why didn’t you inform the Military-Supervising Agency?”
Hou Wenji stood up and bowed before saying, “Greetings, Great General Yu. His Majesty doesn’t know that things would happen today. Since someone from the Buddhist Sect is here to cause trouble, His Majesty thinks that people from the Daoist Sect should deal with it. Otherwise, others might say that Great Sui doesn’t have great cultivation masters. You know that His Majesty values the Daoist Sect. When needed, His Majesty would use it. After promoting and nurturing the Daoist Sect, it is time to see if it is useful or not.”
Great General Yu was Yu Manlou, the Great General of Left Martial Guard, which was one of the Imperial Six Guards.
Yu Xiao was his son.
Hearing Hou Wenji’s words, Yu Manlou frowned and said, “Since this is His Majesty’s command, I will follow it. However, if the people of One Qi Daoist Temple or other people don’t have the strength to do the work, then don’t occupy the spot. The military of Great Sui’s purpose is to defend His Majesty’s dignity.”
Yu Manlou’s meaning was clear; he didn’t trust One Qi Daoist Temple and the Royal Guard. The pride of Great Sui’s military was showcased in this great general. Perhaps in his eyes, no one was trustworthy other than the members of the military.
Although Hou Wenji was displeased, he maintained the smile and said, “Great General, somethings aren’t as simple as they seem. People are in their positions not only to earn money and show prestige. Since some people want to test Chang’an, they will see how terrifying it is. I promise.”
Xiang Qingniu got tired after walking up the mountain, so he sat on a boulder and took out a pack of candies from his sleeve. Then, he threw one piece into his mouth and chewed.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist replied, “I found the person that night and severely injured him. Although I don’t know who saved him, since he was so severely injured, he must need to rest somewhere even if he carried the precious Bodhi Pill. Also, the smell of blood must be too strong on him. Cultivation masters from the Royal Guard, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice are looking for him, and so are the disciples of our daoist temple. In order to find a safe spot to hide, he would need to cover the strong smell of blood. Without a question, the Liquor Pool of Godly Spring Manor is a great place.”
Xiang Qingniu nodded and finished eating the candy. After not hearing the howls of the mastiff dogs, he shook his head and said, “I won’t wait anymore; I’m going in to check. I don’t have time to waste here. After finishing everything here, I need to get to the training field. I hope that I can see Fang Jie’s last test. If I don’t go, that guy will say that I lied about my identity. I’m a supervisor! How can I be looked down upon by him?”
Xiang Qingniu got up and slowly walked toward the cave.
“Little Uncle-Master, let me do it.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist tried to convince him.
“Do you think that I can’t handle it?” Xiang Qingniu rolled his eyes at Phoenix-Chirp Daoist and then walked toward the cave with his black daoist fluttering in the air.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist didn’t dare to lower his guard. After hesitating for a moment, he followed Xiang Qingniu.
Before entering the cave, the slit on his forehead slowly open, and a dark-red light could be vaguely seen.
“Nephew-Disciple, were you born with your godly eye?” Xiang Qingniu asked while walking.
“Yeah.”
“How did you find that you have this ability?”
“Little Uncle-Master, can I… not say it?”
“What do you think?”
“Little Uncle-Master, my third eye could see through all the fakeries in the world, and I learned the Illusion Bind from Master. It is all due to Master’s teachings. Eh, that is it,” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist blushed while replying with a righteous expression.
“Do you think I would believe that? Let me ask you this. Did you accidentally found that the eye on your forehead could see through walls and see girls bathing naked? And that is why you cultivated diligently? Don’t pretend to be righteous. How can I not know the characters of the daoists on Pure Joy Mountain?”
“Little Uncle-Master… you are also a member of One Qi Daoist Temple.”
“That is why I know you guys well,” Xiang Qingniu replied.
While talking, they already walked into the cave.
Xiang Qingniu got used to the dim light in the cave. Then, he frowned and saw those mastiff dogs stiffing in the cave, looking confused as they didn’t find anything.
Xiang Qingniu shook his head and asked, “Did we come to the wrong place?”
“No.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist’s expression changed, and he looked around carefully and said, “Before we came up the mountain, people were monitoring this place; no one escaped. The intelligence reports from the Royal Guard shouldn’t be wrong. Since they said that the person is here, there shouldn’t be any mistakes.”
Xiang Qingniu nodded and walked forward.
“Little Uncle-Master, let me go first.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist took a step forward and walked in the front.
Those mastiff dogs couldn’t find a target, so they all calmed down. A few of them couldn’t resist the temptation and even licked the liquor jars with their tongues; it looked like they wanted to taste the delicious liquor.
It was Xiang Qingniu’s first time seeing dogs liking liquor, and he found it funny.
This time, Xiang Qingniu didn’t argue with Phoenix-Chirp Daoist. He followed Phoenix-Chirp Daoist and walked into the depths of the cave. With his left index finger and left middle finger together and pointing out, a faint light blinked on them.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist concentrated on searching the cave. In his third vertical eye on his forehead, it seemed like there was an eyeball moving back and forth, so it felt like his eyes were looking in different directions.
After entering the dim cave, the dark-red light in his third eye seemed even clearer.
“Someone must have hidden here before.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist pointed at a few liquor jars that were opened and said, “If the injured person didn’t have healing pills and ointments, the strong liquor can be used to clean the wounds.”
“Not carrying healing pills and ointments when traveling around? How dumb must he be?” Xiang Qingniu snorted.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist shook his head and said, “He is conceited.”
Xiang Qingniu pouted and replied, “Does he think that no one could injure him in Great Sui? He is a conceited dumb*ss!”
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist smiled bitterly and thought, “I have never met a daoist like Little Uncle-Master who is this unpredictable. Compared to Little Uncle-Master, Master is too normal and kind.”
After taking a few steps forward, Xiang Qingniu suddenly stopped and sniffed.
“Get out!” He suddenly pulled Phoenix-Chirp Daoist and dashed backward.
Phoenix-Chirp Daoist didn’t know what was going on, but he followed Xiang Qingniu subconsciously and moved back as well.
One black one red, these two figures dashed out of the cave like two beams of light, too fast for the naked eye to track.
When they reached the entrance of the cave, the air inside the cave suddenly vibrated intensely. Then, a streak of powerful airflow jetted outward followed by an explosion.
Boom! The air jetted out of the cave and carried a ton of dust and liquor with it.
Then, it felt like the entire mountain shook, and giant boulders fell, almost burying the entire cave.
The scene looked shocking.
Xiang Qingniu and Phoenix-Chirp Daoist all looked disheveled. Although they backed out of the cave in time, the explosion took them by surprise. They were all prestigious figures in the Daoist Sect, but their fancy clothes were cut by the strong airflow.
If the complex patterns on their clothes didn’t blink at the critical moment and block a portion of the impact force, they might have been injured already.
After dashing out of the cave, Phoenix-Chirp Daoist instantly turned around and opened his hands toward the entrance. Two streaks of repulsive forces shot back violently.
It was both the repulsive forces and their daoist robes that protected them and allowed them to be unharmed in this explosion.
“He indeed had healing pills,” Xiang Qingniu sighed while dusting off his robe, “He would rather mix the spiritual pills with other ingredients and put them in liquor, creating this killer bomb, instead of healing his injuries. This guy… he is indeed vicious. He gave up healing and tried to get us. Is he even human? Those mastiff dogs did make discoveries. When some mastiff dogs licked the liquor jars, I felt like something was wrong. I was a little careless and didn’t connect the dots right away.”
“Little Uncle-Master, it is fortunate that you figured it out fast,” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist said with fear in his voice.
Even though he was a cultivation master, he might not be able to block such a powerful explosion.
He was only showing superficial respect toward Xiang Qingniu in the beginning, but now he truly respected this Little Uncle-Master of his.”
“Even your master might not be as good as me in terms of understanding of ingredients and medicine.” Xiang Qingniu didn’t forget to brag. Then, he shook his head and sighed, “Giving up a spiritual pill comparable to the Small Golden Pill of the Daoist Sect just to ambush the people who would come here. What if only a few policemen or apprentices of Godly Spring Manor come here? Did he never think about this? It would be a waste of such a spiritual pill. Damn it! I can’t stand such a wasteful behavior!”
“Maniac.” Phoenix-Chirp Daoist thought for a bit and said, “This person must be a maniac.”
-The Training Field-
Zhou Banchuan who was watching the mounted archery test suddenly raised his brows. He turned around and looked toward the curvy mountain in the distance.
After a moment of silence, he said to the person behind him, “Yan Ji, go to Godly Spring Mountain.”
Yan Ji didn’t ask any questions and nodded. “Ok, I will be going now.”
In order not to attract any attention, he walked to the back of the small city before dashing away like a giant eagle. Soon, he disappeared into the buildings behind the training field.
As soon as he disappeared, a loud muffled noise came from the direction that Zhou Banchuan was staring at.
…
-Chang’an-
The sapphire-robed senior who almost killed Chen Qingshan with one strike and battled with the crippled old man was drinking tea at a pavilion in Smooth Spring Garden.
When he lifted the teacup, he suddenly froze and then said to someone beside him, “Go ask Captain Luo and Deputy Hou to come here and protect His Majesty. I need to leave the city!”
The guard beside him didn’t dare to ask any questions, and he instantly ran out to find Luo Weiran.
After running for only a few dozen meters, he saw Luo Weiran walking in with a gloomy expression.
Luo Weiran nodded toward the senior from afar, and that senior instantly disappeared.
Then, Luo Weiran walked into the pavilion that the senior was in a moment ago and asked for a clean cup, drinking the leftover half a pot of tea.
The Emperor who was dealing with the memorials to the throne on the heatable brick bed in his room looked out the window, and he was surprised when he saw Luo Weiran inside the pavilion.
Anger appeared on his face, but he quickly refocused on the memorials to the throne on the table.
-Beckon of the Red Sleeve-
The crippled old man was humming an unknown tune that sounded desolate and deep while he lay on a bench. He sat up, looked out, and then lay down again.
A window on the third floor opened, and Xi Huamei appeared in front of it.
The crippled old man shook his head toward her and said, “It has been ten years since anyone dared to be reckless in Chang’an. Some people think that Chang’an isn’t scary anymore without him, so it makes sense that they are more arrogant. It is good that troubles came. Those people will get a new perception of Chang’an. Many people in the city are capable of killing, and many of them are better at killing than me.”
Xi Huamei nodded and didn’t say anything else. Then, she closed the window and went back to reading books.
Next to her room, Xi Zhuxin’s expression changed a little upon hearing the crippled old man’s words, but she also looked a little proud.
…
-Military-Supervising Agency in Chang’an-
Great General Xu Xiaozong of Right Reverent Guard was drinking tea and chatting with Hou Wenji, the Head of the Intelligence Department. He suddenly stopped laughing and looked extremely angry.
He looked at Hou Wenji, and he saw the latter sitting there calmly, not planning to do anything. He was confused, but he didn’t plan on asking.
Xu Xiaozong got up and said, “Pardon me.”
Just as he was about to leave, Hou Wenji smiled and said, “Great General, please take a seat. I didn’t come here to only drink tea.”
“Huh?” Xu Xiaogong stopped and looked at Hou Wenji. “Then, what are you here for, Department Head?”
After thinking for a moment, Hou Wenji replied earnestly, “His Majesty said that Chang’an wouldn’t be peaceful in the next few days. Some small villains think that Chang’an isn’t as powerful as ten years ago, so they are here to cause trouble. However, the military doesn’t need to move. If the military is needed for this small incident, others would look down on Great Sui. Great General, please sit down and relax. The military isn’t the only force that protests His Majesty’s dignity.”
At this moment, a scholarly-looking middle-aged man walked in.
After looking at Xu Xiaogong, he looked at Hou Wenji and asked with a cold tone, “How come His Majesty knows that troubles would arise today? If you told His Majesty, why didn’t you inform the Military-Supervising Agency?”
Hou Wenji stood up and bowed before saying, “Greetings, Great General Yu. His Majesty doesn’t know that things would happen today. Since someone from the Buddhist Sect is here to cause trouble, His Majesty thinks that people from the Daoist Sect should deal with it. Otherwise, others might say that Great Sui doesn’t have great cultivation masters. You know that His Majesty values the Daoist Sect. When needed, His Majesty would use it. After promoting and nurturing the Daoist Sect, it is time to see if it is useful or not.”
Great General Yu was Yu Manlou, the Great General of Left Martial Guard, which was one of the Imperial Six Guards.
Yu Xiao was his son.
Hearing Hou Wenji’s words, Yu Manlou frowned and said, “Since this is His Majesty’s command, I will follow it. However, if the people of One Qi Daoist Temple or other people don’t have the strength to do the work, then don’t occupy the spot. The military of Great Sui’s purpose is to defend His Majesty’s dignity.”
Yu Manlou’s meaning was clear; he didn’t trust One Qi Daoist Temple and the Royal Guard. The pride of Great Sui’s military was showcased in this great general. Perhaps in his eyes, no one was trustworthy other than the members of the military.
Although Hou Wenji was displeased, he maintained the smile and said, “Great General, somethings aren’t as simple as they seem. People are in their positions not only to earn money and show prestige. Since some people want to test Chang’an, they will see how terrifying it is. I promise.”
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