At night, the stars and moon were dim, and thick fog enveloped the city.

Xu Qi'an carried Zhong Li on his back, overlooking the capital city from high above. The city, the largest in the world, lay quietly dormant in the darkness.

Every twenty paces along the city wall's horse path, a high bonfire was set up for illumination. Combined with the candlelight from the palace, imperial city, and inner city, the city was quite radiant.

"It's so beautiful," murmured Zhong Li, who was lying on his back.

"Can't you see such a night view from the Bureau of Heavenly Masters' Eight Trigrams Platform?" Xu Qi'an chuckled.

"I can't see such a beautiful sight, and besides, the teacher usually observes celestial phenomena at night, so we generally aren't allowed on the Eight Trigrams Platform at this time, except for Cai Wei," regretted Zhong Li.

"Why can Cai Wei go?" Xu Qi'an asked in surprise.

"Perhaps because she's the youngest and the most foolish, so the teacher has a special fondness for her," Zhong Li guessed.

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

...Are you speaking ill of Cai Wei? I didn't expect this side of you, Zhong Li. Well, given the character of this unfortunate fifth senior sister, what you're saying is probably true... It seems that Cai Wei's lack of intelligence is widely recognized at the Bureau of Heavenly Masters.

Thinking this, Xu Qi'an changed the subject and said softly, "I dreamt of a city where every night, lanterns were lit along the streets, winding through every corner of the city.

"I dreamt of a city with towering buildings like the Star Observation Tower, emitting lights of various colors.

"I dreamt of a city where shining carriages shuttled through the streets, making the whole city bright and dazzling, with candlelight burning all night until dawn."

Zhong Li listened with a dazed expression and murmured, "That must be a fairyland."

Xu Qi'an didn't reply, but smiled with nostalgia and melancholy.

The flying sword and paper crane didn't land immediately, but circled in the air outside the city, similar to knocking on the door, giving the Bureau of Heavenly Masters' sorcerers or skilled individuals in the capital a chance to react.

To let them know that the visitors were not enemies, but their own people.

If they landed abruptly without a greeting, the skilled individuals in the capital might react impulsively.

The flying sword and paper crane landed in a secluded alley not far from the city gate. The group bid farewell, and Lina, who was unconscious, was taken away by Taoist Master Jin Lian. He would take care of her temporarily, as he was the leader of the Tian Di Hui.

It was his responsibility to take care of her.

Xu Qi'an carried Zhong Li to the city gate's guards.

There was a spirited and graceful mare tied there.

Last night, when he left the city with Taoist Master Jin Lian and the others, he also brought the young mare. Along the way, he handed it over to the patrolling Imperial Guards to keep it at the city gate, under the care of the city's soldiers.

"Young mare, your man has returned," Xu Qi'an said, patting the mare's neck and untying the reins. Then, he and Zhong Li rode back to the inner city.

It would take until midnight to walk from the outer city gate to the Xu Mansion in the inner city, so riding a horse was faster. Xu Qi'an was glad he had the foresight to use his privilege to open the inner city gate. When they returned to the Xu Mansion, it was already late at night. Zhong Li quickly freshened up and used the wooden stick Xu Qi'an gave her to set her bones.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. You didn't have to suffer like this," Xu Qi'an said guiltily.

"Take me back to the Bureau of Heavenly Masters tomorrow. The teacher will heal my leg injury," Zhong Li said softly, rubbing her leg and hanging her head. "I need to borrow your luck to avoid misfortune, so naturally, I have to give something in return. As you said, this is an equivalent exchange, an unchanging rule of alchemy."

"Zhong senior sister is so reasonable and considerate, it's really touching... Well, are you tired, Zhong senior sister?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Zhong Li shook her head.

Snap! Xu Qi'an placed a blank book in front of her and said, "If you're not tired, help me write. I carried you back from Xiangcheng to the capital city, and I'm very tired. Equivalent exchange, an unchanging principle of alchemy."

Zhong Li was stunned.

As Xu Qi'an ground ink and urged her, "Hurry up, I promised the princess to give her a message book. I've already kept her waiting for a day."

"Oh..." Zhong Li weakly responded, limping to the table and sitting down, straightening her back and taking the brush Xu Qi'an handed her.

The next day, Xu Qi'an dressed neatly, tied on his copper gong, and hung his sword, then escorted Zhong Li back to her family.

After seeing Zhong Li enter the Star Observation Tower, Xu Qi'an suddenly heard a loud chanting behind him:

"The sea ends where the sky begins, the peak of the art of Daoism is my summit."

Did Senior Brother Yang change his catchphrase? No, if you say such things under the Star Observation Tower, have you considered the feelings of the Bureau of Heavenly Masters? Xu Qi'an turned around with a warm smile and asked, "Senior Brother Yang, what can I do for you?"

"It seems you had some trouble last night. Do you need my help to deal with it?" Yang Qian huan asked softly.

Xu Qi'an felt a chill down his spine and squinted, staring sharply at Yang Qian huan's back.

What does he mean by that? Is he referring to the luck I seized in the ancient tomb yesterday? It's impossible. How could Yang Qian huan possibly detect my strange luck?

In a state of uncertainty, Xu Qi'an saw Yang Qian huan standing with his hands behind his back, saying, "I'm just delivering a message for the teacher. Tell me your thoughts, and I'll convey them."

My thought is to beat you up!

Xu Qi'an's mouth twitched.

"As expected, perhaps when I returned to the capital last night, the Bureau of Heavenly Masters already noticed my anomaly from the Eight Trigrams Platform. There's no need to doubt it. A first-class sorcerer who ascends to a high place couldn't have just noticed it now.

"The Bureau of Heavenly Masters asked Senior Brother Yang to deliver a message to me, which means that the celestial mechanism I had shielded has failed. Is it because of the impact of the luck I absorbed yesterday?

"Then I definitely refuse. Luo Han Du'e has returned to the Western Regions. Why should I endure the 404 Great Law? Every time I go to the theater, I feel heartbroken. A life of mooching off others is meaningless."

Thinking this, Xu Qi'an gave his reply, "No need, please thank the Bureau of Heavenly Masters for me."

He spurred the young mare and galloped away.On the way to the yamen, Xu Qi'an, bathed in the morning sun, suddenly saw a carriage out of control in front of him. The horses pulling the carriage seemed to be stimulated, running amok and crashing around.

The coachman tried to stop them, pulling the reins hard, but the horses couldn't be stopped.

The out-of-control carriage was about to crash into a child playing by the roadside, while his mother was picking cheap jewelry at a nearby stall.

In the sudden turn of events, no one could react in time. The young mother heard the exclamation of passersby, turned her head, and saw the carriage charging straight at her son.

She let out a terrified scream.

At that moment, a young man in the uniform of a Nightwatcher appeared like a ghost, reaching out to press his hand on the horse's forehead.

"Lo lo........"

The horse neighed, and its front hooves knelt down, while the young man in the Nightwatcher's uniform remained motionless.

"Thank you for your help, thank you for your help."

The young mother hugged her son, crying with joy, and kept bowing to express her gratitude.

The onlookers who witnessed this scene burst into loud cheers.

"Isn't that Master Xu? Isn't he the hero of our Great Feng?"

Someone recognized him and exclaimed with joy.

Upon hearing this, the common people who had witnessed his martial arts competitions recognized Xu Qi'an and shouted, "Yes, it's Master Xu, it's Master Xu."

Now, even the common people who had not seen the martial arts competitions knew that this handsome and heroic figure who had saved lives was Master Xu, who had suppressed the arrogance of the Buddhist sect.

"I didn't realize I was so popular, so loved by the people of the capital........." Xu Qi'an sighed, gestured with his hand, and rode away on his mare.

The voices of "Master Xu" continued to echo in the distance, never ending.

"This feels pretty good. There's a saying, 'acting cool is innate, and skill is acquired by chance.........'" Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

But then, he encountered a child who had gone missing, and to prevent him from falling into the hands of human traffickers, he waited for the child's family to come and received heartfelt thanks and praise from the passersby.

There was also an incident where an elderly lady fell while crossing the road, and no one helped her. As a good young man, Xu Qi'an naturally had to take responsibility for such a situation, and he received the gratitude of the elderly lady and the praise of the passersby.

After that, Xu Qi'an realized that something was wrong: "Why is it that wherever I go, I end up in situations where I have to act cool? This doesn't make sense. After helping the old lady cross the road, do I also have to help Miss Qiu from the Autumn family with her pounding of the rice?"

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he saw a disheveled woman rushing out from the street, crying.

A man chased after her and raised his hand to hit her, angrily scolding her:

"I'll beat you to death, you shameless woman, I'll write a divorce letter right now........."

This doesn't seem right......... Xu Qi'an turned his horse around, whipped the mare's hindquarters, and galloped in the direction of the Bureau of Heavenly Masters.

On the way, he pondered deeply and came up with a more reasonable guess.

The strange energy within him, as his cultivation improved, slowly awakened in a gradual process. Therefore, the external manifestation was picking up silver, from one coin to five coins..........

Now, having seized the energy from the royal seal, it was like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, and the energy was out of control.

"Zhong Li is surrounded by bad luck, and must be on guard against sudden accidents at all times. As for me, I am surrounded by energy, so I must be on guard against sudden incidents of acting cool......... This is not a good thing. And, I'm not sure if these unexpected incidents were meant to happen, or if they deliberately happened because of my presence, just to let me act cool (gain reputation)?"

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an self-mockingly said to himself: "In the future, I can write a book called 'I really didn't mean to act cool.'"

He hurried back to the Bureau of Heavenly Masters, and before he could dismount, a loud chanting came from behind:

"The great roc rises with the wind in a day, soaring ninety thousand miles. Grasping the bright moon and plucking the stars, there is no one else like me in the world."

As the echo faded, a piece of amethyst flew in front of Xu Qi'an, hanging in the air without moving.

Yang Qian Huan said, "The teacher asked me to give this to you. He said you might have some trouble, and this amethyst can help."

This amethyst can shield my energy? Taking the amethyst and examining it, it was the size of Xu Lingyin's palm, and felt warm to the touch........ Xu Qi'an was sincerely convinced:

"The Master is truly a divine person. He knew I would come back."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qian Huan shook his head and said, "No, he gave it to me earlier."

"?"

Xu Qi'an's expression froze on his face: "Then why didn't you give it to me earlier?"

Yang Qian Huan said matter-of-factly, "The most important things should naturally be saved for later. Just as heroes always appear at critical moments."

I can't stand it anymore. Master, please help me beat this guy to death......... Xu Qi'an cursed Yang Qian Huan's ancestors in his heart a hundred times over, with a black face, and rode away with a flick of the reins.

..............

De Xin Yuan.

Xu Qi'an and Princess Huai Qing sat facing each other, holding hot tea in their hands, with steam rising on their handsome faces. Xu Qi'an said:

"I heard that Your Highness has read the history books thoroughly, and your talent is no less than that of a top scholar."

Princess Huai Qing crossed her hands over her abdomen, sitting up straight, and asked coldly:

"No less than a top scholar?"

Her pair of eyes, as clear and beautiful as autumn water, scrutinized Xu Qi'an for a few seconds.

"I described it inadequately. I meant to say, not less than a top scholar." Xu Qi'an smiled.

Princess Huai Qing didn't say anything more, she reached out her jade hand from her wide sleeve, took a sip of tea, and said, "What do you need to ask?"

Talking to intelligent people is always easy......... Xu Qi'an said, "Does Your Highness know about the Great Liang Dynasty?"

The exploration of the ancient tomb outside Xiangcheng was a task within the Tian Di Hui, and as a member of the Er Wu Zi planted within the Tian Di Hui, Xu Qi'an should have reported this matter to the upper peak. However, because of the matter with the royal seal, he decided to keep it a secret."The dynasty named 'Da Liang' has had three iterations; the earliest one dates back over three thousand years, while the most recent one was established by the remnants of the former dynasty with the support of the God of Witchcraft's followers after the founding of The Great Feng. It was a short-lived Da Liang that was extinguished by the founding Emperor of Feng eighteen years later."

Huai Qing didn't even need to think before she provided the answer.

"Is there an even earlier one?" Xu Qi'an frowned.

Huai Qing shook her head.

It seems the official historical records indeed do not contain any mention of the era to which the mural belongs... This answer was expected, yet Xu Qi'an still felt a tinge of disappointment.

After the emergence of Confucianism, although the human race had the habit of recording history, much of it was done through murals, which are not easily preserved. A single war could destroy them in an instant.

It was only after Confucianism took hold that scholars began to painstakingly compile books and histories, treating it as a lifelong and honorable pursuit.

"Does Master Xu have any other business?" Huai Qing prompted.

"No..."

Mulling over his thoughts, Xu Qi'an subconsciously shook his head.

"No?" Huai Qing's tone rose slightly.

"Look at my memory, I promised to deliver a script to Your Highness." Xu Qi'an slapped his forehead, took out a booklet from his bosom, placed it on the desk, and said:

"I was delayed by a matter at home yesterday. You must have been anxious, Your Highness."

Huai Qing didn't even glance at the script, and said indifferently, "It's just a few maids who wanted to see it. Why would I be 'anxious'?"

"If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave."

Xu Qi'an was still preoccupied with his rendezvous in Lin'an Prefecture.

Women are such a hassle, I don't even have time to properly cultivate, why bother keeping so many fish... Recalling the charming and passionate visage of the woman in Lin'an, Xu Qi'an grew somewhat impatient.

"You're not being seen out."

After Xu Qi'an left the hall, Huai Qing picked up her skirt and stood up, walking briskly to the table. She picked up the booklet somewhat eagerly, flipped through it quickly, and a look of satisfaction flickered in her eyes upon confirming its substantial content.

...

Lingbao Temple.

A ginger cat gracefully leaped onto the surrounding wall, glanced at the quiet courtyard, and pounced down from the walltop.

With its tail held high, it crossed the pebble-paved path and arrived at the door of the quiet room. Lifting its paw, it knocked on the door.

The lattice door swung open automatically, and Luo Yuheng's cool voice came out: "What brings you to my Lingbao Temple again?"

"Sigh!"

The ginger cat sighed, its voice resonating through the air with a world-weary tone: "Sister, it's an emergency in the martial world, my physical body is almost done for."

"I think you quite like your current body," Luo Yuheng teased.

"Sister, don't make unfounded accusations," the ginger cat said somewhat angrily, defending its honor: "We, as cultivators, are not bound by trivial formalities."

"Cut the nonsense, what do you want?" Luo Yuheng was getting impatient.

The ginger cat put on a human-like smile and shamelessly said: "I would like to ask Sister for two Blood Infant Pills."

Luo Yuheng sighed: "I am but a femme fatale who bewitches the emperor and brings chaos to the court. My pills are made from the fat and marrow of the people. Aren't you afraid that after eating them, you'll be scorched by karmic fire and perish from the Dao?"

This stingy and vengeful woman... Taoist Master Jin Lian said solemnly: "Sister, you are wrong. Emperor Yuan Jing's desire to cultivate has nothing to do with you. If the national teacher were someone with ill intentions, that would truly bring chaos to the court.

"Sister took on the role of national teacher to care for the common people and keep a close watch on Emperor Yuan Jing. Otherwise, the court would have been in chaos long ago."

Luo Yuheng sighed deeply: "If everyone in the world could see as clearly and understand as well as Brother, how wonderful that would be. Indeed, since I've borrowed the nation's destiny for cultivation, I should accept the verbal and written condemnations."

"Then, about the Blood Infant Pills..."

"One Blood Infant Pill costs thirty-eight taels of gold. Out of consideration for our same sect, I'll round it down for you, Brother. Let's say sixty taels of gold."

If I had that much silver, why would I come to you!!

Taoist Master Jin Lian's feline face stiffened.

After pondering for a moment, Taoist Master Jin Lian stepped over the threshold into the quiet room, looking at the stunning beauty seated on the meditation cushion, and negotiated:

"I'll trade information for the Blood Infant Pills."

Luo Yuheng did not open her eyes, her five hearts facing upward, her delicate face like carved jade, her red lips slightly parting: "Although Brother has much information, none of it interests me."

The ginger cat's green eyes stared at her and said: "What if it's about Xu Qi'an?"

Luo Yuheng immediately opened her eyes.

...

PS: After finishing writing, I'll go to sleep. I'll correct any typos when I wake up tomorrow. It seems I can only calm down and write at night. What will I do when I have a girlfriend in the future?

It's a headache.