After a busy day, they only got an hour of sleep before heading out again in the pre-dawn darkness. They went to the market to purchase various items that were either unavailable during the day or had been special-ordered.
They spent another full day shopping but still hadn’t bought everything. Some miscellaneous items, in particular, would have to be collected gradually.
Back in his room that night, Li Qingxian used the Continuous Fire Transport Technique, performing an Inference to determine who was investigating him. He didn’t get a specific result, but he did see a familiar Fate Grid constellation.
He had seen it before on Ye Han’s four subordinates.
The Royal Family’s Great Trend Formation.
"It’s almost certainly Tang Enxuan," Li Qingxian said.
"It seems he’s decided to make a move against you. How will you protect your shares and your Qiankun Bracelet?" Han Anbo asked.
Li Qingxian simply smiled and didn’t answer.
When the sun rose, Li Qingxian first made a trip to the Imperial Prison Department to check on the progress of the medicinal alcohol. He was busy until the afternoon, at which point he changed into a light-white brocade robe embroidered with a gray branch pattern, hired a carriage, and headed for the Outer City.
Zhou Henn followed from a distance.
The Divine Capital was divided into three sections: the Imperial City, the Inner City, and the Outer City. The outermost wall enclosed the entire Divine Capital.
Both the Inner City and the Outer City were further divided into four major districts: North, South, East, and West.
Those of No Grade were forbidden from buying or selling property in the four districts of the Inner City.
The Outer City was the commoner’s district of the Divine Capital.
The Grand Canal separated the Inner North District from the Outer North District.
Across the bridge lay the Outer District North Twelve Blocks. Xuanxiu Square, the most prosperous among them, faced the Inner City from across the Grand Canal. It was home to many wealthy households, as well as Entering Grade families of modest means.
The carriage entered Xuanxiu Square. At Li Qingxian’s direction, it wound its way through the streets until it reached Xuanqing Street and stopped in front of a residence.
Li Qingxian stepped out of the carriage, paid the fare, and looked up at the main gate.
The main gate was shut tight, its red paint peeling away. The wooden doors were slightly cracked, the knockers speckled with rust. Moss dotted the crevices of the steps, at the base of which stood a silent pair of decorative drum stones.
There was no plaque above the gate, nor any lanterns, only a black wooden board to the side, into which was carved the weathered character "Li."
The gate was old, but the ground before it was clean, clear of any dust or weeds.
Memories surfaced in his mind, and Li Qingxian let out a sigh.
This was the Li Residence.
Li Qingxian glanced at the neighboring courtyard to his left. The stone walls were low, and there were no drum stones by the entrance. The brownish-yellow gate was old, but its knockers were free of rust.
That was his aunt and uncle’s home.
Li Qingxian walked over, reaching out to push the gate. As he did, a jumble of memories flooded his mind, and images of his aunt, uncle, and cousins drifted before his eyes.
Li Qingxian took a deep breath, channeled his old self, and casually pushed the door open. "Auntie, Uncle, I’m home," he called out lazily.
A spirit screen painted with a scene of spring blossoms stood directly opposite the entrance. Beyond it lay a small courtyard.
On the west side of the courtyard, chickens and ducks wandered around in a wooden pen. A pile of scrap wood was stacked in a corner nearby.
At the entrance to the east wing, four people turned to look.
A middle-aged woman dressed in brown linen, a blue cloth wrapped around her head, and with tanned skin, saw Li Qingxian and her eyes lit up. Wiping her hands on her apron, she stepped around a rice-washing basin at her feet and smiled. "Is that Qingxian? You’re back! Come, sit. Your uncle is making bamboo rice today—it was always your favorite when you were little."
Li Qingxian looked toward his uncle, a wiry, sallow-faced man in coarse blue clothes. He offered a simple, good-natured smile and set down the cleaver he’d been using to chop bamboo. Just as he was about to speak, a grubby little kid came rushing over.
The grubby kid looked seven or eight, with a round face and rosy cheeks. He was filthy from head to toe and barely reached Li Qingxian’s waist. He wiped his nose with his right sleeve, smearing away one stream of snot only to leave a fresh one in its place. His mischievous eyes kept darting to Li Qingxian’s hands and behind his back as he shouted, "Brother Qingxian, I missed you to death!"
"Yuanpeng, stop pestering your cousin," a young woman said, grabbing the grubby child by the back of his collar. She wore a faded blue dress with a white floral pattern and smiled warmly at Li Qingxian.
She looked to be about eighteen, with a graceful figure. Though her dress was simple, it was elegant, and her features were delicate and pretty. Her smiling, crescent-shaped eyes held an inexhaustible gentleness.
"Auntie, Uncle, Sister Xiangg."
Li Qingxian beamed at his aunt, Zhangg Fang, his uncle, Chen Zhu, and his cousin, Chen Xiang.
"What about me? What about me?!" his little cousin, Chen Yuanpeng, demanded unhappily. He sniffed hard—SLURP—and his snot shot back into his nose.
"I’ll go get you a towel!" Chen Xiang turned and strode into the house, her shiny black braid swaying with her hips.
"Bro, I heard you reached Tenth Grade! Is it true?" Chen Yuanpeng launched himself forward, grabbing onto Li Qingxian’s leg and taking the opportunity to wipe his nose on the fine robe.
Li Qingxian picked him up by the collar. "Go wash your hands and face," he said with a look of disgust. "I brought you some snacks. Hm? Your forehead is bruised. Where’d you bump it this time?"
Chen Yuanpeng pouted and glanced at Li Qingxian’s empty hands. "As if I’d fall for that. When have you ever brought anything over? Every time you visit, you just take things and eat our food... Ouch!"
Zhangg Fang was twisting her son’s ear. "Go wash your face and hands," she ordered.
Chen Yuanpeng shot Li Qingxian a "we’ll talk later" look and obediently went to wash his face and hands.
Li Qingxian walked over to Chen Zhu by the stone table and smiled. "Uncle, it’s been ages since I’ve had your bamboo rice."
"I just happened to find some bamboo from the south yesterday and bought a stalk. What perfect timing, you coming home. Guess I made the right call. You just sit tight; I’ll go cut the bamboo."
Li Qingxian said, "Let’s make it with braised pork today! And add some salted egg yolks and chestnuts. It’ll be amazing!"
"Alright," Chen Zhu said with a chuckle as he sawed the bamboo. "Wife, go buy some salted duck eggs..."
Meanwhile, Zhangg Fang, who was scrubbing her son’s face as if she were kneading dough, muttered under her breath, "Salted duck eggs are ridiculously expensive..."
After a brief pause, Zhangg Fang forced a smile and said loudly, "It’s not every day Qingxian comes home! I’ll go buy those salted duck eggs right now..."
Zhangg Fang’s voice trailed off. Her jaw dropped as she stared at Li Qingxian.
Seeing his mother stop, Chen Yuanpeng was secretly delighted—no more face-scrubbing! He followed her gaze and was also left dumbfounded.
Chen Zhu stopped trimming the bamboo. Chen Xiang, who had just reached the doorway with a towel, stared wide-eyed, steadying herself against the doorframe.
All four of them saw that Li Qingxian’s hands had clearly been empty, yet now, as if performing a magic trick, he first spread a sheet of oil paper on the stone table, then began producing item after item out of thin air.
Three strips of glistening pork belly, a plucked white chicken, more than a dozen white-shelled salted duck eggs, four fire-scorched pig’s trotters, a foot-long grass carp that was already scaled and gutted... chestnuts, longans, plums...
He covered the entire table with them.
The four of them had never seen anything like it. They stared, speechless for a long moment.
Chen Zhu was the first to react. "You have a Qi Fortune Treasure?" he exclaimed in shock.
Li Qingxian smiled. "I’ve had some good luck recently and acquired a Treasure."
"Bro, did you pull off a big score?" Chen Yuanpeng asked, his eyes sparkling.
Zhangg Fang pushed her son’s head down and resumed her rough scrubbing. "The Night Guard’s work is a deadly trade," she said to Li Qingxian, her voice filled with worry. "I’d rather you were like you used to be, living a peaceful and leisurely life. Your mother and father always hoped you would be safe and sound. The Li Family can’t endure any more turmoil..."
Chen Zhu shot his wife a warning look, but Zhangg Fang pretended not to see and opened her mouth to say more. Chen Xiang quickly stepped forward, wet the towel, and said loudly, "Cousin, here, wash your face first."
Chen Xiang came over and offered him the towel. Li Qingxian took it with his right hand, but with his left, he presented a large, pale-red wooden box, about two feet long and half a foot tall.
"Sis, this is for you. Take it," Li Qingxian said, holding the box out before her full chest.