Zhou Chunfeng looked at Li Qingxian and said slowly, "The Fate Skill you used in Beichang City was indeed impressive. The Night Guard couldn’t find any trace of it. But this is the Divine Capital, a place full of hidden masters. The slightest carelessness could give someone leverage against you."
"I’m confident," Li Qingxian said.
"Briefly outline your plan, and I’ll work with Lord Yan Shixiao to formulate a strategy. As long as you can gather enough for the pension, I’ll submit a memorial during the Emperor’s birthday to request a Seventh-Grade Qi Fortune Official Body for you."
Li Qingxian thought for a moment before outlining his general plan.
Zhou Chunfeng pointed out a few flaws, and the two of them discussed how to patch them. Once everything was settled, Zhou Chunfeng went to confer with Yan Shixiao.
Li Qingxian took a bronze disc from his Qiankun Bracelet and handed it to Zhou Henn.
"Uncle Xiaozhou, can you help me cleanse this with your True Essence? There’s something fishy about it."
"You got this from the treasury?" Zhou Henn asked, taking the Communication Talisman Disc and infusing it with his True Essence.
After a full hundred breaths, Zhou Henn handed it back. "It’s been cleared."
Li Qingxian used his Fate Skill and Daoist Skill to check it again. Once he was sure, he infused his own Magical Power into it, successfully claiming his very first Communication Talisman Disc.
KLICK...
A thin bronze pillar rose from the center of the Talisman Disc. Eight fine needles extended from the top of the pillar, and like flagpoles, each held a yellow Talisman Paper. The red Runes on them were dim.
It only had a single layer, far inferior to Zhou Chunfeng’s three-layered Communication Talisman Disc.
"Uncle Xiaozhou, give me your contact info," Li Qingxian said.
Zhou Henn took out his own Talisman Disc and touched one of the yellow Talisman Papers. The red Rune on it went from dim to bright. The light swam across it, spreading until the whole thing was activated, emitting a brilliant red glow.
"Done," Zhou Henn said, putting away his Talisman Disc.
Li Qingxian then took out the name cards of Jiangg Youfei, Shen Xiaoyi, Songg Yunjing, and Guo Xiang, the Deputy Disciplinary Officer of the Black Lamp Department, activating four more Talisman Papers.
Li Qingxian reached out and tapped the Talisman Paper for Jiangg Youfei, speaking into it. "Sister Youfei, I’m back from Beichang City. If you have time, come visit the Divine Capital. I’ll treat you to some lamb offal soup. Oh, right, I completed the Eighth-Grade God sealing. My Warrior is pretty tough now. Your Eighth-Grade Warrior probably couldn’t beat mine."
Next, he sent a message to Songg Yunjing, first congratulating him on his promotion to Magistrate of the Divine Capital Prefecture and then thanking him for sending people to help the Night Guard.
He exchanged a few pleasantries with Shen Xiaoyi and Guo Xiang before putting away the Communication Talisman Disc.
"This thing is pretty interesting. You really can’t hear me when I speak into it?" Li Qingxian asked.
Zhou Henn said, "Can’t hear a thing."
Li Qingxian fiddled with it for a moment, then took out a new Communication Talisman Disc. "Uncle Xiaozhou, sorry to trouble you again."
"Quite a haul," Zhou Henn remarked, and began cleansing it again.
Li Qingxian took the second one and handed over a third Communication Talisman Disc.
"How many more do you have? Just take them all out," Zhou Henn said with a sigh of resignation.
Li Qingxian thought for a moment and took out a fourth one.
That night, Zhou Chunfeng returned. He dispatched the Night Guard to covertly gather intelligence and related Life Materials, which were then sent to Li Qingxian.
Li Qingxian began his preparations.
It took one day to gather the Life Materials and another day to perform the Fate Skill. He consumed twelve Qi Fortune Fish to lay down the "Great Twelve-Mountain Destiny-Setting Skill" over twelve hours.
The Inner City’s Old Sound Square bordered the Grand Canal to the north. Known as "half Hua Street, half Jiang Painting Boat," it was one of the most prosperous areas in the Divine Capital, a place where countless Scholars, poets, wealthy merchants, and powerful families lingered.
As night fell, Minghua Street in Old Sound Square was ablaze with lights and bustling with traffic. From a distance, the Qin and Chu Brothels lining the street looked like fiery dragons.
On Qingye Street, adjacent to the south of Minghua Street, two rows of Houses flanked the path. At night, it was pitch-black and silent, as if it existed in a separate world from the clamor of the neighboring street.
The time passed 9:00 PM, and at the stroke of 11:00 PM, Li Qingxian stood up in an ordinary two-courtyard house on Qingye Street.
Han Anbo asked in a low voice, "Are you well-rested?"
"Mm," Li Qingxian replied.
"We’ll stand guard here."
After speaking, Han Anbo glanced at the fully-armed Yur Ping and Zheng Gaojue, his gaze finally landing on Zhou Henn, who sat in the courtyard resting with his eyes closed.
The main gates were shut tight. Inside the main hall of the house, Li Qingxian pointed his right index finger, and his Magical Power surged forth.
Instantly, a total of 108 large, gilded candles painted with dragons and phoenixes—on the beams, walls, tables, and the floor in all directions—burst into flame, illuminating the entire room as if it were day.
Eight Directions Eight Trigrams Mirrors, nine Three-Legged Cauldrons, four Seven-Star Tapestries, twelve Blood-Enveloped Talisman Steel Swords, and other items were arranged in their designated positions.
Li Qingxian stood on a Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Map. On the ground, twelve large porcelain pots used for bonsai circled him. In each fine white porcelain pot, earth had been piled up to form a miniature mountain.
Each miniature mountain was about two feet tall, its surface densely covered with yellow talismans bearing red patterns.
Li Qingxian closed his eyes to focus his mind. When the first quarter of the Zi hour (11:15 PM) arrived, he began to chant, pointing to the miniature mountain at the Zi hour position.
The Yellow Talismans covering the miniature mountain swayed gently, blooming like flower petals, and a jet of black light shot from the mountaintop, soaring into the sky.
Within Li Qingxian’s eyes, white clouds roiled, and a blurry image appeared.
The image showed the small courtyard where Li Qingxian was. The perspective pulled back, the courtyard shrinking, and then the view began to move rapidly, flying across the northern district of the Inner City, skimming over streets and rooftops, finally stopping above a large, three-courtyard residence in the western district.
Li Qingxian slowly extended his right hand. The air before him seemed to suddenly turn into a vertical surface of water. As his hand entered, ripples spread out.
Above the three-courtyard residence, a giant hand suddenly appeared, even larger than the residence itself. The fingerprints on it were like winding mountain paths.
The giant hand’s index finger tapped six locations in sequence: the main gate, the spirit screen, the main hall, the master bedroom, the well in the rear courtyard, and the back gate.
Six streams of green qi shot into the sky, converging and weaving together to form a white Canopy that hovered above the master bedroom, rotating slowly.
Wisps of white smoke and dust rose from below, surging toward the bottom of the white Canopy and transforming into mottled, chaotic patterns.
Wisps of multicolored smoke and dust flew in—some from the Ministry of Justice, some from the distant Demon Transformation Mountain, and some from other places—landing on top of the Canopy and transforming into black flowers.
「1:00 AM.」
The night was dim and heavy.
The brilliantly glowing golden Great Cutting Sword flew out from above Li Qingxian’s head. The Chou-hour mountain sprayed out a stream of green qi, carrying the Great Cutting Sword straight into the three-courtyard residence.
The Great Cutting Sword slashed in all eight directions along the perimeter of the courtyard, emitting a series of crisp sounds.
Then, it slashed up at the heavens and down at the earth, severing all Ten Directions.
「3:00 AM.」
The sky was full of stars.
The blurry image slowly descended, entering a pitch-black bedroom in the large residence.
Inside the bedroom, a large, red bed canopy was drawn, hiding the person on the bed.
Under the bed, a pair of black boots sat next to a pair of pink embroidered slippers.
The view moved forward, passing through the bed canopy.
A man and a woman were visible, fast asleep.
The man had a fair complexion and handsome features. It was none other than Zhang Yulin, a Direct Lineage disciple of Demon Transformation Mountain and a Seventh-Grade Cavalry Captain in the Ministry of Justice’s Criminal Capture Department.
Suddenly, the top of the red bed canopy seemed to molt, and a thin, pale white veil drifted down. Upon the veil, three black, circular moons squirmed gently.
The veil landed on Zhang Yulin’s body and dissolved, like a raindrop falling into water.
The three black moons settled on his spine, arranged in a line from top to bottom.
The black moons rotated slowly, looking like three lumps of black flesh undulating and squirming.
「5:00 AM.」
The sky was turning fish-belly white.
Zhang Yulin woke up, glanced at the person beside him, then rolled over and began to "plow."
The bed canopy swayed.