"Yeah," Li Qingxian said. "Brother Han, you should head back and rest. I’ll keep watch, and you can come back tonight. Don’t argue—I’ll be counting on you for the next few days while I’m away."
Han Anbo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, I’ll go then. I’ll come stand watch tonight."
After seeing Han Anbo off, Li Qingxian was lost in thought for a long while. Finally, he opened the *True Meaning of the Seven-Star Destiny*, said to be the origin of all Fate Skills, and began to read it with great concentration.
The original *Seven-Star Destiny* was obscure and abstruse, its principles profound. Many a Fate Master could spend a lifetime studying it and still not dare claim to have fully grasped its meaning.
This edition, the *True Meaning of the Seven-Star Destiny*, was annotated and elaborated upon by the renowned founding chancellor, Xu Zhiping. Li Qingxian carefully mulled over every sentence, pouring all his mental energy into it, not daring to be careless.
A quarter hour later, Li Qingxian had finished studying two full pages. Satisfied, he put down the *True Meaning of the Seven-Star Destiny* and picked up the novel *River Guardian Heroes*, beginning to read it with great relish.
*River Guardian Heroes* told the story of the Tiankang Year, after the Demon Race broke through the pass and captured the Worthy Crown Prince. It follows the extraordinary figures from Confucianism, Daoism, and the Righteous Sects of the Martial Arts World as they join forces to rescue him. The tale was said to be based on true events passed down through the River Guard Army, later compiled into a book by Scholars.
An hour later, Li Qingxian stretched, glanced at the *True Meaning of the Seven-Star Destiny*, then back at *River Guardian Heroes*, caught in a dilemma.
"Life’s about being happy, so why make things hard on yourself?" With that, Li Qingxian picked up *River Guardian Heroes* with a clear conscience and continued his "arduous studies."
As night fell, Han Anbo arrived, and Li Qingxian returned to his quarters in Room A9.
Room A9 was very quiet. Without Zheng Hui’s chatter, Yur Ping’s secret snacking, or Han Anbo’s supportive banter, it was, for some reason, even harder to fall asleep.
After a long while, Li Qingxian sighed, closed his eyes, and forced himself to sleep.
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Li Qingxian met with Zhou Chunfeng. After a glance at Zhou Henn, he requisitioned a Night Guard carriage and headed for the Li Family Tomb outside the city.
Around breakfast time, Ye Han, led by a Guard, walked in bewilderment back to the Chunfeng Inn.
’I thought I’d never come back here.’
Entering the study, he saw a graceful figure in white sitting to one side, reading a scroll. He turned his head for a look, and his heart began to race.
Her bearing was elegant, her features lovely. Even just the profile of her reading was enough to make her seem like a fairy descended to the mortal realm.
Ye Han froze for a moment as the image overlapped with the memory of a figure in his mind’s eye, her face hidden by a light veil.
Fairy Qingcheng, Jiangg Youfei.
When she had first entered the Capital City, the streets had emptied as everyone flocked to see her. Ye Han had been one of the many admirers watching from Black Tortoise Avenue.
At the time, Jiangg Youfei’s face had been covered by a light veil, revealing only a pair of eyes that seemed to hold all the spiritual grace in the world.
Ye Han would never forget those eyes.
"Xiaoye, have a seat," Zhou Chunfeng said, pointing to a chair far from Jiangg Youfei.
"Yes, Lord Zhou." Ye Han sat down stiffly. He could vaguely make out her captivating silhouette in his peripheral vision, but he couldn’t get a clear look. It felt like a hundred claws were scratching at his heart, making him unbearably anxious.
"I knew you were going to pay respects to your mother, yet I summoned you here. Do you know why?" Zhou Chunfeng asked.
"This humble one does not know," Ye Han said.
"Those brothers of yours have already laid an ambush with a large force outside your Ye Family’s ancestral tomb," Zhou Chunfeng said, casually lowering his head to take a sip of tea.
"What?" Ye Han was stunned for a moment before snapping back to his senses. "Thank you for the warning, Lord Zhou! That is entirely possible!"
"Don’t be in a hurry to thank me. If you must thank someone, thank Qingxian."
"Why?"
"Qingxian was preparing to pay his respects to Mr. Gangfeng today. While purchasing offerings, he overheard someone mention you. To thank you for the Jiao Dragon Transformation Pill, he performed a Divination at the cost of his own lifespan, and from it, he deduced that your brothers intended you harm. He knew his words carry little weight and feared you wouldn’t believe him, so he asked me to help," Zhou Chunfeng explained.
Ye Han was speechless. After a long moment, he sighed emotionally. "When it comes to simple, genuine people, there is no one like Qingxian! I, Ye Han, am ashamed of how I’ve misjudged Li Qingxian!"
Zhou Chunfeng said, "I know you’ve always been cautious, and frankly, I’m not one to place my full faith in Fate Skills either. So, let’s do this: write a letter, and I will have my men deliver it to your trusted contacts outside the inn. Let them investigate. If there truly is an ambush at the Ye Family tomb, it won’t be too late to thank Li Qingxian then."
"Then I must trouble Lord Zhou for a brush and paper."
"Of course."
Ye Han picked up the brush and began to write. Seeing Zhou Chunfeng give a slight nod out of the corner of his eye, he felt a surge of delight. ’I did win Lord Zhou’s favor in the first place with my fine calligraphy, honed through years of hard practice.’
’I heard that Li Qingxian isn’t a man of letters and knows nothing of calligraphy. Perhaps I still have a chance to win Lord Zhou’s true esteem.’
Ye Han began to write with even greater vigor.
The corner of Zhou Chunfeng’s mouth twitched upward slightly before he instantly schooled his expression.
Once Ye Han was finished, Zhou Chunfeng had someone take the letter away. "I’m worried your brothers might do something desperate now that they’re cornered," he said. "For the time being, you should stay here. Feel free to peruse the books on my shelves."
"Thank you, Lord Zhou!" Ye Han’s eyes grew hot, and his heart swelled with emotion.
’I completely misjudged Lord Zhou! I completely misjudged Li Qingxian!’
’Just yesterday, I was angrily flipping tables, swearing that I couldn’t live under the same sky as them. Only now do I realize I was judging noble men by my own petty standards.’
’Lord Zhou is a true gentleman, and Li Qingxian is one, too!’
「The Night Guard’s carriage sped along, arriving at the Li Family Tomb around noon.」
Li Gangfeng was not originally from the Capital City, but he had distant relatives among several prominent Li Family clans there. Having acknowledged these relations long ago, he had secured a plot for himself in the Capital City’s Li Family Tomb.
Li Qingxian stood outside the Li Family Mausoleum.
The mausoleum stood in solitary splendor, cradled by green mountains.
Down the center ran an imperial path of Hann White Jade, carved with a hundred different birds and beasts, flanked on both sides by Hann White Jade stairways for visitors.
Stretching up from the main gate were twelve tiers of stairs, each tier consisting of six steps, adhering to the rule of odd numbers for the dwellings of the living and even numbers for Yin Residences.
The path was lined with pairs of statues: Stone Guardians, Shi Gandang, Ghost-Catching Warriors, and Venerable Demon Subduers.
A Tomb Guardian came over to ask his business. Upon learning that he was the son of Mr. Gangfeng, the guardian became exceedingly respectful, offering to carry the sacrificial items and lead the way for Li Qingxian.
Before long, Li Qingxian arrived before a gravesite.
Two graves stood side by side: the tomb of Li Gangfeng and his wife.
Li Qingxian gazed at the dark granite headstone for a long time. When he looked down, he saw that the incense and candles before it were recent, the fruit offerings still fresh.
Li Qingxian asked, "Pardon me, Guardian, do people often come to pay their respects to my late father?"
"Mr. Gangfeng’s great name is known far and wide for his utmost sincerity and loyalty," the Tomb Guardian said. "For the last six months, there has been a constant stream of visitors paying their respects. The Li Family has seen to it that his grave is tended with the greatest care, not daring to be the least bit negligent."
Li Qingxian nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Guardian."
"Not at all, not at all."
Li Qingxian laid out his offerings, performed the rites, and then departed.
Before he left, he took out a piece of broken silver to thank the Tomb Guardian, but the man absolutely refused to accept it. "I can take silver from others," he insisted, "but not from Mr. Gangfeng’s family. If I did, the masters would break my legs and throw me out."
Li Qingxian put away the broken silver, thanked the Tomb Guardian once more, and boarded the carriage, telling the driver to head for Luochuan Mountain.
At noon, Li Qingxian and the driver hastily ate the flatbread and pickles they had prepared that morning. They arrived at Luochuan Mountain in the afternoon.
Li Qingxian had the driver stop by the side of the road and stood up on the carriage shafts to look around.
Low mountains rolled into the distance, covered in lush greenery. It was a beautiful landscape.
Slightly to the south lay a cluster of tombs, even more distant from the Divine Capital than the Li Family Tomb.
Closer by, Luochuan Mountain was lush and green. It was no more than two or three hundred meters high, with gentle slopes and a wide base, and it was completely deserted.
Li Qingxian slowly surveyed Luochuan Mountain, searching his memory for the landing site of the purple crystal. Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught something, and he turned to gaze into the distance.
Over a hundred li away, a mountain range undulated across the horizon. From this angle, the peaks were lined up in a row, looking just like the spine of a giant dragon, with the "dragon’s head" peak facing toward the Divine Capital.
Li Qingxian stared at the distant range, lost in thought for a moment.
"Interesting..."
Afterward, Li Qingxian had the driver move the carriage to various points at the foot of Luochuan Mountain. He observed from different angles, quickly pinpointing the landing site. He then had the driver stop and shouted, "Uncle Xiaozhou, I’ll be counting on you!"