“At the beginning Sanyue must have wanted to seal off information, but there was no way for them to do it. They are unable to control the venom-spawning domestic black market. As soon as the business in Tao County happened, all the evil cultivators in Wild Fox Country ran off and made it known everywhere. My supposition is that Shu and Li must both have received the information no later than Sanyue.” 

Zhou Ying nodded. “What about Yu Chang?” 

“There is no word about him. He has already escaped the territory under the jurisdiction of the spiritual mountains. He isn’t within the boundaries of any nation, and he hasn’t contacted anyone,” Bai Ling said. “Right now, everyone is looking for him, including Western Chu’s evil cultivators—because the word is that he has a means for removing spiritual image brands. Since that got out, all the important people in Chu who rely on ‘offerings’ have been on tenterhooks, all thinking up other ways to control the offerings. The offerings are naturally dissatisfied, and on their end, they also all have their own designs.

“Right outside the line of Tao County’s prohibition on using spiritual energy is a new detachment of the Qilin Guard. The branch hasn’t even been built yet, but the Qilin Guardsmen came over the very day they received their orders. They are currently operating out of a mustard seed. But at present it seems they aren’t much use. As soon as they step over the prohibition line, the Qilin Guardsmen are worse off than mortals. Therefore, it’s said that Sanyue has also transferred a hundred thousand men from the North Xia Waterborne Troops, who are preparing to enter and garrison in Tao County. The ports to enter Tao County along the border have all been closed.” 

Zhou Ying raised his eyebrows. “They normally don’t maintain an army, but now they want to use military force.” 

Under the protection of the spiritual mountains, the standing armies of all nations didn’t need to maintain battle-readiness, be prepared at any time to defend against the invasion of a foreign enemy. Apart from assignments like honor guard, bodyguard, convoy escort, and such, the troops normally only took care of bandits and rebels. It could be said that a mortal general would have practically no opportunity in his lifetime to be promoted through meritorious service—this was precisely why Zhi Xiu’s single battle had been celebrated far and wide for two hundred years…and why the salary of a high general of cavalry who had been celebrated for two hundred years was hardly more than the “sycophantic” Marquis of Yongning’s. 

But because of division among noble families, Great Wan had had constant internal strife for over a thousand years, and their army ultimately wasn’t purely ornamental. 

Chu was different. 

The Xiang clan stood alone, and social stratification in Chu was clear-cut. However tyrannical the local despots were in their own domains, they still wouldn’t dare to vainly challenge the imperial family. The Xiang family normally turned a blind eye to those below them. If they really wanted to crush anyone, they would only need to lift a finger. Therefore, they had no conflicts. 

Safety and order throughout the country relied on the cultivators supported by the local despots, making an army even more useless. It was almost entirely dominated by individuals on the fringes of Dongheng’s political circles—originally, Tao County’s border ports had also nominally been under the control of the Xia River Waterborne Troops, but what had the outcome been? Just a bunch of soldiers standing there while the border welcomed all comers. Having them or not having them was all the same. 

Zhou Ying asked, “Which force of the North Xia Waterborne Troops has been requisitioned?” 

Bai Ling said, “The Marquis of Qulong, Zheng Bin’s.” 

“Princess Qiyang’s husband, from a poor and humble background, illicitly opened his spiritual eyes after assuming his position, full of ambition,” Zhou Ying slowly said. In this respect, this spymaster was quite dedicated to his work. He was as familiar with this “marginal personage” from a neighboring country as with his own family treasures. “I’ve heard that they’re a very interesting couple. Princess Qiyang has no interest in cultivation and only wants to be a half-immortal so she can indulge in pleasure, but Zheng Bin has been refining his spiritual bones and seeking a Way of the Heart. I hear that his spiritual bones are complete, but the princess won’t permit him to establish a foundation and get above her, and now he’s been squeezed out to a border territory where spiritual energy can’t be used. I would guess that this person’s greatest wish is for his wife to die.” 

“I will arrange it,” Bai Ling said, understanding his intention. Then he added, “Xu Rucheng has sent word that Yu Family Bend is in great disorder, and the Zhao family is currently despondent. But they cannot annul the engagement. A spiritual image stamp cannot be removed. On this score, all they can do is hold their noses and acknowledge it. Presently they must be planning to head north to Dongheng as soon as possible, use their discarded piece ‘Zhao Qindan’ as a stepping-stone to help them get into Sanyue’s inner sect, then keep thinking. The Yu family’s clan leader has died, they’ve lost their chief offering, and the array formation as well as the possessions accumulated in their main residence over centuries were destroyed practically in a single moment. They’re very uneasy. That imperial grandson in the palace is currently their only remaining hope. They also want to complete the marriage as soon as possible, use the Zhao family to ascend to the heavens. The two sides are in accord. They will be setting out soon.” 

Zhou Ying made a noise of agreement. “Sanyue’s inner sect is different from provincial places like Yu Family Bend and Tao County. There’s a reason the Xiang family hasn’t dissipated their whole fortune yet despite being such a mess. The journey north to Dongheng must be undertaken with caution. The enemy must not be underestimated.” 

Bai Ling said, “Yes, my lord. The Zhao family fears the Luwu. They have been paranoid and performed several different kinds of searches. Had ‘Zhao Qindan’ not been there to save the day, two brothers would have been exposed. In the interest of prudence, I told the Luwu inside the Zhao family hidden realm not to use immortal tools to communicate for now and to temporarily only pass word through reincarnation wood.” 

With the use of spiritual energy prohibited in Tao County, communication had naturally broken off entirely as well. The communication network of all the Luwu in Tao County relied on the support of reincarnation wood amulets…and “Tai Sui.” The supplies sent over from Great Wan also currently had to go through the Law Breaker. 

Xi Ping had become a “hub” for information and provisions.

“The rest is trivial, I have already handled it myself.” At this point, Bai Ling stole a glance at Zhou Ying’s expression and added, “Oh, the Viscount asked me to pass on his respects to Your Highness.” 

Zhou Ying’s expression chilled. “Don’t mention that fiend to me!” 

Bai Ling obeyed without any objection. “Indeed.” 

Zhou Ying had his own reincarnation wood. If he didn’t want to pay attention to Xi Ping, he would seal it in his mustard seed, and Xi Ping couldn’t contact him. 

Zhou Ying forced down his anger and gave a few more instructions as though nothing were the matter. When he was finished, he accepted the tea Bai Ling was offering. 

He always drank tea according to Jinping’s customs. For mid-autumn, that meant a local oolong tea meant to ease dryness and moisten the lungs. It was called “Jinping Yu Gan.” Zhou Ying drank a mouthful and, because of this wretched name, thought of that wretched person. He slammed the teacup down on the table with a bang. 

“Toying with Sanyue and Yu Family Bend, intercepting the Luwu’s messages without authorization, flashing the Law Breaker in front of the whole world—what exceptional skills he has!” 

Bai Ling used his consciousness to sneak a peek at his expression and thought, He held out for two ke this time. 

Since his lord had just told him not to mention the Viscount, Bai Ling held his tongue and didn’t respond. He passed a handkerchief so Zhou Ying could wipe the tea on his hands. 

Zhou Ying pushed it away. “Didn’t he think that Sanyue also has shed skins who have held out from the time of the Great War of Gods and Demons? Could they possibly not know about the Southern Sage killing Yuan Hui in the East Sea? If Sanyue contacts Xuanyin about this and Xuanyin turns around and inspects the Impassable Sea, what is he going to do? There are disasters of all kinds on Western Chu’s border every year, there are always mortals dying by the batch at the least disturbance, what does it have to do with him? Would it kill him to mind his own business?” 

Bai Ling: “…” 

“If you have something to say, say it,” Zhou Ying said. “What are you holding back for?” 

Bai Ling said, “Well, I asked the Viscount inside the hidden realm. The Viscount said it wouldn’t happen. Yu Chang was ‘colluding’ with the Luwu, and now he’s preparing to steal the Unbound Furnace to give to the Golden Hand, so Xuanyin is going to fall out with Sanyue right away. There are no lovebirds on earth that can’t be torn apart, never mind immortal sects with opposing interests.” 

Hearing this nonsense, Zhou Ying put a hand to his chest, wanting to cough out of habit. But his half-immortal’s lungs weren’t ready, so his coughing fit caught awkwardly in his chest. He couldn’t quite catch his breath. 

Bai Ling gravely minded his own business, inwardly enjoying his plight: It serves you right. 

This very proper half-demon was always thinking that his lord’s blood was too cold, afraid he would freeze, so he took the opportunity to fan the flames: “The Viscount also instructed me to convey to you, my lord, that you shouldn’t make yourself sick from anger. He is inside the Law Breaker’s hidden realm every night, and if you wish to beat or scold him, you can come any time.” 

Zhou Ying: “…” 

Xi Ping sneezed very elegantly—his nostrils were stuck down, so he couldn’t wipe his nose with force, and his fake beard was too thick—it would get in his mouth if he wasn’t careful. He thought that after coming to the Law Breaker just this evening, Bai Ling must have conveyed his message; san-ge was cursing him. 

Anyway, he was secure in the knowledge of his own safety: san-ge wouldn’t come. Shifu was inside the Law Breaker at night. 

As soon as it got dark, Xi Ping put out his light and feigned sleep, his consciousness slipping into the Law Breaker Bracelet. 

Inside of the Law Breaker, there was currently a big stretch of wilderness. As soon as Xi Ping landed, he noticed something and abruptly leapt up, narrowly avoiding the inscriptions covering the ground. 

Then he heard Zhi Xiu’s voice coming from a vague figure on the horizon: “This belongs to an evil cultivator from the third year of the Wen Emperor, a middle established foundation, a rare inscription master who killed nine members of Heaven’s Design Pavilion before escaping to Northern Li. Heaven’s Design Pavilion joined hands with Kunlun’s outer sect to blockade him on the Cangye Plain. They were at a deadlock for over half a month and lost a dozen outer sect half-immortals along with two established foundations who had joined them. In the end it was an ascended spirit sword cultivator from the Kunlun Sect breaking through by sheer strength that allowed them to take him down. Because this battle was unusually bitter, it was set down in the historical record by both sects. All the methods that evil cultivator used then, I’ve copied here. You try having a go. If you can’t handle it, call for help.” 

Xi Ping’s face fell. “…shifu, I’m not falling for that one again.” 

The first time Zhi Xiu had gently told him “If you can’t handle it, call for help,” Xi Ping had actually bought it. When he had been beaten to a pulp by the illusory evil cultivator inside the Law Breaker, he had innocently called for help. 

But his lousy shifu had only hung by the horizon with his hands folded, appreciating his terror-stricken “heroic bearing” while slowly responding, “But I am merely a sliver of consciousness within a shattered sword. Why are you calling to me?” 

Xi Ping had felt his faith in the whole world collapse. “Didn’t you tell me to call for help if I couldn’t handle it?” 

“I didn’t say it would do any good,” Zhi Xiu said.

This was the teaching method of his shifu, who couldn’t even explain Detailed Account of Meridians clearly. Even Mama Luo would have to kowtow if he saw it. 

But despite his shouts, he was still doing this of his own free will. 

During his brief encounter with Xiang Wenqing, Xi Ping had thoroughly understood his own abilities. For the first time in his life, without the need for anyone to urge him, he had decided to put in the work. 

He wasn’t a sword cultivator, and it wasn’t practicable to start learning sword moves and formations now. Neither Flying Jade Peak nor the Latent Cultivation Temple could make him quietly study talismans and memorize arrays. So Zhi Xiu had simply stuffed the last thousand or so years of classic texts into the Law Breaker and let him fumble around for himself while getting thrashed.  

After all, the Law Breaker wouldn’t harm its own “steward,” but the same wasn’t necessarily true of the outside world. 

Like a sponge, Xi Ping worked madly to soak up a century’s worth of missed classes. Every night, he only left when his consciousness was exhausted—that was why the first morning strains of the huqin were so realistically tragic. 

Tonight, he couldn’t struggle free of this historical evil cultivator who was like a fierce ghost. He put his foot right into the trap that had killed Kunlun’s established foundations and was thrown out by the Law Breaker. Zhi Xiu waved a hand and put away the scene, then quietly sat alone inside the Law Breaker. 

In fact, Zhi Xiu’s current condition couldn’t sustain his consciousness in wandering outside for too long, but he would still remain until his strength was exhausted. 

Because only inside of the Law Breaker, which was outside of the control of the spiritual mountains, was there a moment’s peace. 

Zhaoting had shattered, and he was facing the deliberation of the Way of Heaven, caught on the threshold of the shed skin barrier, always grappling with a nameless power. 

The Way of Heaven was like a knife or an axe, always “pruning” something from him. Zhi Xiu couldn’t clearly say what it was, but he was unwilling to yield. 

The familiar pain surged throughout his body. It was a sign that this thread of his consciousness was about to disperse. 

The Way of Heaven seemed increasingly impatient with his disobedience. 

General Zhi smiled carelessly. Before dispersing, he grabbed a handful of Western Chu specialty snacks from the Law Breaker…and couldn’t keep smiling. 

“Bah, damn the salt seller.” 

Before returning to his own body, Xi Ping first wandered through all the reincarnation wood in the county, treating it as relaxation. Vaguely, he heard familiar voices speaking and automatically followed them. 

Neither Wei Chengxiang nor Zhao Qindan were in the habit of sleeping. At most they would meditate for a while before dawn. 

Now, there was an oil lamp lit in the little house. Zhao Qindan was teaching Wei Chengxiang Chu writing. 

Zhao Qindan was from Yuzhou. Yuzhou bordered on Chu, so many people were proficient in Chu script. She was equally skilled in Chu and Wan script. 

As she taught, Zhao Qindan suddenly let her mind wander. 

The tip of Wei Chengxiang’s brush paused. She looked up at her. 

Apropos of nothing, Zhao Qindan asked, “Where do you come from? You’re from Wan, too?” 

“The sky my quilt, the earth my mat, the four seas my home.” Wei Chengxiang smiled craftily and licked the tip of her brush—when she was younger, she had still spoken with a bit of a Ling County accent. After traveling for many years, you could no longer hear a trace of it. “What’s wrong? The registration today gave you a scare, didn’t it?” 

This evening, bailiffs had suddenly come pounding on doors, going house by house and family by family to register the inhabitants. When they got hold of you, there was an interrogation, as if they would have loved to find out everything about eight generations of your ancestors. They also made neighbors vouch for each other. Anyone with the slightest issue would be taken away and strictly investigated. 

Zhao Qindan had never told a lie in her life. She had nearly begun to stutter when questioned. Luckily Wei Chengxiang had received word from Tai Sui and rushed over to save her. 

She had stood by, scared witless, watching Wei Chengxiang lie in front of a crowd of bailiffs. She had been unbearably worried, thinking that someone would come to expose them at any moment.

But instead Wei Chengxiang had blathered for a full half an incense stick, and no one had come out to say a word. The old granny next door who had been so disapproving of them that first night had even cringingly said, “This young lady has been here for years.” 

Zhao Qindan said, “Why would she help me?” 

“Being caught by the bailiffs doesn’t go well for anyone, and it costs the neighbors nothing to help patch up a lie. Even if they don’t dare to speak, they still won’t deliberately harm a person in a situation like this.” Wei Chengxiang flexed her neck and said, “Anyway, I’ve helped that old lady carry quite a bit of water. Sowing the seeds of goodness won’t bring in a bad harvest, I guess.” 

“Oh?” Zhao Qindan said. “When I went to thank her with some pastries, she pulled me over and said that you were no good and told me to get over you while I was still young.” 

Wei Chengxiang: “…” 

What was wrong with that old woman? Why did she have to get into everyone’s business at her age?! 

“Even if I hadn’t been able to cover it up, there are still the Luwu.” Wei Chengxiang gave a dry cough and changed the subject. “Making false identities is their specialty. Even though they’ve become mortal, fooling a bailiff is still no big deal. The Luwu are using your identity, so for the sake of their own people, they’ll protect you.” 

Zhao Qindan didn’t respond. She inadvertently glimpsed a little bronze mirror that Wei Chengxiang used as a prize and caught sight of herself in the mirror. 

Her current alias was “Xu Dan.” Wei Chengxiang’s skills were superlative. She had only changed each of her features slightly, not affecting her ability to make expressions and not making any exaggerated scars as cover, but she looked completely different—not to be spoken of in the same breath as certain klutzes who just slopped glue on their nose. 

At a glance, Zhao Qindan didn’t even recognize herself. 

That common face gave her a huge sense of loss and loneliness. After a couple more looks, she almost felt frightened. 

On the one hand, she and the Zhao family had mutually abandoned each other. She was in an unfamiliar place with strange people and no home to go back to, with no one beside her but an “evil cultivator” of unknown background. On the other hand, her surname was still Zhao. Though the Luwu were temporarily willing to protect her for the sake of their colleague, she still couldn’t blend into their circle. 

In a few short months, she had fallen from the clouds to the human world, then become a lost stranger in foreign land. 

She was coming from nowhere and going to nowhere. Her former lofty aspirations had turned to froth. In the whole wide world, there was no place for her. 

In her inward turmoil, a dog’s resonant barking suddenly came from the distance, followed by shouting and the buzzing of heavy machinery. 

Wei Chengxiang and Zhao Qindan exchanged a look, then stood up simultaneously—there was one bad thing about the spiritual energy prohibition, which was that all cultivators had a sense that their hearing was impaired. Without a spiritual sense attached to their ears, sometimes they could only hear a thing when it came up to the door. 

Wei Chengxiang put a hand into her sleeve. “Senior, look outside for me…” 

Before she could finish speaking, Xi Ping’s voice sounded in her ear: “The army is here.” 

Wei Chengxiang frowned. Now, the voices were already very close—the shuffling sound of footsteps was coming from the street behind them, mixed with the clopping of horses’ hooves and the clink of swords against armor. 

“They’ve come into town in the middle of the night? What are they doing?” Wei Chengxiang pressed her ear to the wall and added, “Wait, it isn’t only men, horses, and carriages. What have they brought?” 

From the reincarnation wood, Xi Ping saw the steam-spouting “long-armed” cart in the midst of the formation and slowly said, “I guess it’s machinery to cut me…to cut the trees down.” 

Hardly had he spoken than a strange whirring came from the street nearby. The army had begun clearing away the reincarnation wood trees lining the street.