Before Wei Chengxiang could relax, there was a sudden knock on the door. She nearly collapsed on the spot. Her head and her expression went blank at once. 

But the empty look in her eyes made Old Nine’s sweat trickle faster: this was the look of a ghost or a god! 

Old Nine felt the ice cold gaze of the divine coming from the girl’s completely emotionless eyes. For a time, he felt unbearable regret towards his own attempt at cleverness. He quickly bowed his head respectfully, then stood and went to open the door. 

The newcomer was the Exonerator who had brought Wei Chengxiang to the Land of Turmoil. 

The Exonerator came in smiling brightly and said, “Hello, Brother Nine—I hope that your holy woman has rested well. Is she finding it comfortable here?” 

Old Nine couldn’t let Tai Sui think he was both reckless and useless, so he forced himself to concentrate and once again become a sly operator hidden in the southern mines. “She’s doing well, thank you, Brother Exonerator.” 

“The Indignant Cicadas cry out against injustice, and the Exonerators correct unrighted wrongs. We are fellow travelers. There is no need for thanks.” After this brief small talk, the Exonerator got right to the point. “It’s like this. My lord heard that the holy woman has arrived and has gone out of his way to arrange a feast in the Looking South Building to welcome her. Will the holy woman be able to attend?” 

Wei Chengxiang instantly came back to herself—the master of the Exonerators… Wasn’t that one of the people responsible for turning the southern outskirts into scorched earth? 

Old Nine didn’t dare to take the initiative. He looked back to ask Wei Chengxiang for instructions with his eyes. 

Wei Chengxiang’s hands, hidden under the table, tightened. This time, she didn’t consult the opinion of the senior in the reincarnation wood. She only said to Xi Ping, Uncle, I must go see this person. 

“Cover your face. Heaven’s Design Pavilion’s people have seen you, so avoid being spotted by accident.” Xi Ping kept his eyes on Lü Chengyi and said to Wei Chengxiang, “Go ahead, I’ll cover for you.” 

The unlucky Lü Chengyi hadn’t expected that he would be completely exposed at first sight. He only felt something touch his spiritual sense with no warning and suddenly had a feeling that a master was watching him. 

This powerful sense of danger came from behind him. It wasn’t one of the two people from Heaven’s Design Pavilion in front of him. 

Xi Ping saw his back stiffen and his consciousness quickly scout around within a small range—yes, Xi Ping could sense his consciousness, even though Lü Chengyi’s scouting consciousness didn’t touch a single person. 

No wonder that even when Liang Chen had only a skeleton remaining to him, he had still insisted on lying on the reincarnation wood pretending to be a god. 

So this was what “divinity” felt like. 

In Xi Ping’s eyes, each and every one of Lü Chengyi’s movements was infinitely magnified. Xi Ping could look up and see him head-on, but when he lowered his eyes, in the center of his brow he could “see” everything about Lü Chengyi: his slight gestures, where his gaze fell, his scouting consciousness…he could even faintly “see” the direction of the spiritual energy flowing through all of his meridians. 

To Xi Ping, it was both novel and astonishing. At the same time, a terrifying thought rose in his mind: this Wuchang One…had he known that he was under Liang Chen’s surveillance? 

He must not have known. 

As long as he was human, he couldn’t endure this kind of observation, even if these two old men had been having an affair. 

Right now, Wuchang One thought he had everything under control. He didn’t know that someone else had him completely in his hold. 

So…were there true ghosts and gods in this world? Who was watching him at this moment? 

Thinking about this too deeply could simply make a person lose his mind. Luckily, Xi Ping was naturally light-minded and quickly put it aside—he didn’t worship gods or believe in ghosts anyway. 

He tried withdrawing his mind, calming himself, suppressing the excitement of capturing Wuchang One. As expected, Lü Chengyi could soon no longer sense him and hesitantly relaxed. 

Then Xi Ping saw him draw back his consciousness and faintly look at someone. 

Oh? 

Under normal circumstances, at a time like this, shouldn’t he check Lin Zhaoli’s expression? After all, an established foundation cultivator had a strong spiritual sense. If it hadn’t been his mistake just now and there really was an unknown master nearby, the established foundation cultivator would have been the first to perceive it. 

But…why had Wuchang One glanced at Princess Anyang? 

In fact, it was likely that the glance had been inadvertent. After all, the princess was in command at the southern mines, and she looked good enough to be a magnet for the eyes. It was normal for a subordinate to look her way when he felt uneasy. 

But for some reason, Xi Ping suddenly thought that there was something wrong here. 

So he asked, “When did you start traveling with the shipments, Lü-shixiong?” 

Lü Chengyi suppressed his unease and answered, “It’s a long story. Nearly two hundred years now.” 

“Wow.” Xi Ping sighed with emotion and “carelessly” turned to ask Pang Jian, “Shixiong, isn’t that the same record of service as our General Commander Liang?” 

Lü Chengyi tensed. He looked up just in time to meet Pang Jian’s eyes, which were like two blades. He couldn’t resist taking another look at Princess Anyang. 

But even a dog could learn to scheme after living two hundred years. A human would naturally become shrewd. 

Lü Chengyi took the unexpected hit from Xi Ping, but he only paused. Then, not giving anything away, he said with a smile, “You flatter me. Liang-shixiong was part of the first group of mine supervisors at the southern mines and made sacrifices for the country in his youth. My endowments are poor, and my cultivation is humble. How could I be worthy of being compared to him? Liang-shixiong was transferred back to Jinping some years ago. Has he been well recently?"

Pang Jian laughed meaningfully. “Thank you for your concern. I went to see him just a few days ago. He was doing quite well.” 

There were hidden currents surging under their small talk, but the bystanders didn’t know that Liang Chen had already been disposed of by the Bell of Tribulation. Zhao Zhenwei said fervently, “As soon as I heard Her Highness’s summons, I knew that the lords from Heaven’s Design Pavilion had come. I’ve already booked a feast at the Missing North Building to welcome the two of you. The mines aren’t going anywhere, Lord Pang, Viscount Xi. We half-immortals don’t practice inedia, after all. Food is of paramount importance, right?” 

Princess Anyang said jokingly, “It seems that I have been inconsiderate.” 

Zhao Zhenwei knew all the necessary tricks. Without a stumble, he picked up the princess’s joke and took care of everything in a few words. Pang Jian had already sent out the karma beasts and had no choice but to follow along with the general plan. He took off the unseen glasses and allowed Zhao Zhenwei to take the lead, heading for the Missing North Building. 

“Not even the birds come here to the Land of Turmoil, but we in the Great Wan encampment have our own civilization,” Zhao Zhenwei explained as he walked. “The Looking South and Missing North Buildings are particularly well known. They both serve Southern He specialties prepared according to single extant copies of ancient texts—the Looking South Building is a little more authentic, while the Missing North Building has been slightly improved to accord with our Great Wan tastes. Many people from other countries scheme to get passports to come to our mines because they want to taste the old flavor of the south… Ah, here we are, shixiongs.” 

In the mines’ bustling little town, there were two restaurants not far from the docks. One faced south, and one faced north; there was a street between them. 

The turned up corners of the two buildings’ eaves were opposite to each other, and their terraces faced each other. The scent of wine floating out mixed together—it was the legendary flower wine of Southern He. 

Just then, Xi Ping’s spiritual sense moved. A carriage was just passing by them at the intersection. 

Wei Chengxiang had a spiritual stone in her mouth. She was using every free moment to meditate and practice breathing when she suddenly heard the senior in the reincarnation wood say, Look out of the carriage right now. Careful not to show your face. Look at a middle-aged man wearing a grey robe. 

Wei Chengxiang was startled. She immediately opened her eyes and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain according to instructions. 

But the first thing to meet her eyes was a young man in brocade robes. Though she only saw him in profile, his features were almost dazzling. This person was completely at odds with the gloomy and defeated Land of Turmoil. 

Wei Chengxiang blinked involuntarily and thought, “Where did such a handsome nobleman come from?” 

But the thought only flashed by in a hurry. She carried a blood feud, and there was terror at every step. The romantic wind that could easily crease a girl’s heart had already passed by like fleeting clouds. Wei Chengxiang quickly moved her gaze away from the young man and searched for the middle-aged man in the grey robe. 

Lü Chengyi, walking at the end of the line, felt the reincarnation wood he was carrying heat up. His expression unwavering, he turned to look and met the eyes of a teenage girl. 

Wei Chengxiang smiled at him, and Lü Chengyi nodded almost imperceptibly, acknowledging their respective identities. 

The carriage and the people passed by each other. 

“Uncle,” Wei Chengxiang excitedly asked Xi Ping, “is that person in grey you?” 

“Bullshit.” Xi Ping felt that he had received a colossal insult. “The person I told you to look at is Wuchang One! Remember that face—that’s his true face.” 

Wei Chengxiang: “…” 

Why didn’t you say so before? I smiled at him for nothing. 

Old Nine saw the “holy woman” replace the curtain, the smile quickly disappearing from her small face as it stiffened back into its icy manner. In spite of himself, he trembled with fear. He thought, “The holy woman is only a mortal now, but if she hadn’t lifted the curtain just now, I wouldn’t even have noticed that Senior One was nearby… Tai Sui is truly with her!” 

He became increasingly deferential. When they reached the door of the Looking South Building, he jumped out of the carriage first and made a step with his hands to help the holy woman alight. 

Wei Chengxiang simply stepped on him to get out of the carriage and heard the Exonerator meeting them at the door say quietly, “The Looking South Building belongs to our brother. It’s safe. The private room is already prepared. Please enter.” 

The carriage blocked Wei Chengxiang’s skinny back. Across the street at the Missing North Building, the manager himself came out to receive the honored guests. 

Zhao Zhenwei explained, “Our Mining Office anonymously supplies the funds for the Missing North Building. It’s our territory. If we want to use it, no outside customers are accepted. There will be no interlopers here.” 

With a street between them, the immortals faced south, and the evil cultivators faced north. 

In the street, people came and went. 

Traveling merchants brought goods and sold them on the spot, then took away exotic goods from the south. Because of this, there were stalls set up everywhere. Not far from the Looking South and Missing North Buildings, there was also a stage. Two Turmoilers in an iron cage were doing all they could to tear at each other. But the locals no longer found anything novel in this. Few people stopped to look. The fee-collector yawned from boredom. 

The miners’ children had found a kite somewhere and were running wildly holding the string. But the kite still sank and fell on a laborer cleaning river mud. The laborer was carrying a heavy weight and didn’t have time to dodge. The kite knocked off his filthy hat and revealed a deformed face—he was also a Turmoiler. Thirty percent of Turmoilers were like witless mad dogs as soon as they were born; the rest, though they didn’t look human, still more or less counted as human. They could voluntarily pull out their teeth and nails and go to the various nations’ encampments to do hard labor…or herd spiritual beasts. 

The urchins of the mines were used to seeing Turmoilers. They weren’t afraid. They snatched the kite back and sent the laborer stumbling. The laborer cowered and didn’t make a sound. Only when the urchins had run away did he cautiously pick up his hat and put it on. His gaze fell on the iron cage where the fight had already been settled. The laborer met the eyes of the heavily-breathing victor for a moment, then numbly put the stuff on his back again and continued shuffling forward. 

The delighted voices of the urchins sounded along the street: “Untouchable! Untouchable!” 

“Ah, that crowd of undisciplined wicked children.” A waiter in the Looking South Building said solicitously to Wei Chengxiang, “Careful on the steps, miss.” 

Wei Chengxiang ignored him, walking up with her eyes fixed ahead of her. Someone opened the door of the private room for her, and surging spiritual energy poured out. The four walls, the floor, and the ceiling all had complex arrays drawn on them. They instantly put an end to the dull heat of the south. 

A rather portly man stood up to welcome them and said, smiling, “Indignant Cicadas, we have been friends in spirit for so long!” 

The Exonerators respectfully bowed their heads and saluted, calling him “my lord.” 

“I am White Amaranth¹,” the portly man said. “Mr. Nine, Miss Sixty, please sit down.” 

Old Nine made small talk in the holy woman’s stead, saying, “Mr. White, a cup of your snow wine intoxicated all of Jinping City and added some very festive fireworks to this year’s New Year celebrations. What scope, what daring!” 

“It’s not worth mentioning.” White Amaranth laughed and waved a hand again and again. “Not worth mentioning—you’ve had a long trip, Miss Sixty, escorting my disciples all this way south… Since time immemorial, the heroes have come from among the young. Is your Tai Sui well?” 

Wei Chengxiang’s eyes opened wide. In a daze, through the pampered man in front of her, she saw a burnt woman’s corpse with a mouth that wouldn’t close. 

Like rusted carriage wheels, the girl’s features under her veil slowly formed a…somewhat ghastly smile. “Thank you. Tai Sui has asked me to give you his regards, Mr. White.” 

And to send you on your way to the underworld. 

In the Missing North Building, Xi Ping became Zhao Zhenwei’s brother in a few words, exchanging eight hundred stories about “Little Immortal Luo behaving badly,” lamenting that they hadn’t met sooner. 

After the two of them had put their heads together to bemoan the misery of cultivating at the Latent Cultivation Temple, Xi Ping casually leveled a false accusation against Prince Zhuang: “I always said I wasn’t cut out for this kind of thing. It was all my cousin. He insisted on getting me into the Latent Cultivation Temple.” 

Zhao Zhenwei naturally went along with his subject, shaking his head and sighing. “I have no doubt you’re better off than me, Viscount. I’m the one who isn’t cut out for this. It’s only that my father truly exhausted his means to get the immortal envoy to look at me during the Grand Selection. He collected famous plants and hunted everywhere for green ore fields… I spent a whole year sleeping in a spiritual stone bed and had nightmares every night, afraid that the immortal envoy wouldn’t approve of me and I would let my parents down.” 

Hearing this, Xi Ping poured a cup of wine, lowered the mouth of the cup, and ardently touched his cup to Zhao Zhenwei’s. “Ah, shixiong, we truly are in the same boat! Fate has brought us together!” 

We both owe the Chen family a life. Don’t you think that’s a coincidence? 

The dishes full of Southern He flavor flowed like water to their table. Xi Ping sipped flower wine, listening on one end to Princess Anyang bemoaning how long the southern mines had been plagued with evil cultivators, and on the other end to White Amaranth spouting empty rhetoric about the social ills of the day. 

Zhao Zhenwei stood up to make a toast. He expressed that this would be the first shipment of the year and also his first time accompanying a shipment north since he had been transferred to the southern mines; he was absolutely petrified and would rely entirely on Lin-shixiong and Viscount Xi. The charlatan Xi Ping had his social graces; he took advantage of the moment to toast Lin Zhaoli, expressing that he was only going along to make up the numbers. 

Princess Anyang also sighed and said, “With Lin-shixiong leaving, I’ll really have no one to rely on… Let me give a toast to Lin-shixiong, too.” 

Upon hearing this, Lü Chengyi quickly stood up to accompany her: “The mines really can’t do without you, shixiong.” 

Propped up high by the whole crowd, including a matchless beauty like Princess Anyang, Lin Zhaoli was utterly befuddled from self-satisfaction. Taking himself very seriously, he said, “Set your mind at ease, Your Highness. I’ll go to the inner sect to take care of the formalities, then request a token to leave the mountain. No matter what, I’ll help you arrange matters appropriately at the mines before leaving again.” 

Then he set about passing judgment on all major worldly affairs. 

Xi Ping lowered his eyes and listened as on the other end the Indignant Cicadas’ Old Nine said to White Amaranth, “This shipment will be more strictly guarded than prior ones, and there will be an established foundation master coming along to escort it.” 

White Amaranth’s smile became somewhat shallower. “Does Mr. Nine mean that we shouldn’t attack this shipment but should take our time making plans?” 

“No,” Old Nine said gravely. “Senior One told me to ask you, Mr. White, whether you dare to seek riches amidst danger.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“The southern mines’ outer sect dogs are fighting amongst themselves. That established foundation cultivator Lin is haughty and self-important. He has offended someone without being aware of it.” Old Nine said with emphasis, “There is someone who wishes him to die in transit.”  

The corner of White Amaranth’s eye twitched. 

“If you’re bold enough, Mr. White, we can cooperate inside and out and catch a very big fish while the waters are muddy.” Old Nine looked south, as if he could see through the walls to communicate with Wuchang One. “The spiritual stones we obtain will be split up proportionately according to the terms Tai Sui negotiated with you before, to be attested by spiritual covenant. If the collaboration goes well, we Indignant Cicadas may well swear brotherhood with the Exonerators.” 

As if the cloying sweetness of the flower wine was too much for him, Xi Ping gulped a mouthful of tea and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Lin Zhaoli, just delivering his pompous harangue. He thought that Lin-shixiong’s nose was truly remarkable. He said inwardly, “In these two buildings right across from each other, there’s a whole handful of people who want you dead, brother. How come you aren’t sneezing?” 

He had offended someone without being aware of it—in other words, Lin Zhaoli was investigating the traitors in the mines, but one of the “thieves inside the house” was evidently someone he didn’t expect. 

Someone who wished him to die in transit—he had been appointed by a certain person to escort the spiritual stones…

Just then, the karma beasts Pang Jian had sent to search the mines returned. A dozen avatars combined into one and climbed up along the design on the sheath of Pang Jian’s sword. 

Commander Pang had some discussion with the sacred beast. The karma beast shook its head in vexation, then disappeared. 

Xi Ping was entirely unsurprised. These people had even settled on how to dispose of Lin Zhaoli; it seemed that the incriminating evidence had already been cleaned up. 

When he lowered his eyes, he “saw” in the center of his brow as Lü Chengyi obscurely looked towards Zhou Qing. This time, Zhou Qing’s gaze happened to meet Lü Chengyi’s. 

Princess Anyang lowered her eyelashes slightly, nodding with her gaze.

This gaze was extremely icy. There was absolutely no sign of being “at a loss.” 

Xi Ping had a sudden realization: so that was it. 

Since his mind had cleared after being muddled by her beauty, he had kept thinking that there was something wrong about Princess Anyang. Now at last he knew what it was—there was a contradiction in what Zhou Qing had said. 

Liang Chen and the rest of the first group of mine supervisors had been placed in the southern mines only because their meridians had been harmed and they were unable to enter Heaven’s Design Pavilion. They had set the tone for the southern mines from then on—though they were both outer sects, the Mining Office was a rung below Heaven’s Design Pavilion. 

A crowd of mine supervisors like this, even if they all went mad and got up the guts to collaborate in squeezing out the princess, would Zhou Qing put up with them for twenty years? 

If so, her temperament was too weak and easily bullied; it didn’t match the unruly princess she had described, who insisted on having anything she liked.

She had been only too anxious to agree to let Pang Jian search the mines. It wasn’t that she had been oppressed for so long; it was that she had prepared everything and knew she had nothing to fear. 

So Lü Chengyi’s two glances at the princess earlier could be explained: the first time, he had noticed that a master had caught sight of him and suspected that Heaven’s Design Pavilion had brought along another assistant, so he had asked the princess with his eyes how many people had come. 

The second time, he had heard them mention Liang Chen without warning and had once again looked at the princess’s expression; he had been concerned that Heaven’s Design Pavilion had shared their purpose in coming and exposed his lie. 

Xi Ping ate a mouthful of the meat of some unknown animal and felt that there were hardly any dishes on this table that weren’t sweet. It was so cloying it made him lose his appetite. He no longer felt like eating and picked up a piece of lotus pastry to give Princess Anyang. He said appealingly, “My mom likes this kind of thing, but she doesn’t dare to eat too much because she’s afraid that eating too much and not moving enough will make her belt too tight. Auntie Qing, you work hard looking after the mines every day, so you should eat up.” 

Zhou Qing accepted with pleasure and asked in passing after everyone at the Yongning Marquis Manor. 

Xi Ping used the skills he normally employed to please his mother, making the princess so happy she beamed.  

Auntie Qing, you’d have been better off not mentioning this connection and sticking to seduction.