"The picture, Master Incense—it's here."
Upon hearing the man's question, the concubine in white quickly pulled out a cylindrical scroll case from beneath the bed and respectfully offered it up with both hands.
The man took it, carefully unfastened it, and unrolled the scroll.
As it gradually unfolded, a classic landscape painting appeared before them all.
Stretching across the canvas were mountain ranges undulating to the horizon like coiling dragons—majestic and powerful. Mist drifted among the peaks, revealing and concealing ridges and valleys in turn.
Even the untrained eye could sense that this painting was anything but ordinary.
Manager Wu couldn't help but praise, "What remarkable skill! Master Incense, what secret lies within this painting?"
The white-clothed concubine also looked confused. "I interrogated that eunuch Lu myself—he didn't know much either. All he knew was that Princess Fu'an was particularly fond of it."
The man studied the scroll closely and then said, "The painting itself is exceptional, but its creator is not well-known. His name was Jiao Fayuan."
Manager Wu was startled. "A practitioner of the Daoist arts?"
The man nodded. "Yes. He was a geomancer from the San Shan Sect of Ganzhou during the Daxing era, and once served as a court spiritualist to a prince."
"At that time, Daxing stood in tense opposition to the Golden Horde. Later, as the Daxuan regime rose to power and Daxing declined, this prince entrusted Jiao Fayuan to hide a portion of the national treasury—silver and weapons—in the Qinling Mountains, awaiting a future restoration."
"Eventually, this painting found its way to Prince Pingyang, who kept it hidden. He later joined the imperial succession struggle, was accused of treason, and executed. The princess, Fu'an, took the painting and wandered through Guanzhong."
"Alas, though she spent years studying it, she never uncovered its secrets. Worse still, word eventually spread, drawing attention from the capital. I learned of it by chance and laid a plan to intercept it."
"So that's how it is…"
A glimmer of excitement flashed in Manager Wu's eyes. "Master Incense, if we get hold of this hidden treasure, could the Divine Sect rise once more?"
"Difficult," the man replied with a sigh. He took a bone-club from the hand of the Fire Ghost, removed the cap, and poured out several black granular pellets.
"I stayed in Chang'an for a few extra days specifically to infiltrate the government office and steal the recipe for this."
"Gunpowder?" the concubine asked hesitantly.
The man shook his head. "More powerful than ordinary gunpowder. It was discovered by a pill refiner by accident. The Li family, upon obtaining it, dared not keep it secret and offered it to the court. That's how they were granted authority over a frontier province."
"Unfortunately, I only obtained one canister of the finished product—no formula."
"The Daxuan dynasty is in full ascendancy. With this in their hands, they are like a tiger with wings. In time, they'll suppress the entire martial world. To rise now using mere peasants and wandering believers would be suicide."
Hearing this, Manager Wu's expression darkened. "Then… what should we do?"
The incense master calmly replied, "The heavens maintain balance. If brute strength alone determined rule, why would dynasties ever change?"
"Today's Daxuan has the people submitting to the law, afraid to step an inch out of line. Yet small men wield the law as a tool for their own gain. Left unchecked, this will surely bring disaster in time."
"Ten years ago, the sect leader was too hasty in initiating a rebellion. It fractured the Divine Sect, scattered our forces, and weakened our strength. Now, we must bide our time, rebuild, and wait for the right moment."
"I observed the stars—there will be a great calamity in the Central Plains two years from now. Once we retrieve the treasure from the Qinling, we shall lie low in the Central Plains. That will be our chance to rise."
"Master Incense is wise indeed!"
———
Boom!
A sudden loud crash startled Sha Lifei awake.
"What the—earth dragon turning over?"
Panicked, he rushed outside in his underclothes, only to find Li Yan practicing the Ten Forms of Coiling Power in the yard. A stone trough had been hurled aside.
Glancing at the sky, Sha Lifei groaned, "What madness is this so early in the morning? Waking people up for some training? You're crazier than your dad…"
Li Yan shot him a side-eye. "We earn our bread on the edge of the blade. If I don't train, should I just flap my lips instead?"
Unbothered by the jab, Sha Lifei grinned and wagged his head. "Don't look down on words—used right, a silver tongue can move armies."
Li Yan withdrew from his practice, his expression thoughtful. "Uncle Sha, the reason you haven't broken through all these years—part of it's neglect, part of it's that your master passed early, and no one's helped you with your inner strength. I've reached the Hidden Force stage now. If I lend a hand, maybe you'll break through."
"You think… that's possible?" Sha Lifei was clearly tempted.
"Sometimes it's just a thin paper window—poke through, and you're there."
"All right then—let's trade hands!"
"Trading hands" meant sparring slowly, exchanging moves and techniques to sense the flow of hidden strength within the body.
Bang! Bang!
In no time, Sha Lifei had lost his footing and was sprawled on the ground.
"Enough! I'm done!"
He cried out, rubbing his backside.
At that moment, Daoist Wang Daoxuan stepped outside, stretched, and looked much improved.
"How are you feeling, Daoist?" Sha Lifei asked eagerly.
"I… want a bowl of mutton stew," he said sheepishly.
Li Yan laughed. "Strong appetite means full recovery."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sha Lifei dragged them along enthusiastically.
———
Wei Family Alley, the old Wu shop.
Though nothing fancy, the lamb dishes here were unrivaled. Crowds packed in—rogues and nobles, beggars and businessmen, all squeezed along the long benches.
The three men ate while listening to the lively chatter around them.
"Did you hear? Another brawl last night."
"Was it Old Third Hei's crew? Hmph. Never did anything good. With the Zhou family fallen, people are bound to come knocking."
"What exactly happened to the Zhou clan anyway?"
"Not sure. But something big—Didn't you see the inspectors showing up? I heard everyone involved was banned from leaking a single word."
"Old Master Zhang's taking over the Divine Fist Society, right?"
"Of course. I heard they were planning a huge ceremony, even some officials from Chang'an were invited. But the old man said to keep it low-key."
"See? That's class. Unlike Zhou Pan, no wonder he ended up the way he did…"
"And that's not even the worst of it. After Zhou Pan died, the whole family fell into chaos. Zhou Peide got arrested and sentenced, and Zhou Bai and his shrew of a mother were thrown out of the house."
"Tch. Just last month he was strutting around like a peacock…"
The three listened quietly, undisturbed. They knew how quickly the tides turned once power shifted hands.
Change in the capital, a ripple to Xianyang. The fates of those who lived off the crumbs followed suit.
Clatter…
Suddenly, a group of beggars raced past outside, faces filled with panic. Some tripped and fell, shattering their begging bowls.
"Stop right there!"
Several fierce constables chased them down, water-fire batons swinging, beating the beggars senseless.
Someone from the crowd couldn't help but shout, "Hey, what's going on? Why take it out on those poor souls?"
"You got a death wish?"
The constable, a brutish man with a face like raw meat, barked back—but seeing the crowd growing indignant, he restrained himself.
"You think they're innocent? We raided their hideout this morning and found a bunch of kidnapped women and children—many of them already ruined. If you've got family missing, better go check now!"
"His Excellency was furious. Captain Fan's already on his way to the burial grounds to wipe them out!"
His words rang with righteous fire—but the crowd wasn't buying it.
Everyone knew what the Western Beggar Sect was like. And these constables? They'd long been taking bribes from the sect, turning a blind eye—or worse, acting as their backers.
Now they suddenly played the role of justice?
Most of those beggars being beaten weren't criminals at all—just starving pawns forced to hand over their daily alms.
Yet no one stepped forward. They all understood: for the yamen to move so suddenly, there had to be some deeper reason.
After the constables cleared the scene, Sha Lifei shook his head. "The Western Beggar Sect's finished. Looks like the Tai Xuan Sect's making a move—clearing the area before the upcoming rites."
Daoist Wang nodded. "Sealing a mountain deity is no small matter. If they'd let the burial grounds fester, a true monster could've emerged. With a deity guarding the land, things will quiet down."
Then, he stood. "Let's go visit Daoist Wu. He gave his life to save mine. I can't rest easy with that on my conscience…"
*(End of Chapter)*