Chapter 70: Seeking Aid from the City God Temple
“Zheng Heibei ran away?”
“Yeah! The Taixing Carriage and Horse Company struck first last night! When they moved, it was like a thunderclap!”
“I heard it only took a short while before seventy or eighty of the Iron Blade Gang’s toughest fighters were crippled. They used ruthless methods too; every one of them had their limbs shattered.”
“Zheng Heibei was probably scared out of his wits. He disappeared that very night. Rumor says he even stolen all the gang’s money before fleeing. Right now, quite a few bladesmen are hunting for him, hoping to rob the robber and carve off a chunk of fat meat for themselves!”
“Oh right, that bastard really isn’t human either. Before leaving, he even screwed over one of his martial brothers.”
“How?”
“He dumped all those crippled subordinates at Wang Yao’s clinic, claiming he would fully cover the expenses. Then he ran off. Now the clinic is packed with wounded men, and they can’t even throw them out.”
“Hahaha! That’s truly rotten!”
In the jianghu, rumors spread faster than anything. The events of the night before had already swept through all of Xianyang before dawn even arrived.
The jianghu folk naturally needed no explanation. Everyone knew the Zhou Family’s end was near. As for the common people of Xianyang, they discussed the matter with endless delight. Some applauded openly, while even more mocked and ridiculed the fallen gang. Many cursed so fiercely they even spat on the ground afterward, venting years of resentment.
Sha Lifei shoved through the crowded city gates. “Make way, make way!”
Normally, with his personality, he absolutely would have stayed behind to brag a little, telling everyone about the crucial role he himself had played in the affair. However, he was frantic with urgency and couldn’t spare attention for anything else.
The gates of Xianyang only opened at the hour of the rabbit. He possessed neither the skills to scale walls and leap over roofs nor enough influence to convince the guards to lower a basket for him. Thus, he had no choice but to wait obediently.
Two entire hours had already passed since Li Yan left. The last thing Sha Lifei wanted was for delays to cause some disaster. But he failed to notice that the Iron Blade Gang leader Zheng Heibei had also disguised himself and quietly slipped out of the city gates, pretending to be a merchant from the north.
***
Outside the Xianyang City God Temple, Sha Lifei respectfully handed over an invitation. “I wish to see Daoist Qing Yangzi.”
The City God Temple was ancient, first established during the Qin-Han era. Though destroyed and rebuilt several times across wars, it had now become a massive complex occupying twenty mu of land with nearly a hundred buildings.
The deity enshrined within was General Meng Chong of the Qin Dynasty.
Temples dedicated to folk gods depended upon incense offerings from commoners, so the gates remained permanently open to allow citizens to enter and worship. They also held a grand temple fair every year on the fifteenth day of the fifth month.
But Sha Lifei hadn’t come to burn incense. Naturally, he needed to submit an invitation first, otherwise he would never even get the chance to meet Daoist Qing Yangzi.
Seeing Shopkeeper Wan’s name written on the card, the young Daoist attendant naturally did not dare refuse. “Please wait a moment, benefactor.”
He hurried toward the rear hall as Sha Lifei waited anxiously outside. By chance, his eyes drifted toward the temple’s couplet hanging vertically on both sides of the gate: Divine eyes shine like lightning, discerning the smallest detail. Human hearts are mirrors, knowing good from evil.
Horizontally, on the plaque above, another inscription could be seen: Perceiving all things clearly.
In the past, Sha Lifei had always treated such places by keeping a respectful distance. After all, anyone wandering the jianghu had committed a few guilty acts in their life. But now, looking upon the temple, he could not help sighing to himself.
City God Lord, may your divine eyes truly shine like lightning and perceive every detail. If we can kill the demon Daoist and rescue Wang Daoxuan, Old Sha will offer incense regularly.
Just as his thoughts wandered, the attendant returned, bowed politely, and gestured ahead. “Benefactor, please follow me.”
Sha Lifei followed him through the ceremonial gate and large archway before passing through side hall corridors into the rear temple.
Within the main hall stood a towering statue of a military general clad in golden armor. He had a white face with a crimson beard. He held a sword in his right hand, while his left hand supported an official seal. His eyes were wide and imposing, radiating awe-inspiring majesty.
Before the statue stood a terraced altar table densely packed with black ceramic jars, each sealed with yellow talismans. Oil lamps burned all around them amid drifting incense smoke.
Beside the altar, an elderly Daoist with white hair, a long beard, a broad forehead, and a kindly expression was seated cross-legged upon a meditation cushion.
This was Qing Yangzi, the temple master of Xianyang.
He wore a nine-ridged Daoist cap and ceremonial robes. The Taixuan Orthodox Sect revered black as its highest color, so his robes were black with a white inner lining. An Azure Dragon was embroidered on the left, a White Tiger on the right, a Black Tortoise on the back, and a Vermilion Bird upon the chest. Twin dragon-and-tiger sashes hung at his waist.
Such dignified and magnificent attire was only worn during sacred rituals. Though Sha Lifei understood little of these matters, his attitude remained extremely respectful.
Wang Daoxuan had once explained to him that City God Temples across the land fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites’ Mystic Office. This bureau oversaw evaluations of practitioners of the mystic path through the Divine Continent and issued official Daoist credentials. Its authority was immense. Someone capable of serving as a regional City God Temple master was naturally no ordinary figure.
Although Qing Yangzi’s cultivation was said to be only at the third level, his prestige was enormous, and he possessed countless disciples and followers. One absolutely could not afford to offend him.
“Oh? You found him?” After listening to Sha Lifei recount the entire matter, Qing Yangzi stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I never expected that Xianyang concealed a living yin emissary. Yet this also means Chen Fakui’s fate has reached its inevitable end.
“You may go now. Return to the City God Temple at the hour of the snake. Someone will accompany you then.”
“Ah?” Sha Lifei immediately panicked. “Daoist Qing, human lives are at stake! My little brother is guarding the place alone right now, and Daoist Wang’s living soul is still in that demon’s hands. What if—”
“There is no need to panic.” Qing Yangzi interrupted him with a gentle shake of the head. “Chen Fakui remains within the tomb because his ghost soldiers and puppets cannot operate effectively during the day. However, the heavy yin energy of ancient tombs shields them from such restrictions. The moment anyone enters, he will detect them.
“Likewise, if I wish to deploy the City God’s yin soldiers to arrest him, it must be done at night. Acting rashly now would only alert the enemy and make rescuing them even harder. Returning at the hour of the snake will not delay matters.”
Though the old Daoist wielded immense authority, his demeanor remained gentle and approachable. Sha Lifei could hardly argue further and could only leave the City God Temple with a bitter expression.
Remembering Li Yan’s instructions, he immediately doubled back to obtain a funeral misfortune notice before rushing to a nearby coffin shop to purchase a fine coffin. Then, he brought people outside the city, collected Wu Laosi’s remains, and temporarily placed them in the charity mortuary.
By the time everything was finished, the hour of the snake had arrived. Sha Lifei hurried back to the City God Temple.
Aside from Qing Yangzi, two additional Daoists now stood within the hall. One wore dark Daoist robes embroidered with a taiji symbol upon the back. A Seven Star Sword rested behind him. His features were upright and righteous, yet his brows carried an unmistakable killing aura.
The other wore white Daoist robes with a white Eight Trigrams headband. He had a large and imposing build, with a full, thick beard hiding dark and weathered skin. Yet, a trace of sorrow lingered hidden within his eyes.
Qing Yangzi spoke to Sha Lifei. “This is Daoist Luo Mingzi of the Enforcement Hall and Master Zhao Facheng of the Nine Essence Sect. They will accompany you.”
Sha Lifei respectfully cupped his fists, though his heart suddenly skipped a beat. “Ah... Greetings, honored masters.”
He clearly remembered that Chen Fakui himself came from the Nine Essence Sect. Now they were sending a member of that very sect to arrest him? What if the man protected his own and ruined everything?
Zhao Facheng merely nodded slightly before respectfully bowing toward Qing Yangzi. “Many thanks, Senior Qing.”
Qing Yangzi shook his head. “It is nothing. Your Nine Essence Sect’s lineage has guarded Qin Shihuang’s tomb for generations and rendered great service to the realm. This much face must still be given.”
Damn it, something’s definitely fishy!
Sha Lifei was furious but did not dare voice it aloud. He could tell that Luo Mingzi carried an extraordinary aura and was likely an expert who had reached the Dark Jin Realm. Combined with Daoist arts, he was far beyond anything Sha Lifei could handle.
If impulsiveness ruined everything, then all would truly be lost.
After bidding farewell to Qing Yangzi, the three immediately departed the hall and entered through the City God Temple’s rear gate, where attendants already waited with three swift horses.
Without wasting words, the trio mounted up and rode out from Xianyang at once.
***
Rumble!
The autumn sky hung heavy and overcast as muffled thunder echoed through the heavens.
Within the dense forest, Li Yan stared grimly toward a distant earthen hill. Since he had departed early and rode swiftly, he had already reached the location Wu Laosi described.
But he then encountered a serious problem. There truly were ancient tombs everywhere. Far from villages and settlements, they stood amidst barren wilderness, rising from flat ground like a giant turtle gazing over the Guanzhong Plains. Though Li Yan knew nothing of geomancy or fengshui, even he could tell it was a place of exceptional fortune.
But the problem was, there wasn’t just one ancient tomb atop the hill. Even from a distance, he could spot at least three. All were extremely ancient, and their tomb entrances had long since been broken open, clearly looted by grave robbers.
Worse still, whatever special art Chen Fakui had used completely concealed his aura. Even after activating his divine sense, Li Yan could only detect faint traces of yin qi within several tombs. He couldn’t locate the man at all.
He definitely didn’t dare to rashly climb the hill and risk alerting the enemy. Anxiety started to overwhelm him as he continued to think. In situations like this, his methods were still too limited.
Just then, faint hoofbeats sounded in the distance.
Reinforcements have arrived?
Delighted, Li Yan immediately crept to the edge of the forest to look. On the distant dirt road, two riders galloped swiftly toward the hill. One wore a sheepskin jacket and a dogskin cap while the other wore coarse black cloth.
Though both had disguised themselves, Li Yan recognized them easily. There was no mistake about it, that was Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei!
