The crows and sparrows in the woods cried out for a while as we remained in silence. Once I had finished my cry, I lifted my face from her embrace. Her eyes were closed again, as if she were drifting between sleep and wakefulness. Just as I thought she might fall asleep holding me, as she had that night at the inn, Wei Qingming spoke.
"It is time to go."
I was deeply reluctant. "Who wants to go back so early..."
Wei Qingming smiled. "Did you think my mention of business was merely a pretext?"
My spirits lifted. "Take me with you!"
In the end, we circled back and rode our horses to the Eastern Market. Although I knew that in Wei Qingming’s young life, there were only two things—cultivation and official business—I still found it dull. My dissatisfaction peaked when I saw her dismount in front of Rui’an Tang. "I was wondering why we skipped a perfectly good banquet. Are we here to raid Shopkeeper Zheng’s home?"
Wei Qingming’s mood seemed to have cleared completely. She shot me a sidelong glance and said calmly, "I am merely putting in some effort for your senior brother."
I giggled and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Not for my senior brother—for me!"
She seemed helpless against my thick skin. She gently unwound my arms, shook her head with a faint smile, and then turned her serious attention to the shop before us.
Although there was no curfew in this dynasty and the Eastern Market never truly closed, this particular area was home to large firms dealing in treasures and curios. Naturally, they shut their doors for the day after the hour of the Rooster. In such an atmosphere, the tightly bolted doors of Rui’an Tang did not look out of the place. Wei Qingming raised a finger, condensing a strand of spiritual power, and flicked it forward. A golden speck of light struck the shop’s protective array and vanished in a flash.
She pulled out a talisman brush and began to dismantle the array, finding the leisure to ask me, "Miss Su said your Second Senior Sister personally chose this auspicious site?"
"Yes," I replied. "She’s always acting all mysterious and wouldn't give a straight reason."
Wei Qingming’s hands never stopped moving as she smiled. "One must admit she has a keen eye. This location is one of the intersections where branches of the capital’s two great spiritual veins meet; a spiritual eye has already begun to form here. Because the spiritual energy is so abundant, medicinal ingredients and spiritual tools do not easily degrade. Over the years, this saves a fortune in costs. It simply shouldn't have been placed at a T-junction."
"What’s the significance of that?"
"The baleful energy is heavy here; it easily falls victim to a 'road rush' strike," she explained. "Fortunately, the main door of Rui’an Tang is set at an angle, not facing the road directly. Of course, one could choose not to believe in such things, but this Shopkeeper Zheng felt the baleful energy wasn't enough. To cultivate Yin-baleful medicinal herbs, he spent a great deal of money to hire someone to redirect the spiritual eye, transforming it into a Yin eye."
I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms. "No wonder, no wonder. I was saying Second Senior Sister’s interests have been leaning that way lately. She really did find a haunted house..."
As we spoke, a familiar hum reached my ears—Wei Qingming had already dispelled the protective array. I immediately began to flatter her. "Not bad! Cousin, you’re even more impressive than Senior Brother Bai, aren't you?"
"Hardly." She shook her head without pride. "This array is not difficult. There are plenty of people in the Wujing Sect who could break it."
I followed her as we crept into the backyard, whispering, "But Shopkeeper Zheng said this is the treasure of his benefactor’s son. If we mess with it, aren't we taking someone's life?"
Wei Qingming didn't answer. She pulled out a map of the capital and pointed. "Is Rui’an Tang located here?"
I looked closely and nodded. There were already three dots on the map; one was by the Jin River, where Qiongnu had been murdered. When I looked at Rui’an Tang in relation to the others, I felt a faint sense of unease. "Could it be..."
"These three locations, when connected, resemble a certain type of formation, laid out using refined resentment and baleful energy," Wei Qingming said. "If we include Rui’an Tang and link them together, adding two more points would create a basic Six Jia Array."
The Six Jia Array was a simplified version of the Six Ding Six Jia Array. Currently, the most famous Six Ding Six Jia Array in the cultivation world was the Twelve Star Platforms, built collectively by the founders of the Wujing Sect. Spread across the fourteen provinces, it served as the Great National Protection Array.
"Heavens!" I said indignantly. "If this hadn't been discovered, two more women would have suffered!"
Now I was running faster than she was, pacing about angrily, trying to find any clues related to the resentment. Wei Qingming seemed to find it somewhat amusing and pulled me back. "No rush." As she spoke, she summoned a bronze mirror and easily located the place where the object was buried.
Wei Qingming cast a protective spell on herself, put on gloves, and actually produced a hand trowel to begin digging carefully. I covered my eyes, afraid to look, fearing some terrifying object would emerge. Fortunately, it was only a piece of Nether Jade used to preserve Yin-baleful energy. Wisps of black resentment were entangled upon it; if touched by hand, it would throw one's mind into chaos, filling the head with the cries of countless ghosts.
Wei Qingming naturally did not touch it. She merely took out a jade vial to draw a strand of resentment from a distance—likely to take back to the yamen for comparison—then replaced the soil exactly as it was. She cast a few spells to ensure not a single flaw was visible before standing up and saying to me, "I truly must send you home now."
I understood. "You’re going to take men to check those other two locations tonight?"
"Mhm," she said. "Tomorrow, when your senior brother and Shopkeeper Zheng have their detailed discussion here, I will come again."
She rode with me back to the Wen Manor. I stood by the gate and waved to her; she smiled and raised her sleeve in farewell, then snapped her whip and vanished into the night.
The next day, when I arrived at Rui’an Tang, a "Stocktaking" sign hung on the door, and no medicine was being sold. I walked inside and immediately saw two people sitting on the left and right of the hall. Both were drinking their tea with an air of composed indifference. Who else could they be but my senior brother and my "cousin"...
I forced a smile, my face blooming like a flower as I greeted them. "Uh, you two are just sitting here? Why don't you... have a chat?"
"We have chatted." Wei Qingming didn't even glance at Lu Kaifeng as she smiled at me.
My Eldest Senior Brother seemed to be in a foul mood today. He frowned at me, then at Wei Qingming, set down his teacup, and stood up to head toward the backyard, as if being in the same room as her made him lose his temper.
The long-awaited Shopkeeper Zheng finally hurried into the shop, sweat beading on his forehead. As he crossed the hall, he first offered a fawning greeting to Master Wei, then scurried into the backyard with short steps, timidly inviting my senior brother into the inner room for negotiations.
I leaned in close to Wei Qingming and whispered, "Is the case officially opened?"
"Not yet," Wei Qingming smiled. "It is the pending lawsuits that truly make people afraid."
I gave her a big thumbs up. "Impressive, Master Wei! Let this Old Zheng commit his sinister deeds, make him bleed money first, and then throw him in jail!"
But Wei Qingming said, "On the contrary. Your senior brother is still buying it at market price."
I was horrified. "The old and young of our entire mountain depend on this for a living! Master Wei, don't you dare fleece him..."
Wei Qingming’s tone was very gentle. "I won't. For your sake, Ah Zhi, I naturally wouldn't extort him. I am helping him."
Despite her words, I felt even more uneasy, sensing she had some hidden card up her sleeve. Seeing that the talk inside was nearly finished, Wei Qingming stood up to leave. Lu Kaifeng strode out after her, saying coldly, "Master Wei, a word in private." His expression looked as if he wanted to pick a fight with her at any moment.
Wei Qingming turned her head to smile at me, then followed him.
How could I let such an opportunity pass? I pricked up my ears, and once I heard them walk further away, I followed stealthily. They entered a side chamber in the backyard. My senior brother’s voice was very blunt: "My Gumeng Mountain can still afford these four million. There is no need for the Lord Envoy to trouble himself!"
"What is there to fear, Brother Lu? I am providing these two million without asking for a cent of interest," Wei Qingming said calmly.
"No interest?" Lu Kaifeng said angrily. "My perfectly legitimate shop would become the eyes and ears of your government. You are asking for the lives of everyone on my mountain!"
"A legitimate shop? You have to acquire it first before you can speak."
"Fine, fine," Lu Kaifeng said. "I shall simply look elsewhere. Master Wei’s kind intentions are wasted!"
Wei Qingming seemed to know I was eavesdropping behind them. She cast a glance toward my hiding spot and quickly looked away, her attitude softening considerably. "How about this: Brother Lu, split the premises in two. We shall each occupy half, without involving the other. What do you say?"
Lu Kaifeng quickly understood her meaning. "You want the backyard, and I take the front hall?"
"Brother Lu is indeed a clever man," Wei Qingming said smoothly. "This shop is heavy with Yin energy. I imagine the first thing you would do upon acquiring it is hire someone to construct an array to reverse this trend. Furthermore, you will need various protective arrays. As for arrays, my Wujing Sect has a few good ones. You may use them as you please, and you can open for business within half a month."
"As for the illusion arrays to conceal the movements of those coming and going, that shall be my responsibility," Lu Kaifeng picked up. "I will ensure not a single trace of the Envoys is leaked."
Wei Qingming bowed her head slightly. "That would be best."
Lu Kaifeng cupped his hands. "Living in the capital is no easy feat. In the future, I shall rely on the Lord Envoy’s favor."
"You flatter me."
Having finished, Lu Kaifeng beckoned to me. "Ah Zhi, come out."
I emerged with my neck shrunk like a quail. Wei Qingming cupped her hands in farewell. "Since you two siblings have things to discuss, I shall not intrude." With a flick of her sleeve, she walked away with an air that was perhaps a bit too relaxed and elegant.
I had never seen such a stern look from my senior brother. I said timidly, "Um, I... I was just curious..."
Once Wei Qingming was gone, Lu Kaifeng’s posture suddenly relaxed. His tone softened as he sighed, "Let’s go back to Xixi Tower first."
Once we were inside the tower, I peeked at my senior brother’s face. I couldn't tell if his anger had dissipated during the walk or if his previous fury had merely been a negotiation tactic. He spoke to me in his usual warm voice, "I never imagined you would actually get to know him."
"Senior Brother!" I cried. "What exactly is the history between you two?"
Lu Kaifeng asked, "Ah Zhi, do you remember that I was heavily injured once last year?"
"Of course... seven or eight wounds all over your body. Could it be..."
"It was his arrays that wounded me," Lu Kaifeng said. "With my cultivation in the Canxia Realm, I caused him to suffer a backlash as well. But that isn't the important part. What matters is that he intercepts our business."
I was so shocked my hair nearly stood on end.
Last year, the mountain had taken an order to escort a shipment of Source Crystals from Ezhou in the southwest to Hanzhou in the northeast. Source Crystals were spiritual stones essential for the daily lives of ordinary families—used for everything from cooking and tea to powering ships and objects. Naturally, they were controlled substances. I understood that the "business" Senior Brother spoke of was a gray-market deal. I thought it wasn't strange for Wei Qingming, as a claw of the government, to clash with Senior Brother. What was strange was that she hadn't led government troops; instead, she had worked with the bandits of Nine Flame Mountain to strike directly at the border of Jin and Sui provinces.
"Dog eat dog..." I muttered under my breath.
Lu Kaifeng said, "I don't know if he was beating them at their own game or if he already had ties with those bandits. That doesn't matter; we people of the jianghu aren't bothered by such things. What matters is that the Nine Flame Mountain gang are the remnants of the Rock Wind Stronghold that was purged by the government two years ago. Their leader, Liu Yuan, was executed then, and his lackeys scattered, only to regroup at Nine Flame Mountain in less than a year. You should know that Liu Yuan was a local scourge who committed every evil imaginable; he was utterly despised by the jianghu. To be in league with his men while being a member of the government himself is truly..."
I stuck out my tongue and said softly, "I... I didn't know any of that... She’s been very, very good to me."
Senior Brother sighed. "Yes, one can tell at a glance that he likes you."
My face began to burn, and I hurriedly shouted, "That’s impossible... She—he isn't..."
"Setting aside that Master despises nothing more than associating with the court’s hunting dogs, this fellow Wei Tian reached the top of Yingzhao Temple at such a young age to become an Envoy by being ruthless and disowning all ties. His background is a mystery; getting involved with him is nothing but trouble," Lu Kaifeng said. "Do you know what they say in the jianghu? They say he is Feng Zhen’s godson and should be called Feng Tian!"
I was speechless. Feng Zhen’s reputation among the common people was as foul as could be. Anyone who flattered him or recognized him as a father certainly couldn't be anything good.
"Furthermore, because his own skills were inferior, he vented his spite on our client," Lu Kaifeng continued. "The entire household of Great Hero Tian Qing in Hanzhou was slaughtered to the last soul. That is his 'achievement'!"
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
灵眼 | Spiritual Eye | A point where spiritual energy from veins converges.
阴眼 | Yin Eye | A corrupted or redirected spiritual eye that gathers dark/baleful energy.
六甲阵 | Six Jia Array | A simplified version of a protective or ritual formation.
六丁六甲阵 | Six Ding Six Jia Array | A powerful classical formation in Chinese mythology/cultivation.
十二星台 | Twelve Star Platforms | The national defense formation of the setting.
冥玉 | Nether Jade | A type of jade used to store or attract dark/resentful energy.
令使 | Envoy | A high-ranking title/rank within the Yingzhao Temple.
源晶 | Source Crystals | Spiritual stones used as a power source for daily life and tools.
餐霞境 | Canxia Realm | A stage of cultivation (literally "Cloud-Eating" or "Sunset-Cloud-Eating").
嘿吃嘿 | Dog Eat Dog | Idiom (literally "black eat black") referring to crooks preying on other crooks.
英招寺 | Yingzhao Temple | The government agency/organization Wei Qingming works for.
故梦山 | Gumeng Mountain | The sect/home of the narrator and Lu Kaifeng.
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