Chapter Thirty: The On-Duty Priest Seeks to Break Through

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Inside a thatched cottage at the Dao-Seeking Academy.

Two Daoists sat facing each other across a table.

Xuan Kong took out a token and placed it on the tabletop.

It was about the size of a palm, black and heavy throughout, forged from a special mineral iron. Mysterious patterns were etched along both sides, while a single character for “execution” occupied the center, its strokes sharp and powerful, soaring like dragons and dancing like phoenixes. It radiated an intense killing intent and an air of霸气.

It was an Execution Warrant.

“If one wishes to know what is straight, one must use a measuring line. If one wishes to form squares and circles, one must follow rules.”

The Great Mystery Divine Dynasty had joined forces with various factions to govern the cultivation world, establishing countless institutions and promulgating innumerable regulations.

One such regulation forbade the wanton destruction of cultivation factions. If two parties became locked in a feud unto death, the matter had to be reported first. Only after the evidence was verified and an Execution Warrant issued could the grudge be settled.

The Broad Law Bureau was the judicial authority responsible for overseeing conflicts among cultivators of the Great Mystery Divine Dynasty and issuing wanted notices.

It did not recruit personnel from outside. Instead, officials were transferred from institutions such as the Heaven and Earth Academy, the Qian-Kun Tower, the Bodhi Hall, and the Hall of Myriad Gods, after which they were placed under the authority of officials appointed by the Great Mystery Divine Dynasty.

When handling disputes, the bureau primarily sought mediation.

If the matter could not be settled peacefully, and the party in the right remained forceful and refused to yield, the Broad Law Bureau would verify the authenticity of the evidence and issue an Execution Warrant on the spot. The two sides could then attack each other as they pleased.

Life and death would be left to fate. The bureau assumed no responsibility.

Execution Warrants were divided into four grades: gold, silver, bronze, and iron.

An iron Execution Warrant targeted third-rate factions and cultivators in the Essence Refining realm.

A bronze Execution Warrant targeted second-rate factions and cultivators in the Qi Refining realm.

A silver Execution Warrant targeted first-rate factions and cultivators in the Spirit Refining realm.

A gold Execution Warrant targeted supreme holy lands and even more terrifying experts.

The Seeking Truth Abbey was limited in strength, merely a small faction occupying a remote corner of the world. As for the final category, Xuan Ming knew very little. Even his knowledge of the Broad Law Bureau’s composition came only from the fact that Senior Brother Xuan Ye had once served in the Heaven and Earth Academy.

Looking at the Execution Warrant on the table, Xuan Ming signaled for Xuan Kong to begin. He was deeply curious.

Could something unexpected have happened?

Or was there a problem with the Execution Warrant?

———

Xuan Kong did not keep him waiting. He began:

“Senior Brother, when I went to Fenyang Commandery, the Broad Law Bureau seemed intent on delaying matters…”

As he slowly recounted his experiences, Xuan Ming came to understand the entire affair.

When Xuan Kong arrived at the Broad Law Bureau, the official on duty did not appear immediately. He delayed for the better part of half an incense stick before finally showing himself.

Faced with irrefutable evidence as solid as a mountain—the projection stone and the corpse of Old Master Chen—the official had still attempted to mediate, advising Xuan Kong to calm down and not give way to anger.

He had spoken of how enemies should be reconciled rather than kept at odds, how those who had entered the monastic life ought to possess compassion, and how leaving others a narrow path today would make it easier to meet again in the future.

Whether these were sincere words from a man who truly wished to prevent bloodshed, or merely part of the formal procedure, no one could say.

At first, Xuan Kong had paid it no mind. He had simply assumed that he was unlucky enough to encounter an official who was both foolish and incapable of distinguishing right from wrong.

But when he insisted on having an Execution Warrant issued, the official acted as though he could not understand him. He continued to ramble, the implication of every word being that the true culprit was already dead, that the Chen family would inevitably decline now that it had lost the protection of Old Master Chen, and that there was no need to exterminate them completely.

Only then did Xuan Kong sense that something was wrong.

Was this official not a little too talkative?

Was he not meddling far beyond his authority?

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Was he deliberately delaying for time?

Or did he genuinely not wish to issue the Execution Warrant?

Only after Xuan Kong had repeatedly pressed him did the official finally issue it, his face livid as he complained that the Seeking Truth Abbey was too bloodthirsty, too ruthless in its dealings, and steeped in too much ferocity.

Xuan Kong swallowed his temper, accepted the Execution Warrant, and hurried away from the Broad Law Bureau. He had pondered the matter throughout the journey.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the official on duty had acted deliberately. From beginning to end, he had done nothing but delay.

Yet Xuan Kong could not be certain. That was why he had come to seek Xuan Ming’s advice.

Only cultivators in the Qi Refining realm were qualified to serve as officials of the Broad Law Bureau. This was an inflexible requirement.

Since a figure of such stature was involved, the matter was of immense importance. Xuan Kong could not afford to take it lightly.

If he was merely worrying over nothing, that would be for the best.

But if not, why had the official tried to obstruct him? What connection did he have with the Chen household? Was he an enemy or an ally of the Seeking Truth Abbey?

All these questions had to be clarified.

If there truly was an old grudge involved, they needed to prepare in advance. Otherwise, when the crisis arrived, they might remain utterly bewildered, never knowing how they had been tricked to death before muddling their way into the underworld—so foolish that even their founding patriarch would refuse to acknowledge them.

———

Inside the thatched cottage, spring water from the mountain boiled.

The instant Xuan Kong stopped speaking, the water in the kettle reached the proper temperature.

Xuan Ming reached out and was about to lift it when Xuan Kong beat him to it.

“Senior Brother, leave it to me.”

Xuan Ming withdrew his hand without protest.

For one thing, polite refusals were too false.

For another, Xuan Kong enjoyed good food and drink.

He was better at brewing tea than Xuan Ming.

Since someone was willing to serve him, Xuan Ming was happy to enjoy it.

He lightly stroked the beard beneath his chin and sank into deep thought.

Xuan Kong’s concern could not be ignored.

They had to determine whether the official on duty was friend or foe, and whether his actions had been intentional or accidental.

After Xuan Kong brought him a cup of clear tea, Xuan Ming said, “Junior Brother, your concerns are entirely justified. Caution is what allows one to catch a cicada that has lived for a thousand years. This matter concerns the safety of our Seeking Truth Abbey; no degree of caution would be excessive.”

“Since the matter began with the Chen family, we shall begin by investigating that clan. Tomorrow, I will give orders for Xuan Yin and Master Changchun to conduct a thorough search of the residences of Old Master Chen, the head of the Chen family, and the other senior members of the clan. They must determine whether there are hidden chambers or secret compartments, and whether the correspondence they exchanged contains any clues.”

“They must also investigate the Chen family’s history over the past century, separating the strands and tracing them back to their source, then整理 their present and former connections to determine whether the clan has ties to any of the various factions in Fenyang Commandery.”

“Furthermore, I must trouble you to return to Fenyang Commandery tomorrow and secretly inquire into the background of last night’s official on duty.”

After thinking for a moment, Xuan Ming added, “If you have the opportunity, find out whether the official on duty that night exchanged shifts with someone else.”

Xuan Kong was not stupid. After a moment’s thought, he grasped the implication and could not help asking, “Senior Brother, do you suspect that official was used as a weapon by someone else?”

Xuan Ming replied, “That possibility cannot be ruled out. If an official on duty at the Broad Law Bureau deliberately wished to make things difficult, the traces would be too obvious.”

“There are three possibilities. Either the official’s mind is… unusually constructed, and he acted deliberately; or he was being used without realizing it; or his temperament is… unconventional, and he meant well but accomplished the opposite, in which case we are merely troubling ourselves.”

Xuan Kong said, “We must indeed consider the matter from every angle.”

After moistening his throat with tea, Xuan Ming continued:

“We shall first do everything within our power. If we uncover nothing, then we can only wait for Junior Brother Xuan Xu to emerge from seclusion.”

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“The founding patriarch of our Seeking Truth Abbey once had an old friendship with the fifth-generation patriarch of the Heavenly Seal Sect. Perfected Yuan Ji of that sect is currently serving at the Broad Law Bureau in Fenyang Commandery. Perhaps this time we will have to trouble Junior Brother Xuan Xu with making the journey and calling upon that old bond.”

Xuan Kong nodded.

“Then we shall do as you say, Senior Brother.”

“We will first do everything that can be done. If we discover something, all the better. If not, then we shall have no choice but to proceed as you suggested.”

He, too, knew of the ties between the Seeking Truth Abbey and the Heavenly Seal Sect.

The Heavenly Seal Sect was a great Daoist institution in Fenyang Commandery, with a legacy spanning more than five hundred years. Perfected beings had appeared in an unbroken succession throughout its history. The current generation was especially prosperous, with two Perfected Ones presiding over the sect.

Precisely because of this, the Seeking Truth Abbey would not easily call upon that favor. Fine steel had to be used where it mattered most.

A single official of the Broad Law Bureau was already enough to warrant spending that precious connection.

———

Once they had finished discussing serious matters, they exchanged a few words of idle conversation, and Xuan Kong departed.

Before he left, Xuan Ming reminded him to consult Xuan Yin and the others once more, so that they might pool their wisdom.

When all was said and done, this sort of affair was not Xuan Ming’s strength.

Inside the thatched cottage at the Dao-Seeking Academy, Xuan Ming drained the tea remaining in his cup, then sat beside the window and gazed at the crescent moon rising in the night sky.

“It is time to break through.”

He had intended to temper himself for a few more years, but the unpredictability of worldly affairs had disrupted his plans. The incident with the official had forced him to change course.

Although his actual strength was comparable to that of a Qi Refining Perfected One, he was not truly a Qi Refining cultivator. Only after achieving that realm would he possess greater confidence in the face of danger.

If the official’s obstruction had merely been a coincidence, then so be it.

But if some scheme truly lay behind it, then no matter which possibility proved true, it would be unfavorable to the Seeking Truth Abbey. It would mean that an even greater crisis existed.

His strength had already been exposed through the projection stone. Hidden enemies might not wish to see him achieve the Perfected realm.

After weighing everything carefully, Xuan Ming realized that he had to seize the present moment, while all sides were watching the Seeking Truth Abbey and powerful enemies dared not act recklessly in the open, and break through ahead of them. Only then could he secure a greater advantage in the struggle.

After all, he was a widely renowned fool who had seen the threshold of Qi Refining after only seven years of cultivation. That alone was astonishing enough. It would be difficult for his opponents to imagine that he could break through at any moment. It simply defied common sense.

That was precisely Xuan Ming’s opportunity.

With this thought in mind, he hung a sign announcing his seclusion on the door, then silently sped toward the depths of Floating Cloud Mountain.

Before leaving, he also summoned Xuan Yang.

Floating Cloud Mountain was merely an ordinary branch of the Azure Dragon Mountains. The latter stretched for thousands of miles in every direction and extended for ten thousand miles, vast and boundless. Its area was roughly one-fifth that of China in his previous life. It was filled with deep mountains and dense forests, and few people ever ventured there.

Breaking through to Qi Refining would create considerable disturbance.

Xuan Ming decided to attempt it deep within Floating Cloud Mountain, at the boundary between the branch range and the main range. Even if demons or monsters appeared, they would likely be of relatively low strength. With Xuan Yang protecting him, the place was comparatively safe and would not attract attention.

Perhaps he could play the fool and ambush a powerful enemy once more. Old schemes did not matter, so long as they remained effective.

He had not told Xuan Kong because too many people meant too many loose tongues, and every additional person who knew increased the danger. Besides, Xuan Kong was far too fond of gossip and had the loosest lips of them all.

As for bringing Xuan Yang, it was because his ability to handle administrative affairs was mediocre. When it came to dealing with the aftermath of the Chen family’s affairs, his presence or absence made little difference.

If he was going to stand around doing nothing, he might as well protect Xuan Ming during his breakthrough.

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