The scholar had a pair of phoenix eyes and a serious expression. Half crouched in front of the stall, he was bargaining with the vendor over the price of a jade slip.
His clothes and appearance were both different from the scholar they had met at the restaurant earlier, yet there was something subtly similar about his bearing.
Shang Shuangze followed Xia Yunzhao’s gaze and looked over, asking with his eyes.
Xia Yunzhao gave a slight shake of his head, then deliberately raised his voice a little. “We spent all our money buying that magical treasure. Why don’t we head back?”
Shang Shuangze cooperatively nodded.
As the two passed the magical-artifact vendor, the man hurriedly turned his head away, afraid they might have realized something and come back to make trouble.
When they returned to the inn, everyone else was there. Seeing the two of them back so soon, Zhong Yundu asked, “Weren’t you going out to watch the excitement? Why are you back already? Did you find anything out?”
Xia Yunzhao shook his head. “Not really, but… I found something good.” He gave the mirror in his hand a little shake.
Everyone crowded around. Su Ying suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” Xia Yunzhao immediately asked, “What did you see?”
Su Ying said uncertainly, “I saw this mirror become very large, and City Lord, you were using it to hit someone… The background seemed to be a wedding?”
Everyone froze. Zhong Yundu said, “Tomorrow’s wedding? Kid, are you going to steal the bride?”
Xia Yunzhao immediately shouted, “What bride stealing? Don’t talk nonsense. I’m a man with a Dao companion!”
Shang Shuangze glanced at Zhong Yundu. Zhong Yundu struggled not to laugh. He was fairly familiar with Shang Shuangze by now, so he dared make jokes like this.
Du Yan said, “Let’s first see what this mirror actually does. It may not be for hurting anyone. Perhaps it’s meant to save someone?”
That bit of reassurance did not help much. Under what circumstances would someone need saving? Wouldn’t that still mean there was danger?
Still, figuring out the mirror came first.
Xia Yunzhao flipped the mirror over and flicked out a strand of Earthfire Art. Red flames tempered the mirror from top to bottom. The materials that had been added later burned into black ash and fell away, exposing the original magical-treasure base beneath.
It was a battered, broken mirror. The patterns on the back had rusted, and the mirror surface on the front had yellowed so badly that it could only faintly reflect a person’s outline.
Several members of the Guard leaned in to look. One of them said, “Did something go wrong? Why did the spiritual-power fluctuations disappear after you finished tempering it?”
Zhong Yundu, however, frowned. He took the mirror and examined it carefully. “This is…”
Xia Yunzhao said with certainty, “An Illusion-Breaking Mirror.”
He had once drawn a book called Miscellaneous Notes on Artifact Refining, which described several major categories of magical artifacts in detail. One of them was the “Illusion-Breaking Mirror.” This type of artifact could see through illusions and reveal what was real. The higher the artifact’s level, the higher the level of illusion it could break, and the materials required differed accordingly.
When he had read that book, Xia Yunzhao had badly wanted an Illusion-Breaking Mirror. Of all forms of magic, illusion arts were his absolute least favorite.
He had never expected that this bargain hunt would actually land him one!
Delighted, he picked up Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish and kissed it. “Good fish! This has to be thanks to you!”
Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish reservedly swished its tail, then plunged headfirst into its spirit-jade water tank and settled on the bottom like a vivid red painting. Fortunately its entire body was red, or everyone would have seen a giant carp blushing…
Du Yan laughed. “If it’s an Illusion-Breaking Mirror, then that explains it. Other than artifact refiners, very few people would know how to use one on sight. No wonder Xiao Xia managed to find such a bargain.”
Xia Yunzhao grinned, took back the Illusion-Breaking Mirror, and sent his divine sense into it. The patterns across the mirror lit one by one, and brilliant light burst from its surface, reflecting the surroundings.
Yes. Other magical treasures required blood recognition and control through spiritual energy, but an Illusion-Breaking Mirror alone had to be activated with divine sense.
Clear spiritual energy flowed from the mirror, and the pressure of a Level-Four magical treasure spread outward.
Zhong Yundu asked Shang Shuangze, “How much did you two pay for this mirror?”
A trace of amusement flashed through Shang Shuangze’s eyes. “Twelve hundred spirit pearls.”
Twelve hundred spirit pearls… for a Level-Four magical artifact…
Even Su Ying could not help laughing. “If that vendor finds out, who knows how much he’ll regret it!”
Su Meng said as though it were obvious, “That vendor definitely wasn’t a good person. Otherwise City Lord wouldn’t have cheated him like that.”
Everyone suppressed their laughter. This kid had become completely devoted to the City Lord.
Xia Yunzhao, however, had not spoken at all.
Only when everyone finally noticed did they realize he was staring at the mirror with a grave expression.
Shang Shuangze asked softly, “What is it?”
Xia Yunzhao looked up, suddenly sighed, and said to them, “I’m afraid we’re in serious trouble.”
* * *
Huiying Tower was one of Baoyu City’s largest restaurants. Unlike Guiyun Tower, which catered only to cultivators, Huiying Tower served both cultivators and mortals.
The entire building had seven floors. The lower three were for mortals, while cultivators dined on the upper four.
Business at Huiying Tower was always good, and with the City Lord’s wedding taking place tomorrow, the city was even livelier than usual. Merchant caravans and wandering cultivators passing through were all staying behind to watch the excitement.
It was not yet mealtime, but the lower three floors were already full. There were still a few empty tables on the upper four.
One table in particular drew the eye. Even the manager of Huiying Tower, who saw people come and go every day, had to admit that this group of guests cut an impressive figure.
The most striking were the pair of Dao companions in the center, one in green and one in white. The man in green looked only a little over twenty by bone age, yet his pressure was already that of a Golden Core cultivator, and the alchemical fragrance around him made him impossible to dismiss. He was also elegant and fine-featured, with lively, clear eyes that made him seem almost untouched by the mundane world.
As for the man in white, his pressure was unfathomable. Sword intent condensed around him without dispersing, making him seem like a sharp, unsheathed blade. He wore white with long black hair and was incomparably handsome. Of course, how many people actually dared stare at his face was another matter…
The pair were extremely intimate, talking and laughing as though no one else were there. Their green and white sleeves brushed and intertwined, looking exceptionally harmonious.
The cultivators gathered around them had distinctive auras too. One wore black armor and carried an enormous black saber on his back. A playful smile lingered on his face as he glanced left and right from time to time, as though plotting something. He too was a Golden Core cultivator.
Beside him sat a male cultivator at Foundation Establishment with a wine gourd hanging from his waist, looking listless. He only chatted a little when the green-robed pill cultivator spoke to him. He did not draw much attention, but anyone who looked carefully would realize he was not simple either… A Heaven-Measuring Ruler hung at his waist. That was not a magical artifact just anyone could use.
Farther out sat several people dressed like guards. Even the weakest among them were Foundation Establishment cultivators!
The manager of Huiying Tower did not dare keep looking. This was not a group he could afford to offend. He quietly called over a waiter and asked, “Have those honored guests ordered yet?”
The waiter nodded hurriedly. “They have! They ordered a whole table. That green-robed pill cultivator looks like a real gourmand. He picked lots of Baoyu City specialties!”
“Good, good. As long as they’re here to eat.” The manager finally relaxed and told the waiter again to take especially good care of them and not slight them in the least.
Even without being told, the waiter would not have dared neglect them. Any one of those people could probably crush him to death with a single finger.
Dish after fragrant dish was soon carried over, each one beautiful in color, aroma, and flavor, making everyone’s appetite stir.
Xia Yunzhao picked up his chopsticks and dug in with gusto.
Zhong Yundu’s mouth twitched. “Weren’t we supposed to be baiting a fish? How did you end up eating again?”
Xia Yunzhao protested, “Baiting a fish doesn’t stop me from eating! We ordered a whole table. We can’t waste it.”
Then Shang Shuangze said softly, “He’s here.”
Not one person’s expression changed. Zhong Yundu even laughed and said, “You really are greedy. What was that dish you said you wanted to add just now?” As he spoke, he slowly turned his head. “Waiter, another dish.”
Xia Yunzhao hurriedly said, “No need. We’ll finish these first. Waiter, bring us a pot of wine.”
As the two spoke, everyone naturally turned toward the approaching waiter, and at the same time looked toward the staircase.
A scholar walked up.
He wore a brown scholar’s robe made of very coarse cloth. Never mind cultivators, even mortal families wealthy enough to educate a son would not dress him like this. His skin was sallow, and there were several ink smudges on his face. He slowly climbed the stairs, sat at a small table nearby, then looked up and smiled at Xia Yunzhao before ordering a bowl of plain noodles.
Another scholar, and once again a completely different set of clothes and features.
Xia Yunzhao smiled. This man really was strange. He could not tell whether the scholar was afraid they would discover him or afraid they would not.
The two tables finished their meals without incident.
Before leaving, Xia Yunzhao even packed up several dishes, saying he would take them back for Su Ying, Su Meng, Xianchan, and the others.
Not long after Xia Yunzhao’s group left, the scholar stood and walked out at an unhurried pace.
The moment he stepped out of Huiying Tower, he turned left without hesitation. That was exactly the direction Xia Yunzhao’s group had taken back toward the inn.
After walking for a while, he suddenly gave a soft sound of surprise and turned into a narrow alley.
Baoyu City did not have many alleys, but the ones it did have branched in all directions. Without hesitating at all, the scholar turned left and right until he reached a dim corner.
Then a clear, pleasant voice said, “So you don’t just know disguise techniques. You can track people too?”
The scholar froze. Before he could speak, a saber-light cleaved down from above. He hurriedly raised a hand to block, but the force drove him three steps backward.
“Oh?” Zhong Yundu’s surprised voice came from the darkness. “You’re this weak?”
The scholar: “…”
Several more figures surrounded him, including members of the Guard, and they looked ready to turn him into a sieve. The scholar suddenly shouted, “Stop! Stop! I have something to discuss with you!”
Xia Yunzhao lifted a hand. A treasure lamp rose and illuminated the corner, and everyone stopped.
The scholar’s clothes had already been slashed apart. A moment later and he would have been injured. He casually straightened himself and cupped his hands toward Xia Yunzhao. “I didn’t expect you to discover me so quickly.”
Xia Yunzhao waved dismissively. “No need for polite chatter. You followed us all day without even changing identities. Weren’t you just waiting for us to notice you?”
The scholar smiled but did not answer, clearly confirming the guess.
Xia Yunzhao asked, “How were you tracking us?”
The scholar said, “When we first ate at the restaurant, I sprinkled tracking pollen on you.”
The people from Qingxi City frowned. Baoyu City’s residents loved flowers, and blossoms were planted everywhere, filling the air with fragrance. They truly had not noticed a little pollen sticking to them.
Xia Yunzhao asked, “Why were you following us?”
The scholar’s expression became serious. He cupped his hands in a formal salute. “I wanted to ask all of you for help.”
Zhong Yundu scratched his ear. “You meet people and immediately ask them for help? On what grounds? Because you’re good at changing faces?”
The scholar’s expression did not change. He shook his head. “It is not that I think so highly of myself. It is simply that, even if you refuse to help me, I’m afraid none of you will be able to leave Baoyu City.”
Zhong Yundu’s face changed slightly. “What did you say?”
“He’s right,” Xia Yunzhao said in a low voice.
Everyone looked over. Xia Yunzhao took out the Illusion-Breaking Mirror again and held its surface before them.
The Baoyu City nightscape looked perfectly ordinary to the naked eye, but inside the mirror it was transformed. Every building, every patch of ground, even the flowers, grass, and trees were covered in dense runes. Those runes were like chains, tightly locking down every brick, tile, blade of grass, and tree in Baoyu City.
Even Du Yan frowned now. “This doesn’t seem to be a formation.”
“Of course it isn’t.” Xia Yunzhao rubbed his forehead. “It’s an alchemical method: the Heaven-and-Earth Furnace.”
Xia Yunzhao had read about many different pill-refining methods in his studies. He was self-taught and had absorbed a great deal of useful knowledge from them. But the Heaven-and-Earth Furnace method had always puzzled him.
The so-called Heaven-and-Earth Furnace used Heaven and Earth themselves as a pill furnace. Supposedly, the method could draw in heavenly qi and earth qi and make a pill’s essence richer.
But as far as Xia Yunzhao was concerned, the Heaven-and-Earth Furnace method seemed to offer nothing but disadvantages. A pill furnace was needed because temperature, spiritual-energy concentration, and even the concentration of vaporized medicinal liquid were all crucial during refinement. A pill furnace could form a small world of its own, making it easier for a pill cultivator to control every variable.
A high-level cultivator could certainly abandon the furnace and form a barrier with their own spiritual power, refining pills without a vessel. But a cultivator’s spiritual power was finite. Every portion spent was a portion gone. The more spiritual power used to isolate the refining space, the less remained for the actual pill refinement. From that angle alone, the method was wasteful.
Back then, Xia Yunzhao had vaguely suspected that the Heaven-and-Earth Furnace was probably not a legitimate path of pill refining.
Now that he saw it in use, his suspicion was confirmed. Who said the method was useless? For committing atrocities, it was practically perfect.
The entire Baoyu City had now become a Heaven-and-Earth Furnace, and every living thing and spirit item inside the city had become medicinal material waiting to be refined.
Xia Yunzhao looked at the scholar. “If Zhu Lingzi is the one behind this Heaven-and-Earth Furnace, then this must be a closely guarded Baoyu City secret. How do you know about it?”
The scholar said solemnly, “Have all of you heard about tomorrow’s wedding?”
Xia Yunzhao’s eyes widened. “You’re the scholar who’s supposed to marry Zhu Lingzi?”
The scholar’s face twitched. “Everyone in Baoyu City knows that scholar is a mortal. I may not be much, but I do at least have some cultivation.”
Xia Yunzhao thought about it. Right.
The scholar continued, “The scholar being forced into this marriage is my younger brother. I have cultivated with my master since childhood and rarely return home. This time I happened to be out gaining experience and came back to visit. Only then did I discover that Zhu Lingzi had imprisoned my parents and was forcing my younger brother to marry him.
“I wanted to rescue my brother, but he told me Zhu Lingzi had turned the entire Baoyu City into a giant pill furnace. None of us can escape. And the wedding day is the day he intends to refine the whole city.”
“Would you look at our City Lord’s luck,” Zhong Yundu said, spreading his hands. “He goes to Pinglan, and Pinglan has an earth-qi disorder. He comes to Baoyu City, and Baoyu City turns into a pill furnace.”
Xia Yunzhao sighed too. This world did not really have temples or Daoist monasteries around, or he could have gone to worship somewhere and drive away his bad luck. Maybe he should sleep hugging Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish tonight? He wondered whether Shang Shuangze would mind…
“Wait!” One of the Guard suddenly noticed something. “These runes look like they’ve been here for a long time. Has Baoyu City been allowing people in but not out this whole time? Wouldn’t the city have fallen into chaos long ago?”
“They only take effect after they’re activated,” Xia Yunzhao said. Seeing the guard about to continue, he lifted a hand and added, “But we arrived at an unfortunate time. They’ve already been activated. Mortals can still leave right now, but cultivators can’t.”
Sure enough, the moment he finished speaking, an argument could be heard from the city gate.
“Looks like some cultivators have already noticed,” Du Yan said grimly. “The city is about to descend into chaos.”
“Let’s go back to the inn and regroup with the others first.” Xia Yunzhao lowered his voice and walked out of the alley. Everyone followed.
The scholar followed at the rear as well, a strange glint flashing through his eyes.
Jing Ruyun had remained at the inn with the other half of the Guard to protect Su Ying, Su Meng, Xianchan, Xianbao, and the others.
Seeing them return, Jing Ruyun breathed a sigh of relief. But once she heard the explanation, that breath of relief immediately caught again. “Is there a way to break this Heaven-and-Earth Furnace?”
Everyone looked at Xia Yunzhao. When it came to pill refining, of course he was the one to ask.
Xia Yunzhao actually did know. “A Heaven-and-Earth Furnace is built to refine a pill. As long as we make it impossible for Zhu Lingzi to complete that pill, the furnace will naturally break apart. The problem is that we don’t know what pill he’s trying to refine, so we don’t know where to interfere.”
Only now did Xia Yunzhao finally understand why not a single pill refined by Zhu Lingzi could be found anywhere in Baoyu City. A pill could reveal the methods of the pill cultivator who made it, and those methods might expose a weakness. Zhu Lingzi had been extraordinarily cautious, leaving not the slightest opening.
He must have been preparing this Heaven-and-Earth Furnace for a very long time.
Only Su Meng voiced his confusion. “From what you’re saying, this Heaven-and-Earth Furnace includes the whole of Baoyu City. Then what does the wedding have to do with it?”
Xia Yunzhao did not answer. He skipped over the question and asked the scholar, “Right, what’s your name? Can you still contact your younger brother?”
The scholar smiled and cupped his hands. “I am Xiang Moyue.”
Xiang Moyue explained that since his younger brother was a mortal, Zhu Lingzi did not guard him especially tightly, so he had ways to make contact. The group followed him to the City Lord Residence.
Baoyu City’s City Lord Residence was vastly grander than Qingxi City’s! Spiritual energy overflowed from the entire compound, with formation layered upon formation. An outsider who did not know the rules could be struck hard enough to cough blood just by passing too close.
Seen from above, the very center of the City Lord Residence was a gigantic pill furnace, with everyone in the residence enclosed within it. Alchemical diagrams were carved across the furnace’s outer wall.
Xiang Moyue led the group weaving left and right, bypassing formation after formation until they reached a secluded little courtyard within the City Lord Residence.
Behind him, Du Yan frowned slightly and looked at Xia Yunzhao. Xia Yunzhao gave him a small smile. Du Yan’s expression relaxed, and he let the matter go.
Zhong Yundu looked at the two ahead, then asked Shang Shuangze, “What kind of scheme is your Dao companion cooking up?”
Shang Shuangze spread his hands slightly. It was impossible to tell whether he truly did not know or simply could not be bothered to explain.
Zhong Yundu said disdainfully, “How did a mute like you ever find a Dao companion? Just because you can fight?”
Up ahead, Xiang Moyue stopped, made a silencing gesture, and pointed. “See that wooden building? My younger brother is inside.”
Everyone looked up. The building was very new, apparently constructed not long ago. There was not a trace of spiritual energy anywhere in it. Even the wood used to build it was ordinary mortal timber, and there were no formations on it.
Rather than a residence, the little building looked more like a cage imprisoning the mortal inside.
Xiang Moyue continued, “There are no formations or mechanisms in the building. Only two puppets guard the outside.”
Everyone followed his finger and indeed saw two puppets pacing back and forth. Both possessed Golden Core-level strength.
Xiang Moyue said, “My cultivation is too low to deal with those two puppets. I haven’t been able to go upstairs and see my brother for a long time. I don’t know how he is now.”
One guard frowned. “This is difficult. Their patrol routes were designed so they can support each other at any time, so it’s hard to ambush them. Even if we can defeat them directly, the noise will alert the others. How about…”
Before he could finish, two clicks sounded. Xia Yunzhao withdrew his hand.
The guard froze. The two puppets had stopped moving!
Another guard asked excitedly, “City Lord, what did you do?”
Xia Yunzhao smiled. “Why make it so complicated? Puppets like these have a pivot in the center of their core. Jam that point and they can’t move.”
At the end of the day, puppets were a type of magical artifact too. Xia Yunzhao had Yun Yi, so of course he had studied them long ago.
He had done more than study them. He had even experimented several times. Fortunately, Yun Yi had a good temper and never got angry with him.
Two tiny spirit pearls effortlessly immobilized two Golden Core-level puppets. Xiang Moyue stared.
Xia Yunzhao asked him, “Do you want to come up with us and see your brother?”
Xiang Moyue immediately shook his head. “Once Zhu Lingzi is dealt with, I’ll have plenty of chances to see him. I’ll keep watch for you now. Hurry upstairs!”
Xia Yunzhao nodded and left two guards behind to help him. Everyone else entered the wooden building together.
The building had five floors, and only the top floor showed any light.
For a group of cultivators, sneaking into a little building was easy. In moments they reached the top floor. Some clung to the windows, others to the roof, and when they peered inside, they saw a spacious bedroom. A scholar-like young man was pacing restlessly back and forth.
He was a scholar too, but his bearing was completely different from Xiang Moyue’s. He wore blue, had soft fair skin and a baby face, and looked like the sort of person with a gentle temper who was easy to bully.
But no one had any attention left for his face. Everyone’s expression was shocked. After a long moment, Jing Ruyun said with a complicated look, “I feel like I’m looking at a huge, fragrant chicken drumstick.”
Naturally, she did not mean that the scholar looked like a chicken leg, or that he smelled like one… Rather, spiritual energy was leaking from every pore and every strand of hair on his body!
Normally, the spiritual energy belonging to spirit items, whether spirit plants, spirit pills, or spirit medicines, remained within them and did not simply dissipate at will. Some higher-level spirit items even concealed themselves, hiding their spiritual energy so completely that not the slightest trace leaked out.
This scholar was the exact opposite. He was like a smoking chimney, practically desperate to release every bit of spiritual energy in his body! That made him even more tempting to cultivators than a pile of spirit pearls.
Jing Ruyun’s comparison was actually accurate. In the eyes of cultivators, this man really was like a giant chicken drumstick that could move!
Du Yan said quietly, “He was forcibly infused with spiritual energy. Mortals can’t cultivate, so after an infusion, the spiritual energy can’t remain in their meridians. It leaks out like this.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded and immediately jumped down.
The others followed right behind him.
The scholar heard the noise, turned around, and froze. “You…”
Xia Yunzhao spoke quickly. “We’re here to save you. Zhu Lingzi has turned the whole of Baoyu City into a pill furnace and plans to refine everyone inside as ingredients. If we don’t stop him, all of us will die. Do you know what pill he’s trying to refine?”
The scholar’s expression changed. He said urgently, “I don’t know what pill he’s refining, but I know where we can find a clue!”