It had not been dark for very long, yet the streets were already nearly deserted.
How could longtime residents of Haojing fail to notice the changes in their city of late? There were more soldiers patrolling its streets and alleys, more burly men dressed in ordinary clothes, fewer petty thieves and loafers… All this seemed like a good thing, but the more worldly elders in each household were decidedly cautious.
“Back then, perhaps a dozen or so years ago, there was a time just like this.”
And what happened afterward? The once-glorious Prince of Yunzhong and Prince of Longnan were declared rebels and perished amid the unrest, while the unassuming Prince of Guang’an ascended to the position above ten thousand others.
But all of those men were prominent figures known throughout the land. There were many, many others who had merely gone out shopping, or come home a little later than usual, and never returned. They too had been buried in that deep, cold night, and except for their loved ones, nobody cared.
“Ah, I hear the Prince of Longnan isn’t dead.”
The elders who had once cheered his brilliant military achievements had complicated feelings about this rumor. Would the god of war who had guarded Northern Zhou now turn the blade in his hand against it?
Perhaps the skies above Haojing were about to change again.
The common people and the Son of Heaven in the imperial city had different concerns. Yet since Emperor Jianhong did not wish to impose a curfew by formal decree, having the people voluntarily go out less was a good thing. He therefore turned a blind eye to the rumors circulating in private.
At that moment, the attention of all Haojing was directed toward the inn, leaving the already quiet streets even more deserted.
Beneath the shadow of a roadside eave, a man in a black robe strolled along. His hood concealed his face, revealing only an exceptionally graceful pair of lips, now slightly curved as though he were in a good mood.
A stray cat darted across the eaves over his head. The moment it jumped down, the black-robed man reached out and gently supported its belly before allowing it to land.
The cat seemed rather bewildered. It turned to look at him, flicked its tail, then scampered beneath the eaves across the street and soon disappeared.
Following the long street, the man walked slowly into Guangde Ward. Silver flecks of moonlight carpeted the ground like a motionless river.
He extended his hand, holding an awl with a round head and a pointed end. He planted the sharp tip against the ground, rested his palm on the round end, and tapped gently. The awl sank beneath the surface.
After a moment, he drew it up little by little. The awl was far longer than the little instrument it had seemed to be; even after he pulled out two or three feet, there was still more below.
The man stopped. The pointed end retracted on its own until the awl returned to its former size. He ran a finger across the tip and felt a drop of icy water. His smile grew broader.
Yet the smile vanished in the space of a blink.
He straightened and looked down the deserted street. A tall, thin man dressed much like himself was approaching slowly, carrying a cat in one hand and a person in the other. The newcomer smiled with surprising courtesy. “We meet again. You found out my secret, and I’ve caught your man and your cat. Scholar Mo, have you come up with any new tricks this time?”
The man with the awl was Mo Xiao Ran, whom Wang Yu had searched everywhere for in vain. The tall, thin figure acting as though the two were well acquainted was none other than Zheng Jiao Jiao, the monk who had returned to secular life, the man who borrowed from all living beings and never repaid his debts.
That two men who could stir up storms in the wider world and disturb its peace should meet in such an ordinary neighborhood might mean this neighborhood was not quite so ordinary after all.
Mo Xiao Ran’s eyes remained hidden beneath his hood, but his faintly tightened lips betrayed his unease.
Zheng Jiao Jiao stepped closer and tossed the stray cat to the ground. It lay there limply, its chest no longer moving.
“I didn’t do anything to it,” Mo Xiao Ran said. He had merely helped it land when he saw it jump.
Zheng Jiao Jiao dropped the person in his other hand.
The man had been hanging his head with his face buried against his chest. Once he hit the ground, the restrictions on his acupoints released, and he immediately rolled over and sat up, revealing a young, handsome face. Looking up at Mo Xiao Ran nearby, he gave a bitter smile and called, “Grandmaster.”
Mo Xiao Ran had four senior disciples, named for gold, silver, copper, and iron.
Tie Rong Rong’s disciple Zhang Da Shan had nothing whatsoever to do with the word handsome. Tong Fang Yu did have two handsome disciples, but unfortunately both were dead. That left Jin Yuan Xiu, who had a biological son, and Yin Fei Yu, who had an adopted son.
The man on the ground was none other than Yin Fei Yu’s adopted son, Duan Qian.
After the battle at Luo City, he had vanished without a trace. Fu Xi Yan had always thought Yin Fei Yu’s death had disheartened him so thoroughly that he had retired from the martial world. He never would have imagined that, after all his wandering, Duan Qian would end up back under Mo Xiao Ran’s command.
Duan Qian humbly knelt on one knee. “He came too quickly. I didn’t have time to warn you.”
“This granddisciple of yours is quite good. He even exchanged a move with me,” Zheng Jiao Jiao said.
Mo Xiao Ran said nothing. He merely turned his gaze toward Duan Qian, who immediately straightened his kneeling posture.
Zheng Jiao Jiao pushed back his hood, revealing that unusually long yet handsome face. “The successor of the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror is now the young madam of the Immortal Treasury Palace. The righteous sects have all joined forces. Are we really going to continue fighting among ourselves?”
“It seems they don’t wish to join forces with you, so you’ve settled for approaching me instead,” Mo Xiao Ran said.
“Pei Xiong Ji has been beside himself over the New City grand formation. There’s no possibility of my joining forces with him. But you? The Haojing formation was Master’s dying wish. Don’t you want to see its true power?”
Mo Xiao Ran smiled faintly and asked gently, “And you’d allow me to benefit?”
“Once I reach Golden Core, I’ll be invincible. What harm would it do to set up another grand formation for you then?”
Mo Xiao Ran gave a wistful sigh. “I’d very much like to believe you. Unfortunately, I have a brain.”
“I can swear a soul oath.”
Unlike the empty oaths ordinary people could make at will, a soul oath bound the soul itself. If it was broken, the pledged fragment of the soul would dissipate. For the disciples of the No-Return Sect, who cultivated their souls, this imposed a real restraint.
But…
Mo Xiao Ran asked with a faint smile, “Would you dare swear upon all three of your hun souls?”
A person had three hun and seven po. When Puppet Path practitioners controlled their puppets, they generally separated only a tiny portion of their souls, something that could be replenished with ordinary cultivation. But the three hun were indispensable parts of the human soul. Ancient sayings held that losing even one made a person a fool, while losing all three would leave one a fool even after reaching Golden Core, merely a Golden Core-stage fool.
Mo Xiao Ran clearly had no intention of waiting for Zheng Jiao Jiao’s agreement. Once he had spoken, he put away the awl, turned, and headed toward the other end of the street.
“Wait.”
Zheng Jiao Jiao suddenly called out.
Mo Xiao Ran stopped.
“I can swear upon my three hun that after achieving Golden Core, I’ll do everything in my power to help you break through. However,” Zheng Jiao Jiao said, stepping forward twice, “you must also promise to do everything in your power to help me.”
Mo Xiao Ran turned back to look steadily at him. He lifted a hand and removed his hood, revealing a beautiful face capable of setting the night ablaze. “What exactly does everything in your power mean?”
“Hand over the thing you’ve hidden in the Ice-Soul Yin Spring,” Zheng Jiao Jiao said.
Mo Xiao Ran laughed lightly, with a trace of mockery. “An oath on your three hun won’t be enough for that.”
Zheng Jiao Jiao abruptly lowered his head to address Duan Qian. “Someone’s coming. Go deal with them.”
Duan Qian looked up at Mo Xiao Ran and only stood to run toward the footsteps when the latter gave a slight nod.
Zheng Jiao Jiao took another two steps forward, closing the distance between them. “Don’t you want to know how I knew you had entered the city?”
“The White Tiger King made too much commotion.”
Zheng Jiao Jiao shook his head. “I knew before he caused any commotion.”
Mo Xiao Ran arched an eyebrow, then nodded as though he’d just understood. “So you secretly colluded with him.”
“With him on my side, your chance of winning is even smaller. We learned from the same master. Apart, we both suffer; together, we both benefit. Why choose harm over gain? I’ve already moved the iron tower outside the city. While Haojing’s righteous fighters are spread thin, help me attain Golden Core, and I’ll help you immediately afterward! I swear on all three hun. I won’t break my word.”
His words were deeply earnest, yet Mo Xiao Ran remained unmoved. “Without that item, your hope of breaking through is slim. If you fail, I can simply become the oriole behind the mantis stalking the cicada. Isn’t that a much better bargain than staking my hopes on you?”
Zheng Jiao Jiao’s face darkened, though he forced a smile that only made the atmosphere stranger. “If you insist, I’ll have no choice but to join forces with the White Tiger King and remove this threat first.”
Mo Xiao Ran remained silent, his expression betraying no fear.
Seeing that threats did not work, Zheng Jiao Jiao changed his approach and took a step back. “If you have conditions, you may state them.”
Mo Xiao Ran clasped his hands behind his back, twirling the awl between his fingertips like a writing brush. Clearly thinking rapidly, he waited a good while before speaking. “First answer a few questions. Did you absorb Cheng He Cheng’s soul?”
“How else would I know about the grand formation in Haojing?” Zheng Jiao Jiao said.
“Do you have the Sect Master’s Soul Seal?”
“Why do you ask?” Zheng Jiao Jiao narrowed his eyes, plainly concerned by the sudden question.
“Answer me first.”
“I never expected you to obey the Sect Master’s Soul Seal.” Zheng Jiao Jiao was surprised he’d brought this up at all. In his view, the seal was merely symbolic and could not truly restrain the disciples, particularly Mo Xiao Ran, who had always had the least regard for rules among their four martial siblings. “But I did inherit the seal.”
“Besides swearing upon your three hun, I want you to do two things,” Mo Xiao Ran said.
“Tell me what they are.”
“First, kill the White Tiger King.”
Zheng Jiao Jiao froze, then laughed. The demand was unexpected, yet perfectly reasonable. The White Tiger King, who had always been friendly with Mo Xiao Ran, had turned to Zheng Jiao Jiao at the last moment. With Mo Xiao Ran’s lofty opinion of himself, how could he tolerate that betrayal?
He shook his head. “I won’t kill him, but if you wish to, I won’t stop you.”
Mo Xiao Ran regarded him with an inscrutable smile, evidently dissatisfied.
Zheng Jiao Jiao had to add, “If the two of you duel, I can stand by to supervise. I won’t allow anyone to… run away in the middle of the fight.”
That sounded impartial, but it amounted to an indirect agreement to Mo Xiao Ran’s demand.
“Second, after you reach Golden Core, I want the Sect Master’s Soul Seal.”
Zheng Jiao Jiao frowned. “What do you want with that?”
Mo Xiao Ran smiled. “The Soul Seal was refined from the souls of generations of No-Return Sect masters. What do you think I want it for?”
Zheng Jiao Jiao said nothing. Mo Xiao Ran’s demands had clearly exceeded his expectations… but they had not crossed his bottom line. Looking at this supposedly greedy man, he felt impatient, but also somewhat reassured.
Mo Xiao Ran’s apparent greed, rather than any absence of desire, made his willingness to cooperate seem more genuine.
By now the moon had passed its highest point.
Beneath the moon, Zheng Jiao Jiao swore upon his three hun. As soon as he finished, he felt as though an invisible cord had bound him in some mysterious way.
Mo Xiao Ran readily withdrew a little box from his robes. It exuded a bone-deep chill, and even on this spring night, when the cold was finally beginning to fade, thin white mist could be seen rising from its surface.
Zheng Jiao Jiao took the box and quickly opened it for a glance. Once he had confirmed its contents, he tucked it away, satisfied.
“What about the earth veins here?” Mo Xiao Ran asked.
“I built subterranean channels beneath Guangde Ward long ago, connecting Yong’an Canal with Qingming Canal and linking every earth vein in the formation,” Zheng Jiao Jiao replied with a smile. “Everything is ready. All we lack is the east wind.”
Just then Duan Qian returned. “It was a government patrol. I left them by the roadside. They’ll be found soon.”
Zheng Jiao Jiao gave Mo Xiao Ran a meaningful look. “It doesn’t matter. Very soon, there won’t be anyone left to disturb us here.”