Chapter 83: The Ripples Remain

“Lord of Incense, the map is here.”

Hearing the man’s question, the white-robed concubine hurriedly retrieved a cylindrical scroll case from under the bed and offered it respectfully with both hands.

The man took it, opened it carefully, and withdrew a painted scroll.

As he slowly unrolled it, a landscape ancient painting appeared before them all.

The painting showed endless mountains stretching across the horizon like a coiling dragon, majestic and imposing, with mist swirling among the peaks, revealing layered ridges.

Even a commoner could tell this painting was extraordinary.

Wu the Shopkeeper couldn’t help but praise: “Excellent brushwork, Lord of Incense—what’s the secret behind this thing?”

The white-robed concubine was also puzzled. “I interrogated that eunuch Lu, but he didn’t know the reason—only that Princess Fu’an loved this painting most.”

The man studied the scroll closely and said: “The brushwork here is exceptional, but the painter is obscure—named Jiao Fayuan.”

Wu the Shopkeeper blinked. “One of the Fa lineage?”

The man nodded. “Yes—he was a sorcerer of the San Shan Sect in Ganzhou during the Daxing era, skilled in fengshui and geomancy, and also a patron of a certain prince.”

“At the time, Daxing stood opposed to the Golden Tent Wolf State. Later, Daxuan seized power and rose, and as Daxing neared collapse, Jiao Fayuan, on the prince’s orders, hid part of the state treasury’s silver and weapons within the Qinling Mountains, awaiting a future restoration.”

“Later, this map fell into the hands of Prince Pingyang, who secretly concealed it. He took part in the succession struggle, was convicted of treason, and Princess Fu’an carried the map Zhanzhuan through the Guanzhong region.”

“Unfortunately, she spent years failing to decipher it, and leaked word of it, drawing the capital’s attention. I learned of this by chance and secretly arranged to intercept it.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Wu the Shopkeeper’s eyes flickered with excitement. “Lord of Incense, with this treasure, can our Divine Sect rise again?”

“Difficult.”

The Lord of Incense sighed, took the bone club from the Fire Ghost, opened its lid, and poured out some black granular powder. “The reason I lingered in Chang’an was to infiltrate the yamen and steal this formula.”

“Gunpowder?” the white-robed concubine asked, puzzled.

The Lord of Incense shook his head. “Far more powerful than ordinary gunpowder—it was accidentally created by a alchemist. The Li family obtained it, dared not keep it, and surrendered it to the court, earning them the post of regional governor.”

“Unfortunately, I only got one jar of the finished product—not the formula.”

“Daxuan’s momentum is strong now; with this, they’re like a tiger with wings. Soon, the entire cultivation world will be suppressed. Stirring up peasants and believers now would only mean sending them to die for nothing.”

Wu the Shopkeeper’s gaze dimmed. “Then what should we do?”

The Lord of Incense said calmly: “The Dao naturally balances itself. If the world were ruled only by brute strength, how could dynasties rise and fall?”

“Today’s Daxuan court worships law above all—people dare not transgress even slightly. Petty men use law as a tool to pursue selfish gain. Left unchecked, this will surely bring disaster!”

“More than ten years ago, our Sect Master rushed to rise up, causing the Divine Sect to fracture. Now, talent is scarce, everyone harbors ulterior motives, and our strength is far weaker. All we must do is accumulate power and wait for the right moment.”

“I observed the heavens last night—within two years, central China will suffer great calamity. After retrieving the treasure vault in Qinling, we will move to central China and lie low. Then we can seize the chance to strengthen the Divine Sect.”

“Lord of Incense, your wisdom is unmatched!”

…………

Boom!

The loud crash woke up Sha Lifei from his nap.

“What’s going on? Earth dragon turning over?”

He jumped up in alarm, rushed out the door, and saw Li Yan practicing the Ten Disciplines, the stone trough discarded beside him.

Sha Lifei glanced at the sky and complained: “What’s gotten into you this early? Disturbing a man’s sleep. Training, training—you’re even crazier than your father…”

Li Yan rolled his eyes. “We live by the blade’s edge—do you think training your mouth is enough?”

Sha Lifei, thick-skinned, didn’t care for the mockery. He shook his head. “Hey, don’t underestimate the mouth—used right, it can match a million soldiers!”

Li Yan slowly finished his form and mused: “Uncle Sha, you’ve never broken through because you’ve neglected practice, and your Master passed away early, leaving no one to help you align your internal force. Now that I’ve entered Hidden Force, I can help you—maybe you’ll break through.”

“Is… there a chance?” Sha Lifei clearly felt tempted.

Li Yan said seriously: “It might be nothing more than a thin sheet of paper—one poke and it breaks.”

“Fine, let’s test it!”

“Testing hands” meant slowing down, exchanging techniques, carefully feeling the shifts of Hidden Force as fists and feet met.

Boom! Boom!

Soon, Sha Lifei lost his balance repeatedly and fell to the ground.

“No more! No more!”

Sha Lifei groaned, rubbing his buttocks. At that moment, Wang Daoxuan stepped out, stretched, and looked as healthy as any ordinary man.

“Master Dao, how are you feeling?” Sha Lifei asked quickly.

Wang Daoxuan looked embarrassed. “I want a bowl of water-basin lamb.”

Li Yan laughed. “Your stomach qi is full—Master Dao is fully recovered.”

Sha Lifei grabbed both of them. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go, let’s go…”

……

Still at Wei Family Old Street, Wu’s Old Shop.

Here, the lamb was unmatched, yet it was no upscale restaurant—long benches lined the walls, crowded with people from all walks of life.

The three ate while listening to the chatter around them.

“Did you hear? There was another fight last night.”

!.

“Must’ve been Black Old San’s lot—hmph, they never do anything decent. Now that the Zhou family’s fallen, someone’s got to reclaim what’s owed!”

“What exactly happened to the Zhou family?”

“No one knows, but it’s big—didn’t you see the Commandant’s men show up? They’ve ordered everyone present to keep silent.”

“Will Old Man Zhang take over as head of the Divine Fist Association?”

“Of course. Word is they planned a grand ceremony, even officials from Chang’an were to come celebrate, but Old Man Zhang kept it low-key, said a simple affair was enough.”

“Look at him—Zhou Pan was nowhere near as good. No wonder he met such an end…”

“That’s not the worst. After Zhou Pan died, the Zhou family fell into chaos—fighting over property, Zhou Peide was imprisoned and sentenced to death, and Zhou Bai and his spiteful mother, with no one to back them, were thrown out of the Zhou mansion.”

“Tsk tsk—just last month he was strutting around like a rooster…”

Hearing the talk, Li Yan and the others paid no mind, continuing to eat.

Many things work this way: when the source changes, ripples follow.

Changes in Chang’an’s officialdom reached Xianyang; the Zhou and Zhang families settled their fates, and those who depended on them for survival saw their own destinies shift.

Splash!

At that moment, a large group of beggars ran past the street, panicked and stumbling, some falling, their broken bowls scattering.

“Don’t run! Stop!”

Several yamen runners, fierce as wolves, chased after them, swinging their water-and-fire staves, beating the beggars into wailing cries.

Someone couldn’t bear it and shouted: “Officers, what’s happened? Why such rage? Why torment these poor souls?”

“Who the hell are you, you cowardly worm?!”

The burly yamen runner turned and cursed, but seeing the crowd’s indignation, he stopped cursing and barked: “You think these are good people?”

“This morning we raided their den in the city—found many abducted women and children, all ruined. They’re screaming over there now—why not go see if any of your kin are among them?”

“The Vice Prefect is furious—Captain Fan of the Mounted Guards has been ordered to the mass grave. Today, they’ll wipe out that beggar den!”

His words sounded righteous, but the crowd clearly didn’t believe him.

What kind of people were the Western Beggar Sect? These seasoned travelers knew well.

And these yamen runners? They’d long taken bribes from the beggars, turned a blind eye to their crimes, and even protected some human traffickers.

Now they pretended to be righteous before them.

And most of these beaten beggars were victims—controlled by the Western Beggar Sect, forced to surrender their daily takings, barely eating.

Still, no one intervened further.

They knew the yamen’s sudden action hid deeper motives.

After the runners drove the beggars away, Sha Lifei shook his head. “The Western Beggar Sect is finished. Looks like the True Teachings of Tai Xuan moved in, clearing obstacles before the ritual.”

Wang Daoxuan nodded. “Enthroning the Mountain God is no small matter. If those beggars keep wreaking havoc at the mass grave, they’ll summon demons. With the Mountain God guarding it, that place will be far quieter from now on.”

He stood up. “Let’s go. We should visit Brother Wu—he gave his life to save me. Thinking of it, I can’t sit still…”

(End of Chapter)