Chapter 108: Inquiring the Immortal Elder

According to the records, Xu Zhijie’s Ningxi Commandery was originally the largest of the four commanderies in the Shattered Region, yet had the smallest population; its people lived in misery, and public resentment boiled everywhere. Xu Zhijie also maintained a massive army—the largest among all commanderies—yet repeatedly suffered defeats against the Wu tribes, forcing the Xu family’s main branch to intervene each time, uniting various sects and celestial caverns into a coalition just to drive the Wu invaders back.

Year after year of warfare left the people destitute.

Thus, Xu Zhijie served as commandery governor for ten years, during which the commandery’s territory shrank by two hundred li and its population dropped by eight hundred thousand. Countless people secretly cursed him to death using Wu tribe secret arts. Eventually, the Xu family acted, arrested Xu Zhijie, uncovered his crimes—embezzlement of military rations, corruption, and collusion with foreign tribes—and he was sentenced to decapitation, his clan exiled and conscripted.

Upon Xu Zhijie’s death, every household in Ningxi Commandery lit firecrackers to celebrate. Yet less than half a year passed before the Wu tribe’s massive army swept across the four commanderies; after several battles, this region became the Shattered Lands.

Due to Xu Zhijie’s many crimes, he alone received a dedicated two-hundred-twenty-character entry in the local chronicles, detailing his misdeeds and fate, so future generations might spit upon his name.

The materials issued by Tai Chu Palace were all verified and could not be false. According to them, Xu Zhijie was a textbook example of an official ruining an entire commandery—deserving death ten times over. Ningxi Commandery once had over two million people; after his ten-year tenure, only one and a half million remained.

But Xu Waner told a different story.

Although Xu Zhijie was a direct heir of the Xu family, he rejected the marriage arranged by his clan and married a commoner woman instead, which enraged the Lu family’s legitimate daughter, who had originally been betrothed to him, and several of his cousins, jealous of his talent, conspired with the Lu daughter to suppress and sabotage him.

Despite the suppression, Xu Zhijie proved highly capable, rising steadily through merit until appointed governor of Ningxi, guarding the border. Yet Ningxi’s power structures were deeply entangled, with shadows of every Xu branch everywhere. Every assistant regional commander answered to someone; even the provincial military commander could not command them, let alone Xu Zhijie. Embezzlement and corruption were their doing—he could not intervene, could not even see the military supply ledgers.

Through cunning and years of preparation, Xu Zhijie eventually removed four of the eight assistant regional commanders. He also cracked down harshly on wealthy landowners who seized farmland, investigated several major landlords, reclaimed their land for the commandery, and redistributed it to landless peasants. These actions alienated nearly every Xu branch, especially since one landlord had a relative serving in the Western Jin court. They continuously impeached Xu Zhijie, smearing him with false accusations.

A few days before his arrest, Xu Zhijie hurriedly found Xu Waner, passed her a powerful technique to conceal her Dao foundation, and gave her several life-saving magic treasures. Then he said he had accidentally uncovered a earth-shattering secret and was investigating it; he handed her a jade slip, told her to keep it safe, and flee to Lan Shen Palace.

Before Xu Waner could leave, that night a large force of unidentified men stormed the governor’s residence, killing everyone they found. Xu Waner escaped in the chaos using the concealment technique, later encountered Yun Feifei, and together they repelled the pursuers.

Soon after, news spread that Xu Zhijie had been arrested and his crimes publicly listed. The people, already suffering, knew nothing of the truth and hated him intensely. Those who had benefited from him dared not speak; those who questioned were arrested and branded as his accomplices. Less than a month after his conviction, Xu Zhijie was publicly beheaded—crowds filled the execution ground, pelting him with rotten eggs and spoiled meat.

Xiang Weiyuan listened, half-believing, half-doubting.

Many inconsistencies existed: the conviction and execution came too swiftly. Xu Zhijie was a high-ranking official; normally, conviction alone would take months of review, verification by imperial bureaus, and approval from the Prince of Jin before execution. Xu Zhijie was convicted and beheaded in under a month—there must be hidden motives.

But Xiang Weiyuan’s purpose here was to bring Yun Feifei back to the palace, not to clear Xu Zhijie’s name. Put bluntly, the Immortal Lord’s move mattered far more than the dubious grievance of a mere commandery governor.

Xu Wenwu, having finished speaking, listened quietly nearby. As he listened, his face filled with outrage; he wanted to denounce the corruption and voice his views. But the moment he opened his mouth, Xiang Weiyuan bound his lips with a Daoist rope. After a moment’s thought, Xiang Weiyuan asked: “What did your father give you that night?”

Xu Waner recalled carefully: “The paper held trivial records—agricultural and population data from Ningxi and over a dozen neighboring counties, spanning decades. There were records of troop and grain movements, merchant caravan logs, over a dozen ledgers, and entries on bank silver inflows and outflows—all seemed ordinary. I didn’t understand their meaning; my father didn’t explain, only told me to get them to Lan Shen Palace.”

Xiang Weiyuan had no insight. Then Xu Wenwu’s Daoist binding wore off, and he blurted out immediately: “These records seem chaotic, but they must be connected! If we analyze them carefully, find the patterns, we can—”

Xiang Weiyuan raised a finger; the rope bound Xu Wenwu’s mouth again.

Having recounted her past, Xu Waner’s eyes were already brimming with tears. Suddenly, she bowed deeply to Xiang Weiyuan: “My three brothers and sisters and two sisters all died at their hands—killed horribly. If my lord can restore my father’s innocence, I have nothing to offer in return, only… only…”

“It’s time to depart,” Xiang Weiyuan rose.

Xu Waner gazed at him with sorrow.

Xiang Weiyuan did not mount his horse immediately. Instead, he found a flat patch of ground, drew a formation diagram, placed spiritual items at key positions, then set a small formation disc at its center. He pointed at the disc; a figure emerged—white beard flowing, radiating immortal grace.

This formation was called the Turbid World Inquiring Immortal Method, learned by Xiang Weiyuan at the Art Discourse Hall, used to divine the auspiciousness or misfortune of a specific action. Normally, the results were vague, only roughly indicating good or ill fortune. Accuracy depended on the caster’s status, the quality of the spiritual items, and the nature of the inquiry. The higher the status of the subject, the more obscure the result.

It was a basic divination method, advantageous for its simplicity, low environmental demands, and lack of need for offerings. Now, before any major undertaking, Xiang Weiyuan habitually consulted the feng shui—especially now, with the Immortal Lord’s formation disc, divination was especially favorable.

!

Seeing the immortal figure within the formation, Xiang Weiyuan knew the ritual had succeeded, and silently asked: “What risks await me on this journey to Lan Shen Palace?”

Xiang Weiyuan deliberately limited the divination to himself. Xu Waner was manageable, but Xu Wenwu came from another world—though untrained, his fortune was strange; including him might yield unpredictable results.

After silently reciting, Xiang Weiyuan continued channeling Dao energy. The white-bearded immortal smiled warmly—then his smile twisted into anguish, his head darkened, a bird’s claw pierced his chest, his body oozed pus and blood, and in an instant, he dissolved into a puddle of rot.

(End of Chapter)