Chapter 24: Striving to Cross

"Is this the truth?"

The night was as thick as ink, and the iron chimes hanging from the eaves clattered sharply in the biting wind. Magistrate Fang’s voice fell like frost.

Under his azure official robes, he still carried the bitter, fishy scent of the Longxi desert—a man of humble origins, the lowest of the low. Years ago, that imperial examination notice had been like a thunderclap ripping through a stifling sky, transforming the penniless scholar kneeling outside the examination hall into a man reborn. The weight of imperial grace burned in his very marrow, and as he spoke now, every word was steeped in bone-chilling cold.

The young woman, a transformation of a great python, curled her lips into a slight smile, though she bowed her head even lower.

"This servant would not dare to deceive you."

She did not want to confront that ox-nosed Taoist head-on; she wanted to use a borrowed blade to do the killing. The blade she sought was not merely the steel wielded by the bailiffs of the county office, but the great momentum of the world itself—the very dragon-vein fortune of the imperial court.

The True Immortal behind the cauldron had not told her much, but she was no fool. By listening in the shadows and exploring on her own, she had pieced many things together. She understood that fate and fortune truly existed, and they were heavy enough to crush anyone. At the very least, as a concubine to the Magistrate, she knew that if she were to devour him, the consequences would be vastly different from devouring the martial artists and peddlers she had consumed before. As for what exactly would happen, she did not know, for she was clever enough to tread carefully.

Yet, being difficult to provoke did not mean she could not be used. Was she not already growing her cultivation by surreptitiously feeding on the intangible fortune that clung to Magistrate Fang? And if she were to fail, it would only mean returning to the status quo, to continue her struggle with that ox-nosed priest in a real battle of strength.

"I understand. Go and rest now. The night is cold, and as a woman, you must not catch a chill."

Magistrate Fang nodded slightly and draped his own unlined outer robe over her shoulders. She lowered her eyes and curtsied.

"This servant is fine. I only wished to know, is what I told you of any use?"

Magistrate Fang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes filled with grim resolve. "The Qian family is a prominent clan, and they have not returned home since I took office. To lie about such a thing would be too easily exposed. The only question now is whether the Qian family has gone mad, or if that ox-nosed priest is courting death!"

Behind him, the monster’s lips curled into a smile she could not suppress, though she made no sound. She bowed even more respectfully and said, "Daybreak is near. I shall go and brew some health-giving medicine for Mother."

Magistrate Fang was deeply moved. He turned to look at her and said, "It has been hard for you all these years."

"My life was saved by you from the mass grave. Without you, I would not be here today. It is not hard at all!"

"Go. Pay your respects to Mother, then get some sleep. Official business has been heavy lately; I cannot keep you company."

The monster bowed and left the room. Magistrate Fang watched her go with a trace of guilt. Once the room returned to silence, he snorted coldly and summoned the duty bailiffs, preparing to handle the matter.

After leaving the Magistrate, she did not go to the kitchen to brew medicine. With a flick of her finger, the stove ignited, and with a soft spit, a piece of leftover heart tissue dropped into the soup pot. Having done this, she looked toward the old Qian family residence with a sense of triumph.

"Let’s see how you fight me this time, you ox-nosed priest!"

She considered herself in an invincible position. First, she had the momentum of the Imperial Court to leverage. Second, the True Immortal behind the cauldron had personally stated that this Taoist—the first she had ever encountered—was merely a petty cultivator from the mountains. If he was just a petty cultivator, what was there to fear in a battle of arts?

What she did not know, however, was that as soon as she had left the mass grave, the small bronze cauldron—enshrined atop countless skulls and veiled by blood-red talismans—had shattered into unrecognizable fragments.

Deep underground, in that vast hall, the dim voice from behind the bronze gates sounded once more:

"Hesitating before discarding a pawn, and hesitating after? How is it that after all these years, your temperament has regressed?"

As these words echoed, several different sneers rang out from outside the hall. Evidently, there was more than one such hall. The person questioned replied with hesitation: "Because to this day, I do not know who destroyed my piece!"

"Why dwell on such things? The Heavenly Constitution still holds, and the time is not yet ripe. In such seasons, everyone is scrambling for the lead, for destiny! The Buddhas fight, the demons fight. Who can even tell them apart?"

"A trivial piece—let it go. Focus on the grand strategy. You are always looking back and forth, which is why you remain stalled, unable to make a single step forward!"

"My Lord, I worry that they are aiming precisely at your grand strategy!"

Having survived the Great Calamity and endured the Heavenly Constitution, they were so close to the final goal. How could one not be cautious? But this only caused the voice behind the bronze gate to let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! Do you not realize we have been fighting and struggling all along? Besides, as long as the Heavenly Constitution remains, neither you nor I can escape this confinement. What use is there in agonizing over these things when we cannot even see who we are dealing with?"

"Better to discard the pawn early and save the extra expenditure for what truly matters. Otherwise, every time that little snake calls upon you, you lose a fraction of your strength. If it were for a real battle, fine—at least you would have gained something. But if you lose, are you truly content?"

The voice fell silent, and the bronze hall returned to stillness.

Struggle, struggle, struggle. They, who could not get out, were all scrambling for the lead. What they feared most was being a step behind when the great tide arrived, causing the entire game to be lost.

***

As the sky began to gray, Magistrate Fang, having confirmed the situation, had already assembled his bailiffs—about twenty men, all armed with blades. He had also prepared official documents and made prior arrangements; should the Qian family attempt to incite the ignorant masses against the government, the surrounding garrisons would respond immediately.

However, Magistrate Fang did not believe it would come to that. He believed he held the hearts of the people in Qing County; they would not prefer the Qian family's "demon priest" over him.

Once his men were gathered, the head bailiff waved his hand, and they smashed open the tightly shut gates of the Qian family residence.

The martial artists inside, who had been too excited to sleep all night, jumped to their feet in unison. Seeing the government officials, they dared not draw their weapons and could only step forward to block the path while shouting for the Second Young Master Qian.

Fortunately, Second Young Master Qian, whose back was aching too much to sleep, heard the commotion and rushed over. As the two sides met, Qian Youcai was the first to shout:

"Audacious! This is the private residence of the Qian family! How dare you trespass? Do you not know that trespassing on the property of a prominent clan carries a penalty of thirty lashes?"

Unlike the Zhuang family, which had only barely reached the threshold of a prominent clan, the Qian family was a powerhouse with influence, connections, and the weight of imperial law on their side. At his words, the bailiffs hesitated and stopped.

Qian Youcai’s gaze followed theirs. Below the steps of his open gate, a tall man in azure official robes was slowly walking up.