Chapter 56:葛生

Lu Ying could not understand why her Master would step foot into this unknown, obscure little village.

It was not until she saw someone performing a soul-summoning ritual and recognized the main summoner as the Goddess of Taihua that a vague suspicion began to form in her mind.

"Is Master... trying to grant her a chance to attain enlightenment?"

The one-armed woman replied calmly, "Dao is attained by oneself; no one else can grant it."

Lu Ying said, seeming to understand yet not quite, "Well, Master is helping her anyway, but... why help her?"

Zhou Jitang raised her eyes to gaze into the distance. "To sever a person's Three Corpses."

Hearing this, Lu Ying could not help being astonished.

Seeking the Dao to attain longevity, severing the Three Corpses and expelling the Nine Worms had always been the supreme path to immortality. Precisely because of this, it invariably required tremendous effort, meticulous arrangement, and an indispensable flash of sudden enlightenment—the difficulty was evident, which was why cultivators usually severed their own Three Corpses.

Yet her Master was taking this upon herself not for her own sake, but to sever the Three Corpses for someone else. Lu Ying was inevitably filled with both curiosity and confusion.

"Who is... worthy of Master going to such great lengths?" Lu Ying asked.

Zhou Jitang did not answer.

Her curiosity further piqued, Lu Ying shook Zhou Jitang's remaining arm and asked, "Who is it? Who could it be? Could it be that person from before?"

Zhou Jitang sighed softly and patted Lu Ying's head. "Mn."

"But why?"

"His evil thoughts run rampant, and his sins are extremely heavy."

Lu Ying was shocked. Going by that logic, someone like that deserved to be struck by lightning a thousand times over, yet her Master intended to sever the Three Corpses for him.

"Actually, he is also very kind," Zhou Jitang said, gazing into the distance. "It's just that he always hides his kindness deep beneath his Three Souls and Seven魄."

After that, she said no more, quietly gazing into the distance.

……………………

"Release two pieces of news."

"What...?"

"The Eastern Depot's Thousand-Household official has sealed the Yuxiu Estate in order to investigate the Grand Chancellor's major case."

Chen Yi said indifferently.

Hearing this, Min Ming paused, her naturally alluring brows furrowing slightly. She naturally knew the gravity of the Grand Chancellor's case, so she asked, "Do you... want your head to roll?"

Hearing the woman's direct question, Chen Yi laughed. "What? You don't want me to die?"

Min Ming subconsciously wanted to deny it, only to hear an exasperated remark.

"Ah, right... a concubine-to-be doesn't wish for her master to die, only natural."

The courtesan frowned and glared at him. Unlike Min Ning's angry expressions which were like a thunderstorm defying the heavens, her anger was as soft and charming as water.

After a moment, she relaxed her expression and said softly, "This concubine knows you investigated the Yuxiu Estate for Min Ning's sake. She told me everything. The Thousand-Household official has the face of a tiger or wolf, yet a heart with a hundred tender twists."

"Flattery..."

Before he could finish, Chen Yi caught the smile at the corner of her lips and realized her meaning. "Are you calling me a beast in human clothing?"

"When has a concubine ever scolded her master? There's barely enough time for flattery," Min Ming feigned innocence. After a brief moment, she turned more serious and asked, "Are you investigating the Grand Chancellor's case for... our sake?"

Chen Yi replied casually, "What if I am?"

Min Ming leaned a fraction closer, saying with alluring charm, "How touching. Might this humble woman offer you a kiss?"

"Denied. I told Min Ning I wouldn't touch you for a year."

"This concubine is willing to offer herself to you."

She pressed closer, but Chen Yi pushed her away.

He sneered, "You want to provoke me into breaking my promise, so that Min Ning will be disappointed in me?"

Min Ming smiled lightly and retorted, "Why couldn't it be that this concubine has fallen for the Thousand-Household official at first sight?"

Chen Yi understood the thoughts behind her pressing close; it was her way of protecting her younger sister.

Perhaps the tolerance of that night had allowed this quick-witted courtesan to grasp his style of conduct. In her eyes, though he was somewhat of a beast, he was at least human—he would feel guilt for breaking a promise and possessed a streak of compassion. Her extreme seduction right now was merely an attempt to turn his guilt and compassion into a shackle she could tightly grasp in her hands after offering herself to him.

Min Ming exhaled a warm breath and asked, "Can you really hold back? Even if I come knocking at your door again?"

Chen Yi did not answer.

Min Ming's expression suddenly shifted as she feigned panic and said, "Could it be that the Thousand-Household official is unresponsive to women? You couldn't even take the top courtesan of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion!"

Chen Yi cast a glance at her.

Yet she persisted and repeated it forcefully.

Chen Yi reached out and grabbed her firmly by the spot where she could feed herself.

Min Ming's pretty face turned pale, then flushed bright red. In a panic, she pushed him away and shrank backward.

"All talk and no bite, all show and no might," Chen Yi teased, making a grabbing and kneading gesture with his hand.

The courtesan blushed fiercely and muttered, "Despicable rake... if you have the guts, do it for real. All talk and no action, what a hypocrite."

Chen Yi merely said, "I'm not in a hurry. You're going to be my concubine sooner or later anyway."

Min Ming straightened her clothes, calmed her crimson complexion, and asked, "What is the second piece of news?"

"On the thirty-first day of the tenth month in the third year of Huanglong of the Great Yu dynasty... Chen Zunming, Thousand-Household of the Eastern Depot, draws his sword to slay the horned dragon."

……………………

Inside the teahouse, rumors were spreading everywhere.

"Have you heard? The Thousand-Household of the Eastern Depot is going to draw his sword to slay a horned dragon."

"How could I not have heard? It's spreading everywhere. He's a brocade-uniformed guard, so why is he trying to do a Daoist priest's job? Isn't that like a dog meddling in a rat's business? If he goes to slay the dragon, what are the Daoists for?"

"He sealed the Yuxiu Estate a few days ago and defeated the Feng father and son in just a few moves. In the capital's martial arts circles, he's a figure of some renown."

Discussions filled every corner of the teahouse. Regarding Chen Yi's intention to slay the horned dragon, almost no one held any optimism. After all, it was a case of a dog meddling in a rat's business, and even if he could pull it off, it would take massive effort. Furthermore, this rat was no ordinary rat, but a vicious flood dragon.

Ever since the Day of Subduing Bandits and Exorcising Demons, the great river north of the capital had swollen by three cubits, capsizing countless fishing boats and cargo junks, and even flooding and collapsing buildings along the banks. Despite all these disasters, the horned dragon had never shown itself; people only occasionally caught glimpses of its shadow upon the water. No one knew what kind of chaos would ensue when the horned dragon truly revealed itself.

The Daoist priests had not remained entirely unresponsive. Master Feiyuan of the Shangqing Sect had personally taken action, heading to the river's source in an attempt to seal the horned dragon. It was said that after a fierce battle, the vicious dragon suffered severe injuries to its bones and sinews, but Master Feiyuan fared even worse—his Daoist foundation was damaged, and fifty years of cultivation were scattered.

If a fully accomplished True Person of the Shangqing Sect could not seal the horned dragon, how could the Eastern Depot's Thousand-Household claim he would draw his sword to slay it? Who could possibly believe that?

In a private room of the teahouse, the one-armed woman wearing a lotus flower crown was sipping tea while flipping through the Book of Songs, the pages spread flat before her.

Lu Ying placed the ground tea powder into a tea bowl, poured in hot water, and whipped it with a bamboo whisk so that water and milk blended seamlessly, creating a froth. Her tea- whisking technique was seasoned—she was a true master of the art.

Unlike the rough Northwest style of the Western Jin dynasty where tea was brewed and drunk on the spot, the Great Yu favored the whisked tea that had flourished during the Song dynasty. For this reason, the people of Yu often disparaged the people of Western Jin as northwestern barbarians.

Lu Ying was whisking the tea right now so that the moment Zhou Jitang finished her bowl, she could immediately drink another.

"Master, why is he trying to steal your job?" she asked while whisking the tea.

Zhou Jitang intended to slay the horned dragon when it made its journey through the waters. To avoid alerting the enemy, even the disciples of Yinjian Mountain were kept in the dark, and not even Lu Ying had found out until the past few days.

"Unclear."

Zhou Jitang did not look up, concentrating entirely on the Book of Songs in her hands.

In contrast to Zhou Jitang's cold detachment, Lu Ying had an enthusiastic personality. She rambled on of her own accord:

"He's a Thousand-Household of the Eastern Depot. No one believes he can slay the horned dragon, and presumably, that vicious dragon won't believe it either. Therefore, spreading this news won't just avoid alerting the enemy—it will actually make the vicious dragon arrogant and complacent, thinking there's no one left in the capital who can stop it from transforming into a dragon."

Zhou Jitang offered no words.

Curious, Lu Ying raised her head and glanced at the Book of Songs.

Thump!

Zhou Jitang closed the book and tapped her on the head with her remaining hand. "Whisk the tea."

Lu Ying clutched her head and acted spoiled, saying, "I was just taking a look, and besides, Master hasn't finished drinking yet."

The one-armed woman immediately drained the bowl in one gulp and pushed it across the table toward Lu Ying. "It's empty now."

Lu Ying froze for a moment, then silently took the tea bowl and let out a secret, amused chuckle.

From that hurried glance just now, she had caught sight of the poem her Master was reading—wasn't that "Ge Sheng"?

She had read it too, and still remembered the last two lines:

*In the days of summer, in the nights of winter. After a hundred years, I go to my home...*
*In the nights of winter, in the days of summer. After a hundred years, I go to my chamber.*