Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

He was so close, just a little further and he would have been in the river!

Gossip stared at the water, so near yet so far, his heart filled with bitter regret.

The beautiful woman glided forward, her steps as graceful as a lotus, and walked toward the limp form of Gossip on the ground. "Mr. Bo, it would be best if you just came with me to Jiangzhou obediently."

But in the instant she reached out to grab Gossip, something unexpected happened.

Several streams of invisible Qi Strength, so condensed they were almost tangible, shot out without any warning.

They moved with incredible speed, precisely targeting several major acupoints on the beautiful woman’s body.

The beautiful woman’s expression changed drastically. She had clearly not expected an ambush.

Caught off guard, she only had time to twist her body slightly. Even so, two streams of Qi Strength broke through her defenses, striking acupoints on her shoulder and hip.

"Ngh!"

The beautiful woman let out a muffled groan. Half of her body went numb as the flow of her qi and blood was abruptly blocked, her body instantly freezing in place.

Her acupoints had been sealed by this ranged Finger Force.

"Who’s there?"

she roared, a mixture of shock and fury in her voice.

At the same time, the powerful Inner Qi in her body surged like a mighty river, violently assailing the sealed acupoints.

After just two breaths, she had forcibly cleared the blockages, and her mobility returned in an instant.

"Oh?"

A soft cry of surprise came from the direction of the main road.

However, before the beautiful woman could pinpoint the attacker’s location, an intangible, formless, but even more terrifying power descended upon her.

The world suddenly went black for the woman. An intense wave of dizziness instantly overwhelmed her senses.

Unable to even let out a scream, her body swayed and then crumpled softly to the ground, completely unconscious.

From the sudden attack of the invisible Finger Strength to the woman collapsing unconscious, the entire sequence happened in a flash, lasting no more than three or four breaths.

Lying paralyzed by the riverbank, Gossip stared, dumbfounded. He almost thought he was dreaming.

He twisted his head to look around, his heart pounding wildly, and called out hoarsely, "Which expert has come to my rescue? I beg you to show yourself!"

Nearby, by the side of the main road, the door to a stationary, blue-canopied carriage was pushed open.

A stunningly beautiful woman with a graceful figure, her face veiled by a light gauze, stepped out elegantly.

She was followed by a middle-aged man in a simple, long blue robe, his appearance utterly unremarkable.

It was Chen Li and Linglong.

When Gossip saw who it was, his eyes went wide as saucers. A moment later, his face erupted with the ecstatic joy of someone snatched from the jaws of death. Ignoring his injuries, he scrambled and crawled a few steps closer. "Master... Chen? What are you doing here? Heaven hasn’t abandoned Old Bao after all!"

Chen Li’s gaze swept over the surroundings, then flicked to the unconscious, palace-garbed woman on the ground. "This isn’t the place to talk."

Gossip nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes."

He cast another fearful glance at the beautiful woman, then scrambled to follow Chen Li and Linglong, climbing into the carriage.

The carriage interior was quite spacious.

Chen Li looked over the still-shaken Gossip. Though he was a mess, his face stained with blood, he was noticeably plumper than when they had first met at Hidden Emperor Castle. His waist had thickened a bit, too. Chen Li couldn’t help but give a faint smile. "Mr. Bao, it seems you’ve been living quite comfortably lately. You’ve put on some weight."

Gossip forced a pained smile that was uglier than a grimace. "Master Chen, please don’t make fun of Old Bao. You saw what just happened... Does this look like a comfortable life? My life is bitter misery!"

Chen Li remained noncommittal and asked casually, "Who was that woman from before?"

Gossip sighed, his face a picture of frustration and helplessness. "Some crazy hag. Old Bao doesn’t know her specific name. But judging by her subordinates, she’s most likely from the Cao Family of Jiangzhou."

"The Cao Family?"

Chen Li’s brow furrowed slightly. He hadn’t expected Gossip to have run afoul of them.

After a moment’s thought, he got out of the carriage. In a few quick bounds, he was beside the unconscious, palace-garbed woman. He picked her up and returned to the carriage.

"Master Chen,"

Gossip was so startled he nearly leaped out of the carriage. "She’s from the Cao Family! We should be running and hiding, why are you bringing her with us? If the Cao Family finds out..."

"I have my own plans. You, drive the carriage."

Chen Li shoved the beautiful woman into a corner of the carriage.

Seeing that Chen Li’s mind was made up, Gossip didn’t dare say more. He took the whip and reins that Linglong handed him.

"Master Chen, where... where are we going?"

Gossip looked back and asked in a low voice.

"Jiangkou."

Chen Li, his eyes closed in rest, uttered the single word.

"Jiangkou?!"

Gossip’s hand trembled, and he nearly dropped the whip. "Master Chen, Hidden Emperor Castle... it’s still in the hands of the Celestial Sword Sect. That old monster, Jian Dian, might still be there!"

Chen Li didn’t even open his eyes. "It’s been two years. Even if the Celestial Sword Sect is still there, their guard is probably down by now. Don’t worry. We’ll find a market later, and you can buy a mask to wear."

Gossip sighed, flicked the reins, and urged the carriage toward Jiangkou.

Inside the carriage, Chen Li’s fingertips flicked several times, almost imperceptibly.

Several streams of invisible Qi Strength silently entered the body of the Cao Family woman in the corner, reinforcing the seals on several of her major meridians and her Divine Sense.

...

「Four days later.」

A dust-covered carriage slowly pulled to a stop in front of the Oolong Tea House.

Inside the teahouse, Bai San was sitting behind the counter with his legs crossed, contentedly sipping tea and nibbling on a small dish of salt-fried peanuts, humming a tuneless little song.

Hearing a commotion at the entrance, he lazily glanced up.

The sight made him yelp and jump right off his stool.

"M-Master? What... what are you doing here!"

Bai San hurriedly rushed around the counter to greet him.

When he saw Gossip, wearing a monkey mask, jump down from the carriage shaft, his eyes widened even more. "Hey! Old Bao? You old rascal, what are you doing here too? And what’s with the mask?"

"No way! You can tell it’s me even with this?"

Gossip was shocked.

Bai San just pursed his lips and didn’t explain.

’With that build and those fingers, and brought here by Master Chen... who else could it be?’

Seeing that Bai San was unharmed, Chen Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’After all, if he had really been captured by He Mingyun and the others, a coward like Bai San would have probably sold me out before they even started the torture.’

He immediately gave his orders. "We’re closing for the day. Linglong, Old Bao, take the person in the carriage to a room in the back and get her settled."

Bai San didn’t dare ask any questions and quickly began shooing out the customers and closing up shop.

Linglong and Gossip did as they were told, carrying the unconscious Cao Family woman into a room in the back courtyard.

Once Bai San had closed the shop doors, he asked Chen Li the purpose of his visit.

Only then did Chen Li explain, "I’ve come for two main reasons. First, to retrieve the gold that Old Bao said was hidden outside Hidden Emperor Castle. Second, to find Shu Qi."

He looked at Bai San. "Tell me again, in detail, about the last time you saw Shu Qi."

Bai San began to recall carefully.

After a moment, he said with some uncertainty, "Master, the last time Shu Qi came here with Master Bai Shixuan to deliver some silver, I felt like he was distracted and not all there. He would often zone out when I talked to him. I asked if something was wrong, but he just shook his head and said it was nothing. But... I think I heard him mutter something like, ’Official General... how did they appear?’"

"Official General?"

Chen Li’s brow tightened. He had never heard this title before. "What does that mean? Have you ever heard Shu Qi mention it?"

Bai San shook his head blankly. "No, just that one time. I thought it was some kind of secret code or slang from their Sect, so I didn’t ask."

Chen Li grew thoughtful. He then said to Bai San, "Go get Mr. Bao."

A short while later, Gossip scurried in.

Chen Li asked him directly, "Have you ever heard of the Official General?"

Gossip’s expression changed slightly, a clear look of shock on his face. "The Official General? Master Chen, why are you asking about this?"

Seeing Chen Li’s serious expression, he didn’t dare beat around the bush. "I’ve only heard it mentioned once by chance. It’s said to be a Dharma Guardian Child serving under a certain primary deity worshipped by the Sect. I think... the name was White Crane Child."

"White Crane Child?"

Chen Li’s gaze sharpened instantly.

He was immediately reminded of someone.

He Liu!

He had once suspected that County Magistrate Zhang Heming was He Liu.

But when they later fought, he discovered that Zhang Heming’s Cultivation Technique was completely different from that of Shu Qi and the others.

Furthermore, the Court strictly vetted its Officials. If he were really from the Sect, it would have been impossible for him to hide his Cultivation Method.

Thus, he had long since leaned toward the conclusion that He Liu was someone else entirely.

It was just that after Zhang Heming’s death, this person had never appeared again, vanishing as if a stone dropped into the ocean, which had left him quite puzzled.

Now, hearing the words "White Crane Child"—which faintly corresponded with the name "He Liu"—the clouds of doubt in his heart began to gather once more.

’If the Sect is truly involved... then Shu Qi’s disappearance probably has little to do with He Mingyun. It’s more likely he’s been caught up in the Sect’s internal affairs.’

The tension that had gripped Chen Li due to the tax silver case eased slightly.

Seeing Chen Li lost in thought, Gossip added, "Master Chen, if you really want to find clues about this Sect, it’s not entirely a dead end. As I understand it, the Sect often operates through unauthorized rural shrines. This Official General is said to have originated in Minzhou, starting from a Ksitigarbha Temple.

If that White Crane Child is active in Jiangzhou, there’s a good chance a Ksitigarbha Temple has been built for worship somewhere in the Jiangzhou area. If you can find the temple, you might be able to follow the trail and find some leads."

Chen Li nodded.

It was a good line of thinking, but Jiangzhou had a well-developed network of waterways, and the common people had spontaneously built all sorts of unofficial and unauthorized shrines, as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

Especially in areas near the water, there was an uncountable number of temples to Water Gods and Dragon Gods, each with its own customs. Finding the right one would be no easy task.

Chen Li temporarily set the matter aside and turned to ask Gossip, "Can you still contact the old intelligence network of Hidden Emperor Castle?"

Gossip shook his head like a rattle-drum. "Master Chen, you overestimate me. The intelligence network of Hidden Emperor Castle and we who sold information on the outside were two separate lines. The only one who understood both lines was probably Lord Pig Emperor himself.

Although I recognize their faces and code names, I have no idea where they hide or how they make a living. Besides, those people only recognize secret orders and gold, not faces. Without a Token, no one can mobilize them."

Seeing Chen Li’s brow furrow again, he quickly added, "However, the Pig Emperor’s secret chamber should still contain his secret orders and a roster of all the hidden agents."

"Secret orders and gold..."

Chen Li frowned. "If they’re in the Pig Emperor’s secret chamber, I’m afraid the Celestial Sword Sect has likely looted it clean by now."

"Not necessarily!"

Gossip lowered his voice and said with a smile, "Master Chen, the Pig Emperor’s secret chamber, the one for storing his most crucial items, isn’t actually inside Hidden Emperor Castle."

"Oh?"

Both Chen Li and Bai San looked at him.

Gossip explained, "The chamber is outside the castle. It has two entrances, one inside and one outside. The inner entrance is in a hidden room within Hidden Emperor Castle. Only the Pig Emperor and I have the key to that room. Unless the Celestial Sword Sect turned the entire castle upside down, it would be very difficult to find. As for the outer entrance..."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower. "...it’s in a tomb."