Unsheathed

Following the departure of Cui Dongshan, the entire Cai Manor heaved a collective sigh of relief, as if they had just bade farewell to a deity of calamity.

The only ones who were feeling a little disappointed were the beautiful maidservants who had gotten the chance to serve him during his brief stay.

After leaving the provincial city, Cui Dongshan didn't return straight to the capital city. Instead, he took up residence in a large Daoist temple on the outskirts of the capital.

There was an elderly Daoist priest in the temple that held the revered title of "Daoist Master," and Cui Dongshan had come to visit this Daoist Master with the intention of "exchanging discourse on matters related to the teachings of Daoism."

Wei Xian knew that this elderly Daoist priest had to have been a spy of the Great Li Empire that had been planted in the Great Sui Nation.

During a spate of boredom, Cui Dongshan had shown Wei Xian a list of names of spies from the Great Sui Nation who were currently lurking in the Great Li Empire. Of course, there were only more that were still yet to be unearthed. Many of those names had been circled in red, and Cui Dongshan told Wei Xian that these were spies who specialized in selling intelligence.

Essentially, they were double agents who would sell intelligence to both sides as long as the price was right, and according to Cui Dongshan, they were particularly fun to deal with.

Hence, it came as no surprise to Wei Xian when the elderly Daoist priest was revealed to a spy of the Great Li Empire, but what did come as a surprise to him was that after a brief exchange of intelligence, the two of them really did sit down onto a pair of cushions and begin discussing the teachings of Daoism.

Before long, Wei Xian was nodding off as he listened to their discussion.

Following the elderly Daoist priest's departure, Cui Dongshan pointed at his vacated cushion as he urged, "Sit on it while it's still hot."

Wei Xian did sit down, but he did so on the ground instead of on the cushion.