Chapter Nineteen: Mastery Is a Kind of Solitude

In less than half an hour, He Chang'an broke through another bottleneck and advanced to the seventh layer of the Qi Ingestion Technique. Gazing inward at his dantian and spiritual sea, he saw the little millstone, which had shivered and trembled seven times, lazily transforming into a small black rod. This made the corners of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.

"This thing is even more shameless than Fast-Hand He Chang'an himself..."

At last, the black thread snapped and dissolved, and the covert freeload had come to its end.

Time to slip away.

Otherwise, if that old schemer crawled over through the net, wouldn't he crush him with one hand...

He Chang'an got to his feet, crouched down warily to scan his surroundings like a startled rabbit, and darted into the wild grass.

With a few leaps, he vanished.

...

At the academy, the scholar in white and Li Yishan, the two learned men, stood bewildered on the spot, staring at a crumpled but intact human skin and a cracked, ominous Yin Pearl, exchanging glances in confusion.

"Senior... senior brother, you're incredible..." Li Yishan was so exhausted his tongue was twisted, his face even paler than the human skin.

The scholar in white said nothing.

He quietly wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, gathered up his scroll, and his writing implements, then stood with his hands behind his back. Not a trace of pride for victory showed on his cold, austere face.

"Senior brother truly is an eighth-rank scholar—look at that composure, that elegance! Masters really do live in loneliness..."

Li Yishan took out a handful of healing pills with trembling hands, stuffed them in his mouth, and chewed aimlessly, gazing up at his white-robed senior with deep reverence and yearning.

The scholar in white, however, was pondering: "Who the hell interfered in secret and snuffed out this three-hundred-eighty-year-old wraith? Don't they know a true gentleman doesn't take advantage in the dark?"

"Forget it, once I find out who's responsible, I'll give them a piece of my mind! If they'd just dropped a hint, this fight wouldn't have been so chaotic and nerve-wracking... A disgrace to learning, a disgrace indeed!"

"Yishan, can you still walk?" the scholar in white asked calmly.

"After a bit of rest, I can." Li Yishan slumped to the ground, shivering all over, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

His injuries were severe; the yin energy had invaded his body, eroding the last drops of his righteous qi...

"In that case, let's take the opportunity to tidy up the Weiyang Academy and prepare to reopen and recruit students," the scholar declared, heading directly toward the academy's main hall.

...

After entering the city, He Chang'an led the skinny donkey he had picked up at the mountain goods shop in a wide circle before finally ambling home.

The city was in chaos—what had happened?

He noticed constables from all three divisions and six rooms of the county yamen, armed with sabers and staves, searching door to door in groups of three or five. He couldn't help but wonder, "Did something happen to the magistrate's aunt? Why all this racket?"

Even his own father, the yamen cook Old He, was brandishing a kitchen knife, following behind two young cooks in the supposed hunt for bandits...

As the Quick-Handed Squad Captain, He Chang'an should have been personally involved in such matters. Yet now he seemed nothing more than a bystander, while the entire county was in an uproar—he, the captain, was completely out of the loop.

Still, he didn't bother to ask. In this world, the less trouble the better. In any case, he was "on leave recuperating from injury" and could feign ignorance.

Arriving at his doorstep, he paused in confusion.

Why wasn't the gate locked? He distinctly remembered locking it when he left.

He tied the skinny donkey to the locust tree by the door, gripped his saber, expanded his spiritual senses, and quietly stepped into the courtyard.

"Hmm? You’ve advanced again?" The county commandant lounged in a folding chair, sipping tea. Seeing He Chang'an enter, he asked casually.

Not far off, beneath the shade of a tree, the little nun was solemnly reading a Buddhist scripture...

"What are you both doing in my home?"

"Commandant, what brings you here?" He Chang'an hurried forward and bowed deeply.

As for the gluttonous abbess from the Buddhist temple, he simply ignored her—certainly not just because she was flat-chested...

"I told you to stay home and recover—why did you sneak out?" The commandant glanced at him, a hint of surprise on his face.

"This lad's cultivation—has he advanced again?"

"In cultivation, nothing is more dangerous than impatience for quick success. Especially for martial artists like us; meridians and blood are just the foundation. The key is tempering sinew, bone, and flesh."

"I was too greedy, sir," He Chang'an replied, feigning unease, afraid the official might discern the truth.

"What were you doing just now?" The commandant asked offhandedly.

"Reporting, sir, I went outside the south gate." He Chang'an poured more tea for the official. "Sir, I discovered there’s a haunting at Weiyang Academy outside the south gate!"

"Oh? Tell me more." The commandant straightened up.

"At noon, Old Hu brought a donkey, saying you got it for our Quick-Handed Squad, so I took it out to graze and stretch its legs. Not long after leaving the south gate, I saw a huge black cloud rising from the direction of the academy ruins. I was terrified and hid in the wild grass for a long time. Only when the cloud faded did I sneak back to the city..."

He had rehearsed this explanation over and over on the way home. There was hardly a flaw—only the little shopkeeper who helped feed the donkey might be a weak point, but he probably wouldn't say anything.

"The academy—a black cloud?"

The commandant frowned, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the bamboo frame of his chair.

"I'll give you a protective talisman," the commandant said, handing over a waist token. "From now on, try not to go out alone. Weiyang County isn’t as peaceful as it seems."

As he accepted the token, He Chang'an felt a chill run through him.

The token was neither wood nor metal, nor iron nor gold, but emitted streams of cool energy that instantly seeped into his skin, coursing rapidly through his arm, his flesh, and his internal organs...

Even his dantian and spiritual sea were not spared.

"Damn it, he says it's a protective talisman, but it's more like a probe!"

Feigning ignorance, he put on a look of excitement and bowed deeply. "Thank you for your generosity, sir!"

"Sir," He Chang'an asked in a low voice, frowning slightly, "the energy in this token is so cool—will it affect my cultivation?"

"It can only help, never harm," the commandant replied calmly. "You’re made for martial arts—make the most of it."

The probing complete and finding nothing amiss, the commandant’s expression softened, and his gaze toward He Chang'an grew warmer, tinged with encouragement.

"Let’s go, time to look at the academy," the commandant said, rising and straightening his robe as he headed outside.

He Chang'an hurried after him.

As they were about to leave, he glanced back and saw the little nun trailing behind like a wronged bride, which amused him. "Master Dingding, what are you doing?"

"You—Amitabha, hmph!" The little nun puffed out her cheeks like two steamed buns, stamping her foot in indignation.

Watching her sulk, He Chang'an couldn't help but feel cheerful. As he strode out, he whispered, "Master, we're off to catch ghosts—you look after the house. Don’t forget to lock up tonight. The lady ghost is very pretty, pale as snow, and loves to scratch at doors at midnight..."

The little nun's face turned green.