At the gate of the mountaintop villa, Wang Ping and his two apprentices quietly awaited the arrival of their guest.
About half an hour later, Feng Miao, dressed in the Daoist robes of the True Yang Sect, appeared at the end of the rugged mountain path. She had changed a great deal in the nine years since they'd last met. The sharp edge about her had been restrained until it was imperceptible, and the great saber she used to carry on her back was nowhere to be seen.
A closer look revealed that the Spiritual Qi fluctuations around her body were nearing Marrow Cleansing Perfection. She still wore the token of the Daoist Scripture Hall at her waist.
When their eyes met, both felt a momentary sense of wistfulness.
As she drew closer, Feng Miao spoke first. "Fellow Daoist, your cultivation has improved significantly. Congratulations!"
"We junior cultivators can't possibly compare to the True Yang Sect," Wang Ping replied with appropriate humility.
"This place of yours is much better than where I cultivate. You even have a Spirit Gathering Array prepared."
Feng Miao looked up toward the summit. "The great sects may seem glamorous on the outside, but resources are distributed very evenly within. For example, I'm at the most critical stage of Marrow Cleansing, yet I still have to run tedious errands for the Daoist Scripture Hall just to qualify to exchange for the materials needed for Foundation Establishment."
"I only have this because of my master's care. Otherwise, I'd be in a worse state than you."
As he spoke, Wang Ping turned sideways, inviting Feng Miao to the small courtyard on the summit to talk. His words seemed humble, but they were also a way of spurring himself on.
From the beginning of his cultivation until now, his master, Yu Cheng Taoist, had protected him every step of the way. Anything he lacked, Yu Cheng Taoist had prepared for him in advance. He was like the useless apprentice next to the protagonist in a novel; while the protagonist toiled away day and night to gather materials, his only job was to lie back and relax in the safe zone.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the summit courtyard. Feng Miao praised, "It truly is a wonderful place."
Her envy was sincere. The True Yang Sect was good, but it was far too large. With disciples spread throughout the Xia Country, it was impossible for the resources to cover everyone.
When she began her cultivation, she trained alongside dozens of others, like in an ordinary private school. Only now that her Qi Cultivation had shown results did she have some say in things.
"How is Fellow Daoist Cheng Ji doing these days?" Wang Ping asked after sitting down.
Hearing Cheng Ji's name, an unusual expression flickered in Feng Miao's eyes before she said, "He's doing very well. You could say he's the most successful among the cultivators of our generation. He spends his days on alchemy to make money. Last month, he gathered all the materials for Foundation Establishment and has already returned to White Crane Mountain to enter seclusion. We won't be seeing him for a while."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ping thought of the twenty years his own Foundation Establishment required, and he once again sighed internally at the difficulty of cultivation.
Feng Miao saw Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping preparing to start a fire to boil water for tea and stopped them. "Don't trouble yourselves. I never drink tea. A bowl of plain water is fine."
"Bring up a jar of the yellow wine from the cellar," Wang Ping instructed.
"Wine works too!" Feng Miao's eyes lit up.
As the jar of wine was brought up, Yu Lian, who was shrunk and coiled around Wang Ping's wrist, opened her eyes. She said with some displeasure, "What a foul smell. Huh? It's the little fire person from last time!"
Ever since Wang Ping reached Foundation Establishment, Yu Lian had spent most of her time shrunk down and wrapped around his wrist, looking just like a silver bracelet.
Feng Miao quickly noticed Yu Lian. She wasn't particularly surprised; many Qi Cultivators liked to raise Spirit Beasts, especially Qi Cultivators like Wang Ping who practiced Pure Cultivation. It was just that the little snake's gaze felt a bit offensive, but she didn't say anything, merely pretending not to have seen it.
Halfway through the jar of wine, they had more or less finished catching up. Feng Miao raised her cup and got down to business. "I came here this time mainly to ask for your help, Fellow Daoist."
"What kind of help?"
"Two fellow Daoists from the Daoist Scripture Hall and I were investigating a case that led us to Shu County. We discovered that a large number of Transformed Demons may exist in the northern forests of Shu County—at least five hundred of them. Even the Mountain God officially enfeoffed by the Court may have been subverted by them. With demons of this scale gathered together, there must be a leader."
"Shu County..."
Wang Ping looked at his apprentice.
Liu Shuang immediately answered, "Shu County is part of Sanhe Prefecture, right next to Shang'an Prefecture."
The missionary territory of Qianmu Temple, as recognized by the Court and the Daoist Scripture Hall, was Shang'an Prefecture. In other words, Shang'an Prefecture was Qianmu Temple's turf; other places would most likely disregard Qianmu Temple's influence.
"Sanhe Prefecture..."
"Surely you have some pull there, right? We need to organize a mountain search party. Otherwise, with just the three of us, we might not find the demons and monsters even in ten years!"
A mountain search to exterminate demons...
This was something the Xia Country did periodically. If Wang Ping hadn't been to Hu Mountain Country, he might not have thought much of it. But after his visit, he had a new perspective on these "mountain searches to exterminate demons." He suspected they were connected to the Xia Country's Imperial Family.
"Let me ask about the situation first..."
Wang Ping had focused solely on cultivation for years and hadn't managed a single worldly affair. After speaking, he looked toward Liu Shuang. Then, under Liu Shuang's expectant gaze, he gave an order to Yang Ziwen, "Go get your Uncle Zhao Qing and bring him up."
"Yes!"
Yang Ziwen replied steadily. Liu Shuang blinked, wanting to leave with Yang Ziwen, but Wang Ping stopped her, so she could only remain in the courtyard, acting as the wine-pouring attendant.
"A lot of news has been coming up from the foot of the mountain recently. Is it true there's unrest on Mozhou Road again?"
Wang Ping brought up a matter he was interested in. After the new Emperor's ascension, Mozhou Road, which had been peaceful for several years, had recently seen some trouble, becoming a topic of idle gossip for the common folk in other regions.
Feng Miao said nonchalantly, "To be precise, it's not just Mozhou Road. Most of the Northwest is a bit unstable. Add to that the standoff on the Northern Border, and our new Emperor probably isn't sleeping well at night."
Seeing Wang Ping's expression, she continued to explain, "Don't worry, the world won't descend into chaos. The Imperial Family cultivates the Divine Dao. Although it doesn't grant long life, it makes it simple to ensure the stability of Shangjing and its surrounding regions. As long as those areas are under the Imperial Family's control, the other regions can't stir up any major trouble."
Wang Ping had read about the Divine Dao in Yu Cheng Taoist's collection of books. To put it simply, it was the cultivation of the Saint's Dao, which gathered the faith of the masses to oversee the world. However, this "world" was limited to Shangjing and its surrounding regions. In other areas, they could only appoint Governors, Prefects, and County Magistrates, and even then, they had to share the benefits with the Noble Clans and other Cultivators.
The two chatted for another Half an Hour before Zhao Qing finally arrived at the courtyard, travel-worn and dusty.
"Senior Brother!"
He first greeted him respectfully.
Wang Ping invited Zhao Qing to sit and drink with them. After a few cups of wine, he clearly explained Feng Miao's situation.
"If we get involved, organizing a mountain search shouldn't be difficult. And if there really are demons to be exterminated, it would be a meritorious achievement for Shu County. It's just the wording of the official report..."
Zhao Qing looked at Feng Miao.
Feng Miao understood instantly. She said at once, "I don't care how they write their official reports. All I want is the memory of a Snake Demon from among them."
"Good. Then leave it to me. I'll give you an answer within half a month."