The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 82: Visions in a Dream

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Visions in a Dream

Inside the large residence of Shangyi Village, craftsmen were hurrying to finish their work day and night, creating quite a racket. Wang Daoxuan, who loved tranquility, and considering his Divine Soul was injured and needed a restful retreat, naturally found the Wendao Temple more suitable.

After saying goodbye to Manager Wan, Li Yan and his two companions headed straight back to Xianyang.

"Master Wang, you’ve returned?"

"Little Brother Li, if you keep banging the drum, we’ll have to report you to the authorities!"

The old alley’s residents were still as "enthusiastic" as ever.

Neighbor Grandma, trembling and unsteady, took out a copper key, "It’s such a sin, those government officials have broken the Daoist’s main gate, even the lock is damaged, and I, an old woman, fearing thieves might come, locked it up."

"Thank you, Grandma Liu."

Wang Daoxuan took the key and opened the main gate.

Just as Grandma had said, the Wendao Temple was left in complete disarray after being rummaged through by the Government Officials, even the few plum vases it had were taken by some with unclean hands.

What’s more critical was that the Ancestor Master Altar had been overturned.

Seeing Wang Daoxuan’s displeased face, Sha Lifei quickly laughed, "Master, don’t be angry. The old must go before the new can come. We’ve come into money now, so it’s nothing to refurbish your Wendao Temple!"

He was indeed not wrong.

Despite the troubles the three of them had encountered during this time, they had also stumbled upon a windfall.

In the bandit’s lair, they had found some gold bars, which after counting up, were sufficient for Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan to build a tower and observe, with some left over.

When they went to rescue someone from a desolate ancient tomb, Yuan Qu, and Zheng Hebei didn’t have a single penny on them, but Chen Fagui had saved up a good amount of silver notes, all of which Sha Lifei had found, totaling about seven hundred taels, enough to cover their expenses for some time.

There were also the horses of Yuan Qu and Zheng Hebei.

Luo Mingzi and the others looked down upon them, so the three people took them all.

In short, while they couldn’t be considered wealthy now, they also had no worries about food and drink.

After they had more or less tidied up the Wendao Temple, night had already fallen. Sha Lifei, who liked to show off when he had money, immediately ran to Qingfeng Building and ordered some fine food and drinks to be delivered to the Wendao Temple, considering it a celebration of their escape from misfortune.

The trio ate and drank, while they discussed their next plan.

"In two months, it will be the Winter Solstice grand offering."

Wang Daoxuan smiled and said, "At that time, there will be fairs at various Taoist temples on Taibai Mountain, with pilgrims flocking there, even groups from other provinces offering incense."

"To prevent accidents, several spiritual acupoints of Taibai Mountain’s dragon veins will be closed, and won’t reopen until next spring."

"We must complete the construction of the tower and observe before the Winter Solstice."

"That’s fine."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "I promised Senior Wu to send his coffin back to his hometown and rebury his wife and daughter. After that’s done, I will head to Taibai Mountain."

"Also, in two days, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect will hold a ceremony at Chaotic Burial Mound to assist the return of the Mountain God, and Senior Luo Mingzi has agreed to let us observe from the sidelines."

"Oh?"

Wang Daoxuan’s eyes lit up, "Indeed, that’s a good opportunity. The rituals of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect are unparalleled, and I too wish to broaden my horizons."

After setting the plan, the three went back to their rooms to sleep.

It seemed as though a great weight had been lifted from their hearts, and they quickly drifted into slumber.

Wang Daoxuan, whose Divine Soul was injured, and Sha Lifei, who had a carefree attitude, both slept deeply.

Only Li Yan, who had not been asleep for long, found his eyelids constantly twitching, his forehead gradually breaking into a cold sweat.

In a daze, he suddenly sat up, only to realize he was still in the Wendao Temple, but surrounded by a thin mist that made everything appear hazy.

"Master Wang, Old Sha!"

Li Yan sensed something was amiss and shouted, but no one responded.

He quickly formed the Yang Jue with his hands, but his Divine Skills did not appear.

Was this... a spell?

Li Yan was on alert, carefully pushing the door open, only to be met with a chilling change in expression.

In the courtyard, there now stood a figure in a white robe, resembling funeral attire, wrapped in chains, with blood splattered all over.

The figure was looking down, messy hair obscuring the face, and then slowly lifted that ghastly white left hand, pointing towards the outside of the courtyard...

Whoosh!

Li Yan jolted awake and looked around.

It was still the Wendao Temple; from the opposite room, Sha Lifei’s snoring was so loud it could be heard clearly across the small courtyard.

"It was just a nightmare..."

Li Yan performed the Yang Jue again and, detecting nothing out of the ordinary, finally breathed a sigh of relief and lay down to sleep.

This time, there were no more nightmares.

However, he was unaware that a Hook Seal on the palm of his left hand was slowly emitting a faint blue glow, conspicuously visible in the darkness...

......

Quiet night in Xianyang, within a dilapidated street in the west of the city.

In the darkness, accompanied by noisy footsteps, two groups of figures appeared at the head and tail of the alley.

Each of them was clad in black clothes and hats, wielding long swords and staves, and a few were carrying a net with iron hooks.

This net, made of fine chains with sharp hooks at each joint, was called "Ghostly Despair" and it was designed specifically to deal with people of the pugilistic world.

They all were constables from the government office of Xianyang City.

A middle-aged man walked out slowly, his temples graying, his features upright and commanding. It was Xianyang’s arrest officer, Guan Wanche.

He looked at the mansion in the distance and turned around to clasp his fist, saying,

"Esteemed officials, our undercover agent said it’s right here!"

Behind the government officials, three more people emerged.

They were dressed in black satin robes with patterns of the mythical beasts ’Yan’ and ’Bi’an’ embroidered on the front and back in silver thread, and they wore official hats. Even their leather waist and wrist guards were meticulously crafted with intricate designs.

At a glance, their attire was unmistakably that of the Captain Bureau.

The Captain Bureau, somewhat akin to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, only took orders from the Emperor himself, performing duties ranging from espionage, suppression of rebellion, to surveillance of high-ranking officials. They did everything, and with outstanding martial skills, especially their proficiency in joint-attack techniques, their fierce reputation was notorious in the pugilistic world.

The leader was a middle-aged man with one eye, wearing a black eye patch. A sword scar ran vertically across his left face, making him look exceptionally ferocious.

"Attack!"

At his command, two individuals from the Captain Bureau holding bows and arrows rushed out to a nearby high wall. Their Hidden Energy surged as they leapt up in a swoosh, barely touching the wall to gain momentum, then silently landed on top of it.

Simultaneously, they had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, with the bowstrings creaking as they aimed at the courtyard below.

Guan Wanche saw this but was not surprised.

These two were small banners of the Captain Bureau, both skilled in Hidden Energy.

He waved his hand, and the government officials dashed from the dark alleys on both sides, securing all critical paths before kicking open the mansion’s gate and storming inside.

However, despite such commotion, nobody came out from inside.

Guan Wanche had an ominous feeling in his heart.

Sure enough, a government official soon ran out, cupping his fist and saying, "Sir, they’ve all run away!"

Guan Wanche’s face turned ashen with anger, but he accompanied the men of the Captain Bureau into the mansion, searching each room only to find it completely deserted.

"Commander Chang, it is my negligence."

Guan Wanche quickly clasped his fist in apology.

"It doesn’t matter."

The one-eyed man of the Captain Bureau was not surprised and calmly said, "To steal from Chang’an Prefecture’s government office, they are no ordinary people. For you to have found their trail in such a short time is already commendable..."

He was suddenly interrupted as his gaze sharply focused on something.

The one-eyed man then walked to the corner and picked up a stone jar.

Guan Wanche also approached and said in a low voice, "Sir, it’s a mortar from the pharmacy. If we find and question the craftsman, we might find a clue."

The one-eyed man didn’t respond but instead scooped out a bit of black powder from the jar and sniffed it, his eyes narrowing before he flicked it away.

He glanced around and calmly said, "Captain Guan, with your abilities, staying here in Xianyang City is indeed somewhat beneath you. Would you consider joining the Captain Bureau?"

A gleam of delight appeared in Guan Wanche’s eyes, and he quickly clasped his fist,

"I am willing to serve you, sir!"

......

In the East City, at the Golden Treasure Gambling House on Archway Street,

In the dark alleyway behind the street, the short and plump Manager Wu was anxiously peeking around.

At that moment, two figures swiftly approached along the dark corner of the wall, the same two who had caused a commotion at the Zhou Family during the day.

Manager Wu was overjoyed and quickly turned to open the door.

The two men slipped inside, and Manager Wu checked around to make sure no one was following before he firmly closed the door.

He had already sent all the workers in the backyard away, so it was only after several people moved through a secret passage into the hidden chamber at the corner of the gambling house that the two men removed their bamboo hats.

The white-clothed concubine had been waiting for a long time and was overjoyed upon their arrival. She bowed respectfully with Manager Wu, making a gesture like a lotus flower blossoming.

"Greetings, Incense Master!"

The man disguised as a traveling doctor touched his neck, gently rubbing it and then peeling off—revealing an exquisitely made human-skinned mask in his hand.

Beneath the mask was a handsome face with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, carrying an air of nobility. However, his eyes contained a distinct blood vessel that led into the pupils, and his skin was a shade of crimson, differing from ordinary people.

These facial features were known as "Crimson Vessel Piercing Eyes" and "Ravaged Heavenly Net" in the face-reading book, both symbols of an imminent demise.

Yet this man was evidently living well.

"No need for such formalities."

The man’s voice carried a magnetic quality as he softly said, "We’re all brothers of the sect; I’ve merely walked a few steps ahead. There’s no hierarchy among us."

"Thank you, Incense Master," said the white-clothed concubine and Manager Wu as they respectfully stood up.

Manager Wu, still shaken, said, "Last night, when I heard about the Incense Master and Fire Ghost brothers causing havoc in the Zhou Family, and that the Captain Bureau’s hounds had caught the scent and followed, I was so worried I couldn’t sleep the entire night."

"It’s alright," the man smiled. "I’ve been entangled with those hounds for a long time. I know their ways well, and I’ve already created the illusion that I’ve left, so as not to involve you, brother Wu."

"Fire Ghost brothers have avenged their great grievance; even if they were caught, it was worth it."

"Incense Master, it was my wilfulness," the young man with the scarred face said guiltily, but his eyes showed even more reverence toward the man.

The man was unfazed and continued to inquire, "What’s the situation in Xianyang City now?"

Manager Wu quickly clasped his fist, saying, "Chu Shan, that traitor, has sent many beggars to search the city for Miss Wang, and Yuan Qu, the leader of the White Ape Gang, has also been eyeing our gambling house covetously."

"To protect myself, I spread the news that the Tai Sui, which Chu Shan is plotting over, is now known to various figures in the pugilistic world. I heard that the Taixuan Orthodox Sect is also heading there. His lair is likely doomed, especially since the Zhou Family is gone, so for now, the incense hall is temporarily safe."

The man’s eyes turned slightly colder, "Rest assured, before I leave, I will eliminate that traitor!"

Then he turned to the two others, his voice becoming urgent,

"And what of that painting?"