Upon returning to the Inquiry Hall, Li Yan immediately opened his eyes and stood up.
"Are… you alright?"
Sha Lifei knew Li Yan had feigned unconsciousness, yet concern lingered in his heart.
It was no surprise—Li Yan's blood-soaked, gourd-like appearance was truly unsettling.
"I'm fine. Just some flesh wounds."
Li Yan brushed it off casually, then, with a few sharp rips, tore apart his tattered clothes. The wounds had stopped bleeding and didn't appear severe.
Of course, this was the result of his wound-swapping technique.
The blows he had taken—some from Zhou Bai, who had used hidden force—had twisted and torn his muscles and tendons, even injuring his internal organs. Without the Great Luo Dharma Body, he would likely have been bedridden for half a year.
By dispelling the internal injuries and retaining only superficial wounds, he guarded his secret, ensuring the other two harbored no suspicions.
Wang Daoxuan let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly retrieved a salve for knife wounds to dress Li Yan's injuries.
Li Yan allowed him to tend to the wounds, then turned to Sha Lifei with a grave tone. "Uncle Sha, head out now. First, go to the gambling house to collect the silver. Then spread the news that I'm gravely injured. After that, buy some medicinal herbs—any will do."
"Remember, act worried."
Sha Lifei, curious, asked, "Why?"
Winning a duel with ease and fighting to a mutual defeat carried entirely different reputations.
"It's simple…"
Recalling the scene after the arena match, where Zhang Yuanshang and others had appeared to confront the Eight Great Vajras, Li Yan shook his head. "I only wanted to light a spark, but they want to use me as a chess piece. Both sides were likely prepared to fall out long ago—I just happened to be caught in the moment."
"The Zhou family isn't one for propriety. They'll surely seek revenge afterward. If nothing unexpected happens, the other side is waiting for them to act, hoping to seize a handle to strike."
"But if word spreads that I'm gravely injured, the Zhou family won't be so hasty. They'll likely send people to watch us, ensuring we don't leave the city."
"As for Zhang Yuanshang and his group, they won't wait too long either. They'll look for another opportunity. When the waters muddy, we'll be safe."
"Oh, I get it!"
With this explanation, Sha Lifei understood at once. He strode out the door, adopting a deeply worried expression, and headed toward the Jinbao Gambling House.
…
"Daoist, Zhou Bai tampered with something…"
As soon as Sha Lifei left, Li Yan shared his suspicions with Wang Daoxuan.
"The aura of an ape?"
Wang Daoxuan, stroking his beard, pondered. "From what you describe, it resembles a form of puppetry."
"Ancient witchcraft held that all things possess spirits and revered ghosts and gods, often summoning deities to possess the body, known as 'descending spirits.' Later, this was passed to the Fangxian Dao, listed alongside immortality-forbidden arts as one of the two Fangxian techniques."
"With the rise of the orthodox Mystic Sect, they canonized true gods, suppressed illicit worship, and the court eradicated the Fangxian Dao. Some secret techniques spread among the common folk, evolving in various ways. For instance, the circular light and spirit-writing techniques in the Golden Gate are derivatives of descending spirits."
"Puppetry is similar, using the aura of a living person combined with yin-sha energy. Straw effigies, paper figures for spectral scouting, wooden puppets—there are many forms. Many experts of esoteric lineages excel in this art."
"The Zhou family must have enlisted a master of an esoteric lineage!"
Li Yan's brows furrowed slightly. "Not a folk shaman?"
Wang Daoxuan shook his head. "Such techniques are closely guarded secrets of specific schools. Folk shamans, though they often borrow the power of ghosts and gods, are not adept in this path."
Li Yan's eyes narrowed. "It seems I miscalculated. If news of my grave injury spreads, the Zhou family, wary of Zhang Yuanshang's group, won't act openly. But they might hire a sorcerer to move in secret."
"There's no need to worry about that."
Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and sighed. "You underestimate the Mystic Sect of Guanzhong."
"Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the Mystic Sect has flourished in Guanzhong. As the capital of several dynasties, this land, where feng shui dragon veins converge, is filled with the tombs of emperors and generals. Daoist temples and monasteries are countless."
"With grand and minor geomantic patterns interwoven, the divine astral energy is so potent that ordinary malevolent spirits dare not approach. Common folk might live their entire lives without encountering ghosts or demons."
"The greatest danger in Guanzhong lies in ancient Qin and Han tombs. When the Fangxian Dao was prevalent, some, seeking immortality, set up sinister arrays in their burials."
"During times of war and chaos, aside from grave robbers and armies looting tombs, a single misstep could unleash rampant corpses or spectral soldiers. Thus, the orthodox Mystic Sect established altars in Chang'an, Zhongnan Mountain, and Huashan, maintaining vast contingents of spiritual troops."
"Each year, during divine festivals, they either perform rituals to feed and pacify lost souls or deploy troops to patrol, razing illicit shrines and hunting malevolent spirits."
"Xianyang is no different. The city god temple enshrines Meng Chong, a great general of the Qin era, a master of military strategy in life and a formidable ghost in death. Enfeoffed as city god to this day, his divine might is unfathomable, and his spectral troops are numerous."
"To harm someone with sorcery in Xianyang city is, at most, to cast curses or cause accidents. To command spectral troops is tantamount to slitting one's own throat."
"Take the Zhou family's small tricks, for example. A single burst of your hidden force and true words shattered their puppetry."
"When you sleep, hang the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin at the foot of your bed. Ordinary puppetry meant to harm cannot approach you."
"That's reassuring."
Li Yan nodded slightly. "For now, we'll stay put at home and watch the drama unfold."
Wang Daoxuan, understanding Li Yan's intentions, said with concern, "In Xianyang, with the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin for protection, Mystic Sect techniques are no threat. But Zhou Pan has reached the level of transforming force—you're no match for him."
Li Yan gazed out the window, his expression calm.
"I'm not foolish enough to face him head-on. I'm simply waiting for an opportunity to force him to reveal the truth from years ago…"
…
Elsewhere, Sha Lifei noticed something amiss shortly after leaving.
It was nearly dusk, and smoke rose from chimneys in every household in the old alley. Yet the house across from the Inquiry Hall had its gate tightly shut.
A half-hidden head peeked out, quickly retracting upon seeing him.
"Cowardly thieves!"
Sha Lifei cursed under his breath and quickened his pace.
An old hand at navigating the martial world, he was full of bluster and quick-witted. With Li Yan's explanation, he grasped their predicament.
It was simply a matter of feigning illness and playing the part—keeping a low profile, watching from the sidelines, and avoiding being used as a firecracker.
With a plan in mind, he ignored the spies trailing him, even adopting a flustered demeanor, deliberately walking through crowded streets.
Before long, he arrived at the Jinbao Gambling House.
"Well, if it isn't Hero Sha?"
"You really made a name for yourself today!"
"Should've bet with you…"
As soon as he entered the casino, a crowd swarmed around him.
They weren't particularly warm—most didn't even know Sha Lifei. They were merely joining the excitement, striking up conversation to seem familiar.
In the future, when recounting the event, they could claim Sha Lifei was an old friend, and Li Yan, the arena fighter, would have to call them "uncle."
It was much like some people Li Yan knew in his past life, who'd cozy up to the wealthy at events, snap a photo, exchange a word, then boast of sworn brotherhood to scam others.
Sha Lifei knew their game. With a worried expression, he cupped his hands. "Friends, I have urgent business today. Let's catch up another time—please understand."
"Of course, of course, Hero Sha, you go ahead."
Seeing his demeanor, the crowd began to speculate.
Though they wouldn't say it to his face, they'd surely gossip later. News of Li Yan's grave injury would likely spread across Xianyang by nightfall.
Sha Lifei ignored them, taking his betting slip to the wooden counter at the back. Just as he was about to cash out, the casino clerk bowed respectfully. "Hero Sha, please come with me. Our manager wishes to see you."
"Oh?"
Sha Lifei's heart skipped a beat.
He'd anticipated trouble from the Iron Blade or White Ape gangs on the road, but not that Manager Wu of the Jinbao Gambling House would summon him first.
The Jinbao Gambling House had powerful backers.
But they had no connection—what did they want with him?
Uneasy, Sha Lifei followed the clerk to an elegant chamber on the second floor.
There, Manager Wu, all smiles, greeted him. A lavish spread of chicken, duck, fish, and meat adorned the large round table.
"Hahaha…"
Seeing Sha Lifei enter, Manager Wu rose at once, laughing. "I had a feeling Hero Sha would come by now, so I prepared a feast to welcome you."
Sha Lifei, puzzled, said, "Manager Wu, this is…"
"No need to worry, Hero Sha."
Manager Wu shook his head. "You saw that day—I have some bad blood with that Yuan Qu. But circumstances forced me to hold back from confronting him."
"Today, your arena victory and seeing Yuan's sour face brought me great joy. I invited Hero Sha for a few drinks to celebrate…"
Sha Lifei didn't buy this nonsense.
Casino managers were as cunning as they came. Such hospitality without cause surely hid ulterior motives.
Though unsure of the reason, Sha Lifei shook his head. "I… appreciate Manager Wu's kindness, but I have urgent matters. I need to grab the money and head to the pharmacy."
"Oh?"
Manager Wu's brows furrowed. "Is Young Master Li badly hurt?"
Sha Lifei's face was bitter. "He'll need months to recover."
Manager Wu nodded slightly, sighing. "In that case, I won't press you. Wang Cheng, add another hundred taels of silver as a small token of my regards."
"No, no, that's too much."
Sha Lifei feigned reluctance, but accepted the money without hesitation.
As he was about to take his leave, he glanced at the table of food, scratched his head, and said, "Well, I still need to order food for them. Since Manager Wu has kindly offered, could I pack some to save time on the way?"
Manager Wu: "…"
…
Shortly after, Sha Lifei left the casino, laden with bags of food.
The moment he departed, Manager Wu swiftly shut the door.
With a clatter of mechanisms, a bookshelf in the room slid open.
The casino chamber concealed a hidden passage.
A woman in white emerged, her appearance refined and elegant.
If Sha Lifei were present, he would have recognized her as the white-clad concubine beside Master Lu!
*(End of Chapter)*