booktalesy Chapter 96: Secret Meeting in Qingzhou
Chapter 96: Secret Meeting in Qingzhou
The autumn colors in Qingzhou Prefecture are so intense that they cannot be dispelled.
Dusk pressed down heavily from the horizon, like ink soaking into rice paper, layer upon layer deeper. A biting wind swept along the base of the tiled walls, the withered branches whistling and groaning, drawing away the last vestiges of daytime warmth. Shops lining the streets had already closed their doors, only a few dim lights peeking through the cracks, hazy like the eyes of a sleepy person. A few scattered pedestrians hurried past, their footsteps echoing hollowly on the cobblestones, making the stillness of the twilight all the more unsettling.
A small carriage with a blue canopy rolled over the wet stone road and quietly turned into the alleyway next to the main gate of the government office.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Lin Yan stepped out first. He wore a slightly worn, dark blue robe, which was starched and looked exceptionally crisp. A black silk sash was tied around his waist, making his figure appear even more upright. The weariness of the past few days had etched lines of thinness on his face; his jawline was more defined than before, and his eye sockets were slightly sunken. Only his eyes were more profound and serene, with two cold, star-like points in their depths. When he looked at someone, there was no emotion in his gaze, yet there was an indescribable penetrating power.
He turned and reached out, and a slender hand emerged from the carriage and rested on his wrist. When Su Qingyao got out of the carriage, she wore a lotus-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) over a moon-white velvet cloak embroidered with lotus blossoms. The hood was loosely pulled up, revealing only a glimpse of her delicate, fair chin. Her eyes were lowered, and she followed Lin Yan half a step behind him with light steps, her silence revealing a resolute strength.
The last person to be dragged off the vehicle by two men in plain clothes was Liu Xiong. He was no longer the imposing figure he once was. He was haphazardly wrapped in a dusty, coarse cloth robe, his hair disheveled, and his face covered with a black cloth, revealing only his pale, cracked lips and slightly twitching cheeks. His hands and feet were bound tightly with specially made cowhide ropes, and his mouth was stuffed with hemp seeds, so he could only make suppressed "hoarse" sounds from deep in his throat. His whole body was limp as mud.
The group quickly entered through the side gate of the main residence. The door closed silently behind them and was bolted shut, completely cutting off the last bit of sunlight and the sound of the wind from the alley.
The mansion's corridors were winding, and a steward had already led the way. After passing through several courtyards, we arrived at a secluded study. Lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed gently in the autumn breeze, casting flickering shadows.
Sun Wenyuan was already waiting in the corridor. He wasn't wearing his official robes today, only a dark blue long gown over a dark cotton vest. His usual gentle smile was gone, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity. Seeing Lin Yan and the others arrive, he strode forward, his gaze lingering on Lin Yan's face for a moment, then sweeping over Liu Xiong, finally settling on Su Qingyao's slightly raised, clear eyes. He breathed a slight sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "Brother Lin, Miss Su, you must be tired from your journey. The master has been waiting in the study for quite some time."
Lin Yan nodded slightly and said to Lu Ling, who was accompanying him, "Take the person into the secret room in the west wing, lock it with two locks, and you guard it yourself."
"Yes!" Lu Ling solemnly accepted the order and gestured to the two men to drag Liu Xiong toward the west wing. Liu Xiong struggled in vain, his "hoarse" sounds in his throat becoming more urgent, but he was quickly dragged out of sight.
Lin Yan then turned to Sun Wenyuan: "Thank you for showing me the way, Mr. Sun."
Sun Wenyuan stepped aside to lead the way, but his gaze involuntarily drifted back to Lin Yan. In just a few days, this young colleague seemed to have undergone some inexplicable change—not merely the pressure of a breakthrough in cultivation, but a deeper, more profound restraint and aloofness, as if bearing a great secret. A thought flickered in Sun Wenyuan's mind, but he showed no sign of it on his face, suppressing his doubt and subtle awe deep within.
The three walked through the corridor to the study door. Sun Wenyuan knocked very lightly on the door.
"Come in." Zhou Yan's voice came from inside, as steady and calm as ever, but with a hint of imperceptible hesitation.
Sun Wenyuan pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Lin Yan and Su Qingyao go first.
The study was simply furnished. Several stacks of unapproved official documents were piled on the large rosewood desk, with a jade paperweight holding down the open pages. In the corner, a copper charcoal brazier burned brightly, the fine silver charcoal emitting a gentle warmth without open flames, dispelling the autumn chill from the room. A faint scent of ink and the aroma of aged books filled the air.
Zhou Yan stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing at the deep night. He wore only a plain dark blue Taoist robe, no crown, and his hair was loosely tied up with an ebony hairpin. Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around.
In the candlelight, the usually composed chief of the Demon Suppression Division of Qingzhou Prefecture looked thinner than before Lin Yan left, with faint dark circles under his eyes, indicating he hadn't slept well for the past few days. But his eyes were surprisingly bright, like two ancient wells, calm on the surface but surging beneath. His gaze first lingered on Lin Yan's face for a moment, as if scrutinizing and searching; then it moved to Su Qingyao, a hint of gentle concern flashing across his eyes; finally, he looked at Sun Wenyuan and nodded slightly.
"You're back." Zhou Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Sit down."
The three sat down as instructed. Sun Wenyuan personally poured a cup of warm ginseng tea for each of them. The steaming tea, carrying a hint of medicinal fragrance, filled the quiet room.
"The trip to Qixing'ao was extremely dangerous. It's a great fortune that you all returned safely," Zhou Yan said slowly, his gaze returning to Lin Yan. "What became of Liu Xiong and his men?"
"Reporting to you, sir," Lin Yan put down his teacup, his voice low but clear, "Liu Xiong plotted to use the monsters of Seven Star Pass and the 'Boiling Blood Powder' to wipe out my subordinates and all my men within the pass. I turned the tables on him, luring the monsters to attack his camp and capturing him in the chaos. Most of his elite soldiers perished in the beasts' jaws, and the rest scattered. Liu Xiong himself... his dantian was destroyed, rendering him a cripple. He has been secretly taken back and imprisoned in the secret room of the west wing."
A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes, and he tapped his fingers lightly twice on the smooth surface of the table. "Your dantian was destroyed... You did it yourself?"
"Yes." Lin Yan readily admitted, "The situation was critical at the time, and only by crippling his cultivation could we ensure our safety. Moreover, he was malicious and knew many secrets, so keeping his cultivation might cause unforeseen circumstances."
Zhou Yan remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly, offering no comment, only asking, "Now that the person has been captured, have you obtained a confession?"
Lin Yan did not answer immediately, but gently untied the blue cloth bundle on his lap.
Under the lamplight, what first appeared was a palm-sized jade butterfly, smooth and lustrous like mutton fat, with a subtle, shimmering light flowing around its edges. The moment the jade butterfly appeared, the air in the study seemed to freeze for a moment, and an indescribable, ancient, and mellow tranquility quietly permeated the space.
Zhou Yan's gaze was instantly drawn to the jade disc. As the person in charge, he was knowledgeable and could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary item; the Daoist charm and spiritual light it contained were far beyond what ordinary magical treasures could possess. His breathing quickened slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Then, Lin Yan took out another item and gently placed it next to the jade disc.
It was a jet-black token, neither gold nor jade, resembling wood or stone, warm and heavy to the touch. The two characters "Suppress Demons" on the front were ancient and vigorous, while the back featured intricate and mysterious array patterns of stars and constellations. The moment the token appeared, Zhou Yan's composure was shattered. He abruptly stood up from his chair, and in his haste, the wide sleeves of his robe knocked over the teacup beside him. With a crisp "clang," the porcelain cup shattered on the ground, splashing warm tea onto the hem of his robe and the surface of his shoes.
However, Zhou Yan seemed oblivious. His eyes were fixed on the dark token, his pupils contracted sharply, and the color drained from his face at a visible speed, replaced by a pallor that was a mixture of shock, horror, disbelief, and even a hint of fear. His lips trembled slightly, and his outstretched fingers trembled uncontrollably, as if he wanted to touch the token but dared not.
"This...this is..." Zhou Yan's voice was dry and hoarse, completely lacking his usual composure. "The Demon-Suppressing Decree?! At the beginning of the dynasty, the founding emperor personally bestowed it upon the first Imperial Preceptor, symbolizing the power to monitor all demons and monsters in the world and to control the various departments of the Demon-Suppressing Bureau...the Imperial Preceptor's token, the 'Mysterious Vault Demon-Suppressing Decree'?!"
His gaze suddenly shot towards Lin Yan, his eyes filled with an urgent need for confirmation and a deeper unease: "This thing...where did you get it?! According to the records, this token disappeared after it accompanied the National Preceptor Qingyangzi on his travels to explore the earth's veins, and has been missing for nearly two hundred years!"
Lin Yan met Zhou Yan's almost piercing gaze, slowly stood up, and bowed deeply to Zhou Yan, as well as to the jade disc and token.
"My lord, these two items were obtained by me from the remains of a senior in a secret cave called 'Spirit Milk Cave' deep within Seven Star Valley." Lin Yan's voice was deep and clear, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirring up ripples in the deathly silent study. "The remains of that senior were dressed in a moon-white Daoist robe, maintaining the posture of the Midnight-Noon Seal, their flesh incorruptible, as white and lustrous as jade. This jade butterfly was placed in his palm; this Demon-Suppressing Token was placed under the blue stone futon beneath him."
Zhou Yan swayed. Sun Wenyuan reacted quickly, stepping forward to support him, but Zhou Yan stopped him with a raised hand. Zhou Yan gripped the edge of the desk, his knuckles white from the effort, and slowly, with immense difficulty, uttered that name that had long become legendary, yet carried the weight of a thousand pounds:
"Senior... Qing... Yang... Zi?"
"That's right." Lin Yan nodded affirmatively. "By chance, I activated this inheritance jade disc with my spiritual power and was informed by a wisp of the remaining spiritual consciousness of Senior Qingyangzi, who was about to dissipate, of some... earth-shattering secrets."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Yan's pale face, Sun Wenyuan's bewildered expression, and Su Qingyao, who, though already aware of some of the truth, still felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing it again, continued in that calm yet terrifyingly powerful tone:
"The senior told me that about two hundred years ago, when he was exploring the 'Burning Heaven Purgatory Array' in Kunlun Mountain, he was ambushed by two mysterious enemies. One was a demon, resembling a cicada; the other... although humanoid and wearing a strange mask, his demonic nature was seven parts similar to 'Youming,' the demon lord who was suppressed a thousand years ago."
Zhou Yan's breathing suddenly became heavy.
"What's even more terrifying is that," Lin Yan's voice was lowered, yet it was as piercing as an ice pick, "that person used the unique technique created by Senior Qingyangzi—'Xuanqiong Finger'. The moves and the flow of spiritual energy were exactly the same."
"Boom—!"
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Zhou Yan's mind! He could no longer hold on, staggering back a step, his back slamming heavily against the towering bookshelf behind him, causing the books on it to rattle loudly. His face was ashen, his eyes unfocused, his lips moved but no sound came out, only his chest heaved violently.
Sun Wenyuan was also terrified, his hands and feet turning ice-cold. Although he didn't know the specifics of "Youming", the words "similar to the demon lord from a thousand years ago" and "using the national teacher's unique skills" were enough for him to piece together a terrifying conjecture that made him tremble all over.
Lin Yan felt a pang of sorrow as he watched Zhou Yan age ten years in an instant, but he had no choice but to continue: "Senior Qingyangzi burned most of his life force to escape, fleeing to Qixing'ao, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and passed away. Before his death, he pondered the identity of the person who attacked him, and only one answer came to his mind..."
He took a deep breath and, word by word, clearly uttered the name that was powerful enough to overthrow the current dynasty and shatter the beliefs of humanity:
"That masked person, who seems to share the same bloodline as Youming and knows the 'Mysterious Sky Finger'... is very likely the very person he has devoted himself to teaching for five hundred years, treating him like his own son, and entrusting him with important responsibilities to the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion and the Demon Suppression Bureau... the Daoist Youran."