Chapter 44

Deep into the night.

In the guest room, the candle flickered.

Scholar Su held the letter in his hand and circled it over the flame, which immediately ignited, turning to ashes in no time.

"The Immortal Map of the Mountains and Rivers has indeed been stolen, but this matter is still kept secret, known only to a few. As for the grand assembly three months from now, it will proceed as scheduled," Scholar Su said. "Nearly half of the disciples of the Astronomical Bureau have begun searching for the Immortal Map of the Mountains and Rivers, scattered throughout the Great Virtue Holy Dynasty."

"If that's the case, then it's just as well," Lu Qing whispered. "The Chen family has been acting strangely lately, gradually disregarding the court. Today, at the birthday celebration, they dared to frame others in front of the Grand Scholar, and were easily apprehended. Besides, many martial artists have gone missing, and the source of the matter points to the Chen family."

"I sent people to secretly investigate the Chen family, but none returned. I speculate that there is a highly skilled martial artist within the Chen family, making them difficult to deal with. If someone from the Astronomical Bureau comes, with the divine powers of a cultivator, they should be able to subdue him."

Mentioning divine powers, a hint of surprise flashed in Lu Qing's eyes.

Scholar Su was even more surprised that Lu Qing mentioned divine powers. The Astronomical Bureau maintained the order of the Great Virtue Holy Dynasty, and matters concerning immortals and deities were known only to a few. He didn't expect Lu Qing to be so well-informed.

After careful thought, Scholar Su shook his head slightly and said, "If someone else from the Astronomical Bureau comes, they can certainly help you subdue the Chen family. But this time..."

Lu Qing frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The person coming has a special status," Scholar Su shook his head. "No one can summon him except for Yuan Shoufeng."

Lu Qing was astonished. "Only Scholar Yuan can summon him?"

Scholar Su nodded. "That's right!"

Lu Qing hesitated slightly. "Then what about the current emperor?"

Scholar Su replied, "He can't summon him either."

Lu Qing drew a sharp breath.

Scholar Su looked out the window at the night sky.

A star streaked across the sky, like the light of an immortal's sword.

"That is the most mysterious person in the Astronomical Bureau."

...

In the Daoist temple, Qin Xianyu was overjoyed, breaking his usual frugality to buy a large feast of meat and fish. Although the money in the temple had been searched and taken, the dozen or so taels of silver he had on him were more than enough.

The aroma of the meat wafted through the air, mingling with a peculiar fragrance.

This was the scent emitted by the spirit water infused with jade pills.

Seeing the mess in the room, Uncle Fu couldn't help but shed tears.

Qin Xianyu smiled bitterly. Today, the temple had been searched, and over two hundred taels of silver were taken, but nothing else was lost. However, the room looked in disarray, making it appear quite pitiful.

The temple itself was already incomplete and in poor condition, and with today's mess, it looked as if it had been abandoned for years.

Seeing his young master living in such a place, Uncle Fu felt a deep sorrow.

Qin Xianyu said, "Uncle Fu, I told you, today was just an unexpected event. Actually, I'm doing quite well, and I made a fortune, but it was taken today. But don't worry, in a few days, I'll get it back tenfold."

Uncle Fu thought he was just trying to comfort him and lowered his head, ashamed. "It's all my fault. I've made the young master spend so much money again, buying all this meat."

"Let's not talk about that," Qin Xianyu shook his head and smiled. "Uncle Fu, didn't you go back home?"

Uncle Fu was an old servant of the Qin family, a retainer from Grandfather Qin's generation, who later became the steward. Despite the Qin family not being large, there were many trivial matters, all handled by Uncle Fu. Later, when the medicine shop became busy, they hired four or five servants to help.

After Grand Physician Qin passed away, everyone scattered like birds, but Uncle Fu stayed, even without pay.

But with only Qin Xianyu left in the Qin family and the medicine shop taken by the county magistrate of Feng County and his relatives, Qin Xianyu felt he could manage the daily affairs on his own. So, at his insistence, he sent Uncle Fu back to his hometown to retire.

It was said that Uncle Fu had a son and two daughters in his hometown, to whom he used to send money every month.

Mentioning this, Uncle Fu's face darkened.

Qin Xianyu felt a heavy heart.

Although Uncle Fu didn't say much, Qin Xianyu could sense his sadness and helplessness.

Originally, Uncle Fu had been with the Qin family for many years and had less contact with his children, so their relationship was somewhat distant. In the past, he sent money home, but now that the Qin family was in decline, Uncle Fu, an old man without income, relied on his children for support.

His children, not particularly filial, were dissatisfied with an old man who couldn't earn money to support the family.

Uncle Fu didn't want to stay in his hometown and returned to Feng County to seek out Qin Xianyu. In his eyes, this young master was closer to him than his own children.

Qin Xianyu sighed and said, "Since that's the case, Uncle Fu, you can stay here."

Uncle Fu shook his head quickly.

He had come to seek refuge with Qin Xianyu, thinking that doing some odd jobs for the young master would be fine, but seeing the young master in such a dire situation, he didn't want to burden him. After all, for an ordinary family, supporting one more mouth was not easy.

Qin Xianyu looked at him and asked softly, "Do you want to leave?"

Uncle Fu didn't answer.

Qin Xianyu asked again, "Where will you go?"

Uncle Fu sighed, "I have a place to go."

For an old, destitute man who didn't want to return to his hometown, the options were either to take his own life or to live day by day, likely ending up starving to death on a day when he couldn't beg for food or freezing to death on a cold night.

Qin Xianyu ladled a bowl of meat soup and handed it to him, saying softly, "Uncle Fu, you don't believe I have thousands of taels of silver. Just wait two days, and when the money is delivered, you'll see. Even if that doesn't work out, my medical skills have improved, and I've cured two strange diseases, gaining some reputation. I can support both of us."

"Even if that fails..."

Qin Xianyu smiled slightly, got up, and took a piece of firewood from the stove, throwing it into the air. He formed his hand into a blade and sliced through it with a swift motion.

With a snap, the firewood broke in two.

Due to his cultivation of true qi, his strength had greatly increased, but true qi was a new force, and he wasn't a martial artist, so his skin was still tender. This strike caused a slight cut on the side of his palm, which bled slightly.

Qin Xianyu looked at the stunned Uncle Fu and smiled, "I've become skilled in martial arts, so I won't starve, right?"

Uncle Fu felt a great sense of relief and joy, tears streaming down his face.

Just then, shouts came from outside the temple.

"Qin Xianyu, come out quickly!"

"Brat!"

Qin Xianyu frowned.

Uncle Fu's eyes flashed with anger. "They're the ungrateful relatives of our Qin family."

Qin Xianyu frowned, his hand tightening slightly. He had never had any good feelings toward those so-called relatives, and they were the only group of people he currently despised.

"It's not good to always avoid them," Qin Xianyu said. "Let's go see."

Uncle Fu got up, gritting his teeth. "Young master, stay here. I'll go open the door."