Chapter 43: The Operation(1)

Xiu Jiming nodded silently, offering no further words.

Soon after, Lin Ling hurried out of bed to head to the kitchen for breakfast.

Once she finished eating, she dove straight back into the Pavilion of Records to study the Taoist Canon.

Meanwhile, Xiu Jiming lay in his own room, catching up on sleep.

The two of them spent several days in this strange routine until Gong Xuance came to find them.

What he saw was a spirited Lin Ling and a somewhat haggard Xiu Jiming.

At the sight, Gong Xuance could not help but click his tongue.

He pulled Lin Ling aside and whispered, “Little Ling, did you harvest his essence? Why is he in such a pathetic state?”

Lin Ling scratched her head, somewhat puzzled.

She pulled out a page and wrote: “What are you talking about? What does that have to do with me? I have no idea. He has seemed very sleepy these past few days. While I study charms during the day, he just sleeps in his room. Maybe his cultivation hit a snag.”

Xiu Jiming had very sharp ears and naturally overheard everything.

Upon hearing her words, he let out a muffled groan.

Gong Xuance approached Xiu Jiming with a mischievous grin.

He reached out and poked Xiu Jiming’s shoulder, chuckling wickedly.

“Junior Brother, what happened to you?”

Xiu Jiming’s expression soured even further.

He stewed for a long while before finally forcing out a single sentence.

“My cultivation hit a snag.”

He certainly could not tell anyone that the Little Fox had been hugging him while she slept every night.

He did not dare to make a move, which meant he had to endure those difficult nights in silence.

Seeing that he would not get a straight answer, Gong Xuance shrugged.

He did not press further, only patting Xiu Jiming’s shoulder with a knowing smirk.

Xiu Jiming glared at him but remained silent.

Ignoring him, Gong Xuance turned back to Lin Ling.

“Little Ling, do you know any of the Fox Clan’s unique skills? Something like the Fox Roar, for instance?”

Lin Ling thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

She seemed to possess a few abilities of that nature.

“Then tonight, I will take you to a place. I need you to reveal your true form as a member of the Fox Clan there. Can you do that?”

Gong Xuance asked, looking at Lin Ling expectantly.

Lin Ling nodded.

‘It should not be a problem.’

Although she had never tried it before, she figured that simply circulating her True Essence to release her true form should not be an issue.

“In that case, Junior Brother, I’ll need you to keep a close eye on our surroundings later so that Little Ling doesn’t get snatched away.”

Gong Xuance nodded in satisfaction and looked at Xiu Jiming with a confident expression.

Xiu Jiming gave him a long, searching look, confirming once more, “Are you certain this mission truly carries no danger?”

Gong Xuance beat his chest and said boisterously, “I guarantee it is absolutely, positively, one hundred percent safe. If there is any danger, you can hold me accountable. I will put my head under your sword and won’t even try to run.”

Xiu Jiming remained silent, though he truly felt an urge to strike the man down with his sword.

“I have roughly figured out that fellow’s background; I just haven’t found a way to catch him yet. After Yuzhou fell, members of the Fox Clan became quite rare,” Gong Xuance explained as he walked.

Lin Ling and Xiu Jiming exchanged a glance before following after him.

***

Somewhere in Longchuan County.

In a tea house on a street corner, Gong Xuance sat on a wooden chair with his legs crossed.

Opposite him sat an old man who appeared to be at least seventy or eighty years old.

The elder was staring at the game board with a troubled expression.

Gong Xuance laughed.

“Out of moves? Once I play this, I win.”

Xiu Jiming and Lin Ling sat at a separate table.

Lin Ling held a bowl of grass jelly, with several skewers of chicken wings sitting on the table.

Xiu Jiming had handed his own tea leaves to the shopkeeper to brew a pot.

Afterward, he used a small gourd to store enough tea to fill a large vat.

The shopkeeper watched in a daze, as it was his first time seeing someone use a gourd Magic Treasure to store tea.

Lin Ling looked at the red gourd in his hand and curiously wrote: “Is it insulated?”

“Yes,” Xiu Jiming replied leisurely.

They chatted idly, relaxing while they watched Gong Xuance play Go.

After winning an unknown number of games, Gong Xuance triumphantly set down his piece and reached out his hand.

“Old man, how many times has it been now? No backing out.”

The elder stroked his beard and finally let out a soft sigh, striking his knee with his fist.

“Fine, fine!”

The old man grumbled as he fumbled around his clothes, eventually pulling a thin slip of paper from his robe and slapping it onto the table.

He glanced at Gong Xuance and sneered, “You are the one who wants to find this. Whatever you do, do not sell me out. Otherwise, I will have to personally bring your head to your grave.”

Gong Xuance teased him with a smile.

“Elder Yang, you are as humorous as ever. Didn’t I come to see you the moment I got out of prison? This shows how sincere I am toward you.”

The man known as Elder Yang glared at him.

“Bullshit! Forget it. If you weren’t investigating the Yinzong case, you wouldn’t have come to see me in eight hundred years.”

Gong Xuance laughed but did not take the bait. Instead, he began resetting the board on the table.

The old man did not leave either, sitting calmly across from him and watching Gong Xuance slowly organize the pieces.

Before long, a new game began.

However, there seemed to be no stakes this time, and they played casually.

Xiu Jiming gave the game only a cursory glance before shifting his attention to Lin Ling, who was already on her sixth skewer of grilled wings.

“Ling’er, eat a bit less,” Xiu Jiming said.

“If you eat too much of this junk, you’ll get an upset stomach.”

Lin Ling looked at him with disdain.

She then held out the half-eaten chicken wing toward him and pouted, gesturing as if to ask if he wanted a bite.

Xiu Jiming looked at the wing with a pensive gaze and leaned in to take a bite.

Lin Ling quickly pulled her hand back, causing him to bite the air.

She then stuck her tongue out at him.

Her meaning was clear — he obviously wanted to eat it too, yet he had the nerve to scold her!

Xiu Jiming felt somewhat helpless and could only let her be.

She would realize her mistake once she suffered the consequences.

When a fresh round of skewers was brought out, Xiu Jiming discreetly slipped the waiter some silver and instructed him to use only the best ingredients.

They lingered there as time ticked away.

Eventually, the sky began to darken.

The old man stood up from the table and rubbed his aching back.

He turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he seemed unsettled.

He fell silent for a moment before saying, “Kid, remember this. There are some things you shouldn’t touch. Be careful, or you’ll lose your life. I never try to scare you.”

Gong Xuance packed away the board and smiled.

“I understand.”

Seeing this, the old man said no more.

He nodded silently and turned to walk away.

Gong Xuance put the board away and settled the bill, preparing to leave.

Xiu Jiming patted Lin Ling, who was dozing off on the table.

“Let’s go, Ling’er. It’s time to get to work.”