Evening, Match-3 Puzzle Funeral Ho.
Scarlet light blazed fiercely within the cremation furnace, flas unleashed to their full might, as billows of thick smoke ceaselessly rose from the chimney.
The old owl in the tree grinned, round eyes like lanterns under the sinister moonlight, hanging amidst the branches.
The black, oily-furred old cat sharpened its claws, grooming the hair of one corpse after another.
The gray-skinned, fat rat carried freshly made urns to the service window, where a group of foxes lifted their tails, lining up for numbers.
White, shimring shadows nearly crowded the entire main hall, the low sobs unending; the drifting white banners spun restlessly in the wind.
In the monitoring room, the screen replayed dayti footage from the cremation chamber, but whenever it fast-forwarded to Zhang Fan making his move, a sharp static hiss would burst forth, and swathes of snowy static blurred the image.
"Brother, you should know, in Daoist Sect magical combat, without Primordial Spirit Observation, one cannot see the real thing. Surveillance won't catch anything."
At that mont, Liu Xingyu, who was standing in the distance, spoke, a lighter in hand; he flicked his thumb and snapped the lid open, a crisp decompressive click sounding out.
All forms are illusory; what the eye sees is not the truth, what the ear hears not the real. The true nature of this world can only be glimpsed through Primordial Spirit Observation.
Likewise, in Daoist magical combat, the ordinary mortal eye hardly perceives the myriad uncanny phenona—but with Primordial Spirit Observation, wondrous techniques fly forth: great fire blazing to scorch the heavens, icy cold to sever water and shape the earth… countless manifestations arise, marvelous beyond words.
"To glimpse a leopard through a tube, at least reveals a spot of its hide…"
At that mont, the man before the screen spoke. He slowly stood up, about the sa height as Liu Xingyu, their features sharing five or six points of resemblance, though his deanor was much more composed and reserved, lacking Liu Xingyu's feigned cold arrogance.
"Your Crimson Palace Li Fire is indeed a Daoist True Fla, but you temper it with Heart Fire—stirring it solely with emotion, a shortcut and a cheat. Up against a master like him, defeat is certain."
Bang…
As the words fell, the lighter in Liu Xingyu's hand suddenly exploded, the flaring sparks illuminating the dim surveillance room.
"Brother, I know things like that already. You don't need to say it again."
Liu Xingyu gritted his teeth, his palm quivering as he brushed away the bristling sparks, coming away utterly unhard.
His eyes glared wide, as if fury spurted forth; blue veins pulsed faintly upon his forehead.
Liu Xingtui, the older brother born of the sa mother, had him firmly in hand from childhood—before him, Liu Xingyu seed to harbor no secrets at all.
"Nurturing emotion is hard work. You keep a silent, frosty front daily, but it's all a thod to cultivate anger, to store fire." Liu Xingtui spoke blandly.
"Brother, it seems your technique's not quite there. This anger's wasted for nothing."
"Hmph."
Liu Xingyu snorted, tossing the ruined lighter into the bin beside him.
"How was I supposed to know a small company like Night is not bright would harbor such a master?"
Liu Xingyu's gaze sharpened to a single thread, fixed on the flickering playback, as if only Zhang Fan remained in his eyes.
"Night is not bright's hall may be small, but its demonic winds howl fiercely." Liu Xingtui said flatly.
"Don't forget, Bai Buran is also from Zhenwu Mountain—by generation, he's the sa class as the Director."
Match-3 Puzzle Funeral Ho's director, ng Qingtong, had cultivated on Zhenwu Mountain for many years. It was only ten years ago that he ca to Yujing City, taking over from Liu Nanxu to beco director.
By generation, ng Qingtong and Bai Buran are peers of the sa ntorship.
"This Zhang Fan… is no simple figure." Liu Xingtui spoke indifferently.
"Brother, do you know him?" Liu Xingyu couldn't help but ask.
"I've heard of him."
Liu Xingtui said mildly, "Lately in Yujing City he's been stealing the lilight. I hear Xiong Family's Xiong Qianqiu and the new Xiong Ba, as well as Wang Family's Wang Xuangang… all keep close company with him."
"Just a few days ago, he was also in hot contact with the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance, looking every bit like their unofficial man."
"Brother, how do you know all this?" Liu Xingyu could not resist asking.
"It's no secret." Liu Xingtui spoke mildly. "How many tis have I told you? Go out more. Don't spend all day burning corpses and cultivating."
"Entering the mortal world is also cultivation; Red Dust too is tempering of the heart."
"There you go again…"
Liu Xingyu muttered, but dared not refute.
"Enough, there's no need to brood over today's defeat."
Liu Xingtui waved a hand, glanced once more at the paused image of Zhang Fan, then idly switched off the display.
"Next ti, if fate allows, I'd like to et this Zhang Fan myself."
"Brother, they ca today looking for the Director. The Director was clearly here. If the Daoist Alliance catches wind of this, it may not end well—after all, a powerful dragon can't suppress the local serpent." Liu Xingyu recalled the events of the day and couldn't help but speak up.
Although the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance's investigation had nothing to do with Match-3 Puzzle Funeral Ho, still less with ng Qingtong, but refusing to see them outright inevitably rubbed so the wrong way. Should the Daoist Alliance find out, it could cause all sorts of complications and trouble later on.
From ancient tis, the common folk never contend with officials; the wealthy never vie against authorities. Since joining the living world, even those in the Daoist Sect unavoidably must deal with those above—the Daoist Alliance represents the authority above.
"All that needed to be handed over has been handed over. Whether to see them or not is unimportant. Didn't you already give them the necessary docunts?"
Liu Xingtui waved his hand: "Besides, the Director is in closed cultivation and has reached a critical juncture. Even if Lou Hechuan himself ca, he probably would not be received."
These words caused Liu Xingyu to show a glimr of curiosity.
"Brother, what Daoist Skill do you think the Director is cultivating? He's been in seclusion for more than two months. Normally, he goes on a trip every half month."
"Do you know why the Director goes away each ti?" Liu Xingtui replied with a question of his own.
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