CHAPTER 165: CHAPTER 164: MALEVOLENT AURA

The rune sent out to deliver the secret message only returned from outside the following morning, looking like he had traveled quite a distance, clearly showing signs of fatigue.

"Master, the Chifu Guard is stationed twenty li beyond the county town. After giving him the secret message, I also told him that the circumstances and final outcome of the Li State military camp incident are all detailed in the message.

The Imperial Censor was unexpectedly injured at the Li State military camp, and the injury was severe. To avoid risking his life, he had to stay here to recuperate and will return to report back once he’s healed."

Lu Qing nodded in satisfaction, signaling the rune to go rest, and then asked Zhu Yu, "What do you think of this matter?"

"Our previous guess was probably right." Zhu Yu nodded knowingly and added, "Although the Chifu Guard belongs to the Holy Emperor, it seems the Holy Emperor doesn’t entirely trust them either.

Whether this is a good thing or not for the Holy Emperor remains to be seen..."

She glanced at Lu Qing, "But for you, it might actually be something you’d be glad to see."

Lu Qing didn’t comment, just raised a finger with a smile, making a gesture to be silent.

After breakfast, Lu Qing called for Fu Lu and instructed him to buy several more sets of Taoist robes according to the sizes of everyone, modeled after Yan Daoxin’s robe.

This wasn’t difficult, and in a little over an hour, Fu Lu returned with the items.

"Why do you need so many Taoist robes?" When Fu Lu returned, Yan Daoxin was lounging in Lu Qing’s room, idly snacking on salted watermelon seeds, and he squinted suspiciously at Lu Qing when he saw Fu Lu, with a meaty face, carrying several Taoist robes of various sizes to Lu Qing. "You’re not planning to disguise yourselves as Taoists and have me smuggle you into Shuo Country, are you?

No way, I won’t take you!

If it weren’t for getting involved in this Li State debacle, I was planning to detour to Qu State and head to Lan Country from there, never had I intended to go to Shuo Country!

The territory of Shuo Country is just barren stone mountains where only those interested in minerals would go. I’m here for herbs, not interested at all!"

"If I remember correctly, if not for Zhu Yu, none of us would know why Pang Centurion was burned by invisible flames, right?

Zhu Yu isn’t someone well-versed in poisonous herbs and drugs, yet as a Shuo Country woman, she could recognize something we couldn’t even name like Lai Jiao. How can you be so sure Shuo Country doesn’t have rare medicinal herbs unknown to others?" Lu Qing flipped through a book in hand without even lifting an eyelid.

Yan Daoxin initially refused very staunchly, but upon hearing Lu Qing’s words, he hesitated, feeling there might be some truth to it. After a brief internal struggle, he threw the watermelon seeds back onto the plate, stood up, brushed off the peels from his body, and began walking out while muttering, "Fine, fine! I’ll trust you this time!

But whether this works out or not, you all will have to hold responsibility by then!"

With that, he exited the room.

It wasn’t until the evening meal that Yan Daoxin reappeared, handing four ordinations to Lu Qing, Zhu Yu, and the others.

The paper of those four ordinations seemed deliberately aged with tea water, with all the details neatly written: the Taoist’s original place, secular name, age, master’s name, etc., including the endorsements and official stamps, all flawlessly crafted, appearing indistinguishable from genuine ones.

Zhu Yu held hers for quite a while. She had never seen a real ordination before, but she thought the one she held could certainly pass for the real thing.

"I didn’t expect this ’skill’ from you, Divine Doctor!" she couldn’t help but marvel.

Yan Daoxin, as long as he kept quiet, was good-looking beyond compare with an extraordinary, ethereal charm that seemed untouched by the world, like a banished immortal.

Yet, as soon as he opened his mouth, that natural elegance was immediately diminished to nothing.

This "forgery" skill of his was even more jaw-dropping.

"Mutual admiration, I didn’t expect that a princess like you would dare to perform an autopsy." Yan Daoxin grinned, casually cupping his hands toward her, clearly not treating Zhu Yu as an outsider and disregarding any concern about appearances.

He pointed to Lu Qing, "Otherwise, do you think this fellow would have gained such insight and skills if he had obediently copied sutras at the Shanqing Temple?

It’s all thanks to my ’skill’ that he has achieved that!"

"Then who copied the sutras when he went out with you?" Zhu Yu asked with curiosity.

"Of course, that would be Fu Wen and Fu Lu!" Yan Daoxin, with his approach of answering all questions, nodded toward Fu Lu who was scratching his head and grinning beside him. "The two brothers perfected mimicking Lu Qing’s handwriting, staying at Shanqing Temple to practice while helping him copy sutras as well.

Otherwise, each month people from the palace would come to collect the sutras copied by Lu Qing. Though they didn’t have to see him in person, the amount of sutras to be copied each month couldn’t have any ambiguity."

"Does the Holy Emperor really care about this?" Zhu Yu was puzzled. She didn’t understand why Emperor Jin would dispatch people every month to the distant Shanqing Temple to retrieve Lu Qing’s handwritten sutras and even verify the quantity matched.

She initially wanted to ask what purpose Emperor Jin had in having Lu Qing copy sutras, but considering every time a topic related to Lu Qing’s past came up, he always seemed to deliberately shift the focus with a lack of seriousness. With Yan Daoxin and Fu Lu present now, Zhu Yu hesitated to bring it up, choosing a more subtle approach in her inquiry.

Yan Daoxin, unlike Lu Qing, held no reservations as he listened to Zhu Yu’s query and sneered, "It’s not that he truly cares, more likely it’s the older officials at court who care!

I heard these old folks speaking to the Emperor, saying Lu Qing, who survived the massacre of his entire family at a young age, was ominous by nature, and hence, needed to copy sutras for peace. Only sincere sutra copying could dissolve his ominous nature.

Otherwise, if he returned to the Capital, he might disturb the Emperor’s imperial aura, among other superstitious notions.

Therefore, they requested the Emperor every month to verify if the number of sutras Lu Qing copied matched, and if they were indeed in his handwriting."

Yan Daoxin shook his head and laughed coldly as he spoke, "It’s ridiculous, these military generals who have blood on their hands are in court every day without worrying about disturbing the dragon’s aura, yet they allege this about Lu Qing!

My master said, Lu Qing’s destiny is aligned with wealth and nobility, perfect to assist a wise ruler. If not for the divinely ordained fortune, how could he have survived calamity?"