Chapter 36: Temporary Residence Pass

The two of them hadn’t even come down the mountain yet when someone came looking for them the next day. When the visitor arrived, Liu Xiaolou happened to be out hunting at the foot of the mountain. Just as he was carrying a plump wild boar back up the trail, the man stopped him along the path. “You must be Liu Xiaolou, the one Lord Xingde mentioned?” The man looked to be in his forties. His mustache was neatly parted at the corners of his mouth, and he eyed Liu Xiaolou from head to toe. “And you are...?” Liu Xiaolou asked, clearly confused. “I’m Hou Sheng, an inspector from the Qingyu Sect,” the man replied, resting his left hand behind his back while stroking his mustache with his right. Liu Xiaolou quickly set down his carrying pole and gave a respectful salute. “Greetings, Inspector Hou.” The Qingyu Sect was located on Junshan Island, in the center of Dongting Lake, less than two hundred li to the east. It was one of the most renowned cultivation sects in the land. Its reputation far surpassed that of the Zhanglong Sect in western Xian, the Dongyang Sect in the south, or the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu in central Xian. Inspectors like Hou weren’t necessarily powerful cultivators, but they were internal officials responsible for handling investigations. To someone like Liu Xiaolou, they were not to be trifled with. The full weight of their sect stood behind them. “You’re a rogue cultivator from Wulong Mountain in western Xian?” Inspector Hou asked. “Yes.” Liu Xiaolou answered honestly, just as he had when dealing with the Zhanglong Sect’s inspector. In situations like this, honesty wasn’t optional. Inspectors could verify anything on a whim, and if they caught you lying, they might just decide to pin some open case on you. That would be real trouble. “And where exactly do you cultivate on Wulong Mountain?” “Inspector Hou, I practice at Qianzhu Ridge,” Liu Xiaolou replied. “Then tell me, what mountain lies to the northwest of Qianzhu Ridge? What about the northeast? Who are your neighbors?” Was this an interrogation? Was he just checking whether Liu Xiaolou had made up his background? Liu Xiaolou had come here aboveboard, so there was no need to lie. He answered every question truthfully. Inspector Hou didn’t react one way or the other to his answers. Most likely, he didn’t actually know what mountains or people were near Qianzhu Ridge. He was probably just making a point. “I’ll be verifying all this. You’d better be telling the truth.” Liu Xiaolou let out a helpless sigh. “You’re welcome to look into it, Inspector. Anyone around Wulong Mountain can confirm what I’ve said.” Then Inspector Hou asked what brought Liu Xiaolou to Xingde Mountain, how long he planned to stay, and so on. Afterward, he said, “You rogue cultivators, since you’ve come here, you’d better keep your heads down and stay out of trouble. If anything shady happens, the Qingyu Sect won’t take it lightly.” Being stopped and questioned like this for no good reason, Liu Xiaolou could only swallow his frustration and nod. “Understood.” “Have you seen anyone suspicious lately?” Inspector Hou asked. “What exactly does the inspector mean by ‘suspicious’?” “People with unclear backgrounds. The kind who skulk around, hiding their intentions. That sort of thing.” “I haven’t seen anyone like that. But if I do, I’ll report it to you right away.” Inspector Hou gave a slight nod. “The Qingyu Sect is currently sweeping the Taoyuan mountain range," he said thoughtfully. "Anyone with questionable origins is being driven out to keep the area peaceful. You're lucky. Lord Xingde is willing to vouch for you. But if you plan to stay here for a while, you’ll need to register and get a temporary residence token.” He patted his waist. Only then did Liu Xiaolou notice the string of small wooden tags hanging from Hou’s belt. He immediately understood. “If I may ask, Inspector, what’s the usual fee?” This kind of thing wasn’t much different from what the Zhanglong Sect did to dominate western Xian. Every three to five years, they’d send their own inspectors into the mountains to drive out “unregistered” rogue cultivators from other regions. Liu Xiaolou was all too familiar with the routine. Inspector Hou nodded, clearly pleased with Liu Xiaolou’s understanding. His tone softened, and he even smiled. “Twenty taels of silver.” That cleaned Liu Xiaolou out. He handed over all the silver he had on him and received a wooden token in return, carved with the characters: “Temporary Residence — Taoyuan Mountains.” Inspector Hou left satisfied. Liu Xiaolou spat hard on the ground. “What a piece of shit.” Back at Xingde Temple, Lord Xingde warned him, “Don’t go down the mountain for the next couple of days. The Qingyu Sect is dealing with something and they’re out searching for unfamiliar rogue cultivators. I’ve vouched for you, but that only goes so far. If you run into one of their inspectors while I’m not around, you could end up getting the short end of the stick.” “Does the Qingyu Sect oversee the Taoyuan mountain range?” Liu Xiaolou asked. “This area lies between the territories of two sects; the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu to the west, and the Qingyu Sect by Dongting Lake to the east. When trouble comes, both claim authority. But when everything’s peaceful, neither wants to get involved.” “So what exactly happened with the Qingyu Sect?” Liu Xiaolou asked again. Lord Xingde shook his head. “Word is, a group of rogue cultivators looted the Zhou family a few days ago. The Zhous are a cultivation clan affiliated with the Qingyu Sect, and they’re pretty wealthy. The loss was huge. Supposedly it was led by some thief with the last name Wang. He pulled together a whole gang of petty scoundrels...” Liu Xiaolou was speechless. Boss Wang was rallying people again? For a moment, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of longing; what a shame he hadn’t gotten an invite from that wanderer Dai. Judging from what Lord Xingde said, the Zhou family must’ve been a fat target... “Xiaolou? Xiaolou?” Lord Xingde called out. “What are you daydreaming about? Don’t tell me you know something about this gang?” Liu Xiaolou quickly shook his head. “Me? Not at all! You know I’ve been here at the temple for more than half a month. Those scoundrels, robbing the rich and plundering everywhere.... truly despicable. If I knew anything, I’d report it to the Qingyu Sect right away. No way I’d let them run wild.” “Actually... " Lord Xingde said, stroking his beard, "that might not even be necessary,” “Huh? What do you mean, Senior?” “The ones in charge of the Zhou family aren’t good people. Taking a loss might just be what they deserve.” “They’re not good people? I see...” “There are decent folks in the Zhou family, sure. But the ones calling the shots? Not among them.” “I... understand.” So Liu Xiaolou decided to lie low and stay off the mountain trails. The wild boar he had brought back weighed over a hundred pounds. In the dead of winter, it wouldn’t spoil easily, and it was more than enough to keep Lord Xingde fed. A few quiet days passed. Lord Xingde felt his injuries had mostly healed, about seventy to eighty percent, so he finally called on Liu Xiaolou to go down the mountain with him. On the way down, he led Liu Xiaolou off the main path and into the woods. They slipped through the trees and came to a small hollow in the hills. “Have you ever seen bloodstone?” he asked. Liu Xiaolou nodded. “It has a waxy texture and a blood-red color.” Lord Xingde nodded in return. “Then you must know what it’s used for?” “It contains cinnabar inside. I’ve heard it’s used in alchemy.” “Cinnabar connects Heaven and Man," Lord Xingde said. "It’s not just used for alchemy; people also use it to craft talismans and refine magical tools. Cinnabar carries spiritual energy, and only with it can true qi flow freely through an object. Xingde Mountain has bloodstone of excellent quality, but others don’t know it’s here.” Liu Xiaolou looked toward a small cave in the hollow. “Is it here? Looks like a bear den.” Lord Xingde pulled out a crowbar about a foot long and handed it to him. “Dig out two pieces of bloodstone. Make sure not to damage them. Bloodstone is infused with the essence of heaven and earth; it’s alive in a way. If it gets damaged, that life leaks away. Some clueless second-rate cultivators think it’s nothing special, so they mine it carelessly or even grind it straight into powder. But then the cinnabar they get is mediocre at best. You can’t forge high-quality magical tools from that.” It all sounded simple, but Liu Xiaolou knew the real secrets often were. He hadn’t expected Lord Xingde to start teaching him real cultivation knowledge so directly. He was surprised, and deeply respectful. Holding the crowbar, he stepped into the cave, turned sideways to fit, and began digging around carefully, loosening the soil and gravel bit by bit. An hour passed before he finally dug out two pieces of bloodstone, both perfectly intact. He didn’t even dare brush off the dirt still clinging to them. He handed them over just as they were. Lord Xingde accepted them with satisfaction, stowed them away, and said with a wave, “Come on. Let’s head to the next spot.” .... If you have a moment, please consider rating and leaving a review on NovelUpdates.