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“General Feilian values you quite highly.”
Bi Gan said: “Perhaps she wishes to make you her Invested Deity Emissary.”
Qi Lin was noncommittal; he seemed to have already considered this possibility: “I shouldn’t be qualified, I’m only Qi Refinement Ninth Deva. There are countless others like me in the capital of Yin Shang.”
“The most important qualities for an Invested Deity Emissary are sufficient potential and strong malleability. While Golden Core cultivators have very high Realm, they are not very useful. They could not even serve as cannon fodder, and Golden Core or higher Realms have no way to act as Invested Deity Emissaries.” Bi Gan said.
“Does Yin Shang have Invested Deity Emissaries?” Qi Lin recalled Huang Feihu, so he wanted to ask Bi Gan about Yin Shang’s situation in passing.
“There is one.” Bi Gan thought for a moment, “There is a Star Name called Huang Feihu who sought aid from the Great King a few years ago. For this Register of Deities, she gained an emissary. The Great King arranged for her to go to the wildlands to inform the tribes to convene the Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded and to give her experience at the same time. Recently, there has been no activity from her.” How could Bi Gan have known that this Huang Feihu was already long dead at Qi Qi’s hands, turned into a departed soul. Her Destiny was now being refined in Qi Lin’s belly.
“Devote yourself properly to the Great King. Although General Feilian may appear heartless, her person is actually quite fair. If you do not do anything offensive, she will generally shield you.” Bi Gan softly sighed.
Qi Lin was not sure why she would sigh, but he had no plans to actually stay in Zhaoge for too long. By now, he had already more or less familiarized himself with the Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded Banner. He was prepared to abscond far away with this banner the first moment he could. His Heavenly Vertical Earthly Horizontal Escape was considered proficient. For the moment, he waited for whatever Guiguzi Wang Xu was planning.
Bi Gan accompanied Qi Lin to the training field’s encampment where many disciples were all waiting. When they saw Qi Lin return, they all very passionately advanced and crowded around him, treating him as their new leader. When they learned that Qi Lin was granted a Second-Order Distinguished Achievement office and was allowed to wear five jade huang, even Shang Shiwu’s expression changed. This kind of treatment surpassed his imagination. The only thing he could rejoice about was that this would happen after the Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded Banner. But this was considered set in stone, and even if Shang Shiwu was very unresigned, he did not dare have any mistakes in training the Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded Banner.
King Zhou treated this Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded Banner very seriously. Any conduct that was deliberately remiss would be met with on the spot executions.
No matter how jealous he became, he could only and begrudgingly accept under threat of death.
Training of the Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded Banner over the next few days was very smooth. Ever since Qi Lin gained Feilian’s favor as well as his office of Second-Order Distinguished Achievement from King Zhou, everyone seemed to see in him bright prospects. They followed him blindly and practiced tirelessly.
Before they realized it, the final time limit was upon them, with only a few days left. However, Qi Lin felt increasingly uneasy, thinking that something would happen. In addition, there was no news from Great Sage Equal Of Heaven Qi Qi; he was unsure where she had run off to.
That night.
After formation practice ended, Qi Lin reclined alone in a bathtub, quietly pondering upon this Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded Banner system. The leylines of the formation manifested in his mind. As the main banner bearer, he controlled the rest of the banner. However, no matter how many times he practiced, even if he was the main banner bearer, breaking the formation was still very difficult. The most crucial component was still that Ten Thousand Beasts amulet. Without it, everything was complete nonsense.
“Ten Thousand Beasts Amulet, Ten Thousand Beasts Amulet…” Qi Lin felt very powerless thinking about that jade strip. Presumably, it was impossible for him to seize the important item that controlled the Approaching Heaven magic treasure.
That accursed Taowu Tomb also had records of the Ten Thousand Beasts Unbounded Banner. He wondered if there was some story behind it.
Qi Lin was in quiet contemplation.
Second after second passed. The bath’s chilly water soaked into his pores very soothingly.
All of a sudden, the sound of cannonfire boomed. It broke the silent night, and in an instant, there was a commotion in the camp as soldiers and horses rushed in.
Qi Lin opened his eyes and stood up from the bath.
He heard people shouting outside.
Qi Lin dressed himself and walked out the door and found the palace near the camp illuminated by torches. Countless patrolling black armored guards ran to and fro through the palace like ants. “What happened? Did someone infiltrate?”
“A Primordial Infant1 cultivator seems to have invaded the Deer Terrace.” A disciple had heard.
“Primordial Infant cultivator?” Qi Lin was taken aback. That was a bit formidable.
However, even a Primordial Infant Seven Stars cultivator did not have a very realistic chance at killing King Zhou.
“No, I heard that Bi Gan has fled?” Shang Yangjun said.
“Bi Gan has fled?” Qi Lin was astonished. He immediately asked for the details.
But Shang Yangjun was not very sure. She was only sure that, right now, those guards were sweeping the palace for Bi Gan. “Perhaps she has done something to offend the Great King.” The girl thought. Even a meritorious official like Bi Gan was dead for sure if she infuriated King Zhou.
“Qi Lin, you seem to have a good relationship with her…” Shang Yangjun turned her head to find that Qi Lin had already shut his door, as if he was unwilling to involve himself, leaving the girl stunned.
The other disciples also hurriedly followed Qi Lin’s example: “This has nothing to do with us, we’d better forget about it.”
“En.”
Shang Yangjun shook her head and walked into her own room.
At this moment.
Qi Lin took a deep breath behind the door: “Come on out.”
His quarters were not large, a layout that was mostly a drawing room and a bedroom. The furnishings were very simple, making it very difficult to conceal someone. Behind the shadow of the curtain, a woman’s scared figure walked out. The girl’s expression was ashen, for she was shocked.
Qi Lin was not sure how she entered, for he did not even sense her. If not for the panicked gasp he heard in his room when Shang Yangjun mentioned Bi Gan’s name, he would not have known when she had entered the room. However, now was not the time to be thinking about this, “Are they here for you?”
Bi Gan nodded.
Qi Lin wanted to say something, but suddenly, the barracks were bustling with the hoofbeats. Several dozen guards charged in with torches and began searching the barracks.
The color drained from Bi Gan’s face. Her whole body trembled, and her eyes were full of despair.
Without even thinking, Qi Lin used the the Heavenly Vertical Earthly Horizontal Escape to pull Bi Gan by the hand. He looked about the room and noticed there was nowhere worth hiding a person. “I am dead for sure.” Bi Gan wanted to bawl.
“It all comes down to luck, then. I’ll have to offend you.” Qi Lin looked at the wooden bathtub. This tub could only fit one person, but now, it was the only place inside the room that could conceal someone. Qi Lin shoved Bi Gan into the tub, and then he used True Qi to bring the water to a steaming heat.
Bi Gan understood tacitly what needed to happen. She held her breath as she entered the tub, but then, she suddenly saw the man squat into the tub. The girl was aghast. She wanted to charge out, yet she was secured under the water by a hand. With an explosive bang, the bedroom doors were smashed open, and heavy footfalls filled the room. Bi Gan shut her eyes, not daring to look. With just the slightest tilt of her head, she would have been able to see something shameful that she should not be looking at.2
Qi Lin pretended to wash himself, with his bent legs just giving Bi Gan enough space. This was a classic trick from magic shows, utilizing an illusion of disjointed space to hide an object. The buzzsaw trick of cutting a person’s body in half while they were in a box used this logic.
Qi Lin feigned a startled appearance. Before he could even say a word, those guards very rudely flipped over the furniture in the room, searching from the beams to every last corner.
At last, their eyes fell upon Qi Lin bathing in the tub.
“What is the meaning of this!!” Qi Lin showed an expression of fury. “Don’t you realize that I’m to be Second-Order Distinguished Accomplishment. To actually be so rude, why aren’t you kneeling and apologizing. Otherwise, I’ll show you just what I can do later.”
The lead guard was taken aback, his thoughts distracted from the tub. He paused and coldly said: “The Great King has ordered a search for the criminal Bi Gan. No matter what rank you are, to dare obstruct us is the same as asking for execution.”
“Then you’d best find her and not waste my time. I’m in the middle of cultivation. Are you done searching.” Qi Lin coldly demanded that the leave.
The guard looked around. Indeed, he noticed nowhere that could hide a person. Just as he was about to leave.
All of a sudden, water bubbles popped from inside the tub.
“Hm?” The guard stopped and turned his gaze to the wooden tub.
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….Aw dammit! REALLY!?
And yes! WHERE IS QI QI!?