Chapter 20: A Nocturnal Visit to the Directorate of Astronomy

"Bang... bang bang..."

The gilded gates of the Prince Changping mansion were being pounded with thunderous force. Outside, torches flared, and grey falcons circled overhead, their orange eyes emitting a faint, eerie glow while their talons glimmered with a greenish-black light.

Yuwen Chenglong, the second young master of the Yuwen family, brandished his sword and shouted, "Keep knocking! Strike harder! I refuse to believe the Prince Changping mansion won't open its doors."

With a soft creak, the gilded gates slowly pushed open. Out walked a grinning, shaven-headed youth—none other than Ling Xuan, the heir to Prince Changping, holding a Violet Firmament Divine Flute with a small white snake coiled around his shoulder.

Lifting his eyelids to catch a glimpse of the Imperial Physician Cui, Ling Xuan feigned a look of sleepy confusion. "Young Master Yuwen, are you in such a hurry to bring me a gift?"

"The Grand Astrologer’s Office has been attacked. I am acting under orders to investigate," Yuwen Chenglong barked.

Ling Xuan stretched his arms wide, yawning, and replied with a playful chuckle, "Under orders? Whose orders?"

"Is the heir trying to block us from entering to search for the assassin?" Yuwen Chenglong snorted coldly.

Ling Xuan shook his head, looking utterly bewildered, his act of feigned ignorance flawless. "The Prince is leading troops abroad. Does the Yuwen family think they can bully the Changping mansion because there's no one in charge here? If you want to search the mansion, produce an Imperial Edict."

"The assassin is afflicted with a potent poison. If it spreads to the mansion, Heir, you..."

Before Yuwen Chenglong could finish, Ling Xuan interrupted, "As a physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau and a student of Chief Physician Chao, how could I not understand such simple principles? Isn't that right, Physician Cui?"

Physician Cui stepped forward with a chuckle. "Young Prince, recommended by Prince Yue to be Assistant to Lord Chao, you certainly know that Corrosive Poison Corpse Insects are not easily dealt with."

"Does Physician Cui believe the person who went to the Grand Astrologer’s Office came from my Changping mansion?" Ling Xuan’s lips curled into a smirk. "I have studied the *Treatise on Demon Soul Origins* and know that Corrosive Poison Corpse Insects can only be treated by the Imperial Medical Bureau. Does Physician Cui imply I possess such capability?"

"Then why won't the heir allow Young Master Yuwen to search?" Physician Cui asked with a smile. "Wouldn't that clear the mansion of suspicion?"

Ling Xuan giggled. "To search the mansion requires an Imperial Edict. But if Physician Cui wishes to visit, or if Young Master Yuwen wants to offer me a gift, that is certainly permissible."

"Visit?" Physician Cui looked stunned.

"Of course. If not to visit and seek advice, why else would you come to my mansion?" Raising the Violet Firmament Divine Flute, Ling Xuan grinned mischievously. "I just learned a few new tunes; if you want to listen, there is a fee."

Yuwen Chenglong laughed heartily. "What kind of tunes can the heir play?"

"At the Luoshui Tavern, Young Master Yuwen, you prepared a grand gift for me. Why has it not been delivered yet?" Ling Xuan looked up, gesturing toward the grey falcons. "If there is no gift, then give me those two falcons to play with."

"I fear they would be too hot for you to handle," Yuwen Chenglong said with a strange glint in his eyes.

Ling Xuan tilted his head without hesitation. "Then please, do as you wish. I am sleepy, and my wife, the Princess Consort, has just opened her Qi Sea and needs to stabilize it. Physician Cui, why don't you remind Young Master Yuwen what would be an appropriate gift?"

*Bang!*

The gilded gates slammed shut. Ling Xuan instantly channeled his "Smoke-Veiled Moon" technique and dashed toward the back courtyard.

***

"I'm going to kill him!" Yuwen Chenglong roared in fury.

"Young Master, calm your anger. The boy can only suppress the Corrosive Poison Corpse Insects; he cannot eradicate them. Let the patrol squads secretly monitor the mansion. Once someone from the Medical Bureau arrives, we will catch them red-handed," Physician Cui suggested quickly.

Yuwen Chenglong glared at him. "Are you certain?"

"Absolutely. A four-star green-glow Corrosive Poison Corpse Insect cannot be handled without a five-star Shikigami or Qi Sea cultivation," Physician Cui explained, leaning in. "The boy's Shikigami is only a one-star red-glow single-eyed snake, and he is merely at the Small Heavenly Cycle stage. There is no doubt."

"Good. Good. In that case, keep your eyes on the Changping mansion," Yuwen Chenglong laughed. "Since he refuses to be reasonable, I'll see how he manages to beg for help from the Medical Bureau."

In the back courtyard, Ling Xuan looked at the weary Ye Ziyan and asked with concern, "Wife, why did you go to the Grand Astrologer’s Office?"

"The Orange Needle is likely inside the violet bronze lamp," Ye Ziyan revealed. "But those small buildings are strange; they made me feel as if I were under the weight of a thousand tons."

A thousand tons? That was exactly the same sensation he had felt when entering the back mountains. But after his "Spirit Snake Entwining the Moon" awakened, that feeling had vanished. Could the layout of those buildings be related to the Violet Phoenix?

With a spark of excitement, he picked up the little white snake. "Little one, let's go take a look."

"Your strength isn't enough. What can you do there?" Ye Ziyan worried.

Pointing to his shaven head, Ling Xuan grinned. "Luoyang isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about using one's wits."

"If something happens, I won't be able to save you," Ye Ziyan pleaded.

"Wife, your poison hasn't been cleared yet. Just lie down and don't let those people see any flaws." Opening the window, he looked up at the hazy moonlight. Channeling his technique, he drifted out like a wisp of blue smoke.

He had to confirm if the Orange Needle was in the bronze lamp, or within three days, his body would be covered in snake scales—half-human, half-demon.

Although the *Treatise on Demon Soul Origins* didn't mention much about Great Shikigami, Ling Xuan had thoroughly studied every record it contained. Having scales cover half his body was only the first stage, "Body Devouring," and it was irreversible. There were already four snake markings on his arm; the risk of backlash was increasing. He had to find the Orange Needle to suppress it.

Despite his playful exterior, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. If he hadn't just realized his "Qi Observation" technique, he wouldn't have gone to watch the Universal Pivot Bronze Pillar. He had suspected the needle might be hidden there, but after looking, he found nothing. Instead, the soul-bond had allowed him to see that Ye Ziyan was suffering from the Corrosive Poison Corpse Insect.

He hadn't expected her to break into the Grand Astrologer’s Office and catch a glimpse of the orange needle-light flickering within the violet bronze lamp. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been startled and subsequently ambushed by the grey falcons, leaving those claw marks.

"The Medical Bureau has mobilized to search for the assassin using the insects; they won't pay much attention to those small buildings. And there must be Yuwen family spies hiding in front of the mansion."

Muttering to himself, Ling Xuan slipped under the eaves of the seven buildings at the Grand Astrologer’s Office. The sensation Ye Ziyan described hit him instantly—it was indeed like being mired in deep mud.

He immediately activated his "Qi Observation." Within the single vertical pupil of his Spirit Snake, a violet bronze lamp was reflected, and a phantom of a small orange snake flickered within it.

***

What puzzled Ling Xuan was that his Spirit Snake didn't react with heat; it didn't even emit a trace of warmth. He felt a jolt of alarm. "Is it a trap?"

Qiu Rui had explicitly told him that once the Orange Needle was discovered, the Spirit Snake would certainly sense it.

A corner of his mouth tilted. "Little one, go."

The white snake obeyed, darting out like a flash.

While Ling Xuan and Ye Ziyan felt the invisible barrier as a crushing force of thousands of tons, the white snake felt nothing of the sort. Instead, it swam through the space joyfully. It seemed that its winding body and fine scales were perfectly suited to deflect that power, allowing it to move without restraint.

As it slipped into the eaves of the two secret buildings Ye Ziyan had mentioned, a sudden, intense heat surged from the Spirit Snake. Ling Xuan looked on, stunned.

A faint murmuring sound echoed, and Ling Xuan felt a moment of trance. Within his single vertical pupil, a second star-mark—an orange one—suddenly lit up.

*Hiss...*

The white snake darted back, coiling around the snake markings on his arm. Threads of energy flowed into his body, startling Ling Xuan so much he wanted to jump up and scold the snake. "What are you being so greedy for? Why did you swallow that orange snake soul?"

Having swallowed the orange soul from the bronze lamp, the white snake's eyes—which had previously emitted only a faint orange glow—now saw their red hue vanish entirely, replaced by a brilliant orange.

The single vertical pupil now displayed two star-marks; it had advanced from a one-star red-glow to a two-star orange-glow.

The advancement was so sudden that he hadn't had a chance to react. Amidst the murmuring, his mind roared; the second circuit of the Taiji Infinite Yin-Yang energy surged forth within him.

Using his "Qi Observation" on his own body, Ling Xuan was left dumbfounded. His red-black Yin-Yang energy, influenced by the Spirit Snake's advancement, was beginning to shift into orange-black.

*Swish! Swish!*

Several figures suddenly appeared, shouting in alarm, "The Heaven-Swallowing King Python soul has been stolen! Report to the Grand Astrologer immediately!"

*Heaven-Swallowing King Python?*

Ling Xuan was stunned. No wonder the little one was so greedy. According to the *Treatise on Demon Soul Origins*, the Heaven-Swallowing King Python originated from the ancient Celestial Snake lineage, and its demon soul helped stimulate the White Chi bloodline.

*Clack.* The talons of a grey falcon scraped against the glazed tiles.

"You've killed me now," Ling Xuan muttered, looking at the little white snake as it proudly raised its triangular head. He wanted to increase his strength and advance the Spirit Snake, but this was the worst possible time!

With the appearance of the orange star-mark, the demonic backlash had accelerated. His original three-day window had been halved; he now had only a day and a half left. More importantly, he was still hiding under the eaves of the Grand Astrologer’s Office, with grey falcons circling overhead and personnel from the office swarming in.

Ling Xuan laughed bitterly. "Little one, you want to stimulate your bloodline, but you have to pick your moment! Are you so eager for me to become like you, just so I can take the fall for this?"