The Night Banquet in the State Capital and the First Tide of Change

The knocking was urgent.

Li Xian gestured for Miss Chunmeng to retreat behind the screen in the inner room, then straightened his clothes and went to open the door.

Outside the door stood a Silver Eagle Captain and four Green Eagle Guards, all with their hands on their sword hilts, their expressions wary. At the end of the corridor, Chu Huaizhou could be vaguely seen, surrounded by two golden-armored guards, calmly and slowly walking upstairs.

"Young Master Li, excuse me." The Silver Eagle Captain's gaze swept across the room, pausing on the two still-warm cups of tea on the table. "Two assassins dressed in black were discovered in the inn's kitchen just now, suspected to be remnants of the Black Feather Guard from the previous dynasty. For safety reasons, all guest rooms need to be searched."

"Please go ahead." Mr. Li stepped aside.

The Qingying Guards entered and swiftly inspected under the bed, inside the cabinets, and by the window. The inner room was veiled by a thin screen, through which Miss Chunmeng's figure was vaguely visible, but the captain did not order her to come out—clearly, Chu Huaizhou had given prior instructions.

The search yielded nothing. The captain bowed and said, "I apologize for the inconvenience. Lord Chu has prepared a late-night snack in a private room on the third floor. Please, young master, come and have a chat."

This is a must-go.

Li Xian nodded, then turned to the inner room and said, "Madam, please rest well. I'll be right back."

Miss Chunmeng responded softly from behind the screen.

The private room was spacious, with a view of the Tonghai River at night from the window. Chu Huaizhou had changed into a moon-white casual outfit and was personally brewing tea, his movements fluid and graceful, displaying the demeanor of a refined scholar.

"Please sit, Young Master Li." He gestured with his hand. "I invited you so late at night because I still have some questions about what happened on the river today. I hope you can enlighten me."

Li took his seat and waited for the rest of the story.

"The Black Feather Guards are remnants of the previous dynasty, having lain dormant for many years. Their sudden attack today has a clear objective." Chu Huaizhou poured tea, its aroma filling the air. "Does Young Master know why they want to kill me?"

"I am but a commoner, Li, and dare not presume to speculate."

Chu Huaizhou smiled, took out a black feather from his sleeve, and placed it on the table: "This was found on the assassin. The Black Feather Guards are always secretive in their operations and rarely leave behind any tokens. Today's ostentatious display seems... like they're doing it on purpose for someone."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp: "Does the young master recognize this item?"

Li shook his head.

"Have you heard of the 'Starfall Treasure', young master?" Chu Huaizhou changed the subject.

Li Xian's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained calm: "I've heard a little about it, it's just a rumor in the martial arts world."

"Rumors?" Chu Huaizhou chuckled. "If they are just rumors, why are the orthodox sects of the Demonic Sect, the Linghan Palace, the remnants of the previous dynasty, and even overseas forces all secretly searching for them? I, Chu, am here on imperial orders to inspect the three southeastern states. On the surface, it is to rectify officialdom, but in reality... it is to find out the truth about this 'Starfall Treasure'."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "According to intelligence, a month ago, the overseas 'Tu' Kingdom sent an envoy to secretly land and made contact with certain aristocratic families in Tonghai Prefecture. Now even the Black Feather Guard has jumped in. All of this seems to point to one place—"

"Peach Blossom Village," Li Xian replied.

Chu Huaizhou's eyes flashed with admiration: "Young Master is indeed a wise man. I wish to explore Peach Blossom Village, but the island's protective formation is so profound that I cannot find the entrance. I have heard that Young Master is proficient in esoteric arts; I wonder if you could assist me?"

The fox's tail has been revealed. The recruitment was a ruse; their true intention was to use him to infiltrate Peach Blossom Village.

Li Xian pondered for a moment: "To be honest, I did go to Peach Blossom Village a few days ago, but now... I'm afraid I can't get in."

Why?

"There has been an internal upheaval in Peach Blossom Village, and the island's protective formation has been modified. Now, only the core disciples of the Shen and Peng families know the method to enter the formation," Li Xian said, half-jokingly. "Furthermore, I believe the talk of a star-fallen treasure is mostly unfounded. Even if it truly exists, it is beyond human control."

Chu Huaizhou stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled: "What you say is true, young master. Very well, we can discuss this matter another day. However—"

He took out another token, this time made of sandalwood, with the words "Tiangong" engraved on it: "At the banquet at Wangjiang Tower in three days, I, Chu, will formally invite you to join the 'Tiangong Academy.' This is the place in the Great Valley Dynasty that specializes in the study of strange arts and ingenious mechanisms. The academy has a collection of ten thousand volumes of books and produces many talented people. If you are interested, you are welcome to come and have a look."

This time it was a real recruitment.

Li Xian accepted the token: "I will seriously consider it."

As Li Xian was leaving the private room, he caught a glimpse of a white figure flashing by at the corner of the corridor—the hem of the figure was embroidered with ice patterns from the Linghan Palace.

Sure enough, he had been spotted by informants from all sides.

Tonghai Prefecture was a bustling city, with shops lining both sides of the main street and the constant shouts of vendors and peddlers filling the air.

Peng Shitao, carrying a medicine basket, strolled through the market with great interest. It was her first time traveling far from home, and everything was new and exciting to her—sugar figurines, clay sculptures, embroidery, and various herbal medicine shops.

"Young lady, how about buying some 'sea dragon tendons'? They're freshly arrived from overseas, good for strengthening muscles and bones!" A dark-skinned man beckoned from his stall.

Peng Shitao picked up a dark red strip of dried meat, smelled it, and frowned: "This is not sea dragon tendon, it's 'dried leech,' too much of it will damage your meridians."

The man's expression changed: "What does a little girl know! Don't cause trouble if you're not going to buy anything!"

In the midst of the argument, a commotion suddenly came from the end of the street.

A group of people galloped in, led by a young man in brocade robes, his face pale and lips purple, swaying precariously on his horse. Behind him followed seven or eight guards in tight-fitting clothes, all with worried expressions.

"Make way! Make way, everyone!" The guards dispersed the crowd.

Peng Shitao, with her sharp eyes, noticed a token hanging from the young man's waist—the "Thunder Token" of Han Family Fortress.

The Han family?

She quietly followed them. Seeing the group enter "Huichuntang" at the end of the street, she pretended to buy medicine and followed them in as well.

Inside the Huichun Hall, the young man was helped onto a bed. The elderly doctor on duty took his pulse for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "Young Master Han has suffered a qi deviation during his practice, his meridians are in reverse order, and I... am powerless to help."

The guard leader pleaded urgently, "Doctor, please think of something! My young master is the young master of Han Family Fortress; if anything happens to him..."

"Han Yunyang?" Peng Shitao blurted out.

Everyone turned to look at her.

The guard leader asked warily, "Who is this little girl?"

"I...I'm from Peach Blossom Village." Peng Shitao quickly came up with a plan. "Han Family Fort and Peach Blossom Village have a history. I have some medical knowledge, so perhaps I can take a look."

The head of the guards was skeptical, but seeing that the young master was in critical condition, he had no choice but to let her go forward.

Peng Shitao took Han Yunyang's pulse, and after a moment her expression turned grave. Han Yunyang's internal energy was in chaos, with thunder and fire energies attacking his heart meridian, and a chilling evil energy lurking in his dantian—the nature of that evil energy was somewhat similar to the Mother-Child Heart-Eating Gu that Miss Chunmeng had been afflicted with!

"What kind of cultivation technique does he practice?" she asked.

The guard hesitated, "Young Master obtained a copy of 'Heavenly Thunder True Explanation' half a month ago, which was said to allow him to quickly reach a higher level of the Thunderous Might Technique. Who knew that after practicing for a few days, he would end up like this..."

"Where is the cultivation technique?"

The guard took a roll of sheepskin from Han Yunyang's arms. Peng Shitao unfolded it and saw that the handwriting was strange and the pictures and text were ambiguous, but the core incantation faintly exuded a sinister aura.

This is a counterfeit cultivation technique from the orthodox sect of the demonic cult! It's specifically designed to lure people into going mad with evil spirits!

"There's something wrong with this technique," Peng Shitao said in a deep voice. "Young Master Han has fallen into a trap. I'll use silver needles to stabilize his heart meridian first, but to cure him completely... we need to find the person who set the trap."

She took out her needle pouch and was about to administer acupuncture when a cold laugh suddenly came from outside the door:

"Where did this wild girl come from, daring to comment on the young master of the Han family's injuries?"

An elderly man in black robes slowly entered, his face gaunt, his eyes sunken, and he held an ebony cane. Behind him followed two pale-faced young men with vacant eyes and stiff, lifeless movements.

The temperature inside Huichuntang dropped several degrees instantly.

The guard leader's expression changed drastically: "The... the Bone Master!"

One of the three orthodox elders of the Demonic Sect, the Bone Master, who is at the initial stage of the Divine Origin Realm, actually appeared openly in the state city!

The withered bone master's gaze swept over Peng Shitao, finally landing on the parchment scroll in her hand: "Little girl, return the scroll to me, and I may leave you with a whole corpse."

Peng Shitao gritted her teeth and stuffed the sheepskin scroll into her bosom: "Don't even think about it!"

"You're courting death." The Bone Master raised his hand, unleashing a jet-black palm strike!

Peng Shitao retreated hastily, unleashing her full wood-elemental techniques to conjure a vine shield in front of her. But wherever her palm strike passed, the vines withered and decayed instantly!

At the critical moment, a pink machine flashed in and stood in front of Peng Shitao!

It's Da Ya!

The robotic arm ejected a high-frequency vibrating blade, forcefully cleaving through the dark palm wind!

"What kind of skill is it to bully little girls!" The indicator light on Big Girl flashed wildly, "This machine will play with you!"

Immediately afterwards, Superman, the Dark Knight, and Batman flew in through the skylight, surrounding the skeleton!

"Oh? Mechanical creations?" A glint of greed flashed in the eyes of the withered skeletal master. "Perfect, I'm just short a few puppets to guard the gate."

He slammed his cane on the ground, and the two young men behind him suddenly looked up, spewing out black gas from their mouths! The black gas landed and transformed into dozens of palm-sized black beetles, which flapped their wings and pounced on the drone!

"Corpse puppet worms!" the guard leader exclaimed in horror. "Retreat!"

But the drones were already locked in battle with the beetles. Superman unleashed a barrage of lasers, Batman unleashed a sonic boom, and Arya and Yaya rained down steel needles, sending beetle corpses flying and black blood splattering everywhere.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the withered bone master grabbed Peng Shitao!

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the girl's throat, a dark red thread shot out from the air and wrapped around his wrist!

Miss Chunmeng stepped in from outside, her face as pale as paper, but her eyes sharp: "Old ghost, your opponent is me."

"The feeling of the Mother-Child Gu attack must be unpleasant, right?" the Bone Master sneered. "You still dare to forcefully use your internal energy? You really have a death wish."

He yanked hard, and the dark red thread snapped! Miss Chunmeng groaned, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as the Gu poison took effect, and the black markings on her left arm spread rapidly!

"Sister Meng!" Peng Shitao exclaimed.

"Take Han Yunyang away!" Miss Chunmeng gritted her teeth, formed hand seals, and dark red demonic energy surged out again, transforming into a barrier that temporarily blocked the withered bone master.

Peng Shitao knew this was not the time to be reckless, so she carried the unconscious Han Yunyang on her back and, under the cover of the guards, retreated through the back door.

The drones fought and retreated, and after a final laser shot forced back the corpse puppet worms, they quickly flew away.

Inside Huichun Hall, only Miss Chunmeng and Master Kugu remained, facing off.

"You'd risk your life for a pretty boy?" The Bone Master sneered. "Hand over the Star Envoy Token and that girl, and I might let you die a quicker death."

Miss Chunmeng wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and suddenly laughed: "Old ghost, you think what you did was so secretive, but was it really just a simple case of going mad?"

The withered skeleton frowned: "What are you trying to say?"

"You sent someone to put 'The True Explanation of Heavenly Thunder' into the Han Family Fortress Library, didn't you?" Miss Chunmeng's eyes were icy.

The withered-bones monk stared at Miss Chunmeng, then suddenly burst into laughter, his voice dry and hoarse like the grinding of withered wood: "Little girl, do you think you can fool this old man with such a guess?"

"It's not a guess." Miss Chunmeng endured the sharp pain in her heart, speaking slowly and deliberately, "When you sent people to infiltrate Han Family Fortress, you used the movement technique of Linghan Palace's 'Ice Soul Profound Art'—although you deliberately concealed it, the chilling aura was unmistakable. Aunt Xiao of Linghan Palace has a maid named Binglan who secretly left Linghan Palace for three days half a month ago. When she returned, she had a lightning and fire burn mark on her left shoulder. Han Family Fortress's Thunderous Might Technique happens to be of the lightning and fire attribute."

She took a breath and continued, "More importantly, the chilling, evil energy in Han Yunyang's dantian, while appearing to be a case of demonic possession, actually conceals the larvae of the 'Heart-Eating Gu.' The refining of the mother and child Heart-Eating Gu requires a blood relative as a catalyst—you had an illegitimate daughter who was sent to Linghan Palace seventeen years ago, and her whereabouts have since been unknown. That girl, wasn't it Binglan?"

The smile vanished from the skeleton's face. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and his grip on his cane tightened: "You know too much."

"I also know that your real target isn't Han Yunyang." Miss Chunmeng pressed on, "The Han Family Fortress's treasure, the 'Nine Heavens Thunder Seal,' can summon thunder and fire from heaven and earth, perfectly countering your 'Bone-Corroding Yin Fiend Palm.' You want Han Yunyang to practice the forged 'True Explanation of Heavenly Thunder,' suffer a qi deviation, and then enter the Han Family Fortress under the guise of healing him, taking the opportunity to steal the Thunder Seal—isn't that right?"

The air around us seemed to freeze.

The Bone Master remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed again, this time with a hint of amusement: "Spring Dream, you're smarter than your sister. It's a pity, smart people often die faster."

He raised his cane, and two green lights suddenly appeared in the eye sockets of the black skull at the top: "Since you guessed it, then I can't let you leave even more."

A burst of green light erupted, transforming into two thin lines that shot towards Miss Spring Dream!

Miss Chunmeng tried to dodge, but the poison had reached its critical point, and her legs felt as heavy as lead. She gritted her teeth and channeled her last bit of inner strength into a hidden weapon in her sleeve—

"Ding! Ding!"

Two pink beams of light swept past, precisely deflecting the green light!

Daya and Erya returned, and the mechanical arm ejected steel needles: "You old pervert! Bullying a seriously injured woman, have you no shame?!"

Superman swooped down from the skylight, his laser beam leaving a scorch mark on the ground and forcing the skeletal figure back two steps: "The boss said, if you can't win, run away, it's not shameful! Sister Meng, get out of here!"

Miss Chunmeng knew that this was Li Xian's arrangement for the rendezvous, so she no longer hesitated, turned around, smashed the back window, and disappeared into the night.

The Bone Master did not give chase. He gazed in the direction the drone had flown away, his eyes flashing with green light: "A mechanical creation... the legacy of an extraterrestrial sage... interesting."

Behind him, a young puppet corpse spoke stiffly, his voice hoarse: "Master, should we give chase?"

"No need." The withered bone master put away his cane. "The seed worm has already been planted in Han Yunyang's body; he won't live more than seven days. After seven days, Han Jinan will come begging for help. As for that girl Chunmeng..."

A cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips: "The mother-child Gu will fully erupt tonight. Letting her live a few more hours won't hurt."

Li Xian looked at the bloodless Chunmeng on the bed, then at the unconscious Han Yunyang beside him, his brows furrowed.

Peng Shitao has recounted the events of today in their entirety.

Her eyes were red as she quickly said while administering acupuncture to stabilize Miss Chunmeng's heart meridian, "Sister Meng, you forcibly used your internal energy, and the Gu worm has already invaded three inches into your heart meridian. I used the 'Golden Needle Locking Meridian' technique to temporarily seal the spread of the Gu worm, but it can only last for six hours."

She looked at Han Yunyang: "His condition is worse. The larvae have already hatched and are burrowing into his brain along the meridians. I used silver needles in conjunction with Peach Blossom Village's 'Heart-Clearing Powder' to temporarily freeze the larvae's activity, but at most twelve hours later, the larvae will break through the ice, and then..."

"At that time, he will become the Gu corpse puppet of the withered bone master," Li Xian replied, his tone eerily calm.

The room fell silent for a moment. Only Daya and Erya hovered alertly by the window, the indicator lights flashing rhythmically.

"Superman, analyze the data of Master Kugu's cultivation technique," Li Xian suddenly said.

Superman flew over, projecting a light screen: "Boss, according to today's battle records, the energy fluctuations of the Bone-Eating Yin Sha Palm of the Bone Master are concentrated between 377-533 Hz, while the flapping frequency of the Corpse Puppet Worm is between 880-1200 Hz. There is an overlap in the two frequency bands. I suspect that the control signal of the Gu worm may be hidden in these frequencies."

"Try superimposing an 877 Hz square wave with a 1223 Hz sawtooth wave."

"Generifying..."

A tiny speaker popped out from the belly of the superhuman machine, emitting a very faint buzzing sound. The sound was almost inaudible to the human ear, but Miss Chunmeng, who was lying on the tatami, suddenly trembled, and the pain on her face eased slightly.

"It works!" Peng Shitao exclaimed with delight, "Sister Meng's pulse has stabilized a bit!"

Li Xian frowned: "It's only a temporary suppression, not a cure. The Gu worms have already grown into her meridians; forcibly killing them will damage her heart meridian."

He walked to the window and looked towards the Tonghai River in the night: "We need more precise methods—to kill the Gu worms without harming the host. It's like... performing a minimally invasive surgery."

"Surgery?" Peng Shitao asked, puzzled.

"It means using the most precise methods to remove the lesion," Li explained. "But we don't have such precise tools right now."

The Dark Knight, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Boss, there are blueprints for a 'molecular-level magnetic beam knife' in the Starship's remains. The Administrator mentioned it before going into slumber. If we can manufacture it, it might be able to precisely remove the Gu worms."

What materials are needed?

"It mainly consists of 'stardust' energy crystals and a metal that can conduct high-precision magnetic fields—for example, the 'Ray Pattern Iron' of Hanjiabao."

Li Xian's eyes flickered. Thunder-patterned iron was the main material for forging the "Nine Heavens Thunder Seal".

All the clues have come together again.

Why did the Bone Master want to steal the Thunder Seal? Was it for the Thunder Pattern Iron, or for the Thunder Seal itself?

"Batman, any news from Han Family Fortress?" Li asked first.

Batman flew down from the beam: "An hour ago, we intercepted a message from Han Family Fortress, addressed to Xiao Lingshan. It said that Han Yunyang suddenly left three days ago, leaving a message saying he was going to Tonghai Prefecture City to find the follow-up techniques of the 'Heavenly Thunder True Explanation'. Han Jinan has already led two elders south and is expected to arrive in two days."

Li Xian rubbed his temples. Two days later, it would be time for the banquet at Wangjiang Tower.

When the time comes, with the combined forces of Han Family Fortress, the Imperial Court, the Black Feather Guard, the orthodox Demonic Sect, and Linghan Palace, Tonghai Prefecture City will likely be turned upside down.

"Superman, use the remaining stardust scraps to make a simple 'sound wave focuser,' the kind that can amplify 877 Hz square waves," Li Xian decided. "Shi Tao, for the next six hours, give Chun Meng a 'Golden Needle Locking Meridian' treatment every hour to buy as much time as possible."

"What about Han Yunyang?"

Li Xian looked at the unconscious young man in brocade robes, and remained silent for a moment: "Save him. But not now. When Han Jinan arrives, we need to use the Gu worms inside him to make a deal with the Bone Master."

Peng Shitao was stunned: "A deal?"

"The Gu worms were created by the Bone Master; he must have a method to control them." A cold glint flashed in Li Xian's eyes. "We need to force him to hand over the method to remove the Gu, or... at least the clues to the mother Gu."

He walked to the table, spread out a map of Tonghaizhou City, and pointed to Wangjiang Tower: "At the banquet three days from now, Chu Huaizhou will definitely set a trap. Let's play along and stir things up even more."

Outside the window, a sudden night wind rose, making the windowpanes whistle and rattle.

On the distant river, several official boats could be vaguely seen gathering, their blue eagle flags fluttering in the wind.

The calm before the storm is about to end.