Chapter 27: Dreamlike and Illusory

Eating at the exquisite wedding banquet, the flavors were as dull as chewing wax. After countless calls, at the midpoint of the feast and in the midst of the drinking, the groom finally appeared with the bride. The groom was clad in a red robe adorned with black-edged, colorful embroidery, a black gauze hat perched on his head, his features handsome and upright.

Qiu Zhiqing’s gaze, however, was fixed unwaveringly on the bride, dressed in a green robe edged with red, wearing a phoenix crown and embroidered veil.

He had thought that with a clear heart and enlightened Dao, the past would drift away like the wind. But at this moment, he realized that what he thought he had forgotten had always been there. What he thought he had let go remained tightly wrapped within him.

In Qiu Zhiqing’s eyes, all the noise and clamour seemed to fade into the distance, leaving only this familiar visage, and himself, unable to move no matter what.

He stood there, watching her recede, recede, until her features blurred beyond recognition, vanishing into the boundless mist…

“No!” A startled cry rang out through the hall, and the wedding feast instantly fell silent. Puzzled, mocking, and confused eyes turned toward the young man in Daoist robes.

After a moment, the groom, as the host, asked with concern, “Daoist, what is the cause? Are you unwell? Do you require a physician?”

Hearing the groom’s triple expression of concern, looking at the bride’s familiar yet strange curious expression, and then glancing at the guests who had just regained their senses and began to whisper and point at him, Qiu Zhiqing suddenly snapped back to reality.

With an apologetic tone, he said to the groom, “I apologize for my rudeness. I suddenly remembered I have important matters unfinished, yet I have wasted this precious time here, which was truly improper. I must take my leave now. I hope you can forgive me.”

After the groom assured him it was no trouble, Qiu Zhiqing took his leave. Yet, from a VIP seat in the hall, a man had been staring at him intently from the moment he spoke. Once Qiu Zhiqing left, this man pulled his companion and took their leave as well, following after him.

This encounter cleared his mind: no wonder Daoists rest by severing the three corpse worms and minimize worry and fear...

The clarity Qiu Zhiqing had just felt soon soured, for he discovered he was being followed. Could it be that the groom’s family, displeased with his disruption, had sent someone to teach him a lesson?

Silent sensing confirmed that two individuals were tailing him. No rush; first, he wanted to see who dared to cross this Daoist master.

They twisted and turned through alleys until they reached a riverbank lined with homes—a dead-end alley by the river. He stopped and turned sharply.

“Come out, then. You’ve been following me all the way. I’m curious to see which ungrateful scoundrels have the nerve to cross this Daoist!” Qiu Zhiqing faced the alley entrance, his back to the river, and shouted loudly. This spot was perfect; if he could win, fine; if not, he could jump the wall or into the river.

“Really a case of the thief crying ‘Stop thief!’ Last Mid-Autumn, you escaped, and now, surprisingly, you’ve come running right back!” As the words fell, two young men dressed as wealthy heirs stepped out from the alley.

Qiu Zhiqing frowned. “Gentlemen, do we know each other? Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else?” He truly did not recall ever meeting them. He frequented the palace and temples daily and had rarely had any conflict.

Before he could finish, the young man in white on the left nearly exploded with anger, rushing forward with a fierce Tiger’s Heart Claw strike. Qiu Zhiqing smoothly redirected and pressed down, preparing to slam him away with a palm.

But another tiger claw came upward aimed at Qiu Zhiqing’s face. He had no choice but to abandon the idea of teaching the brat a lesson, flipping back with a startled exclamation: “Cat’s paw?”

Just then, a strange familiarity washed over him. The man casually picked up a hemp rope from the alley, and this sense of familiarity deepened.

The rope moved as if alive, snapping toward Qiu Zhiqing. Meanwhile, the white-robed youth shouted, “Brother, attack! Let’s take down this shameless thief who dared sneak into the imperial city!”

Damn, it came back to him! This was the very man who had relentlessly pursued him last Mid-Autumn, only to be hung upside down outside the city by Qiu Zhiqing.

“So you’re the one I hung outside the city!”

With that, the other man, who had been hesitating, no longer held back. He hooked a long bamboo pole from the alley edge.

Qiu Zhiqing quickly glanced around, privately chiding himself for not considering the weapon factor when choosing the battleground.

“Gentlemen, please hear me out…”

Clearly, they were uninterested. The two seemed like brothers, with the white-robed youth as the younger. The bamboo pole stabbed through the air.

Qiu Zhiqing kicked the pole aside, ducked under the snapping rope, and tried to get close to disable their weapons, but the rope intercepted and foiled his plan.

The seemingly soft hemp rope struck the ground, leaving small dents. He recalled the man’s name was Qin Fei, some kind of official. Unluckily for him.

Despite spending over a year in the palace without encountering him, Qiu Zhiqing had come confused to meet an “old acquaintance,” only to find this “friend” was not the one he sought. Though he had resolved his heart’s knot, as he left, the real “old acquaintance” began to follow him!

Several times, Qiu Zhiqing tried his usual tricks, like using his whisk to entangle Qin Fei’s rope, but the latter dodged skillfully. Helpless, Qiu Zhiqing resorted to using the Full Reality Sword Technique with his whisk to hold them off.

A golden opportunity! Qiu Zhiqing deflected the bamboo pole, dodged the sweeping rope while turning to kick, sending the rope and his shoe imprint onto the wall. Then he pushed off with his right foot to evade the low strike of the bamboo pole.

With a flick of his whisk, he wrapped the pole, spun inward, and used the Golden Wild Goose Technique to climb the bamboo pole, leaping up and kicking both men away. Retracting the whisk, he extended the pole, slapping away Qin Fei’s rope twice, then kicked it far away.

Qin Fei lay on the ground for a while before rising, while his so-called elder brother only took three steps back.

Qiu Zhiqing’s eyes gleamed as he muttered, “The Thirteen Guardians’ Horizontal Training!” Seeing the two rush forward again, he quickly called out, “Wait, wait—”

He then turned to Qin Fei. “Qin Fei, right? What happened before was a misunderstanding. You know I am not some thief sneaking in, correct? Why keep chasing me? And look…”

Qiu Zhiqing was about to show them the jade pendant carved with coiling dragons around his neck when Qin Fei’s elder brother bellowed, “Even if what you said was a misunderstanding, those two kicks just now are no mistake!”

Before the words fell, he launched a triple claw strike. Qiu Zhiqing calmly dodged, puzzled why both brothers favored that move.

Originally, he wanted to just knock them down quickly, but considering he still needed to enter and exit the palace for more than two years, and with no real grudge, he thought better of it.

With a thought, a faint smile curled his lips. He feigned weakness, stepping back. As Qin Fei’s elder brother blocked his view, Qiu Zhiqing struck a palm that sent him flying with a muffled thud.

When Qin Fei caught his brother, Qiu Zhiqing thought, “Now’s the time!” Gathering energy and momentum, he leapt onto the rooftop, turning to flash them a smile. That smile was like a glance back that stirred fury—a damn taunt: “Run if you can, laugh if you dare!”

The two brothers, unwilling to be outdone, also leapt to the rooftop. But as they landed, they saw Qiu Zhiqing staring below, seemingly lost in thought.

They hurried over, only to find Qiu Zhiqing gazing at a group beneath—dozens of neatly dressed people wielding bamboo sticks, and a cluster of children, their hands bound and mouths gagged.

The brothers exchanged a glance—this was child trafficking!

The leader below cursed under his breath, “Damn it, one little upstart wasn’t enough, now two more show up? Do they think I’m easy to bully?”

“Seize them!” With that command, the people below climbed the building. The three on the roof turned to flee but froze, exchanging a meaningful look.

“Why run? Aren’t you officials? Save these people!” Qin Fei exclaimed, stepping forward. Frustrated, he had just turned to flee with them but was tricked into staying. Steeling himself, he followed and jumped down.

The leader tried to ambush them, but his martial skill was poor. Within five moves, Qiu Zhiqing’s whisk sent him flying. Turning, he saw Qin Fei and his brother, though surrounded by over thirty assailants, still holding the upper hand.

Satisfied, Qiu Zhiqing pressed a vital point on the leader and moved to untie the dozen or so children huddled in the corner.

Soon, he regretted it. Once freed, the children erupted into a cacophony of cries, leaving him helpless, his mood sour, and no longer in the mood to watch the scene unfold.

Just as Qiu Zhiqing moved to help, an old man descended from above. Those who had been attacking Qin Fei and the other froze briefly before trembling and shouting, “Greetings, Chief!”

Qiu Zhiqing was stunned, feeling the day surreal. He then lightly flicked the chubby boy beside him on the head. The boy cried even harder. Though today felt dreamlike, it was no dream—this was certain.