Nightwatcher

# 133. The Shaman Clans

"All these do sound reasonable at first glance. But, you don't have any conclusive evidence, whether on King Zhenbei or the first Jianzheng."

“King Zhenbei guards the border all year long. This Daoist doesn't know him well, and neither do you. You were a bit too rash in determining him as evil.

"Furthermore, King Zhenbei is a third rank Martial Artist, and he still has a chance some day to break through to the second rank. You still have to consider if he even wants to become emperor. Hehe, of course, power has moved many hearts since ancient times, so this poor Daoist’s analysis may also be too rash." Daoist Jinlian gave his analysis.

"Breaking through to the second rank and being emperor aren't mutually exclusive." Xu Qi'an had his thoughts on this, “This is just a hypothesis, and I haven't verified it yet. After I collect the evidence, We can be sure whether or not King Zhenbei is the mastermind.

"But, Daozhang, I can't continue on that front." Xu Qi'an sighed, “Emperor Yuanjing ordered me to investigate the case. But, as King Zhenbei is a King from the royal family, with an army under his banner, I can't investigate his House openly.

"The Jianzheng of the Sitianjian is pretending to be sick, and I can't go to the Star Observatory to question him. It's indeed a difficult matter."

"Emperor Yuanjing?" Daoist Jinlian narrowed his eyes to examine Xu Qi'an, an inexplicable colour flashing in his eyes.

"It's been many years since I've heard an Imperial dog refer to him that way." The Daoist Priest clicked his tongue in surprise.

"What did you overlook?" Xu Qi'an subconsciously asked.

"Your brain is naturally rebellious." The old Daoist commented.

*I'm not... You are speaking nonsense... Don't pin a crime on me like that...* Putting on a serious face and an equally serious tone, Xu Qi'an said, "I am very loyal and devoted to His Majesty."

Daoist Jinlian did not tear through this rebuttal.

"The water in this case looks incredibly deep. Does Daozhang have any suggestions for me?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"You were clever in pretending to be a Confucian disciple in the Heaven and Earth Society."

*I knew that you must have been watching us perform palace fights in the group while smiling like an aunt watching her nephews...* Xu Qi'an lampooned about this LYB.

"This Daoist will analyse it with you. There were a few things in your description that didn’t quite add up."

"Daozhang, pray tell." Xu Qi'an's eyes immediately lit up.

He chose to communicate frankly and openly with this old Daoist, seeing his wisdom and rich experience.

LYBs were indeed disgusting. But they surely did generate a sense of security when they were your allies.

After pondering for a while, Daoist Jinlian said, "The first weird thing is the Jianzheng standing by. If the first Jianzheng was indeed the one sealed under Sangpo, he would have been the most anxious one. But, he is very quiet... Well, the old guy could not be in the Star Observatory, and doing things in secret."

Xu Qi'an nodded, silently.

The original Jianzheng and the current Jianzheng should be irreconcilable with each other, like fire and water. The reason was quite simple; if the master had been sealed by the apprentice, and the apprentice then happily took his place running the Sitianjian, clearly the relationship between master and apprentice had been completely broken. Otherwise, with the first rank strength of the Jianzheng, even the Sect leader from the Human Sect couldn't stop him.

"The second wrong thing is Emperor Yuanjing. He lifted the ban on the city the second day the Sangpo case happened. Hehe... Don't you find it strange? There's no reason for him to leave trouble for the future."

Xu Qi'an immediately said, "I have also thought about these two issues, and I guessed that the city gate was opened to lure the snakes out of the hole... well, I have no way to know what is going on inside the Jianzheng and Emperor Yuanjing’s heads, they’re too high a level for me."

"True." Daoist Jinlian said, "You have another reason to talk with me, right? Is Number Six related to the Sangpo case?"

"To be precise, Monk Hengyuan's junior brother is involved in this case. I have become more sure of this after he lost contact for no reason."

"As I expected. You have been to Qinglong Temple and found out Hengyuan's identity." Not surprised at all, Daoist Jinlian then asked, "His junior brother?"

"There was a monk in the Qinglong Temple named Henghui. Henghui eloped with King Yu's daughter Princess Pingyang more than a year ago, causing King Yu to be shocked and bedridden. This incident is connected to the struggle between the aristocrat bloc and the civil official bloc for power." Xu Qi'an grabbed the water jug, poured a glass of water, moistened his throat, and continued,

"Monk Henghui stole a qi-shielding Magic Artefact from Qinglong Temple to avoid him and Princess Pingyang being caught. I suspect that this Magic Artefact got into the possession of Baihu Zhou Chixiong of the Jinwu Guards."

Daoist Jinlian listened to him patiently, frowning and showing a thoughtful expression from time to time. After Xu Qi'an finished, he spoke, "So, You want to know about Henghui from Hengyuan to confirm your guess, don't you?"

"Um... This is the only lead I currently have. Daozhang, You should remember that Hengyuan had said that his junior brother had been abducted. But, the abbot of the Qinglong Temple said that Henghui had eloped. Maybe Hengyuan had found some clues after leaving Qinglong Temple for investigation..."

"You want me to lead you to find him."

"I implore Daozhang to do so."

...

Thousands of miles in the south, the moon was bright and the stars sparse.

Different from the cold and dry winter in the capital, the climate was humid in the south, where the Shaman Clans resided. Even in the coldest season of the year, the Shamans wore thin clothes.

Lina was wearing thin cloth boots, and her skirt only reached her knees, revealing her slender and straight legs.

Her face was exquisite. Her eyebrows were slightly thick and her pupils were light blue, rippling with an innocent and lively glint.

Her wheat-coloured skin gave her a healthy and wild look, as if she were a vigorous female leopard.

A large group with hundreds of people travelled in the wilderness. They were holding torches and moving forward silently.

Lina, with her agile steps and energetic demeanour, seemed a little incompatible with the group.

This time, she was following the elders of her tribe to gain experience, their destination being the Abyss, the place where the Gu God was sleeping. The Shaman Clans had seven tribes, who were the beneficiaries and the guardians of the Gu God.

*When I figure out the reason for the revival of the Gu God, I can announce the information in the Heaven and Earth Society so that everyone can owe me a debt. Of course, I'll do it only if revealing the reason won't cause any problems for the Shaman Clans.* Thinking of this, a bright smile covered Lina's beautiful face.

"Lina, Be serious." Her elder brother Mosang turned around and reprimanded her in a quiet tone.

He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his appearance was quite similar to Lina's. But, a deep scar marred the left side of his handsome face. That, along with his fierce eyes made him give off an unruly temperament.

Lina wasn't afraid of her elder brother at all, and rebutted playfully, "Other elder brothers have sisters-in-law to scold. But, You don't have a wife and only know to scold me all day long."

Frustrated, Mosang walked away with a sullen expression.

Lina followed her brother, putting her arms around his shoulders, and she smiled, "I heard that the women in Great Feng are juicy and plump, and their faces are whiter than steamed buns. I'll grab a wife for you, Mosang."

Mosang coldly snorted, "What's the use of beauty? I want a woman that can tear up a leopard with her bare hands."

"According to my friend, Great Feng's Princess Consort Zhenbei is astonishingly beautiful. Their Eldest Princess is also charming. Similarly, the Dao Master of the Human sect is also a beauty. All of them are said to be nation-toppling beauties."

Mosang immediately looked over and swallowed, "You help me ask your friend how beautiful they actually are... Wait, where did you get such a friend?"

Ignoring him, Lina paced ahead.

"Heaven Gu grandma, wait for me..." Lina left her tribe's group and went to the leader of the Heaven Gu Tribe, a hunchbacked old woman.

The Heaven Gu Grandma raised her wrinkle-covered face. Her eyes clear, she looked at Lina, "What do you need from this old grandma, little girl?"

"Grandma, I have a friend... Well, a friend of a friend. He has encountered some strange incidents lately." Rolling her eyes, Lina said, "He’s lucky, Outrageously lucky."

There was a reason for Lina to ask Heaven Gu Grandma this question.

According to legend, After the Gu God fell to deep sleep, its spirit transformed into Heart Gu, its blood and essence transformed into Strength Gu, its venom transformed to Poison Gu, its appetite transformed to Desire Gu, its eyes transformed to Heaven Gu and it's bodily fluids transformed to Corpse Gu.

That was the origin of the seven tribes of the Shaman Clans. There was also a second legend in the Shaman Clans, that the Gu God would withdraw its powers once it recovers.

No one in the Shaman Clan hoped for this ancient beast on par with Gods and Buddhas to revive.

Heaven Gu represented the eyes of the Gu God, which could observe the laws of nature and all phenomena. Therefore, the Heaven Gu Clan was responsible for formulating the calendar. The entire Shaman Clan worked and farmed according to the instructions from the Heaven Gu Clan.

Additionally, The Heaven Gu Clan was also proficient in the secret arts of divination, and omen reading.

Heaven Gu Grandma said, "That person should be one with a bright natal star, a good person who has done countless good deeds and accumulated a lot of meritorious virtue."

*Is Number Three a good person? Probably...* Lina said, "But, His luck is to pick up silver. He picks up silver every day."

*But, Daoist Jinlian had said that his situation wasn't due to meritorious virtue.*

"Picking up money? What luck is this? You are speaking nonsense, little girl." A middle-aged man in the Heaven Gu Clan loudly laughed.

Laughter came from all sides, breaking the dignified and serious atmosphere in the team.

*This little girl from the Strength Gu Clan is quite interesting.*

"Shut up!" Grandma Heavenly Gu suddenly yelled. Serious, She grabbed Lina's wrist with such force that it caused Lina to frown slightly.

"Little girl, where is your friend? Tell me, tell me quickly..." Heaven Gu Grandma looked eager.

*What...* The people from the Heaven Gu Clan looked at each other in dismay, unable to understand how a little girl's joke made Heaven Gu Grandma so excited.

Mosang stood on his feet and looked around when he discovered the abnormality. He saw Heaven Gu Grandma grabbing his sister's wrist, and said in a loud voice, "Dad, something’s happened."

The chief of the Strength Gu Clan nodded calmly, his voice magnetic, "I'll go and have a look."

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