757. Inspecting Enlightenment (Patreon)

Three beams of gold light landed beside Li Xiang. A moment later, they resolved into familiar faces. Xi Muchen, Cho Haoli, and Sa Zhangli stood before Li Xiang. Xi Muchen looked at her with an amused expression, his arms crossed, Cho Haoli leaned on his back foot, bored, and Sa Zhangli glared, obviously tired of disturbances.

“Is there usually an enlightenment at this time?” Sa Zhangli asked, glaring at Li Xiang.

Xi Muchen shrugged. “No, but there’s plenty of cultivators in the city, and plenty who are not beholden to the loop. Given that anything can trigger enlightenment, and given how different the loops can be from one another, it isn’t unforeseen that someone experience enlightenment suddenly in a loop, even if they’re already absorbed into the loop.”

“Hmph. Don’t give me that. This is an anomaly.” Sa Zhangli flicked her sleeve authoritatively.

“A-ha, is the civil servant who only knows how to wield a brush telling us what is and isn’t an anomaly? You rarely leave your room during the loops, how would you know what’s normal and not? Sa Zhangli, just admit it. You’re trying to look authoritative now, after you got embarrassed by that Jun Ke from the prison.” Xi Muchen smiled, but there was nothing nice about it.

She wrinkled her nose. “And who’s the one who went out of his way to invite me over and humiliate me?”

“Ah? I don’t know what you mean,” Xi Muchen said, tapping his chin in mock thought.

“Xi Muchen, stop being rude to the seniors,” Cho Haoli rebuffed him.

“Stop trying to win points by putting me down. I know you hate me, but it’s tasteless, truly tasteless.” Xi Muchen shook his head in admonishment.

Both Cho Haoli and Sa Zhangli stared at him in disgust.

In Li Xiang’s sleeve, Hui shook his head. Xi Muchen, there’s such a thing as pushing it too far. I don’t like anyone in this situation, but I have to admit that he’s gone so far that he’s the one in the wrong.

More importantly, let’s all agree to beat up Xi Muchen and leave Li Xiang alone to experience enlightenment. That sounds good to me, what does everyone else think?

Even as he thought it to himself, he quietly drew a few dozen barrier talismans on the fabric of Li Xiang’s sleeves, ready to activate them at a moment’s notice. It’s best for me if they simply walk away, but if they attempt to interfere with her enlightenment, I’ll be forced to act!

“Go handle your escapee. I’ll handle this woman,” Sa Zhangli declared.

“Escapee? It’s not that big a deal. The loop is almost over. For that matter, why are you so obsessed with refusing this woman enlightenment? Sa Zhangli, are you jealous?” Xi Muchen asked.

“Jealous?” Sa Zhangli rolled her eyes. She looked at Li Xiang again and sniffed. “Fine. If you insist, I’ll leave her alone.”

“It’s not that I insist. It’s just that it isn’t worth getting worked up for every single cultivator who experiences enlightenment. She’ll forget it at the start of the next loop, anyways,” Xi Muchen reasoned.

“Is that the callous sort of thinking you Inspectors have?”

“I wouldn’t expect a civil servant like you to understand the real world.”

The two of them glared at each other for a moment.

Sa Zhangli harrumphed. “Fine. I’ll go work on finishing off the paperwork for the loop’s end. You go look for the escapee. And I don’t want to see ‘the loop was almost over’ on the forms when you bring him back.”

“Yes!” Xi Muchen saluted earnestly.

Cho Haoli gave him a suspicious look.

Yeah… I have to agree with that. I somehow feel like Xi Muchen isn’t going to chase me around, if only so he doesn’t have to fill out those forms…

Sa Zhangli marched away. Xi Muchen saluted until she left, then straightened with a yawn. “Ahh… I’d better not find that guy.”

“Xi Muchen! Don’t be lazy. Just because of the forms…”

“Not wanting to do paperwork is a very valid reason to not work. In any case, I’d better not find him soon. If he’s still nearby, he’d better hoof it out of the city before any other Inspectors catch him.” Xi Muchen glanced at Li Xiang’s sleeve and cocked a brow.

Eh? He knows I’m here? How? How did he detect me? Is there some mark on me from prison? Or is he sensing something that I don’t know how to suppress?

Cho Haoli frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Xi Muchen spun on his heel and walked away.

Behind him, Cho Haoli frowned. He stared at Li Xiang for a moment, then bent over, leaning down to peer into her sleeve.

Nothing but a few small scribbles in red. He shook his head and walked away.

From higher up Li Xiang’s sleeve, Zhubi, Tian Lan, and Hui all let out a sigh of relief. Hui led the way down to the outer edge of her sleeve again and peered out, watching the two Inspectors walk away. Jun Ke indicated that Xi Muchen used to be on our side. Is he still working for us, if only a little?

Well, I’ll take it! I’m not going to complain if he wants to help me for free!

Hui settled down in Li Xiang’s sleeve, watching the world from within to ensure no one disturbed her enlightenment. After a few minutes, a passing sword cultivator stood beside Li Xiang. Hui bristled, ready to attack, only to realize the man was acting as her dao protector. He laughed quietly. A big dao protector and a small dao protector. Li Xiang is well and truly guarded! No one will disturb her enlightenment now!

Time passed. The city moved on, while Li Xiang continued to cultivate. The sword slowly vanished, dissolving into motes of light which were absorbed into her body. On the third day, none of the sword remained. Still, Li Xiang continued to cultivate.

A week passed.  Li Xiang abruptly opened her eyes. She went to stand.

The sword cultivator nodded. “Did you achieve enlightenment?”

Hui and the dragons went tumbling out of her sleeve. The small dragons and Hui all held tiny cards, built from scraps of a slip of talisman paper.

Both Li Xiang and the sword cultivator stared at them.

Hui laughed lightly and gathered up the cards. “We weren’t gambling, don’t worry! Playing for pride, pride only!”

The sword cultivator squinted. Why is that what you clarified? First, explain why you were playing cards in someone else’s sleeve!

Li Xiang, on the other hand, nodded. She offered Hui her hand. “Will you fly with me, or on your own power?”

Hui quickly grew back up to his usual size, and the dragons wrapped around his neck and wrist as usual. “No, no. It’s fine. I can fly on my own, but thank you, Li Xiang!”

The sword cultivator frowned. No one’s going to ask about the card playing? Is that normal? Does this sword cultivator usually carry around a cardplaying trio in her sleeve…?