The following morning, in the signing room of the Wannian County office,
Pei Yunfan spread out the items obtained from the previous night: the White Jade Lotus, the encrypted scroll, the copper clasp left behind by the man in black, and the Mandala flower imprints taken from the three deceased Hu merchants.
Li Muyan, yawning, studied the cryptic text on the scroll, while Bai Suxin examined the copper clasp, and Xuan Bei chanted sutras, offering blessings to the jade lotus.
"This copper clasp is crafted in the style of the Western Regions," Bai Suxin raised the clasp to the light, "The turquoise inlaying technique suggests it was made by artisans from Khotan. Not many Hu merchants in Chang'an could afford such ornaments."
"Khotan…" Pei Yunfan murmured thoughtfully, "One of the three dead merchants was from Khotan."
Li Muyan looked up, "I've deciphered part of the text. It says, 'The Poison Immortal' was originally a nameless toxin, shaped by the greed, anger, ignorance, and resentment of humanity. The sacrificial ritual must be performed on the night of the 'Three Stars Aligning' in a place of extreme Yin or Yang in Chang'an. The last sacrifice was held in the 'Ghost Market' southeast of the Imperial City, and the next…"
He turned the scroll, "The next one will take place in 'Qinglong Fang.'"
"Qinglong Fang?" Pei Yunfan furrowed his brow, "But that's where the aristocracy resides. How could it possibly be a place of extreme Yin or Yang?"
"Perhaps there's something hidden underground," Xuan Bei interjected, "My master once told me that beneath Chang'an, there's a vast network of secret tunnels left over from previous dynasties. Some areas, due to being perpetually shrouded from sunlight, have accumulated negative energy and become places of extreme Yin."
Just then, Wang Hu rushed in. "County Magistrate Pei, someone from the Honglu Temple is here. They say there's a Hu merchant banquet tonight and have invited you to attend."
"A Hu merchant banquet? Why invite me?"
"They say it's because several Hu merchants have been killed recently, and their leaders are unsettled. They want the government to send someone to oversee the situation," Wang Hu whispered, "Also, Lord Xiao Jing, the Vice Minister of the Honglu Temple, personally requested your attendance."
Xiao Jing, the Vice Minister of the Honglu Temple, was in charge of foreign affairs and was a prominent young official in the court. His personal invitation surely held some significance.
Pei Yunfan thought for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, I'll go. Li Gongzi, Bai Gongzi, Xuan Bei, would you care to join me?"
Li Muyan's eyes lit up, "A Hu merchant banquet? There will definitely be fine food and wine! Let's go, let's go!"
Bai Suxin shook her head helplessly, while Xuan Bei clasped his hands together, "I shall follow fate."
The banquet was held at the "Hu Yu Lou" in Huaiyuan Fang, the largest and most luxurious Hu merchant establishment in Chang'an, typically reserved for aristocrats and wealthy merchants.
By the time Pei Yunfan and the others arrived, the area outside the building was already filled with opulent carriages. Hu merchants dressed in brocade, Han merchants wearing head coverings, and even a few Japanese merchants in round-collared robes, were conversing outside the doors.
Upon entering, the extravagance was overwhelming. The floors were covered with Persian carpets, the walls adorned with Byzantine tapestries, and the lamps were lit with oils from the South Sea, casting a light as bright as daylight. In the central dance floor, Hu women were performing the Zhi Zhi dance, their movements graceful, drawing loud applause from the guests.
Xiao Jing, the Vice Minister of the Honglu Temple, sat at the head of the table. Upon seeing Pei Yunfan enter, he stood and greeted him warmly. "County Magistrate Pei, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. And this is…"
He glanced at the three people standing behind Pei Yunfan.
"This is Li Muyan, the Master of the Xuanji Pavilion," Li Muyan said, smiling broadly and cupping his hands in greeting.
"Bai Suxin."
"I am Xuan Bei, from the Da Ci EnTemple."
Xiao Jing's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Ah, so you are the descendants of Li Chunfeng and a senior monk from Da Ci EnTemple. My apologies for the oversight. Please, have a seat."
The banquet commenced, with fine wine and delicacies served in abundance. Roast lamb, Hu flatbread, grape wine, and Sanlejiang—all rich with the flavors of the Western Regions. Throughout the evening, the Hu merchants clinked their glasses and exchanged pleasantries, but Pei Yunfan's keen senses detected an underlying sense of unease behind many of their smiles.
After several rounds of toasts, Xiao Jing raised his cup and said, "I have invited you all here today, firstly to strengthen our bonds, and secondly to address the recent events. The Great Tang welcomes all, and we will not allow any petty criminals to disturb our friends and business partners. County Magistrate Pei," he turned to Pei Yunfan, "This matter is now under your full responsibility. Whatever is needed, the Honglu Temple will cooperate fully."
The Hu merchants all turned their eyes toward Pei Yunfan, their expressions mixed with expectation and doubt.
Pei Yunfan stood and cupped his hands, "I will do my utmost. But to solve this case, I need everyone's help. If anyone has any information, please share it."
An elderly merchant from Sogdiana hesitated for a moment before speaking. "County Magistrate Pei, I have something to say… The three who have died, though from different places, were all involved in the same business venture."
"What venture?"
"Three months ago, a shipment of 'Dragon's Tears' was hijacked in the Hexi Corridor. That shipment was worth a fortune, and the owners were these three men… and…" The old merchant glanced around before lowering his voice. "And some of the people here with us tonight."
The room fell silent. Several Hu merchants' faces changed subtly, and some opened their mouths as if to speak, but stopped.
Pei Yunfan pressed on, "Did you report the hijacking to the authorities?"
"We did, but there has been no response," another Persian merchant said with a bitter smile. "We investigated on our own and found that the thieves were professional. They didn't appear to be mere bandits. What's stranger still is that the crates that were stolen contained more than just Dragon's Tears…"
He paused and looked around, confirming no one was paying attention, before lowering his voice even further. "There was also a 'Black Jade Buddha Head'."
Li Muyan froze for a moment, his cup nearly slipping from his hand. "Could it be the legendary Black Jade Buddha Head created by Emperor Ashoka, the one said to 'ward off evil and calm the heart'?"
The Persian merchant nodded. "Yes, exactly. That Buddha head was originally enshrined at Nalanda Temple but was lost during the wars a century ago. It was later purchased by a merchant from India, who intended to bring it to Chang'an as an offering to the emperor, but…"
"Where is the Buddha head now?" Xuan Bei asked urgently.
"We don't know," the Persian merchant shook his head. "After the hijacking, we offered a generous reward, but there have been no leads. As for the merchants involved in this, besides those here, others…" He trailed off. "Either they've died or disappeared."
Pei Yunfan's heart stirred. "The three who died were involved in this?"
"Yes. And there are two more," the Persian merchant pointed to a hesitant Khotanese merchant and a pale Sogdian merchant, "These two."
The two merchants pointed out turned ashen, nearly collapsing in fear.
Xiao Jing furrowed his brow. "Why wasn't this reported earlier?"
"We…" The Khotanese merchant trembled, "We didn't dare… After the hijacking, we all received a threatening letter…"
He pulled out a crumpled letter from his sleeve and handed it to Pei Yunfan.
The letter contained only one line of messy, crooked characters:
"Hand over the Buddha head, or die."
The writing was in blood.
The banquet ended on an uneasy note.
Pei Yunfan placed the two frightened Hu merchants under the protection of the county office, and asked Xiao Jing from the Honglü Temple to dispatch more guards to protect other merchants involved in the dragon's saliva incense business.
As they made their way back to the office, Li Muyan was deep in thought.
"Dragon's saliva incense, the black jade Buddha head, the Poison Immortal Sect... what's the connection between them?" he muttered to himself.
Bai Suxin said, "The Buddha head can ward off evil spirits, and the Poison Immortal Sect practices dark arts that would abhor such ritual objects. Could it be that the Poison Immortal Sect stole the Buddha head to prevent it from interfering with their sacrificial rites?"
"Possibly," Pei Yunfan nodded, "but then what about the threatening letters? If the Buddha head was already in the hands of the Poison Immortal Sect, why threaten the merchants to 'hand it over'?"
Suddenly, Xuan Bei spoke up, "Unless... the ones who stole the Buddha head were not the Poison Immortal Sect at all."
The four of them stopped in their tracks simultaneously.
Moonlight bathed the desolate street, and the distant sounds of the night watchman's drum echoed—it's already the second watch.
Li Muyan slowly spoke, "What if two forces are fighting over the Buddha head? One is the Poison Immortal Sect, seeking to destroy it, and the other, unknown, wants to possess it. The three Hu merchants may have discovered something they shouldn't have, which led to their execution."
"The man in the black robe," Pei Yunfan recalled the mysterious figure from the Starwatch Tower, "He burned the belongings of the Hu merchants, likely not for the ritual, but to... erase the traces?"
"But what about the Mandala flower marks?" Bai Suxin asked.
Li Muyan scratched his head. "That's also something I can't figure out. Unless..."
Before he could finish, a blood-curdling scream came from ahead in the alley.
The four of them rushed over to find a man dressed as a Hu merchant collapsed in a pool of blood, a dagger lodged in his chest. He was still alive, trembling as he pointed toward the depths of the alley.
Pei Yunfan crouched down. "Who did this?"
The Hu merchant opened his mouth, but only a few garbled syllables came out: "Black... black robe... three... three stars..."
His head slumped, and he died.
Pei Yunfan checked the body and found a wooden token fall from his chest. On it was a carved Mandala flower, with a small inscription: "Qinglong Fang, midnight, three stars aligned."
"It's an invitation," Li Muyan took the token and examined it closely. "The material is dark-natured nanmu, with cinnabar ink... This technique is the 'Yin Symbol Order' used in Taoist rituals."
"Qinglong Fang, midnight..." Pei Yunfan looked up at the night sky.
Tonight was the third of the month, with the moon like a sickle, and three bright stars aligned in the eastern sky.
The night of the three stars aligned had arrived.
Qinglong Fang, located in the northeast of Chang'an, was built during the reign of Emperor Taizong to house the subjugated Turkic nobles. The area was home to many luxurious mansions and spacious courtyards.
At midnight, the area was silent. Pei Yunfan and his companions lay in wait on the rooftop of an abandoned mansion, overlooking the largest estate in the Fang—what used to be the home of the Turkic prince Ashina She'er.
The mansion had been abandoned for years, but tonight, faint light was visible from the back courtyard.
"As expected," Li Muyan whispered, "Look at the ground."
Under the moonlight, complex patterns were faintly visible on the courtyard floor, forming a massive formation. It resembled the Eight Desolate Poison Array found beneath the Starwatch Tower but was even larger, covering the entire back courtyard.
At the center of the formation stood a stone platform. Upon it rested a black object that emitted a ghostly glow in the moonlight.
"It's the black jade Buddha head!" Xuan Bei exclaimed.
The Buddha head was about a foot in height, exquisitely carved. Though it was only the head, its compassionate expression remained dignified. Strangely, a red gemstone was set in the center of its forehead, aligned with the three stars in the night sky, casting an eerie red light.
Surrounding the stone platform stood seven black-robed figures, arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper. They chanted softly, each holding a bronze mirror that reflected the starlight onto the Buddha head.
"They're using the Buddha head to absorb the starlight..." Bai Suxin's face turned pale. "They're trying to corrupt the Buddha head, turning it into a cursed artifact!"
"Stop them!" Pei Yunfan leaped down.
Almost instantly, the seven black-robed figures turned in unison, and the starlight reflected from their mirrors turned into seven beams of white light, shooting toward the four of them!
Li Muyan quickly threw a talisman: "Golden light, protect me, obey the law!"
The talisman exploded, creating a golden light barrier that barely blocked the beams of white light. But the barrier quickly dimmed, and it looked as though it would shatter any moment.
Xuan Bei stepped forward, slamming his staff to the ground. "Vajra Demon Subduing Circle!"
The Buddha light expanded from his staff, colliding with the white light with a sharp screech. The seven black-robed figures staggered back, and their chanting grew more frantic.
Bai Suxin blew on her jade flute, turning the sound into sharp, tangible sound blades that slashed at the bronze mirrors held by the black-robed figures. Three of the mirrors shattered in response, and a gap appeared in the formation.
Pei Yunfan seized the opportunity and rushed toward the stone platform. He needed to reclaim the Buddha head!
Just as he was about to reach it, a figure descended from the sky and blocked his path.
It was the same man in the black robe from the Starwatch Tower.
"Back again," the man in the black robe spoke coldly. "Those who thwart my plans will die!"
He pulled off his robe, revealing his true form—a middle-aged scholar in his forties, pale-faced with hawk-like eyes. His most striking feature was his hands: long fingers with light purple nails.
"Poison Hand Scholar Wen Ruhui!" Li Muyan gasped, "You're still alive!"
Wen Ruhui, the number two figure in the Poison Immortal Sect thirty years ago, was infamous for his "Poison Hand," able to kill with his fingertips, unseen and undetected. It was rumored that he died in the fight at Zhongnan Mountain, but clearly...
"Ah, Li Chunfeng's descendants have sharp eyes," Wen Ruhui sneered. "Since you recognize me, you should know to retreat."
Pei Yunfan brandished his blade. "Hand over the Buddha head, surrender now."
"Young man, you have quite the tone," Wen Ruhui raised his hand, his fingertips glowing purple. "Let me see what you're truly capable of."
With a flicker, he split into several afterimages, attacking from multiple directions. Pei Yunfan focused, his blade flashing like a net to protect himself. But Wen Ruhui's poison fingertips were too devious—before they even reached him, the poison wind arrived first. Pei Yunfan felt dizzy and immediately held his breath.
Xuan Bei, seeing this, swept his staff, forcing Wen Ruhui back with Buddha light. Bai Suxin played her flute once more, sending sound waves aimed at Wen Ruhui's ear pulse.
Li Muyan quietly circled behind the stone platform, trying to retrieve the Buddha head. But as soon as his hand touched it, an icy chill spread through his arm, and his entire limb went numb.
"The Buddha head has been corrupted; do not touch it with bare hands!" Bai Suxin cried out.
Wen Ruhui laughed maniacally. "Too late! The power of the three stars has already been absorbed by the Buddha head. In a moment, it will become our Sect's holy artifact!"
He forced Pei Yunfan and Xuan Bei back, leaped onto the stone platform, and struck the Buddha head's crown. The red light surged from the Buddha head, and the red gemstone revealed a twisted face within.
"With the Buddha as the vessel, I will invite the soul of the Poison Immortal..." Wen Ruhui cackled, "Today, the Poison Immortal will be reborn!"
The Buddha head trembled, humming a deep, ominous sound. The formation on the stone platform fully activated, and blood-red light shot up into the sky, dyeing the night red.
In the distance, the night watchman's scream rang out: "A celestial phenomenon! Report to the Observatory!"
Pei Yunfan knew that if the Poison Immortal truly used the Buddha head to be reborn, the consequences would be unimaginable. He bit his tongue to dispel the dizziness and poured all his internal strength into his blade.
This strike was the final move of the "Breaking