Luo Sigong arrived here by order of the Wanli Emperor... Of course, Luo Sigong understood perfectly that while it was the Wanli Emperor's command, it was in fact the will of Consort Zheng.
Consort Zheng's elder brother, Zheng Guotai, was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, a position of the second rank, and Luo Sigong's superior, a member of the imperial clan.
The reason for the search of Longde Hall this time was that the Imperial Guard had received orders suspecting the Daoists in Longde Hall of being involved with certain demonic Daoists. Therefore, they were to question the Wudang Mountain Daoists in Longde Hall, carefully verify their origins, and thoroughly search every nook and cranny of Longde Hall.
The task of apprehending individuals was assigned to the Northern Commandery, while the inspection was to be carried out by the Southern Commandery. Luo Sigong was sent to conduct the initial inspection; if problems were discovered, the Northern Commandery would take over.
"Daoist, please open the door."
Luo Sigong spoke before the main hall's door, while Ji Xiang, who was inside the main hall, stood up... and almost fell.
Having sat for too long, his physical legs had gone numb.
Ji Xiang opened the hall door, and outside, there were people packed densely.
"Imperial Guard... this is troublesome."
Ji Xiang did not know the reason for the Imperial Guard's arrival, only that their presence here now would bring him considerable trouble.
Only the Wanli Emperor himself could command the Imperial Guard.
Could it be that because he had spoken at length with Zhu Changluo that morning, the Wanli Emperor had learned of it through the eunuchs' channels and had come to find trouble with him?
It was possible, but Ji Xiang also sighed. It wasn't as if he had wanted to say those things; they had asked, and how could he not answer? It was merely that his integration into this world was too low, and he hadn't considered that speaking out would lead to such consequences.
He would learn from this lesson and certainly not make the same mistake next time.
He should resign from this thankless job of sweeping the imperial palace grounds as soon as possible.
When Luo Sigong saw Ji Xiang open the door, his first action was to examine his appearance and attire. He had never met Ji Xiang before. In fact, this new Daoist in Longde Hall, though he had been here for some time, was practically a transparent figure within the imperial palace, with very little presence.
This was their first meeting. Ji Xiang's handsome appearance, his head adorned with a blue silk cap, and his attire of a sky-blue crane cloak with turtle and snake patterns, presented such a distinguished figure that it left a very good impression on Luo Sigong, a middle-aged man of worldly experience.
A young man who could sweep the imperial palace grounds at such a tender age had a promising future.
"Luo Sigong, Commander of the Southern Commandery, on orders to inspect the situation within Longde Hall!"
Luo Sigong repeated his earlier words and then gestured. The Imperial Guards in their green and embroidered robes entered in an orderly fashion. Longde Hall was not very large, and with so many people entering, it immediately felt very crowded.
The moment the Commander of the Imperial Guard entered, he saw the three ritual implements and the Taiyi Sanyuan Sword placed before the incense burner, the sword covered in numerous yellow talismans that wrapped around its entire blade.
Turning his head, he saw yellow talismans pasted everywhere on the door and walls.
His brow furrowed deeply. He thought that although Longde Hall had always been sparsely populated, it was still a royal palace within the Forbidden City. To have these small yellow talismans pasted all over Longde Hall...
Looking at the crooked and distorted characters on the talismans, Luo Sigong felt deeply uncomfortable.
"Daoist, why are you pasting so many yellow talismans on these walls and doors? This is Longde Hall, not Wudang Mountain. There must be a reason for randomly pasting these things."
Luo Sigong narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint appearing within them, and one hand rested on his waist saber.
"Oh, these."
Ji Xiang replied calmly and unhurriedly, as there was no use in panicking:
"Tonight, there might be fire... or rather, a great flood."
"The talismans I wrote are all for warding off water and fire."
Luo Sigong's expression was one of slight curiosity. He spoke to Ji Xiang in a tone that was half teasing and half admonishing, "A great flood, Daoist. You cannot speak such words lightly."
"Do Daoist followers not shy away from such matters of water and fire? Casually speaking of a great flood in this Forbidden City, such words are very dangerous."
"There was also someone who said something similar in the past."
Ji Xiang chuckled:
"Tao the demonic Daoist, I know, I know, but tonight there will truly be a great flood."
Luo Sigong also chuckled, "Even if there is a flood, why are you pasting so many talismans on your own hall?"
Ji Xiang said, with great seriousness and earnestness, "That fire will come looking for me."
Luo Sigong: "What did you say? Someone is going to set fire here?"
Ji Xiang shook his head, "Not a person."
"A god."
This god-like operation completely stunned Luo Sigong. He remained silent for a few breaths, then resumed his smile.
This young Daoist in Longde Hall must have a screw loose.
At this moment, Ji Xiang saw someone about to peel off his talisman and immediately called out a warning, "You there, don't peel off my talismans!"
At the same time, Luo Sigong loudly ordered the surrounding Imperial Guards:
"All of you, peel off these talismans!"
Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guards immediately reached out to peel off the yellow talismans. However, as their hands grasped a corner of the talisman and they pulled with force, they were collectively stunned, because the yellow talismans did not move at all, as if they had taken root.
Luo Sigong was also taken aback.
Ji Xiang chuckled again, his voice reaching Luo Sigong's ears:
"I haven't finished speaking yet. You cannot peel off these talismans."
Luo Sigong looked at Ji Xiang, his brows furrowed, and his expression darkened:
"Daoist Ji, we are searching your Longde Hall by imperial decree. Please do not obstruct our work, otherwise, we will have to invite you to the Southern Commandery for a chat."
Ji Xiang continued to chuckle, with an attitude that made Luo Sigong's forehead burn with anger.
Ji Xiang observed that none of the Imperial Guards present were cultivators... Of course, within the Forbidden City, besides himself, there were only mortals.
Moreover, it was the Southern Commandery that had been dispatched. It seemed that even though the Wanli Emperor had issued this strange order, he was likely not taking it very seriously.
"No, no, I'm not going, not going..."
"And do you have a dispatch order?"
Ji Xiang looked at Luo Sigong. Seeing that the other party remained silent, he chuckled twice more, full of mockery:
"Saying you can casually invite people to the Southern Commandery is just to scare those who don't understand."
"If there were a dispatch order to arrest someone, it wouldn't be the Southern Commandery coming, but the Northern Commandery. I am not an Imperial Guard, why should I fear you?"
The Southern Commandery was originally responsible only for the internal discipline, military discipline, supervision, and personnel management of the Imperial Guard, akin to internal affairs. Of course, although the Northern Commandery was feared by many, they had to be polite to the Southern Commandery. However, in terms of the severity of the arrest, the appearance of the Southern Commandery was merely a routine inspection.
Ji Xiang certainly would not go with the people from the Southern Commandery. Going to the Southern Commandery would be far more dangerous; his talismans would have been set up in vain, and he would rely on these mortals to "protect" his safety?
Setting aside how these fierce officials would treat him, if the fire god were to enter through the gates of the Southern Commandery and annihilate them all, that would be quite amusing.
Within the Commanderies, the Northern Commandery consisted of gods, while the Southern Commandery consisted of mortals. The Southern Commandery, as the disciplinary body, possessed items and authority to suppress divine beings. However, given the abnormal situation with this fire god, who could directly command incense spirits to kill people through incense, and the imperial prestige of the Great Ming, which should suppress all gods and ghosts, seemed blind and invisible. There was definitely a major problem here.
If imperial prestige was useless, would the Southern Commandery's methods of suppressing gods be effective?
Therefore, the Southern Commandery's arrival at Longde Hall this time, though imposing, was in reality just an inspection, without the authority to arrest.
From this matter, Ji Xiang had already discerned that the Wanli Emperor was not at all serious about the search of Longde Hall.
Luo Sigong fell silent.
The so-called "dispatch order" was a document proving the emperor's command. Important imperial orders required formal edicts, but for some less significant commands, it was not necessary to go through such trouble; a dispatch order would suffice.
Once, the Imperial Guard went to arrest someone without a dispatch order. That person was not afraid at all and confronted them on the spot, demanding the dispatch order. At that time, the Imperial Guard could not produce it and had to change their story to say they were there to pay their respects. This person was Gao Gong, the Grand Secretary of the Longqing Emperor's reign.
After being rendered speechless, Luo Sigong could only smile to ease the atmosphere, "Although the Daoist has not been in the Forbidden City for long, you know many of the rules here."
Ji Xiang's "smile did not diminish," causing Luo Sigong's veins to bulge on his forehead.
"Perhaps some deity will come to kill me later, and I need to sit here and wait for him. If I go elsewhere, I will be in danger."
Ji Xiang was completely uncooperative with the Imperial Guard's work. Luo Sigong was no longer polite. He had been in the Imperial Guard for so many years, and he had encountered plenty of uncooperative people; in fact, he had never met anyone who cooperated with their work.
"Where would a deity come to kill someone in this imperial palace? Is imperial prestige just for show!"
"Daoist, stop spouting such heretical words. The Imperial Guard is here tonight to inspect Longde Hall on imperial orders. The fact that you have pasted so many yellow talismans on the walls makes it difficult not to suspect something."
"Since we cannot peel off these yellow talismans, please, Daoist, peel them off yourself!"
Luo Sigong spoke, his tone no longer admitting of doubt, "Guards, escort the Daoist to peel off the talismans!"
Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guards stepped forward. Two guards approached to seize Ji Xiang, intending to bring him to the wall of talismans to tear them down. However, Ji Xiang merely turned around and waved his hand, touching the shoulders of these two guards. Immediately, both guards let out a muffled groan, and their arms were dislocated by Ji Xiang's touch!
"Oh dear, my apologies, my apologies."
Ji Xiang was also startled, not expecting that he still couldn't control his strength properly.
"I didn't even use much force, and you dislocated your arms. Your bodies are not very strong..."
The other Imperial Guards reached out to grab him, and Ji Xiang touched each of them. Instantly, there was a chorus of groans. All these Imperial Guards in their green and embroidered robes clutched their arms and withdrew their hands.
Luo Sigong was shocked, his expression immediately darkening, "Ji Xiang! You dare to defy imperial orders and attack the Imperial Guard!"
But before he could move, he had only placed his hand on the hilt of his saber, preparing to draw it, when he found that the saber would not come out.
Because Ji Xiang's hand was already on the hilt, its force immense. Luo Sigong tried his best to draw the saber, only to feel all his strength vanish like a mud ox entering the sea, with no reaction at all!
"Commander Luo, your body seems truly not very strong. You appear somewhat weak. Look, I only applied a little force, and you can't even draw your saber."
Luo Sigong's pupils contracted violently, and he said in a deep voice, "Ji Xiang, what do you intend to do?"
Ji Xiang chuckled:
"Seeing that you seem a bit weak, I happen to have some herbal formulas for strengthening the body. After tonight, I will send you a copy, Commander."
"After all, a good body will allow you to work better in the future. In fact, the moment you entered, you made me feel your extraordinary heroism. At your age, you are already wearing a qilin robe. It is a pity that you are in the Southern Commandery, only able to suppress gods as a mortal, rather than becoming a god yourself. If you were in the Northern Commandery, perhaps there would be great potential..."
Ji Xiang held onto Luo Sigong's saber hilt and waited for a few breaths before releasing it. However, in the short time of these two exchanges, dense beads of sweat had appeared on Luo Sigong's forehead, and his muscles were taut, yet he made no further move, as if captured by a fierce beast, afraid to budge.
Ji Xiang, on the other hand, shook his head and waved at the Imperial Guards who were about to enter.
Whoosh!
Immediately, a strong gust of wind swept across the ground, pushing all the armored Imperial Guards back three to five steps. Fallen leaves danced wildly in the courtyard. Ji Xiang turned and said earnestly to Luo Sigong:
"I am truly waiting for a deity to kill me."
"I'm not lying to you."