My Wife Is A Sword Immortal-Chapter 66 - 55 Plan Before Action

Chapter 66: Chapter 55 Plan Before Action

Before dawn, during the third watch, the star river was dim.

Zhao Rong got up early. He did not practice his morning exercises. Dressed lightly, he quietly left his manor and hurried towards Luojing.

Luojing had no city walls. Its north and south gates were practically decorative. The gates were never closed at night as Zhongnan Country governed through Daoism, once vigorously promoting rule through inaction. There were no curfews at night. Although, in recent years, under the demand of some Confucian officials at the court, some measures similar to curfews were implemented, they were not effectively enforced due to the indolent compliance of Luojing’s relaxed residents. There were still all-night gatherings, residents who did not return at night, seeking pleasure.

Therefore, entering Luojing at dawn was not as difficult as Zhao Rong had imagined.

Zhao Rong passed through the city and arrived at a small inn near the south gate where he had rented a room. He entered, changed his attire, and once ready, he stealthily left.

Taibai Mountain, located in the southern suburbs of Luojing, was the highest peak in the plain and even among the high mountains of Zhongnan. Zhao Rong looked up and saw a “star” shining brightly atop Taibai Mountain.

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If an immortal were looking down from the Nine Heavens, they would surely think the myriad lights in Luojing were scattered starlight from a fallen star.

That was where the Chongxu Temple’s observatory was located, which must have been as bright as daytime at that moment.

During an idle chat, Lin Wenruo had mentioned that it was a peculiar stone fostered within the deep mountains of Zhongnan. The brighter the daylight, the dimmer it became, and the deeper the night, the more radiant it grew.

Zhao Rong frowned slightly. By the time he reached the foot of Taibai Mountain and heard the bell ringing from the mountain, it was already the second quarter of the Yin hour.

A day was divided into twelve two-hour periods, and each period consisted of eight quarters. The Yin hour was from three to five in the morning.

It was summer now. The early sun rose early, close to dawn, and the sky was not yet bright, but there were already insects chirping in the woods.

Zhao Rong entered the market at the foot of the mountain and found it quite lively. After asking around, he learned that today was Luojing residents’ one rest day in every seven days. To avoid the harsh daylight, many devotees had come early in the morning to burn incense and chant scriptures, mostly families together.

Zhao Rong took steps up the mountain, observing carefully. He noticed that, apart from the devotees, there were also many Daoist priests and novices from Chongxu Temple climbing up, probably just having woken up.

In the outer area of the temple, as he crossed the threshold, he suddenly sensed a connection with something as before; to his left in front, Zhao Rong felt reassured. Like last time, he put some silver taels in the merit box, then strolled around casually.

A dark-clothed, blue-hatted novice passed by carrying a food box. Zhao Rong felt a stir in his heart and turned to follow discreetly. Before long, he saw the novice carry the food box into a building in the southeast corner.

Zhao Rong swept his gaze over and peered into the partly open door of the building. He could see half a table and chairs, with two blue-clothed Daoist priests sitting and chatting. After the novice entered, he laughed and spoke briefly, then opened the food box and took out several plates and utensils, before picking up the box and heading further inside, suggesting that there were others inside.

The early sun had already risen, and that building was situated at an expansive southeast corner. Strips of morning light passed through the doorframe and the lattice window, casting light into the building, touching the side of a thin blue-clothed Daoist priest; he shifted his head slightly to another side, put down his utensils, and pushed his stool inward to avoid the morning sun.

Zhao Rong watched, pursed his lips slightly, reached his hand into the morning light. The morning sun was tepid, feeling like silk on his hand, vividly golden, soft and not hot. Zhao Rong pulled back his hand, turned, and left the temple without looking around. Seeing that there were no people in sight ahead, he quickly turned into a secluded path.

While the outer area of Chongxu Temple was large, Taibai Mountain was larger still, with its waist surrounded by vast majestic buildings above and dense mountain forests everywhere else.

Zhao Rong cautiously made his way up the mountain.

In Chongxu Temple, the blue-clothed Daoist priests were core practitioners; the black-clothed Daoist priests were common priests without cultivation. He had also heard of a third kind, the purple-clothed Daoist priests, who held the most esteemed status within the temple, though he himself had never seen them, nor did he wish to encounter them before the debate on Confucianism and Daoism.

Based on what he had observed while ascending the mountain, common priests had eaten their vegetarian breakfast at the mountain foot dining hall before climbing up. Logically, the blue-clothed Daoist priests from the three-story building he saw earlier should not be eating at the outer area’s dining hall—they should have a dining hall in the inner area.

Every eventleft traces like spider webs and horse tracks.

If these blue-clothed priests needed the novices from below the mountain to bring them meals in the morning, there was only one possibility: they had stayed overnight in the outer area to stand guard. And those who stayed up all night, after a long night, are mostly sensitive to light, which explained why the thin Daoist priest avoided the not-so-hot morning sun—a symptom of staying up all night. Likely, other unseen Daoist priests inside were the same.

Just as he had suspected, the night defenses of Chongxu Temple were indeed strict. Although the outer area usually served devotees coming to pray and burn incense during the day, it was one of the necessary paths up the mountain, guarded closely at night, and even during the day when its doors were open to welcome visitors, some were surely keeping watch in secret.

On the eve of the debate between Confucianism and Daoism, Chongxu Temple and Wenruo were constantly engaged in covert battles, with neither side daring to relax in the slightest, both on high alert and trying their best to prevent and detect each other’s vulnerabilities.

Every issue has its pros and cons.

The drawback of this situation was obvious. With such strict surveillance, taking away the Thunder and Rainbow Purple Gold Furnace would be extremely difficult, and the disappearance of an “ordinary incense burner” might draw their significant attention to this trivial matter.

However, the advantage was also present. Their entire focus was currently on the Lanxi Lin clan, and if theft occurred within the temple, they would definitely suspect the Lanxi Lin clan first. As for why Lin Wenruo would steal an “ordinary incense burner,” they probably couldn’t figure it out and would only come up with many wrong answers, dispersing their energy and affecting their judgment, which would be beneficial for our side in the debate between Confucianism and Daoism.

Of course, the best outcome would be if they did not notice the theft of the “ordinary incense burner” at all. Given the daily influx of people, and considering the years that had passed, there must have been other thefts. Thus, it was important to mislead them and proactively provide them with a moderately reasonable cause for the theft.

Considering these strategies, the best approach would be to act during daylight because the guard would definitely not be as strict as at night, and although they would expect a change of guards, they wouldn’t let those who had stayed up all night continue to watch. The new Daoist priests because of their predecessors’ uneventful watch through the most perilous night, would likely become complacent.

As per normal logic, they would likely be divided into hidden and visible guards during the day; the former would hide in invisible spots for ambush while the latter would be blue-clothed Daoist priests reciting scriptures and guarding inside the Great Hall, as well as those walking around outside the hall.

Due to cognitive inertia, the hidden and visible Daoist priests would depend on each other’s existence, each placing their hope in the other.

This is why acting during the day has its advantages. However, large gains also come with equal difficulty and risk, something that needs to be tackled in the upcoming days.

Lastly, if possible, it would be best to choose a day with many incense visitors to give them a somewhat plausible reason for the incense burner’s theft. People tend to look for excuses, and only when they cannot find any will they consider factors beyond the routine. Additionally, some Eye-blocking Techniques should be arranged to confuse their judgment and prevent them from easily guessing the truth of the situation.

With this rough idea in mind, what remains is to refine the plan and execute the strategy.

Plan thoroughly before acting, and know when to stop to gain what is needed.

Zhao Rong took a secluded and perilous path up the mountain, climbing rocks and crossing springs, stepping over stones and walking on logs. Although still stuck in the Golden Stone Stage of the Ascending Realm and following the Martial Artist path, his physique had been honed by Liu Sanbian to be extraordinary, no longer the frail scholar he once was. His daily repeated practice of the “Mountain Carrying Volume” Fist Stance may not have taught him lethal skills, but he was no ordinary street warrior from the dynasties below the mountain.

Suddenly, Zhao Rong halted under a tree, stopping three meters in front of a wall of blue tiles and red bricks. Looking up through gaps in the sparse foliage, he saw the high wall, about thirty feet tall, topped with a row of blue-glazed tiles meeting the clear sky, extending indefinitely to both sides without end in sight.

This red wall separated the mountainside from the summit and served as the boundary between the inside and outside of Chongxu Temple, where outsiders were not allowed to trespass indiscriminately.

Suddenly, a series of bell chimes came from beyond the wall, and Zhao Rong quietly counted inside his head.

It was the seventh division of the ‘yin’ hour.

In another quarter of an hour, it would be five o’clock in the morning.

The bell tower was behind the wall, and the summit was too far to see the details of the mountainside clearly. He didn’t need to worry, and could safely lurk in high places near the exterior of the mountainside to observe the scenery within Chongxu Temple and gather necessary information.

Zhao Rong pressed his hand against the red wall in front of him, then turned around and retraced his steps, carefully erasing any traces he had left along the way.

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Upon reaching the forest near the exterior of Chongxu Temple, Zhao Rong carefully chose a secluded spot in the northeast slope, picking a dense wooded area devoid of wildlife to conceal himself.

Gently lifting the leaves, he looked sideways. The visibility wasn’t great, but he could clearly see most of the area outside the northeast corner, including the main hall known as Yin Ancestor Hall, the three-story high Observatory Tower in the southeast corner, and lastly, the hall of highest interest to him, where the Thunder and Rainbow Purple Gold Furnace was located—the Spirit Temple on the left side.

Zhao Rong nodded, perched in the tree, while carefully memorizing the terrain and pulling out two pieces of hard, dry flatbreads from his chest, which he had bought from an early-opening street food stall before leaving the city.

As Zhao Rong chewed on the flatbreads, he kept watch, and catching a glimpse from the Observatory Tower in the northeast corner, higher than his position, he saw several blue-clothed Daoist priests exiting. Curious, Zhao Rong turned his head and glanced upward, suddenly noticing a flickering light in the openwork wooden window of the tower’s attic, as a figure seemed to move and block the light.

This highest attic had a view of all surroundings, including his location! Zhao Rong was startled, and his flatbread fell to the ground. How could he have forgotten about the watchtower with a hidden guard?!