Chapter 14 Preparation

It was already dusk when Qi Xuansu went to Tianji Hall.

The Tianji Hall branch of Jinling Prefecture was not far from Zhenwu Temple, just two streets away.

Unlike usual, Qi Xuansu came to Tianji Hall branch as a dignified fifth-rank Ziwei Hall Taoist priest. The Taoist priests of the Nine Halls were half a level higher than the Taoist priests of the local Taoist prefecture. As the head of the Nine Halls, the Ziwei Hall Taoist priests were half a level higher, which was equivalent to the fourth-rank Jiji Taoist priests. Therefore, the Taoist priest in charge of this place came out to receive them personally.

Under the reception of the local Taoist priest, the two went directly to the second hall, where there was a small reception room. After sitting down, someone immediately served hot tea. Apart from anything else, this pot of tea alone was worth a Taiping coin.

However, Qi Xuansu was not here to do business. After he got the horizontal sword "Feiying" from the Huashengtang branch of Bohai Prefecture, Qi Xuansu only had some change left. Not to mention buying "Phoenix Eye" and "Dragon Eye", he didn't even have the money to take the flying boat. But the good thing about being a Taoist is that as long as the conditions are met, everything can be free, free flying boat, free accommodation in the Taoist temple, and free "Dragon Eye" and "Phoenix Eye".

The two exchanged a few pleasantries as colleagues. It was nothing more than the local Taoist priest praising Qi Xuansu for his young and promising achievements. He had already become a Taoist priest at a young age, and he was in Ziweitang. It was only a matter of time before he was promoted to the fourth rank, and he had a bright future. Qi Xuansu had to be humble and compliment him, ask about the local customs, and talk about the case that everyone was concerned about.

Then he got to the point.

Qi Xuansu took out Lei Xiaohuan's warrant and handed it to the Taoist priest in charge.

The Taoist priest in charge took the warrant and understood it immediately. He didn't need to ask any more questions or talk nonsense. He called a subordinate and handed the warrant to him, asking him to prepare the corresponding items according to the instructions of the warrant.

This scene was somewhat similar to a pharmacy clerk picking up medicine according to the prescription.

The Taoist priest in charge did not move, and continued to drink tea and chat with Qi Xuansu.

About two incense sticks later, a seventh-grade Taoist priest came in with a suitcase that was influenced by Western style.

The Taoist priest in charge pointed to the table between the two of them and said, "Open it."

The seventh-grade Taoist priest put the box on the table and opened it, and turned to Qi Xuansu.

There was a special buckle fixing structure in the box, with five "Phoenix Eye B-2", three "Phoenix Eye B-1", and two "Phoenix Eye A-9" neatly arranged.

Qi Xuansu looked at "Phoenix Eye A-9" and was also full of emotion.

The last time he used "Phoenix Eye A-9" was in the Western Regions. He was able to kill Diswen, who was seriously injured, and "Phoenix Eye A-9" was indispensable.

There is also a circle of slightly smaller buckles around the "Phoenix Eye Series", with a total of ten "Dragon Eye Yiyi". Compared with "Dragon Eye Yiyi", "Dragon Eye Yiyi" is very narrow and long, with increased range and armor-piercing properties, and is more suitable for long guns. However, the "Shenlong Hand Gun" is said to be specially developed for the "Dragon Eye" series, and "Dragon Eye Yiyi" can also be used. However, its huge recoil is not something that anyone can control with one hand.

It must be said that the real person's special approval is very generous. He started with "Dragon Eye Yiyi" and "Phoenix Eye Yiyi", which is much better than what Qi Xuansu used before.

Qi Xuansu closed the box, stood up and thanked the two: "Thank you for your trouble."

"It should be." The Taoist priest in charge also stood up and saw him off.

After Qi Xuansu left the Tianji Hall branch, he went directly back to his residence in Zhenwu Temple. Before officially starting the mission, he had to prepare again.

Because Qi Xuansu didn't have the Sumeru treasure, he couldn't bring all the "Phoenix Eye" series with him. Except for the two most powerful "Phoenix Eye A-9", "Phoenix Eye B-2" and "Phoenix Eye B-1" could only bring two each. However, the "Dragon Eye" series was smaller in size, so he could bring all of them. Moreover, Qi Xuansu could give up the ordinary armor-piercing projectiles. He could buy four "Dragon Eye B-2", eight "Dragon Eye B-3", and ten "Dragon Eye B-1", which was very rich.

Qi Xuansu even thought about getting a continuous-fire musket later.

The principle of the continuous-fire musket is not complicated. The reason why the "Shenlong Hand Gun" is designed as a single-shot structure is because the "Dragon Eye" series is too powerful. However, there is a "Sun-shooting Long Gun" in Tianji Hall. Although it cannot fire continuously without intervals, it has an additional magazine and can be loaded with nine rounds of projectiles. It does not need to reload once after firing the gun, which greatly saves time.

Then there are cold weapons. For Qi Xuansu, firearms are not necessary. Swords are the foundation. His short sword "Qingyuan" and horizontal sword "Feiying" are the real bread and butter, and must be carried with him.

Finally, there are hidden weapons. "Seven Phoenix Feathers" was sold by Qi Xuansu, leaving only four "Bliss Needles". Unless it hits the vital point, the power is limited. The key is to limit the enemy's realm and cultivation. Even Zhang Yuelu has been hit.

The fire gun and horizontal sword are hung on the left and right of the waist, the short sword is behind the waist, the "Dragon Eye" and "Phoenix Eye" are placed in the shoulder bag, and the hidden weapons are hidden in the sleeves.

After doing all this, Qi Xuansu put on the white fox mask, chose the face of a young man from three fixed faces, and changed the fifth-grade Taoist formal clothes that he had just worn for a few days, but did not change into the short clothes of the Jianghu people worth ten Taiping coins, but wore the ordinary clothes. After all, dressing as a Jianghu person in Zhenwu Temple is too eye-catching.

In addition, Qi Xuansu also obtained 500 Taiping coins of "mission funds" from Lei Xiaohuan, which could be used for daily expenses, bribery, etc.

As for Qi Xuansu's Taoist salary and subsidies in the past few months, according to the fifth-rank Taoist priest, five months, the basic salary is 50 yuan per month, and the substitute priest subsidy is 20 yuan per month, which means he can earn 70 yuan per month, a total of 350 yuan, but he has to wait until the first day of June to round it up, so he can't get it for the time being.

In addition, Qi Xuansu also didn't get Qi Niang's 1,000 yuan, and he can only get it after Qi Niang arrives in Jinling Mansion.

It was late at night, and Jinling Mansion was a prosperous place in summer. At this time, there should be countless people enjoying the cool air, and the night market was even more lively. However, the surroundings of Zhenwu Temple were silent. In addition, the courtyard of the huge Zhenwu Temple was deep. Because of the case, the atmosphere was quite serious and solemn. There was no sense of excitement here, except for quietness.

Qi Xuansu came out of the yard where he lived and walked towards the back door of Zhenwu Temple.

After the heavy rain, there was a big bright moon hanging in the sky. There were dim street lights beside the winding path. Qi Xuansu was walking closer and closer to the back door of the Taoist temple.

"Who?" A spiritual officer sent by Jiangnan Daofu suddenly asked in the dark.

Qi Xuansu was not surprised, but just said: "The deacon of Tiangang Hall wants to go out for a walk."

There were more than one spiritual officers in charge of guarding, all in different positions. One of them walked out of the dark, took the initiative to salute, and said: "Please show your waist badge."

Generally speaking, the certificate is for outsiders to see, and the position is more valued within the Taoist sect.

Although Qi Xuansu had a new certificate and Ziwei Hall waist badge, Zhang Yuelu did not take back his Tiangang Hall deacon waist badge.

Qi Xuansu took out the waist badge and handed it to the spiritual officer.

The waist badge has an advantage. There is no name on it, only a number. The identity can be checked through this number, but the identity of the holder cannot be directly known through the waist badge. After all, the transfer of deacons and heads is quite frequent. In order to prevent counterfeiting, the waist badges are made of special materials and must be reused. It is impossible to recast a waist badge for each deacon, and the cost is too high.

However, when it comes to the level of the fourth-grade priest and the deputy hall master, the waist badge is cancelled and replaced by a certificate, which means that each person is unique and not reused. The fourth-grade priest is initially granted the "Chu Zhen Jing Lu", the third-grade Youyi Taoist is promoted to the "Zhongji Jing Lu", the second-grade Taiyi Taoist is additionally granted the "Shangdong Jing Lu", the Canzhi Zhenren is granted the "Taixuan Jing Lu", the first-grade Tianzhen Taoist is granted the "Taishang Dugong Jing Lu", and the deputy head of the great Zhenren is granted the "Taishang Daode Jing Lu".

After the spiritual official checked Qi Xuansu's waist badge, he opened the lock with the key, and moved down a large horizontal bolt to open a door.

Qi Xuansu left Zhenwu Temple under the cover of night and saw many spiritual officials standing outside the temple, all wearing spiritual official armor and lined up against the wall, showing how strict the defense was.

Qi Xuansu did not stop and soon disappeared into the night.