Jinxia City

Two days later, Xia Fan could already make out the endless gray walls of Jinxia City in the distance.

Unlike the hastily erected "city walls" of Qingshan Town, these were true defensive fortifications, solid walls capable of repelling foreign invasion. They were visibly over ten meters high, their tops lined with dense, sawtooth-like battlements—or rather, horse-faced towers. Near the corners of the walls, he even spotted several city-defense devices resembling trebuchets.

In terms of area alone, ancient capitals could never compare with modern cities. But once every building was enclosed within towering stone walls, the visual impact of an ancient capital became all the more imposing.

What was more, he actually caught a trace of discordant "modernity" in the distant view of the city.

Xia Fan soon realized where that feeling came from—compared with the endless forests and fields along the way, the land around Jinxia City was utterly bare. Moreover, wisps of black smoke drifted behind the city, tinting the sky a murky gray. Combined with the yellow-brown earth and stone walls, it carried a faint air of the Foggy Capital.

If horse-drawn carriages were not still running along the official road, he might have thought Jinxia City had sprinted headlong into the pre-industrial age.

"Brother Wei, what's with that black smoke?" Xia Fan called loudly.

Wei Wushuang, riding ahead, lifted the carriage curtain and stuck his head out. "They're burning salt!"

"Burning salt?" Xia Fan asked in surprise.

"Hehe, is this your first time visiting Jinxia, young master?" the driver said with a smile, taking over the conversation. "This is one of Shenzhou's symbols. Among the locals, not many call this place Jinxia. Everyone calls it 'Salt City,' or 'Smoke City.' After all, it rests against the East Sea and has a great river passing through it—there's no better place for this trade. They say this smoke has been rising for more than a hundred years."

More than a hundred years... So it had begun back in Yong State?

"Xia Fan, what does smoke have to do with salt?" Li asked quietly from inside the carriage.

"He probably means making salt from seawater." After hearing the driver's explanation, Xia Fan had already formed a guess. "The sea contains plenty of salt. If the excess water can be boiled away, extracting salt from it would not be difficult. That smoke should come from burning huge amounts of firewood."

"Young master, what insight!" The driver nodded. "This trade is also why Salt City became Shenzhou's capital. Rumor has it that Salt City accounts for thirty percent of all the salt used in Da Qi. Otherwise, how could such a barren place surpass the other three cities and six towns?"

"The price is this stretch of white land outside the city?" Li muttered.

"What can be done? People have to live. Once the salt fires are lit, they can't simply be stopped."

Indeed. Xia Fan nodded to himself. In ancient times, the salt industry was always state-run and counted as a controlled national resource. Once a place became a salt-producing region, how many days it produced and how much it produced were no longer decisions the locals could make. Those in charge of the trade could naturally earn until their bowls overflowed, but if they failed to meet the demands from above, having their homes confiscated and their clans exterminated could happen in the blink of an eye.

The last few miles passed quickly. After their travel documents were inspected, the carriage slowly passed through the barbican and drove into the city along the main road.

The gray murkiness was even more apparent here, and the air itself carried a faint scent of firewood.

Xia Fan noticed that, perhaps to reduce the irritating falling dust, most pedestrians on the streets wore conical hats. Those better dressed wore soft cloth caps with draped veils. Covering one's hair was commonplace, and this unexpected discovery gave him a little more confidence that the Fox Demon could remain hidden among the populace.

There was only one thing that did not match his expectations. The city sat beside a river and near the sea, so trade ought to have been flourishing, yet the streets showed none of the vitality they should have possessed. It was not that there were no shops, nor were there no hawkers crying their wares, but something still felt missing.

Xia Fan voiced his doubts to the driver.

The latter's answer was somewhat helpless. "Because Lesser Evil Spirits often cause trouble by the sea..."

Even beneath the Bureau of Military Affairs' very nose?

A strange feeling rose in Xia Fan's heart. But seeing that the driver did not seem inclined to elaborate, he did not press the matter further.

Two quarters of an hour later, the carriage stopped before a ring of towering walls.

"Young master, we've arrived at your destination."

"You wait here." Xia Fan winked at Li inside the carriage, then picked up his luggage and got down.

Wei Wushuang came over as well. "I've visited Jinxia City several times, but this is my first time entering the Bureau of Military Affairs. To be honest... I'm a little nervous."

"We're already Spirit Masters. What's there to be nervous about? Shouldn't this count as our own turf?" Xia Fan smiled.

"Brother Xia, this is what I admire most about you." Wei Wushuang sighed. "No matter where you are, you always look as if you have everything under control."

"No need to flatter me. Let's go in."

Xia Fan led Wei Wushuang around the side to the main entrance. After presenting their documents, they were admitted into the courtyard and told that the registration office was in Zhiwei Hall on the western side.

"This Bureau of Military Affairs... is far too big." Wei Wushuang marveled as they walked.

Xia Fan felt the same. Inside the walls stood not merely one or two buildings, but more than ten, arranged around a central stone-paved square in orderly fashion. The main building facing the gates rose nearly four stories high, its red bricks and golden roof radiating solemn grandeur.

He estimated that the entire Bureau of Military Affairs was even larger than an athletics field, covering perhaps more than twenty mu.

With such abundant financial resources, no wonder they could maintain examination grounds like the one in Qingshan Town for so long.

The registration process went smoothly. After the official in charge of reception inspected their appointment orders, he warmly registered both of them and issued each a set of Spirit Master robes and a bronze badge of the eighth rank. With that, Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang officially became Spirit Masters of the Bureau of Military Affairs.

"This batch of appointees arrived quite quickly. You actually made it here before August was over." The reception official smiled amiably. "Including the four who came earlier, Zhiwei Hall can finally begin its first class."

"What does first class mean?"

"Spirit Masters need lessons too?"

The two asked almost at the same time.

"Allow me to answer one at a time." The official waved a hand. "There is more than one Scholar Examination site; you should know that already, correct? The results from different places come out at different times, so naturally the appointees arrive early or late as well. This Bureau of Military Affairs oversees an entire prefecture. Every Scholar Examination, we receive twenty or thirty newly promoted Spirit Masters, and it is perfectly normal for the process to drag on for months. Yet Evil Spirits will not settle down because of that, so waiting until everyone arrives before holding classes would be too late."

"To get everyone into service as soon as possible, Zhiwei Hall begins a session whenever six people have arrived. Even if newcomers arrive afterward, the teaching schedules can be staggered so neither interferes with the other. Spirit Masters appointed in the same batch will also form their own team in later operations. Unless something unexpected happens, before receiving further promotion, you will all serve together for the Bureau of Military Affairs... no, for our Da Qi."

After answering Xia Fan's question, he looked toward Wei Wushuang. "And of course Spirit Masters need lessons—could it be that you believe you have already mastered every art and understood the true meaning of the Heavenly Dao?"

"Uh, of course not. I was rash."

"Hehe... no matter," the official said with a smile. "In fact, Spirit Masters must learn more than arts. They must also know Evil Spirits like the back of their hands: their traits, for example, and the best methods of dealing with them. You will repeatedly put this into practice during operations. Only those with outstanding performance can advance further. As for those whose performance is less than satisfactory... I believe you can guess what their fate will be."

Wei Wushuang shrank his neck.

It sounded fairly convincing, Xia Fan thought. At the very least, the Bureau of Military Affairs seemed to be compiling information on Evil Spirits and stressing the union of practice and understanding. That alone was vastly superior to his master's experience-based approach. To properly face matters beyond common sense instead of consigning them to myths and legends—the Bureau of Military Affairs had at least touched the threshold of science in that regard.

That was right. Science, as a methodology, was not so lofty and mysterious. If The Deity existed in this world, science would not make people worship it; it would only make them study it. Whether their understanding was correct and whether they could ultimately find the answer did not matter. What mattered was that people never forgot to seek the truth.

"Oh, right," the reception official added. "The Bureau of Military Affairs owns a piece of land in the eastern part of the city. The houses there can be rented to Spirit Masters at low prices. Of course, you may resolve your lodging yourselves as well. The Bureau will not interfere in such matters, so long as it does not affect official duties."

"Evil Spirit incidents do not happen every day, so Spirit Masters are relatively free most of the time. However, as newly promoted members, you will be busier at first. By next year, things will become much easier."

"Tomorrow's first lesson begins at the fourth quarter of the Mao hour, right here. Remember not to arrive late. The instructor is Lord Wen Daozhang, a sixth-rank official. If you make him unhappy, you will definitely suffer for it."

"Thank you for the reminder, sir."

"Ah, what sir? I'm merely a gatekeeper." The man laughed.

After cupping their hands in farewell, the two left Zhiwei Hall. Wei Wushuang let out a long breath.

"Whew... as expected of an official from the Bureau of Military Affairs. He was actually so warm and kind. You have no idea—when I used to do business with government offices, even a minor clerk could make things difficult for me for half a day."

Xia Fan, however, noticed that the man had not worn Spirit Master robes. That meant that although they were all "state employees," the man was clearly not part of the same system as him. Perhaps that was why his attitude had been especially friendly.

Could this era also have the distinction between permanent staff and temporary workers?

Xia Fan did not voice the guess. "You're an eighth-rank official now too. Who would dare make things difficult for you so casually?"

"Ah... I nearly forgot if you hadn't mentioned it!" Wei Wushuang said excitedly. "What should an official be like? Walk with his legs splayed? Never kneel again when entering a government office? Keep more than ten beauties hidden at home? Eat at restaurants without the owners charging money?"

The more he spoke, the more outrageous it became. Xia Fan rolled his eyes at him. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

"How about we change into our new clothes later and take a stroll around the city?"

"No time. If you want to go, go by yourself."

"Brother Xia!"

"Call me whatever you want. No deal!"

Watching his eager fellow townsman, Xia Fan shook his head helplessly.

But that did not mean his own heart was unmoved—in fact, Xia Fan was filled with anticipation for the future.

As far as "wanting to understand this world further" was concerned, he had now completed the first step and officially crossed the threshold.