Born Poor, Orphaned Young, Beset by Hardship

The sky was getting dark.

The candlelight flickered, and the mountain-shaped pen holder cast a long, slanted shadow on the long table, the ink stains, not yet dry, reflecting the white light.

"I feel like something's missing..."

Xu Yuelong stared at the small print on the recommendation form, flipping through it word by word, confirming that the wording and sentence structure were correct, but the feeling of something missing still lingered in his mind.

"Strangeness..."

He then picked up the comparison between Ran Zhongshi from the Xiang Fangsu.

There is no difference in content or form.

Introducing achievements and abilities, and offering praise, is a routine and conventional way of writing recommendation letters and merit requests.

But applying that to Liang Qu doesn't feel comprehensive.

What exactly is missing? Xu Yuelong frowned and pondered, his gaze inadvertently falling on the phrase "extraordinary talent and virtue."

Outstanding in both talent and virtue.

Talent, virtue...

Xu Yuelong suddenly realized what was going on. He put down the book, rolled up his sleeve, and continued to pick up his brush and lick the ink.

"He rose from humble beginnings, his family was poor, he was orphaned at a young age, and suffered many hardships. Once, a neighbor offered him a helping hand... and he repaid the kindness with a spring of gratitude..."

He was known for his generosity and charity, and was highly respected in Ping Yang County. He had once Chief Priest, and the surrounding villages all admired him...

After adding another two hundred words, Xu Yuelong put down his brush, read through the entire piece, and felt no further regret.

This is the only way to achieve the desired result.

He wrote few recommendation forms; Xiang Fangsu and his group had never risen from humble beginnings or suffered much hardship.

If you want to repay kindness, you must first have done kindness.

Who could possibly have done a favor for the son of a marquis or earl?

It's impossible to write it down.

Following my usual writing style, I didn't immediately realize that Liang Qu was different from them; he genuinely had content about virtue to write about, using real-life examples as evidence.

Putting everything else aside, the presence of the Chief Priest alone is a huge plus.

One of the legitimate reasons for the current emperor's ascension to the throne was that the previous emperor had appointed him as the Chief Priest of the ancestral temple and to preside over the sacrificial rites, which gives us a glimpse into his position.

"It seems that it might really be possible to skip two grades..."

Promotions are not uncommon, but Liang Qu is still too young, having reached the Age of Emerging Talent.

It was said that he could be promoted to the seventh rank, but after the Ministry of Personnel conducted an assessment, he would most likely only be given the rank of "following the seventh rank," meaning he would only be promoted one rank.

Having grown up surrounded by knowledge of the Ministry of Personnel, Xu Yuelong was quite familiar with it.

Being too young is a disadvantage for promotion. It's not intentional, but it's just the reality; it's hard for someone too young to gain the respect of others.

A young man with no beard is unreliable.

When you go to a clinic, the older the doctor, the more sought-after they are. Ideally, they should have a long, white beard, as they are sure to be a miracle worker and a legendary doctor.

Older age signifies stability and rich experience.

For an exception to occur, one must be so outstanding that they can compensate for their age disadvantage.

One must possess both virtue and talent, with virtue preceding talent.

It would be difficult for Liang Qu to skip grades based solely on merit, but if Xu Yuelong completes the moral character aspect, then it will no longer be a pipe dream.

The difference between a seventh-rank official and Subordinate Seventh Rank is considerable.

As the saying goes, a seventh-rank official is like a sesame seed; anything below that is not even worth a sesame seed.

Those of the ninth, eighth, and even seventh ranks were no different from errand runners; the power they wielded was only noteworthy relative to that of ordinary people.

Before the Da Shun, officials below the seventh rank were not even registered in the Ministry of Personnel's register; they were directly promoted and appointed by local officials.

Aside from special areas like Ping Yang County, most County Magistrate in other places were only of the seventh rank, and only at this rank could one be considered to have real access to power.

"I need to make that kid treat me to dinner."

Xu Yuelong shook his head and chuckled, confirming that the ink on the paper was dry, and closed the book.

Liang Qu had no idea what Xu Yuelong was doing. At that moment, Xu Yuelong was soaking in the Great Marsh, searching for any lost treasures in the surrounding area.

He had already started swimming while waiting for the Black Mist to dissipate, but he was busy moving supplies for a few days after the Black Mist cleared. Now he's taking a break again to search for any treasures or Treasure Artifact nearby.

There's nothing good around the Islet Region; it's mostly carcasses and scraps left by Gold Horn Shark and Silver Horn Shark. This has spawned many small fish that nibble on the scraps, but there are no big fish at all.

I reckon that, being the grass growing near their nest, they were all devoured by the Ghost Mother Sect.

Today, having finally managed to find some free time, Liang Qu swam more than twenty miles in one go, exploring further afield in an attempt to find treasure.

As a result, the entire afternoon yielded very little.

I only caught three plump and heavy Da Bao fish, a species I've rarely seen before, and I don't know their names.

One of them was entirely vermilion, with a rather peculiar red hairy tail growing from its rear end.

This reminded Liang Qu of the time when he became an apprentice and casually picked up a Treasure Fish, which was also completely red and had a cow's tail. He never expected that it would actually exist.

The world is full of wonders.

I took it back to my Master to stew, to prove that what I said back then was true.

The underwater vegetation is lush, and the clear waves flow.

Liang Qu's Golden Eye were like torches as he sat on the back of a Giant Crocodile he had temporarily taken control of, carrying a fish basket.

He looked around and saw that the underwater light was getting dimmer, knowing that it was getting dark. He didn't linger any longer and headed back home.

There are many treasures in the Great Marsh, but the area is also very large, so finding good treasures is still very difficult.

So far, the only large-scale products containing the Marsh Essence that Liang Qu has found on his own are that Sturgeon Fish Demon and the Old Giant Clam.

Other items, such as the Two Lives Flower Wither-Bloom Twin Lotus, were obtained directly or indirectly through the channels of the River Conservancy Office.

"We still have to rely on the vast ocean."

Liang Qu surfaced with his fish basket, determined the direction, and used his Water Leap to quickly approach the Islet Region.

I'm not used to life without the help of Water Beast like the Fat Catfish. I have to do everything myself, which has made me much less efficient.

The progress of martial arts has slowed down considerably, and the Thunder Talisman is still missing the last Seal Aperture to be condensed.

Hopefully, the River Conservancy Office thoroughly clean up the mess in the next two days and return home as soon as possible.

Leaping and bounding, Liang Qu shook off the two Spirit Monster that were pursuing him.

The eaves of the ship appeared on the water. He turned around and circled from underwater to the center of the two uninhabited islands, where he found the small boat that had been towed ashore earlier.

Bathed in the sunset, we rowed home.

Three suns, linked together, stretch across the western side of the Great Marsh, their pale golden edges framing the boundary between the water and the sky, so bright they were almost dazzling.

But the setting sun could not suppress the light of the stars. Seven large, dark blue stars rose from the water, gleaming with a cold light, like newly sharpened iron swords.

In the instant the two intersected, the setting sun withdrew its last rays, and night covered Liang Qu like a curtain.

The crimson light dissipated, and the long-silent Ze Cauldron suddenly trembled.

The enormous imperial portrait on the cauldron radiated light, causing the surrounding Divine General and aquatic monkeys to resonate with it.

[If one obtains a wisp of Red Qi and it merges with the Marsh Essence, a Spirit Fish will be born, which can Sublimation of Favor.]

Liang Qu: "?"

Red Qi?

Where did the Red Qi come from? He looked up at the horizon, at the remaining crimson glow in the night sky.

Could it be the sun? What benefits do these unusual phenomena on Bing Fire Day bring?

Ten days have passed, so why did they only arrive today? A flurry of information flashed through Liang Qu's mind, but he lacked any key clues and couldn't grasp the situation, so he could only focus his attention on the Sublimation of Favor.

The so-called Spirit Fish can actually Sublimation of Favor!

Liang Qu has received quite a bit of favor, including Yinglong, Tian Wu, and the River Master Emperor.

I had never had the chance to be promoted before, but I never expected to meet you today.

So...

With three favors at his disposal, which should he choose? Liang Qu couldn't help but turn his gaze to the River Master Emperor.

Erlang Zhenjun!