Emergency Conscription

Little An'an began her life in Maple Forest City just like that. Aunt Song did send a letter afterward, saying she had married into a family in Wangjiang City. Renowned for its thriving commerce, Wangjiang City was second only to Qinghe City, the prefectural capital, throughout Qinghe Prefecture. Her husband's family was surnamed Lin, and they were a prominent local clan. It seemed she had found herself a good home after all.

No wonder she couldn't take her daughter with her.

As for what remained of the Jiang Family's business in Phoenix Creek Town, Jiang Wang didn't ask about it again. In any case, Aunt Song had once been his father's wife and had cared for him devotedly after he fell ill. It was only right to give her some dowry.

But their ties had probably ended there. There was no need to stay in touch.

Four or five was the age when children began their education, so Jiang Wang arranged for his younger sister to attend a private school. It was the best one aside from the academies run by the three great clans, and it usually didn't accept ordinary families. Jiang Wang had stood head and shoulders above the rest among the outer disciples of the City Daoist Academy for so long; he had enough clout to make it happen. Besides, he had now entered the inner sect, with his Dao Vein revealed. He was all but certain to become a pillar of Zhuang Kingdom, and few would dare offend him lightly.

Every day, after attending scripture lessons at the academy and completing his cultivation, he timed his visit to pick An'an up from school. He chose missions that would take no more than a day whenever possible, usually leaving and returning the same day so he wouldn't neglect An'an's care. If he couldn't avoid taking a mission that kept him away, he asked Ling He, Zhao Rucheng, and the others to take turns looking after her.

His days flowed by, full and rewarding. The Foundation Array Diagram in his Heaven-Connecting Palace grew ever more intricate, and its form was beginning to emerge. But the farther he progressed, the harder it became to lay out the Foundation Array Diagram. Moving Dao Essence before establishing his foundation was especially difficult: the slightest mistake would cause the Dao Essence to scatter, wasting all his effort at Pulse-Opening. Since he had chosen the Starry Array, his foundation-building was already slower than other people's. Jiang Wang refused to let himself fail at even a single relocation of an array point.

As for combat strength, he couldn't cultivate Daoist Arts until he had established his foundation. All he could do was put more effort into the Purple Qi Coming from the East Sword Art. The art had nine forms for training and five for killing. As the names suggested, the training forms were methods of cultivation, while the killing forms were methods of slaughter. The training forms tempered the body and deepened his understanding of the sword; the killing forms were used to attack and break through an enemy's formation, striking with lethal force.

Fortunately, once he had mastered the nine training forms, their effect on nourishing his flesh and blood was astonishing. Jiang Wang could even clearly sense his body sending more feedback to his Dao Vein True Spirit, speeding up the condensation of Dao Essence.

After some time, he managed to gain an additional opportunity each day to cultivate Pulse-Opening. He could now condense three drops of Dao Essence daily, which would greatly shorten the time needed to establish his foundation.

His life was full and content. It was in the midst of this routine that Jiang Wang received his first major mission since entering the Maple Forest City Daoist Academy.

"Emergency conscription mission. No one is to leave!"

That morning, just after the scripture lessons had ended, an officer in a dark robe barged into the hall.

"Who's that?"

"What does he want?"

The disciples whispered among themselves, but someone quickly recognized him. "Keep your voices down. That's Wei Yan!"

The entire hall fell silent at once.

Second on the Dao Merit Board and a powerful officer in the City Guard—either title was enough to command respect. He was especially known for his hard, ruthless manner.

Wei Yan seemed not to care how the others reacted. Or perhaps all he needed was to make his own position clear.

"Starting last week, it's been five full days since we've received any word from Small Forest Town."

Jiang Wang exchanged a glance with Ling He. Small Forest Town was a major town under Maple Forest City's jurisdiction. It might not have reported every little thing, but it was expected to send in updates every few days.

Five full days without a word was almost tantamount to Maple Forest City losing control of it. A town of several thousand people suddenly cut off from the outside world—that was no small matter.

Wei Yan continued, "I have the City Lord's seal and authority to requisition at least thirty inner disciples from the City Daoist Academy to investigate in Small Forest Town."

"Isn't that the Criminal Investigation Bureau's job?" one disciple asked in protest.

A mission this large, requisitioning thirty inner disciples from the City Daoist Academy, was sure to be dangerous. Many of them were unwilling to go.

"The Heart-Devouring Demon, Xiong Wen, has appeared in Three Mountains City. Most of the Criminal Investigation Bureau's forces across Qinghe Prefecture have now been sent there."

Wei Yan didn't respond. His adjutant, Zhao Lang, explained from the side.

Zhuang Kingdom's system of government followed Yong Kingdom's. Ordinary cases were handled by the local bureaus, while supernatural affairs fell to the Criminal Investigation Bureau. It oversaw supernatural incidents throughout the country and was theoretically subject to the local authorities, but because it reported directly to the capital, local officials often couldn't command it at will.

This time, for example, the order to gather forces and pursue Xiong Wen had come from the Bureau's higher-ups. Even Wei Quji, the City Lord of Maple Forest City, couldn't interfere and bring them back.

"Then what about the City Guard?" the same disciple asked.

The City Guard was the City Lord's own force, responsible for suppressing all evil and rebellion. An entire town like Small Forest Town going dark was already enough to warrant a military response.

"The City Guard has other duties." Wei Yan impatiently cut him off. "This mission's Dao Merit reward has been increased by thirty percent. In principle, participation is voluntary, but if fewer than thirty inner disciples sign up, I'll exercise the City Lord's authority to requisition the rest!"

"I should warn you that, before this mission, two ninth-grade cultivators of the Wandering Vein Realm sent by the City Lord's Mansion to investigate were already lost in Small Forest Town. Consider the risks carefully and know your own limits."

The Daoist Academy system was Zhuang Kingdom's most important path to supernatural advancement. The City Daoist Academies recruited promising local cultivators, who trained for several years before advancing to the Prefecture Daoist Academies through examinations. From there, they could enter the State Daoist Academy, advancing step by step through a process of selection.

In the end, the kingdom's most talented cultivators were gathered in the capital. They could either compete against the heroes of the various nations across All-Under-Heaven or be sent back to govern a region.

Though the Maple Forest City Daoist Academy accepted only ten inner disciples per class, advancing to a Prefecture Daoist Academy was so difficult that many cultivators spent years, even decades, stuck at the City Daoist Academy. After years of accumulated enrollment, there were around three hundred inner disciples in all, excluding those away on travels or in seclusion.

From Wei Yan's perspective, he might well have hoped fewer than thirty would volunteer. His preference would have been to use the conscription order to gather the thirty strongest people in the entire Maple Forest City Daoist Academy, giving the mission better odds of success. But the academy and the City Lord's Mansion weren't in a chain of command, and any conflict between them would be hard to smooth over.

"Big brother, are you going?" Jiang Wang asked Ling He quietly. He was somewhat worried. This mission would certainly involve supernatural forces, and neither Ling He nor Du Yehu had opened their veins yet. The danger would be immense.

"Of course." Ling He didn't hesitate. He was already a step behind on his path of cultivation. There was no way he would pass up a chance like this, with the Dao Merit reward increased by thirty percent. As for the danger? If he was afraid of danger, he should have stayed in the village and farmed.

"I'm in!" Du Yehu had already shouted. "All four of us are signing up!"

Zhao Rucheng bumped him in annoyance. "What's the big idea? I was hoping to go back and catch up on sleep."

Of the four, he was the only one without any fighting spirit. Every day, he did nothing but wait for his next meal. His life was nothing but relaxation, followed by more relaxation.

Wei Yan swept his gaze over them. Seeing that none of them had established their foundations, he paid them little mind and casually instructed his adjutant, "Write down their names."

The adjutant called out, "Registration will remain open for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Twenty-six spots remain."

"We cultivators are supported by our nation, and we must serve our Nation and Family. I'm signing up for this mission." Li Jianqiu appeared at the door as his voice rang out, then drifted into the hall.

Disciples of his caliber already had considerable freedom. They didn't need to report to the Scripture Hall every day, and they could even refuse an emergency conscription of this level. Unless the nation faced a crisis, they could focus solely on reaching ever greater heights in cultivation. His appearance drew a flurry of hushed exclamations.

"How could I let Jianqiu have all the glory? Count me in as well." Unlike Li Jianqiu, who walked with one hand on his sword, Wang Changxiang had a much gentler air. He still wore the hemp Daoist robe Jiang Wang had seen at the Dao Merit Hall, and his steps were slow and unhurried.

"With Brother Wang and Brother Li joining us, our chances are even better!" Even Wei Yan's hard face managed to produce a rare smile.

Even he couldn't put on airs in front of Wang Changxiang, seventh on the Dao Merit Board.

With Wang Changxiang and Li Jianqiu joining, the others' enthusiasm to sign up surged. Before long, all the spots were filled.

Of the thirty inner disciples, nearly everyone had at least ninth-grade cultivation. Aside from Jiang Wang and his three companions, every one of them had transcended the ordinary. Such a supernatural force could almost sweep through the whole territory of Maple Forest City.

Wei Yan casually took the list, scanned it, and nodded. "You people still have some blood and courage in you. You haven't read the humanity out of yourselves."

That might have been praise by his standards, but the condescension in his tone still rankled.

The Ministry of War and the Daoist Academy were two separate paths to advancement. They cooperated, but also competed, and it was common for them to look down on each other.

One disciple immediately protested, "If Senior Brother Zhu were here, would certain people still dare to point fingers and wag their tongues?"

He was, of course, referring to Zhu Weiwu, number one on the Maple Forest City Dao Merit Board.

Wei Yan didn't get angry. He simply flung back his robe and walked out of the academy on his own. "Move out!"