Divine treasures.
The essence of longevity.
If those two words got out, they would unleash a storm of blood and violence across the martial arts world of the Great Flame New Kingdom.
In the martial arts, Bright Force was easy to attain, but Dark Force was hard to seek.
It was only a step higher to become a Transformation Force master, and there were barely a hundred of them across the Seven Provinces of Jiangnan.
As for the divine-intent grandmasters above them, they were beyond the sight of ordinary people.
And the legendary Profound Connection Grandmasters stood at the very pinnacle of the martial arts. They could spit sword energy, command blood and qi like dragons, and make an army of one.
But even for such powerful figures,
their lifespans were no more than two hundred years.
If there really was some essence of longevity that could let people break through that limit,
then it wouldn't just be grandmasters and great grandmasters. Even the old monsters secluded in the mountains, who cared nothing for worldly affairs, would likely come out of hiding again.
The Xuanshang Ancient Dynasty was said to have once possessed this very secret.
The Xuanshang Ancient Dynasty had existed more than three thousand years ago. Official histories said little about it, while unofficial tales were countless, most of them pure nonsense.
But when anything, true or false, touched on power and longevity, it became especially dangerous.
That was why the Folklore and Antiquities Investigation Division had come into being.
It hunted down demons and strange phenomena, controlled ancient relics, and dealt with the things ordinary people shouldn't know about or come into contact with.
This time, the headquarters of the Shenghai National Martial Arts Hall had issued a direct, uncompromising order.
All artifacts related to the Xuan Shang Ancient Tomb were to be seized, regardless of rank.
Anyone who had come into contact with related objects was to be placed under control, regardless of status.
The Soaring Snake Counter-Scale was the highest priority of all.
Even without seeing the object itself,
and without knowing whether it was genuine, it was still enough to warrant serious attention.
"Section Chief Lin, you're still working this late? Is it about today's case?"
The door opened, and a young man in a dark blue Zhongshan suit came in with a cup of hot tea. He set it beside Lin Xiu.
"Thanks, Little Zhou."
Lin Xiu lifted the cup and took a sip, but his eyes never left the documents.
"Tomorrow, let's look into Liu Mang's connections again. We should focus on Guo Ziming."
In the blink of an eye, it was time for Xikou County Public Middle School to start the new term.
Early that morning,
Fang Shuwen got up, washed, changed into his blue-green uniform, and came into the main room.
Old Fang had already laid out breakfast: two eggs, a piece of beef, and stir-fried vegetables instead of pickles. It was even more lavish than New Year's.
Fang Shuwen sat down at the table and picked up his chopsticks.
Old Fang sat opposite him, with only his usual bowl of thin porridge in front of him.
As he tore off pieces of steamed bun and put them in his mouth, he stole glances at Fang Shuwen.
The blue-green uniform looked neat and sharp. On his son, it really did give him the air of a scholar.
If he had a fountain pen tucked into his breast pocket, he would look just like an official.
Unfortunately, a fountain pen cost too much—five or six silver dollars apiece.
They still had tuition to pay this term, so there wasn't money to buy one yet.
"Shuwen, I heard that if you don't pass this examination..."
Old Fang trailed off, then swallowed the rest of his words and lowered his head to drink his porridge.
He didn't dare say any more.
Little Fang would definitely pass. There was no chance anything would go wrong.
"Dad, don't worry. It'll be fine."
Fang Shuwen pushed one of the eggs toward Old Fang.
"You eat it. You eat it."
Old Fang hurriedly pushed the egg back and waved his hands.
"I don't like eggs. You need your brains for the exam, so eat up."
Fang Shuwen said nothing.
He tapped the egg against the edge of the table, peeled it in a few quick motions, and put it in Old Fang's bowl.
"Here. Just eat it."
Old Fang was instantly overcome with emotion.
The father and son soon finished breakfast and went out into the courtyard.
"Well, if it isn't Little Fang! Feeling confident about the exam today?"
Mother Wang's voice rang out, tinged with a hint of smugness.
Turning toward the sound, they saw Mother Wang and Cuicui, dressed in a girls' school uniform, standing not far away in the covered walkway.
Cuicui stood there prettily, a smile brightening her oval face.
When Mother Wang saw the father and son looking over, her expression grew even more triumphant.
"See this? A Golden Star Brand fountain pen. A whole five silver dollars!"
She brought out a brand-new fountain pen and waved it in the morning light.
"Cuicui's taking the Elite Class exam this time. She can't do without a decent pen. We can't have people laughing at her, can we?"
After showing it off, Mother Wang swallowed her pang of regret and went on:
"Oh, right, Old Fang. Did you buy Little Fang a fountain pen? If you didn't, no matter. Cuicui has an old one. Should I lend it to him for now?"
Old Fang was immediately embarrassed, his square, weathered face turning red.
A fountain pen worth five silver dollars—how could he afford one?
He still hadn't scraped together enough for Little Fang's tuition or his new uniform this term.
He'd spent half the night tossing and turning, adding up the expenses. He was still three silver dollars short.
He couldn't say any of that, and he certainly didn't want to say it in front of Little Fang.
Just then,
Footsteps sounded.
"Old Fang! Good thing you haven't left. I nearly missed you."
Chen Zhong came over with a cheerful smile, carrying a long, narrow velvet box.
"Little Fang, Old Sun told me you've got your entrance exam today. That's a good thing. Though the main branch of the Zhao Estate has moved to Shenghai, they still care about the young people from the estate."
"So, when the master heard you were starting school, he had someone send this from Shenghai especially for you."
He handed the velvet box to Fang Shuwen and opened it. Inside lay a gleaming black fountain pen, its cap etched with a fine ring of cloud patterns.
"Th-that's a Parker Pen! They must cost at least fifteen silver dollars in the shops!"
Mother Wang stared at it, eyes wide.
A couple of days earlier, when she'd gone to buy Cuicui's Golden Star Brand pen, she'd seen Parker Pens in the shop.
Just like this one, their workmanship and feel were far better than the Golden Star Brand's.
After all, Parker Pens were foreign goods.
"Fifteen silver dollars!"
Old Fang shuddered when he heard the price.
His hands started shaking, and he didn't dare accept the box.
At the same time, he was deeply moved.
The master must have known how hard Little Fang had been working, and that his son would make something of himself one day. Otherwise, why would he give him such an expensive pen?
The thought made Old Fang feel as if his feet had left the ground. He looked at Steward Chen and asked in a trembling voice,
"Steward Chen, this... this is too valuable. Little Fang is only a student. For him to use such a fine pen..."
Chen Zhong waved a hand and looked at Fang Shuwen.
"Little Fang, the master also said that the key to the courtyard next door is yours. You can use the weapons and training equipment in the storeroom whenever you like."
At that, Fang Shuwen understood.
No wonder Steward Chen had brought him such an expensive fountain pen today.
He must have noticed the traces Fang Shuwen had left at the training ground.
He had probably also worked out roughly how strong Fang Shuwen was.
"Thank you, Uncle Chen. Please thank the master for me."
Fang Shuwen accepted the velvet box, his manner neither servile nor arrogant.
"I'll take the key, and I'll make sure to take good care of the weapons and training equipment."
Chen Zhong nodded in satisfaction.
It was always easier talking to a clever person. There was no need to spell things out; they both understood.
He reached into his robes and took out a brass key. The seal-script character "Martial" was engraved on its handle. He placed it in Fang Shuwen's hand.
Then he offered a few more words of encouragement and left.