Dao Registry

When the invitation from the He Estate arrived, Xia Dong did not turn it down.

Lord He was a retired official from the capital. Though no longer in office, he still held an honorary rank bestowed by the court, and in Pingyang County he was a man with eyes and ears everywhere. For Xia Dong, who currently had few sources of information and almost no connections, this was an excellent chance to enter the county's upper circles.

He Estate, East City, Pingyang County.

Guided by the steward, Xia Dong crossed a quiet, elegant courtyard and arrived at Lord He's study.

The study was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

"This junior, Xia Dong, pays his respects to Lord He." Xia Dong gave a slight bow, his expression calm and composed, neither servile nor arrogant.

Lord He set down his teacup and looked the young scholar up and down. A hint of approval flashed in his eyes. Ordinary young men from poor families would inevitably feel ill at ease before a former "high-ranking official from the capital" like him. Not a trace of that provincial timidity could be seen in Xia Dong.

What a fine, graceful young man.

"Please, young friend Xia, have a seat." Lord He smiled and stroked his beard. Only after Xia Dong had sat down did he unhurriedly get to the point. "I invited you here today for no other reason. A few days ago, I happened upon a remarkable book in the marketplace called Tale of Liu Yi. I was astounded by the talent of its author, 'Gouchen Ke.' I sent someone to ask around at the bookstore, and only then learned that the person who wrote such a splendid piece was a rising young talent from our own Pingyang County."

Xia Dong understood at once.

"Lord He flatters me. This junior was merely short of money, so I borrowed the shell of an old strange tale and scribbled something together to earn a meal. It's hardly fit for the grand halls."

"Hahaha, young friend Xia, you're too modest." Lord He greatly approved of Xia Dong's humble and cautious manner. Then he changed tack and revealed his true purpose. "To be honest, I've been entrusted by the county government to lead the compilation of the Pingyang County Gazetteer. The other sections are all taking shape, but for the Volume of Strange Tales, I simply can't find a lead writer capable of shouldering the task. Would you be willing to honor this old man by helping me?"

Xia Dong considered it briefly, then nodded. The government would provide a stipend for compiling the gazetteer, and he would also have legitimate access to the county's confidential archives and records of local customs from previous years. That could only benefit his understanding of the supernatural forces in this world.

In the days that followed, Xia Dong naturally became part of the team compiling the county gazetteer.

Lord He had gathered a group of respected scholars from Pingyang County to work on the gazetteer. After passing the county-level examination, Xia Dong had shut himself away to practice martial arts and rarely attended literary gatherings, so he was a stranger in their circle. But it didn't take long for his performance to win over this group of arrogant scholars.

What was more, Lord He was exceptionally skilled at handling social niceties and never mentioned that Xia Dong was "Gouchen Ke." In this world, it was common for scholars to write popular fiction, but doing so openly was still considered "neglecting proper work" and "beneath a gentleman's dignity."

Lord He was deliberately preserving Xia Dong's dignity.

Besides, information in this world was extremely scarce. Even old scholars were usually limited to the Confucian classics and the history of Linyuan Prefecture. But Xia Dong had the experience of his previous life, which made him different.

Whenever they discussed the "sea monsters" or "drought demons" reported from various villages, Xia Dong could often offer remarkably precise and rigorously reasoned analyses from the perspectives of geography, hydrology, climate shifts, and even animal behavior. He quoted sources and anecdotes with ease, and his profound insights into strange customs and local traditions often left the old scholars around him gaping in astonishment.

By the standards of the day, a young man with such broad knowledge must either come from a family with an exceptionally deep scholarly tradition or have traveled through famous mountains and rivers. Either way, it added an air of unfathomable depth to Xia Dong.

Xia Dong's reputation soon soared among Pingyang County's scholars.

Yet what truly brought about the subtle shift in Lord He's attitude toward Xia Dong was not merely his learning, but a top-secret household registration file from the county government.

As chief editor of the gazetteer, Lord He had the authority to consult the county's household registration records. While checking the list of contributors, he happened to look through Xia Dong's household register.

In the column for Xia Dong's status, a cinnabar-red seal stood out: Dao Registry.

Lord He had drawn a sharp breath when he saw that seal, and the hand holding his teacup had trembled slightly.

Household status in the Great You Dynasty was strictly ranked. Ordinary people were registered as commoners, artisans, or merchants. Once a scholar passed the imperial examinations and achieved the rank of provincial graduate or higher, his direct descendants could change their status and become Confucian households, passing down a tradition of farming and scholarship.

But above these stood another exceedingly rare status, one that was even deliberately kept obscure: the Dao Registry.

Those registered in the Dao Registry were hundreds of times rarer than Confucian households. In a local county, decades might pass without a single one appearing. Ordinary people and low-ranking students had never even heard of it. Only officials like Lord He, who had once held the Principal Seventh Rank or higher, served in the capital, and taken part in the central workings of the court, knew a little of its astonishing significance.

Under the Great You Dynasty's imperial examination system, the examination papers of Dao Registry scholars were sealed and reviewed separately!

Moreover, the records of the origins and backgrounds of all Dao Registry holders were not kept locally. They were sealed directly in the Bureau of Profound Mysteries in the capital. This meant that those with Dao Registry status often had ties to forces beyond the mortal world.

"Just who are the parents of this young master of the Xia Household?"

Lord He keenly realized that as long as Xia Dong didn't ruin his own prospects, his road through the imperial examinations would be smooth, even if his writing was only passable. Thanks to that special channel of "separate review," a bright future and swift rise through the ranks were all but assured!

After that day, Xia Dong clearly noticed a change in Lord He's attitude.

Before, Lord He had simply admired him as a talented young man from his hometown. Now, that admiration seemed to be mixed with a deliberate desire to cultivate ties and show respect.

For instance, whenever the county government issued the stipend for compiling the gazetteer, Lord He always found some excuse to give Xia Dong the largest share. When introducing him to learned scholars visiting from the Prefecture City, Lord He went even further, pushing Xia Dong into the limelight and lavishing praise on him.

Holding the twenty taels he had just received as his stipend for compiling the gazetteer, Xia Dong furrowed his brow.

"Why is the old lord so eager to ingratiate himself with me?"

He knew he was talented, but he also knew that he was currently just a scholar from a poor family with no backing. Surely that wasn't enough to make a retired official from the capital lower himself to cultivate ties with him.

At any rate, Lord He's goodwill could do him no harm for now.

Besides, Xia Dong was currently devoting most of his energy to the Crane Shadow Step and the county gazetteer.

He had discovered something.

The gazetteer's records contained many accounts of unusually long-lived people from before the Great You Dynasty was founded. There were even plenty of tales of people prolonging their lives after taking elixirs and miraculous herbs, or of receiving the favor of spirits and monsters—or even being repaid for their kindness...

But after the founding of the Great You Dynasty, similar accounts became vague, and some even seemed deliberately exaggerated or fabricated.

And among the many records, he had also come across information about this world's martial arts.