Beardfolk General Affairs

A heavy rain fell over Auspicious Light City again that morning. The downpour hung in endless curtains, its roar unceasing as pooled water on the flagstone roads streamed along the drainage ditches on either side, rushing downstream.

Dressed in a Daoist robe, Zhang Yu sat beneath the canopy on the rooftop terrace, watching the rain before him. The magnificent Academy below and the solitary Goddess Peak in the distance were both shrouded in a hazy veil of mist and rain.

An assortment of fruit sent over by Ren Yi and the others sat on the tray atop the black-lacquered table before him.

They were tokens of gratitude from the laborers of the Miscellaneous Storehouse, thanking him for saving their lives yesterday.

The laborers earned their living through brute labor, making only meager wages to feed their families. Only the fruits and vegetables they grew themselves were presentable enough to offer.

He hadn't refused them and had accepted them on the spot.

He knew that Old Yang's affair had left these laborers worried about what fate awaited them. Only by accepting their gifts could he put their minds at ease.

He'd spoken at length with Xin Yao yesterday. This incident was, in truth, a continuation of the struggle between two factions within the Metropolitan Hall.

As the two forces within the Protectorate Office that wielded supernatural power, the Profound Residence and the Divine Commandery Army had always clashed in authority and responsibility.

Under Celestial Xia's rites, the Profound Residence originally held an absolute position of supremacy. It didn't involve itself in mundane affairs, and even the Protectorate Office had to heed its opinions to a certain extent. The Divine Commandery Army, moreover, existed as an appendage of the Profound Residence.

But with the arrival of the Turbid Tide, everything changed.

In the battle at Flood River Pass sixty years ago, the Profound Residence suffered catastrophic losses. Though it successfully curbed the revival of the ancient powers on this continent and allowed the Eastern Protectorate to hold its ground, it lost most of its upper ranks. Even its ordinary disciples were reduced to less than one in ten.

The difference was that although the Divine Commandery Army had likewise suffered severe losses, its nature allowed its strength to recover far faster than that of the Profound Residence. By now, it had instead come to suppress the latter.

After contact with Celestial Xia's homeland was severed, the Protectorate Office's Upper Layer also underwent considerable upheaval. Its subsequent stance had remained uncertain, swaying between the two sides. On one hand, it didn't want the Profound Residence to flourish again; on the other, it feared the Divine Commandery Army would slip beyond control.

Thus, the two factions had been fighting one another all these years.

According to Xin Yao, at this Scholars' Deliberation, the Profound Residence and Taiyang Academy had come well prepared and caused the Divine Commandery Army to suffer a small loss. They had likely resorted to such methods in order to recover what they had lost.

Though Zhang Yu had inadvertently thwarted the Divine Commandery Army's actions, he understood that the strength he currently possessed wasn't enough to let him take part in the contest between these two sides.

He still needed more Divine Essence to study the Seal of the Great Dao and raise his cultivation.

Yesterday's incident had destroyed all the medicinal ingredients he'd previously purchased. Ren Yi had already agreed to buy them again for him, while the Academy would compensate for the losses here.

He didn't care much about that. What concerned him was whether he could purchase more of those bone fragments containing Source Energy.

He believed there had to be more than one such item. That small merchant house should still have some. Ordinarily, he ought to have gone there himself and settled the matter in one trip. However, Xin Yao had told him that Su Kuang, who had been captured here, was a squad leader in the Divine Commandery Army. Its ranks were divided into soldiers, squad leaders, unit commanders, and military marquises, as well as the commandant lord who nominally commanded the Divine Commandery Army as a whole.

It was said that Su Kuang enjoyed the deep trust of Pang Gong, the Right Military Marquis. Moreover, the Divine Commandery Army sometimes acted without regard for the consequences, so for his own safety, she advised him to remain within the Academy for the time being.

He recalled his battle with Su Kuang yesterday. That man's combat strength hadn't actually been weak. Had he not underestimated Zhang Yu and been heavily wounded from the outset, but instead properly used his speed and concealment abilities, he wouldn't have been so easy to deal with.

Though Zhang Yu had only struck twice at the time, the drain on his mind had been considerable. Especially with the final strike—swinging his blade through empty air, his breath drawing forth his intent—even he had felt a trace of exhaustion then.

Yet after a brief period of regulating his breath, those adverse effects had vanished. By now, he had fully recovered.

He silently reminded himself that unless absolutely necessary, he should use such methods less in the future. The mental drain was secondary. The main issue was that once his sword left his hand, if the strike failed, he would be in danger afterward.

Of course, that was merely his current reflection and summary.

In a fierce fight to the death, every sword strike had to carry the conviction of certain victory. The slightest hesitation, doubt, retreat, or reservation meant defeat and death for oneself. There was no room for holding back.

He reached out, lifted the lid of the wooden case beside him, and took out the Xia Sword. Drawing the blade from its scabbard, he began wiping it with a piece of cotton cloth.

He could sense that within the Great Dao Unified Text, the Sword Seal was slightly brighter than before. This showed that after yesterday's battle, his connection with this sword had deepened further.

Although the Sword and Control Seals each had their own focus, the two seals were originally one. Having only the sword without control still left a missing link; it wasn't complete.

He pondered that once he obtained Divine Essence, he had to make up the Control Seal as well, no matter what. Otherwise, it simply looked too uncomfortable.

After wiping down the Xia Sword, he meditated beneath the canopy.

Near noon, he tidied and swept his residence, which took quite some time.

He then remembered that next month he would have to teach the students the language of the Firm Claw Tribe, and there would certainly be much more to do. Though he could handle everything inside and out alone, it would consume too much time. He truly needed to find an assistant now.

Having made up his mind, he changed into a teaching assistant's attire, took an oil-paper umbrella, and left. Before long, he arrived at the General Affairs Hall not far from the Learning Affairs Hall, the place that arranged assistants for the Academy's instructors.

The moment he entered the hall, the clerk in charge hurried over with a beaming smile.

Since assistant work was regarded as a lowly post, this place differed from the Academy's other halls. The people handling affairs here held no academic positions within the Academy; they were merely responsible for errands and miscellaneous tasks, and thus were naturally ranked a level lower.

After learning Zhang Yu's purpose, the clerk immediately presented five volumes of records respectfully. "These contain the assistants available for selection within the Academy. Their backgrounds are all clean, arranged by gender, age, and specialty. Teaching Assistant Zhang may take his time choosing."

Zhang Yu leafed through them and found that the entries were indeed detailed. Some even included descriptions of each person's appearance and temperament. As he turned the pages, his gaze paused upon one person.

He picked up the record and examined it carefully. The person was a fourteen-year-old boy, an age that was relatively easy to mold. According to the account, he hadn't read many books and had only barely learned to recognize characters, but some things could be taught later. Most importantly, he was a Beardfolk.

Ever since the Protectorate Office had set foot upon this land, if there was any native tribe worthy of trust, it was the Beardfolk.

The reason was that their entire tribe regarded the Celestial Xia People as God-Children walking the earth and took pride in serving as the Celestial Xia People's servants.

According to the records in the Proclamation Hall, in the hundred years since the Celestial Xia People arrived on this continent, not a single named Beardfolk had ever betrayed their master. If the Beardfolk hadn't refused to take on any occupation ranked above that of the Celestial Xia People, the An people wouldn't have had their chance to rise later.

He took up a brush and marked a tick in the selection box beside the entry. "This young man, then," he told the clerk.

The clerk leaned over to look and reminded him, "Teaching Assistant, this is a Beardfolk. By Beardfolk custom, even if he himself is willing, his clan elders must still agree. Otherwise, he cannot be forced. The Academy also recognizes this rule of theirs."

"It doesn't matter," Zhang Yu said. "Go ask them. I'll await news from the General Affairs Hall."

The clerk hesitated for a moment, then bowed. "Then I ask Teaching Assistant to grant us a few days."

Zhang Yu rose, took the umbrella handed over by an attendant, and walked outside. Just as he reached the entrance, he saw an assistant from the Profound Residence whom he'd met before approaching him. He stopped. When the other party reached him, he gave a respectful bow. "Teaching Assistant Zhang, the supervisor requests your presence."