Sons of God

Li Qingxian smiled. "So the rumors were true. I heard he was too young—just over forty, yet already the Ministry of Revenue's Book of Documents and a Second Rank Heretical Cultivator. Many people refused to accept it, which was why stories about him spread across the land."

Luo Jing said, "The Chive Minister is real, but to reach the Second Rank and hold such a high position at so young an age, he must have exceptional abilities."

"You're from the Southern Star Sect, not the Evil Illumination Sect. What are you afraid of? I heard that after this Chive Minister took office, a craze for eating chive shoots swept through both the Ministry of Revenue and the Evil Illumination Sect?" Li Qingxian was full of curiosity about the Ministry of Revenue and the evil sects.

"It's true." Luo Jing wore a helpless expression.

"How much did you eat?"

Luo Jing fell silent for a long while before slowly saying, "When I first arrived, I ate them three meals a day."

"Haha..." Li Qingxian laughed.

Seeing that Luo Jing was still silent, Li Qingxian kindly put away his smile and said, "Life isn't easy for evil sects either."

"Where in this world is anything easy? Sigh..." Luo Jing let out a long sigh.

"This Lord Xue, is he from the South Xue Family or the North Xue Family?" Li Qingxian asked.

"They say he is from a very distant branch of the South Xue Family. He mainly relied on School Leader Lin, and his ties to the Southern and Northern Xue Families are not deep."

"So that's how it is. Earlier, what did you mean by illegitimate divine sons?" Li Qingxian asked.

"You Night Guards don't inquire about the affairs of evil sects?"

"When I heard I was coming to Ministry of Revenue Street, my heart nearly leaped into my throat. Besides, I'm just a lowly soldier. My father doesn't often talk with me either, so where would I learn so much about evil sects?" Li Qingxian said.

"Our evil sects have two great origins. One came from the Other Shore Sect, the other from the Snowfield People. Later, the two streams merged into the Sole Evil Sect, which then kept branching and spreading its leaves, forming the current situation: five major sects as the main pillars, with hundreds of lesser sects scattered across the land. In our Sole Divine Scripture, everyone who enters a sect is a son of God."

"I know that much," Li Qingxian said.

"But later, for reasons unknown, things gradually changed. Starting from some generation, the leaders of the five great evil sects all called themselves 'God's eldest legitimate son.' Upper Three Ranks experts followed suit and called themselves 'the eldest legitimate sons of the main branch.' The Middle Three Ranks called themselves 'eldest sons of collateral branches.' Lower Fourth Rank members, like me, were 'illegitimate sons of collateral branches,' while disciples who had not reached Entry Rank were uniformly deemed God's illegitimate sons. People like you, who have not entered a sect but are valued by someone within one, are all considered God's illegitimate sons lost beyond the walls."

Li Qingxian felt thunder rolling through his mind.

"Then... didn't your god get furious enough to suffer a mishap?"

"Our god generally does not concern himself with such trifles. Besides, we are all sons of God. It does not matter how we phrase it, but it is best to mention our god as little as possible." Luo Jing gave Li Qingxian a deep look.

"Oh." Li Qingxian thought that evil sects truly were bizarre.

"You've finished asking me. Now it's my turn to ask you: what exactly is your relationship with Lord Zhou Chunfeng?" Luo Jing asked.

Li Qingxian sighed and said, "For my sake, Uncle Zhou actually mobilized the Mounted Patrol. It seems this can no longer be kept hidden. I'll come clean. Zhou Chunfeng and my father were close friends, though outsiders did not know it. But Uncle Zhou is an upright man and would not let me swagger about under his banner, so he could only look after me in secret. You know how elders are. No matter how stern their words may be, when the crucial moment comes, they will still help me regardless of the cost."

"Really? Didn't you initially say your document came from Lord Zhou? How did it become Pang Mingjing's?" Luo Jing asked with a smile.

"Never mind whether the document is genuine. Once Zhou Hen arrived, that explained everything." Li Qingxian spoke with complete seriousness, though he was also wondering what relationship Li Gangfeng truly had with Zhou Chunfeng.

"Once we meet Lord Zhou, the whole truth will come to light." Luo Jing rolled his eyes at Li Qingxian.

The two chatted idly all the way until the carriage stopped. Duan Heng called from outside, "My lords, we've arrived at the Night Guard Yamen."

The two got out of the carriage and saw Zhou Hen already standing by the side gate, with Zheng Hui, Han Anbo, and Yu Ping nearby.

"My lord requests that you two come to the study for a talk," Zhou Hen said.

Li Qingxian smiled at Zheng Hui and the other two. "I'll make a trip there. We'll talk later."

Zheng Hui clicked his tongue twice. "This kid is probably about to soar to great heights."

Han Anbo nodded.

"We can have mutton soup now." Yu Ping smiled cheerfully.

Study in the rear hall of the Divine Capital Office.

A faint incense fragrance filled the room. A man in green robes and a black cap sat sideways to the three of them, a book held in both hands as he quietly read.

Zhou Hen and Luo Jing were thoroughly respectful, while Li Qingxian secretly surveyed the study.

Of the three walls, two were lined with bookshelves and one with an antique display rack. Scrolls and books were piled layer upon layer, while antiques filled the eye.

Beside the antique rack stood three celadon vases as tall as half a man, the paintings within them fanning open like blooming flowers.

"Was it settled?"

Zhou Chunfeng set down his book, turned to look over, and leaned back against his chair.

Li Qingxian's eyes lit up. The entire room seemed to shine; Zhou Chunfeng alone was like a light illuminating the whole Divine Capital Office.

His face was fair, his eyes bright, his lips red and teeth white. He sat there like polished jade. At first glance, he looked like a handsome youth of eighteen, but upon closer inspection, one realized that he was no longer young.

Li Qingxian could not help recalling all the rumors about Zhou Chunfeng. The young people of the Qi Kingdom had grown up listening to the legends of Zhou Chunfeng, the handsome Third Scholar.

He had originally thought those tales contained some exaggeration, but seeing him today, he found that even past fifty, Zhou Chunfeng remained elegant and striking. Had he been thirty years younger, charming every woman in the city would have been no difficult feat.

"It was settled." Zhou Hen recounted the entire affair from beginning to end.

"You do have some of your father's bearing." Zhou Chunfeng did not look at Luo Jing, instead studying Li Qingxian from head to toe.

As always, Zhou Chunfeng's voice carried a faint rasp. It was unhurried and measured, tinged with the soft speech of Jiangnan, entirely unlike the accent of the Divine Capital.

Li Qingxian hurriedly said, "This subordinate could not bring shame upon the Divine Capital Office or Lord Zhou."

"Li Gangfeng would not say such things." Zhou Chunfeng's expression remained unchanged.

"My father would not have been forced by Night Guards to leave his corpse exposed on Ministry of Revenue Street either," Li Qingxian said.

"Still as bold as ever." Zhou Chunfeng turned to Luo Jing. "Thank you, Lord Luo, for looking after someone from the Divine Capital Office."

"Not at all, not at all. We are both serving the court. I do not deserve Lord Zhou's thanks." Luo Jing was flattered beyond measure as he secretly sized up Zhou Chunfeng.

"I am curious how this slippery little brat managed to persuade a dignified Eighth Rank." Zhou Chunfeng stared at Li Qingxian.

Luo Jing sighed. "Li Qingxian, you tell him yourself."

Li Qingxian's expression was calm. "Uncle Zhou, there's no need for riddles between our own people. I reported before that I discovered a Spirits Distillation Method. It is fast, suitable for mass production, and has the potential to be promoted nationwide. You and I are both loyal to the sovereign and devoted to the country. For a business this large, we cannot keep thinking only of ourselves; we must think more of the court and more of His Majesty. So after discussing it, the two of us decided to divide the future distillery into ten shares. His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Night Guard Department, and I would each hold two shares, jointly operating the distillery and selling spirits. You sent me to take full charge of the matter and negotiate with the Ministry of Revenue, but Pang Mingjing harmed me on the road. Fortunately, I was resourceful and composed, and successfully found Lord Luo of the Ministry of Revenue to resolve it."

Zhou Chunfeng stared at Li Qingxian for a long time without speaking.

Li Qingxian looked at the antique rack, emptied his mind, and played dead. Being socially bold wasn't working, so he might as well pretend to be dead.

Luo Jing could not hold it in and lowered his head with a laugh.

Zhou Chunfeng snorted and looked at Luo Jing. "He had neither my seal nor an official document from me, yet you believed him?"

Luo Jing said helplessly, "Lord Zhou, you do not know how well this boy beguiles people. Even if it had not been me, anyone else would have believed his silver tongue that could wear down iron. I did not truly believe him, but I felt he was talented. If he joined our evil sect, one day he would surely rise high into the blue clouds."