Jiang Youfei

Early the next morning, dawn slowly shone through the paper windows when Zheng Hui's voice rang out.

"Get up, get up! No lamb soup today. We're going to the mess hall to eat pig slop, then patrol the streets! Hurry!"

The four of them got ready and headed for the mess hall.

Breakfast was a struggle, especially compared with yesterday's lamb offal soup.

Li Qingxian finally understood why Zheng Hui and Yu Ping called the Department's food pig slop.

It was not a metaphor, because those cooks were also responsible for feeding pigs.

A year ago, the cooks mixed up the thin porridge and the pig feed. The Night Guards could not taste the difference. Only when the pigs refused to eat and overturned their trough did they realize something was wrong.

After breakfast, the four members of Team Jia-Nine sauntered toward Wanping Street, occasionally running into acquaintances along the way and exchanging a few pleasantries.

Today, many more people greeted Li Qingxian.

They did not go to the morning market on Happiness Street. The four headed straight for Wanping Street, then split into two teams to patrol the area around Wanping Ward.

Starting at the proper hour of the Rabbit, Zheng Hui and Li Qingxian walked and stopped along the way, patrolling the streets.

Li Qingxian finally understood the duties of the Street Patrol Office.

The Night Guards sounded imposing, but the truly imposing ones were the experts, the Imperial Prison Bureau's interrogators, and the Mounted Patrol who made arrests.

The Street Patrol Office was responsible for inspecting the capital and monitoring Entry Rank cultivators, but the major powers around Wanping Ward had gathered together, making Entry Rank cultivators all the more cautious.

Most of the time, Team Jia-Nine was no different from ordinary soldiers dressed in flashy clothes.

Over the course of the morning, they mediated disputes between merchants, helped elderly people cross the road, and kept children away from the main street. They caught no thieves, encountered no bandits, and did not even draw their blades, passing the time without incident.

Near the beginning of the Horse hour, Li Qingxian and Zheng Hui returned to the entrance of Wanping Street.

The enormous archway bearing the three words "Wanping Ward" stood before them. Dragging his heavy legs, Li Qingxian trudged forward without a shred of energy.

Not counting breaks, they had walked for over four hours. His calves were cramping from exhaustion.

"Tired?"

"I'm fine." Li Qingxian forced himself to say.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Hui said, "Then we'll come back and patrol for another half a shichen this afternoon, then call it a day. Get some proper rest."

"Thanks, Brother Zheng." Li Qingxian smiled.

"Come on. An Bo and the others are here. Let's get lunch."

The four met up and returned to the Night Guard Department for lunch.

During the noon break, like everyone else, Li Qingxian went beneath the great locust tree in the middle of the Street Patrol Office courtyard. He gathered with Night Guards from the other offices and listened to everyone ramble about heaven and earth.

There were tales of a Grand Confucian from the previous dynasty whose Righteousness Sword split open the sea with a single stroke; an old martial world alliance leader ascending to the heavens and flying through the air, shattering a thousand-zhang mountain with one punch; a Beyond-Rank Great Sage of the Demon Race draining the Great River dry in one breath; the Heaven's Mandate Sect calculating three thousand years above and deducing five hundred years below; and Grand General King swearing to guard the river for life, never returning to the capital so long as the Demon Race had not retreated. Such stories were too numerous to count.

When the noon break ended, the Night Guards seemed rooted to the spot, utterly motionless. Only after two quarters of an hour did they lazily rise.

The four left the Divine Capital Office, went to a teahouse to listen to storytelling for nearly half a shichen, drank three large pots of cold tea, and only then went out on patrol.

As evening approached, Zheng Hui declared the day's street patrol over, and the four sauntered back.

A full day of street patrol had officially ended.

As they stepped through the Night Guard's side gate, Zheng Hui said, "We're off duty. You all rest. I'll go report in to Chief He."

At the same time, Li Qingxian felt a faintly cool current come from nowhere and enter the space between his brows. It felt exactly like when Fortune had descended yesterday.

Li Qingxian could not help wondering whether this Fortune was a reward for his diligent street patrol.

When he returned to the quarters, Zhou Chunfeng's guard was waiting. He pulled Li Qingxian aside, handed him an Imperial Prison Bureau waist token, and quietly said that the distillery was being prepared. At most ten days later, people from the Ministry of Works would come to his door.

After Zhou Chunfeng's guard left, Yu Ping and Han Anbo curiously borrowed the Imperial Prison Bureau waist token to inspect it, clicking their tongues in amazement.

"If you strike it rich, treat us to lamb soup!" Yu Ping said enviously as he handed back the token.

"Definitely." Li Qingxian smiled.

"Has everything been settled?" Han Anbo asked vaguely.

Li Qingxian fell silent for a moment, then said, "Lord Zhou said I do not need to worry."

"That's good. With Lord Zhou speaking up, they at least won't dare use underhanded tricks. If they act openly and aboveboard, Lord Zhou can handle it too. Just be more careful. Don't take the wrong road and let people seize something against you." Han Anbo said.

Li Qingxian smiled. "Don't worry. Back when I fought people in the streets, what kind of dirty trick hadn't I seen?"

After dinner, Li Qingxian went to the Night Guard's library, borrowed several basic books related to Fate Arts, and brought them back to the quarters to read.

The other three did not disturb him. They first went beneath the great locust tree to chat, then went to the training grounds to practice martial arts.

Another day passed, and after they went off duty, a strand of Fortune descended.

The next day, after they went off duty, Fortune arrived as promised.

Based on the books he had read over the past few days, along with what he had learned before, Li Qingxian made a rough guess.

The six major powers—the Confucian School, Daoist School, martial world, Devil Sect, Evil Sects, and Netherworld—were supposedly willing to join the imperial court because they could absorb the court's Fortune and strengthen themselves.

Starting with Emperor Tiankang, the imperial court had been able to create powerful Fortune Treasures and bestow them upon meritorious subjects.

The Qi Kingdom Founding Jade Seal was the strongest Fortune treasure beneath heaven.

People possessed Fortune, and nations possessed Fortune as well.

Li Qingxian's back turned cold. Could it be that he was stealing National Fortune?

Thinking of his own aptitude, Li Qingxian decided to let this matter rot in his belly and make a fortune in silence.

Li Qingxian felt regretful. At present, he could only sense the Fortune and the Heaven's Mandate Instrument somewhere between his brows; he could not use them.

"Perhaps I'll have to wait until I reach Entry Rank. Slowly does it. No rush."

Another day passed. After the street patrol ended, Li Qingxian received a strand of Fortune as usual. When he returned to the office, Zhou Chunfeng's guard stood at the side gate.

"Lord Li, Lord Zhou requests your presence."

"I'm not really an official to begin with. Just call me Little Li," Li Qingxian said, looking toward Zheng Hui and the other two. "I'm going to see Lord Zhou. You don't need to wait for me."

Zheng Hui and Han Anbo nodded. Yu Ping blinked rapidly and whispered, "If there are pastries, bring some back while you're at it."

Zheng Hui raised a hand and flicked Yu Ping hard on the forehead. Laughing, he scolded, "Are you a pig? You want food but not your life?"

"Oink oink... oink oink..." Yu Ping lifted his head, opened his mouth, and imitated the sound perfectly.

Li Qingxian and Han Anbo burst out laughing. Zheng Hui did not know whether to laugh or cry, waved dismissively, and left.

"If there are any, I'll bring you some." Li Qingxian said with a smile.

Following the guard, he walked along roads that were familiar but not quite familiar, entered the rear hall of the Divine Capital Office, and slowly took in the surrounding scenery.

Artificial hills and flowing water, lotus ponds and flowers, the air of spring and the spirit of summer.

Li Qingxian looked at the three words "Chunfeng Residence" over the entrance and thought, When will I get to live in a courtyard like this too...

"Uncle Zhou, I'm here." Li Qingxian knocked three times, then casually pushed the door open and entered.

"Mm." Zhou Chunfeng bent over his desk, writing furiously without raising his head.

Zhou Hen stood beside the desk, eyes lowered as he rested his mind.

At the edge of his vision stood a tender, fair silhouette by the window. Li Qingxian turned to look.

A slender woman in white gazed out the window. Daylight fell across her youthful, lovely face. Her skin seemed to glow through, warm and smooth, white as jade and snow.

She was only half a head shorter than Li Qingxian, but her waist was so slender that at first glance, she looked like a tiny little lamb.

Li Qingxian looked carefully. Her neck was long and slim, her waist long and slim, even her wrists so slender that they seemed as though rings could be slipped over them.

Her slender jade-like arm rested on the windowsill. The forearm exposed beyond her sleeve gleamed like warm jade, dazzlingly bright.

A pure, flawless imperial-green jade bracelet encircled her left wrist.

Before the bookshelves and behind the wooden window, the light of the setting sun shone upon her small, snow-white form, as though she stood within a painting.

On the windowsill, yellow-beaked sparrows, pale-green crickets, pink-and-white butterflies, and other birds and insects gathered together, watching the girl as they hopped and fluttered back and forth.

The girl's fingers moved lightly. The birds and insects chirped a few reluctant cries, then either soared into the clouds or slipped into flowers and grass, scattering in all directions.

The woman in white slowly turned around, looked at Li Qingxian, and lightly nodded. A faint smile seemed to appear on her face, then vanished in an instant. Or perhaps it had been an illusion, and she had never smiled at all. It was impossible to tell.

Her brows were long and delicate, her eyes bright and glimmering, her gaze lively. Her nose was graceful and straight, while her lips were so thin that her upper lip resembled a slender crescent line.

Her white gauze dress was cinched with a bright blue sash, her slim waist small enough to be held in one hand.

Everything about her was slender. Even her small face seemed as though it had been slowly outlined with the finest brushwork.

A slender girl, a pale face, exquisite as poetry, drifting like an immortal.

At first glance, she looked fourteen or fifteen, but the faint heroic spirit between her brows and the ancient sword with a black scabbard and blue patterns floating beside her made her appear at least eighteen.

"Hello, my name is Li Qingxian." Li Qingxian introduced himself with a smile.

"Jiang Youfei." The girl's voice was soft and fine, neither cold nor warm.

The girl turned and walked toward Zhou Chunfeng. Her small body was held perfectly straight, white robes fluttering, skirt hem swaying, long hair cascading like a waterfall and gently trembling. A white gauze ribbon loosely bound it, leaving two strips of white gauze to hang down alongside her thick black hair.

Her long hair fell down, stained with the faint light of the sunset, concealing her swaying waist.

Zhou Chunfeng suddenly looked up and gazed at Li Qingxian with a half-smile.

Li Qingxian gave a light cough and said seriously, "Jiang Youfei? I feel like I've heard that name before. Uncle Zhou, aren't you going to introduce her?"

Two months after this chapter was updated, the author's note:

This chapter used rhetorical devices such as metaphor and exaggeration.

Metaphor: metaphor is a commonly used rhetorical device that uses thing B, which shares similarities with thing A, to describe or explain thing A.

Exaggeration: a rhetorical device that deliberately enlarges or diminishes an object's image, characteristics, function, degree, and other aspects in order to achieve a certain expressive effect.

--

These two rhetorical devices are extremely common in a great many literary and artistic works, including web novels.