Li Qingxian said, caught between laughter and tears, "My literary cultivation was interrupted. If I start again, I can only begin from scratch. The Confucian School requires studying the Four Books and Five Classics—one book per year! Only after a full nine years would I qualify to open my Middle Dantian, and even then, success isn't guaranteed. I really can't do it. When it comes to literary cultivation scriptures, I'm completely in the dark."
"Current Grand Chancellor Zhao Yishan resumed literary cultivation at twelve. He studied bitterly for twenty years before finally opening his Middle Dantian. After that, he soared straight into the clouds, advancing like bamboo splitting before the knife. Last year, he reached First Rank and became renowned throughout the land."
"How could I compare myself to a freak like Zhao Yishan? You think far too highly of me. If I remember correctly, when he took first place in the imperial examinations, he was on the same list as you?"
"Indeed," Zhou Chunfeng said.
Li Qingxian said, "Uncle Zhou, it's not that I mean to criticize you. When Zhao Yishan became the top scholar, he was already over fifty, but he was the top scholar while you were third place. You were both successful candidates on the same list, so the difference wasn't great. Why, after all these years, are you only Fourth Rank while he has risen to First Rank? Literary cultivation is like rowing against the current—if you don't advance, you fall back!"
"Believe it or not, I'll beat you out the door." Zhou Chunfeng pointed his Bull Bone Fan at Li Qingxian as he laughed and scolded him.
"Look, even you can't compare to him. Am I supposed to stake my life on competing with Zhao Yishan?"
Li Qingxian felt helpless inside.
A few days ago, he had genuinely considered literary cultivation, but on Blue Star, he had only been a poor student.
Forget those profound Confucian classics—even ancient poems and verses, he had not recited any since high school. He had long forgotten seventy or eighty percent of them and could only recall a few fragments of lines and words.
More importantly, literary cultivators could only advance in rank by comprehending scriptures and pursuing the ultimate principles of the Confucian School. No matter how much poetry one knew, it could not increase one's literary qi in the slightest.
With his meager attainments in poetry, at best he could be a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. If he encountered poems similar to those from his previous life, he could help others revise their Battle Poetry and serve as a poetry tutor.
But the literary qi earned by a poetry tutor could not be used to advance in rank. It could only be fed to the Righteousness Sword.
Besides, he had the Heaven's Mandate Instrument in hand. Instead of spending his time cultivating Fate Arts, wasting so many years on literary cultivation with an uncertain future would simply be putting the cart before the horse.
Seeing that neither of them spoke, Zhou Hen could not help asking, "Then how did you discover that Divine Firmament Thunder Seed?"
Zhou Chunfeng also looked toward Li Qingxian.
Li Qingxian gave a light cough and said, "I told you, I happened to discover it through Fate Arts. At the time, I didn't know whether it was real or not. I was merely trying it out. I never expected it to work."
Zhou Hen asked, "Were those talisman papers, chicken blood, and coin sword of yours real or fake?"
Li Qingxian smiled. "Of course they were fake. Fate Arts Masters use sheep's blood, not chicken blood."
"What exactly is the Divine Firmament Thunder Seed?" Zhou Hen was truly curious.
Li Qingxian spread his hands. "Honestly, I don't know either. But Sister You Fei said it was a treasure bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor. Uncle Zhou, do you know?"
Zhou Chunfeng shook his head. "It must be an ancient divine artifact. The virtuous possess it. Since you obtained this item, Heaven favors you. But it must not be spread outside. I have already issued gag orders to the remaining Night Guards and Sky Firmament Sect members."
"The Night Guards and Sky Firmament Sect members struck dead by heavenly lightning had questionable backgrounds, didn't they?" Li Qingxian asked.
Zhou Chunfeng said, "Our later investigation confirmed that the Devil Sect Third Rank impostor posing as a Night Guard had died long ago. Of the two Night Guards killed by heavenly lightning, one was a Devil Cultivator and one a Heretical Cultivator. The two Sky Firmament Sect disciples were both Devil Cultivators."
"Uncle Zhou, this time I helped the Night Guard eliminate five Devil Sect Third Ranks, countless small fry, and four moles. You should calculate the merit for that." Li Qingxian leaned back in his chair with a beaming smile.
Zhou Chunfeng shook his head. "If this merit goes to you, what will Ye Han do?"
Understanding dawned on Li Qingxian. "I think you should promote Ye Han, so the Devil Sect becomes even more certain it was him."
Zhou Chunfeng nodded, then said, "Yesterday, when I learned you had advanced to Tenth Rank, I went to the Chief Guard Envoy to prepare your promotion as captain of Jia-Nine Office. Who would have thought I was one step too late? The Chief Guard Envoy had other arrangements."
"Hmm?" Li Qingxian sensed something off in Zhou Chunfeng's tone.
"I argued on solid grounds, and in the end, the Chief Guard Envoy had no choice but to abandon his choice for captain. But the vice-captain must be appointed by him. That vice-captain is one of Wei Yong's men from the Night Guard Finance Office," Zhou Chunfeng said.
Li Qingxian's expression darkened. Pang Mingjing, the head accountant from the Finance Office who had harmed him on Ministry of Revenue Street, was one of Wei Yong's trusted confidants. Over the past few days, he had been secretly inquiring about the Finance Office and its people.
"You can't refuse?"
"Wei Yong played this move well. He knew I could not possibly allow his man to serve as captain, and that I would certainly confront the Chief Guard Envoy. I can confront him once, but not twice. Otherwise, where would the Chief Guard Envoy's dignity be? How could we get along in the future? So sending a vice-captain over to mix sand into the grain was his true purpose. I could not foresee the future. Only when the Chief Guard Envoy proposed the vice-captain candidate did I understand, but by then it was too late," Zhou Chunfeng said.
Li Qingxian said helplessly, "You officials are all full of twists and turns. Wei Yong must have promised the Coward King some benefit."
"It's only a small matter," Zhou Chunfeng said with a smile.
"You aren't angry?"
"Only a small matter." Zhou Chunfeng seemed entirely unconcerned that Wei Yong was mixing sand into the Divine Capital Office.
Li Qingxian could not understand. He looked toward Zhou Hen, who wore the expression of someone saying, don't ask me about things that require brains.
Zhou Chunfeng finished his tea with a smile and said, "Tomorrow is the Directors' Assembly Hall. You've entered rank, so you may attend your first assembly. I'll take you there to meet some people. The Divine Capital Office can directly appoint someone to Subordinate Tenth Rank. Tonight, I'll send someone over with your rank-determination document and Subordinate Tenth Rank official uniform."
"Then when I advance from Subordinate Tenth Rank to Principal Tenth Rank, must I take the Azure Cloud Rank-Determination Examination like with other rank promotions?"
"Principal Tenth Rank does not require it. So long as you can exchange a hundred rounds with a Subordinate Ninth Rank, the Chief Guard Envoy can issue your rank-determination document. Others advancing from Subordinate Ninth Rank to Principal Ninth Rank must wait for the annual Azure Cloud Examination, but Night Guards only need to pass an internal assessment. However, starting from Principal Eighth Rank, one must take the nationwide Azure Cloud Examination, whether one follows Confucianism, Daoism, martial cultivation, devil cultivation, heretical cultivation, or puppet arts. Of course, some Rogue Cultivators not employed by the court may, after recommendation and testing, avoid taking it at every rank. For instance, You Fei only takes the Fourth Rank Azure Cloud Examination."
The two chatted for a while. Zhou Chunfeng gave many instructions before Li Qingxian finally left carrying a plate of pastries, under the helpless gazes of Zhou Chunfeng and Zhou Hen.
After leaving Chunfeng Residence, Li Qingxian headed straight for the clinic. Learning that Zheng Hui and Yu Ping had both left, he went to Jia-Nine Office.
Before he even entered, he heard Han Anbo sighing heavily.
"Brother Zheng this time... I'm afraid he's lost his spirit. A man so dark-skinned, over fifty without a single white hair, yet in just one day, nearly half his hair has turned white..."
Li Qingxian entered. Han Anbo and Yu Ping looked over, their expressions complicated.
Perhaps the window paper was too thick, because the room was somewhat dim.
"What happened to Captain Zheng?" Li Qingxian asked.
The fair, fat Yu Ping forced out an ugly fake smile. Without the slightest politeness, he took the pastries, gave Han Anbo an osmanthus cake, then held one himself and silently began eating.
Han Anbo pinched the osmanthus cake and looked at Li Qingxian. "Captain Zheng went home to recover from his injuries. Without cultivation, he could still serve as an ordinary Night Guard, but he's too proud. He won't come back."
"You didn't try to persuade him? At least the Night Guard uniform can protect him," Li Qingxian said.
Han Anbo shook his head. "We tried. How could he listen? He was injured in the line of duty. Even without the Tenth Rank salary, as long as he commits no wrongdoing, he still retains his Night Guard status and receives the salary of an ordinary Night Guard."
Li Qingxian did not know what to say. He merely sat to one side.
Yu Ping swallowed his water chestnut cake and said softly, "Everyone in the office is saying you've entered rank and are going to take over as captain of Jia-Nine Office?"
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