Enemies Meet

In the early summer morning, candles burned high in the spacious Directors' Hall, yet Li Qingxian felt cold drafts passing through from time to time.

Li Qingxian walked to the rearmost spot by the wall and leaned against it at an angle.

Saved effort.

Before long, Zhou Chunfeng looked at Cao Ming and flicked his eyes toward Li Qingxian.

Cao Ming took one look and filled with helplessness. This really is a young master's body. He rose and walked over to Li Qingxian, secretly transmitting his voice. "Little Lord Li, though this Directors' Hall cannot compare to the Golden Throne Hall, it still has rules. Even if you want to stand around lazily, you cannot lean against the wall."

Li Qingxian nodded. Being an official truly came with too many matters. He did not know how long it would take him to adapt.

Li Qingxian moved slightly away from the wall and, like the other Tenth Rank officials, lowered his head and let his shoulders droop. Yet in his heart, he recalled the Fate Arts he had learned.

Fate Arts was an enormous concept, encompassing all things.

In the narrow sense, Fate Arts specifically referred to the methods of Fate Arts Masters that consumed mana, such as the Qi-Gazing Technique, Fate-Observing Technique, Deduction Technique, Fate-Urging Art, and so on.

Li Qingxian raised his head and glanced around the hall, where red and green filled the room, barely suppressing the urge to use Observing Fate through Qi.

If he used it now, his Fate Mansion would likely be smashed to pieces by the Fate Mansions of the gathered heroes.

The Night Guard was a great yamen standing alongside the Six Ministries. It was self-contained and had long formed a Grand Momentum Configuration.

If he used Qi-Gazing and Fortune-Observing at a time like this, it would be no different from a six-year-old child poking a hornets' nest—then poking more than a hundred of them.

"Other than Fortune Fish, which are used up one by one, the thing that can currently strengthen Observing Fate through Qi the most is the Spirit Eye, 'Dragon Appears.' I need to cultivate 'Obscuring Eye' as soon as possible."

Li Qingxian sent his consciousness into his Spirit Platform.

With a thought, the complete text of the Obscuring Eye incantation appeared before the Thunder Dragon Fire Seal.

This text was called a Dharma script. Written with mana, it could be directly imprinted into the Spirit Platform.

The tiny regular script was neat and clean, yet full of force. It had been written by Jiang Youfei.

Jiang Youfei had taught him that one must combine clumsiness and cleverness when learning spells.

Clumsiness meant that at the beginning, one should not seek shortcuts. One had to calm down first, memorize the text, and understand the basic meaning of every sentence and every word.

Cleverness meant that after memorizing and understanding it, one began to think deeply: what was the Great Dao behind this spell? What characteristics did it possess? How was it different from other spells, and how was it similar? Only by thoroughly understanding everything connected to the spell could one be said to have learned it.

Li Qingxian decided to be clumsy first and slowly memorize it.

As for that mind-swelling union of clumsiness and cleverness, he tossed it aside.

As he recited it silently, the thunderball held in the Thunder Dragon's mouth spun faster, and his mana accumulated more quickly.

After a long while, Li Qingxian felt somewhat tired and stopped cultivating Obscuring Eye.

When he looked up, the Directors' Assembly Hall had already begun.

Several Directors in crimson robes were discussing personnel appointments.

The black stone platform remained empty. Of the four purple sandalwood grand tutor chairs, only one was occupied.

Those four seats belonged to the four men below the Commander of the Guard. Ranked from highest to lowest, they were Left Commanding Envoy, Right Commanding Envoy, Left Assistant Commanding Envoy, and Right Assistant Commanding Envoy.

Han Anbo had said yesterday that Assistant Commanding Envoy meant a deputy post.

The man sat in the fourth-ranked chair. He should be Lord Yu Xianhe, the Right Assistant Commanding Envoy, a Principal Fourth Rank literary cultivator who handled the Night Guard's daily affairs.

Yu Xianhe was slightly plump. He drank tea with narrowed eyes, seemingly taking no part in the discussion.

Li Qingxian listened for a while. The Middle Three Ranks were discussing the Night Guard's middle and upper-level affairs; there was no use in a Tenth Rank official like him listening. So he began practicing Fate Arts, silently reciting the Fate-Observing Technique within his Spirit Platform.

Fate observation chiefly included arranging Fate Pillars, determining Fate Grounds, deducing Fate Stars, calculating Fate Spirits, and examining hidden concealments.

After finishing the Fate-Observing Technique, he recited the Deduction Technique.

The Fate-Observing Technique determined what was inside another person's Fate Mansion, while the Deduction Technique deduced the relationships between everything.

It chiefly included the relationship between Fate Grounds and the Four Pillars, between Fate Pillars and Fate Stars, among Fate Stars, between Fate Patterns and Fate Spirits, as well as the relationships between different people's Fate Molds, and so on.

After some time, Li Qingxian stopped cultivating, closed his eyes to rest, and recovered his energy.

Before long, a familiar voice rang out. "Lord Tao, the Street Patrol Office is already short-handed. We cannot send people elsewhere."

Li Qingxian immediately opened his eyes and looked over. It was He Lei, head of the Divine Capital Office's Street Patrol Office.

Another person said, "Every summer, the Demon Race sends out small squads. Some sneak across the Great River, while others cross the Western Desert, harassing places everywhere. For the court and the common people, our Night Guard ought to contribute more. The Five-City Military and Horse Bureau can also handle patrolling Divine Capital, but when it comes to leaving the city to exterminate demons, the Military and Horse Bureau cannot do it."

Li Qingxian looked at the man. He wore a Seventh Rank tiger patch without gold thread around it. Fair-faced and red-lipped, with clear brows and delicate features, he stood out sharply among the dark-skinned martial men. Compared to Zhou Chunfeng, though, he was merely mud and dust.

"Then send more people from your Finance Office. None of our Street Patrol Office's newly promoted Tenth Rank officials will go into battle. However, Lord Tao Zhi has just been promoted to head of the Finance Office Accounting Office. He can go into battle and serve the country." After lazily finishing, He Lei turned and glanced at Li Qingxian, giving him a slight nod.

Finance Office, new head of the Finance Office Accounting Office, Street Patrol Office, leaving the city to exterminate demons, newly promoted Tenth Rank... Li Qingxian's eyes widened slightly. Could this be aimed at me?

Li Qingxian gave Tao Zhi a careful look. This man had replaced Pang Mingjing's position.

Then Li Qingxian narrowed his eyes and searched for Wei Yong, the Finance Office Director.

That day, it had been Wei Yong who sent Pang Mingjing to harm him.

Soon, Li Qingxian's gaze landed on a man in Fifth Rank crimson robes. He had an ordinary appearance, exceptionally bright eyes, a medium build, a black mole on his left ear, and hands blackened from practicing Iron Sand Palm.

He was exactly as Han Anbo had described Wei Yong.

Wei Yong actually looked over as well, smiling faintly before looking elsewhere.

The man's gaze was gentle. It seemed like no more than a casual glance and a casual smile, without the slightest oddity, as though he were looking at a stranger. Yet Li Qingxian knew that the other party had recognized him.

He was too young; among the many Tenth Rank officials, he stood out far too much.

When enemies met, the wind was light and the clouds were calm.

The lower three ranks of officials from the Finance Office and Divine Capital Office began arguing.

The Middle Three Ranks officials either remained silent or maintained an atmosphere of perfect harmony.

Before long, Tao Zhi, who looked like a fair-faced scholar, looked toward Li Qingxian and said, "I think it would be better to let your Divine Capital Office's newly promoted Tenth Rank official speak for himself. When the nation is in trouble, should he go to the battlefield and kill the enemy?"

Li Qingxian was about to speak, but when he saw He Lei repeatedly signaling with his eyes, he remembered Han Anbo's words. His heart tightened. Looking toward Yu Xianhe, the Right Assistant Commanding Envoy seated at the very front, he cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Lord Yu, Lord Tao has something to ask, but this subordinate is young and speaks bluntly. I do not know whether I may answer in public."

Yu Xianhe said with a genial smile, "Since you are from the Divine Capital Office, speak freely."

"Thank you, Lord Yu." Li Qingxian looked at Tao Zhi, the Finance Office's new Accounting Office head, and said, "The Night Guard's most urgent task is to first root out the traitor who harmed our colleagues, and only then leave the capital to exterminate demons."

Some officials gaped in shock. Could such words be spoken in the Directors' Assembly Hall?

Some martial officials, however, laughed happily, finding this spirited young man increasingly pleasing to the eye.

Tao Zhi actually froze. He had thought he was forcing Li Qingxian into a dilemma, but he had never expected Li Qingxian not to take the bait at all and instead charge straight at him.

Tao Zhi glanced at his immediate superior, Wei Yong, then gave a light cough and said, "Your name is Li Qingxian, correct?"

Li Qingxian respectfully cupped his hands. Imitating the steady, unhurried tone of the Middle Three Ranks officials, he slowly said, "In reply to Lord Tao, I am Li Qingxian, the one Pang Mingjing of the Finance Office nearly killed on Ministry of Revenue Street."

Tao Zhi's face darkened.