Sand

The crowd was stunned again, and several military officers burst into laughter.

"As expected of Mr. Gangfeng's son—he has his father's bearing." Yu Xianhe did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Zhou Chunfeng looked at Li Qingxian with a smiling squint.

Most of the Divine Capital Office officials showed their approval.

A Principal Fifth Rank military officer with a golden elephant rank badge embroidered on his chest laughed. "I like that temperament. Young people ought to have some fire in them."

Li Qingxian glanced at the man and nodded lightly in thanks.

Tao Zhi sighed. "It seems you still resent the entire Finance Office over that one person."

There was a dagger hidden in his words.

He Lei immediately took up the thread. "Bullshit! Who was the first to stir up trouble for our entire Divine Capital Office today?"

Zhou Chunfeng feigned displeasure. "Old He."

He Lei chuckled. "Us Martial Cultivators are just this rough around the edges. Don't take offense, fellow colleagues. Matters like this should be decided by the Directors. What was a bookkeeper doing sticking his nose in? Lord Wei Yong, was Tao Zhi speaking for you?"

Wei Yong seemed not to have heard the words "bookkeeper." He smiled, gave a slanting salute toward Emperor Taining's portrait, and said mildly, "Tao Zhi worries for the nation and the people, wishing to share His Majesty's burdens. He merely said a few extra words; no harm done. Let us discuss something else."

The Divine Capital Office officials did not press their advantage. Before long, today's Directors' Assembly Hall session came to an end.

Yu Xianhe, the Right Deputy Commander, left first. The remaining officials then filed out of the Directors' Hall in strict order according to rank, as though they had rehearsed it.

No one gave commands, yet they were more orderly than a marching army.

Li Qingxian stood in a corner of the Directors' Hall, watching Wei Yong and Tao Zhi's retreating backs.

One was Principal Fifth Rank; the other, Subordinate Seventh Rank.

High Rank, Destiny Strengthening, protected by the court's Fortune.

Without knowing their Four Pillars and Eight Characters, Destiny Mold, and Destiny Pattern, using the Qi-Gazing Technique on them would not even reveal the Twelve Longevity Stages, much less a Fate Projection. He might even suffer a backlash.

First observe destiny, then deduce, then gaze upon qi, and finally determine events. That was the proper sequence for a Destiny Arts Master practicing Fate Observation and Qi Gazing.

"I'll keep cultivating these next few days. Once I master Fate Arts, I'll use Seeing the Dragon together with Fortune to eliminate the hidden danger!"

Li Qingxian made his decision and walked out of the Directors' Hall.

The morning sunlight shone down, while the summer breeze carried threads of heat across his face.

He had barely taken two steps when someone happened to pass before him and looked over.

It was Tao Zhi, the newly appointed head of the Finance Office's Accounting Office. He had a fair, clean complexion and a sturdy build.

Tao Zhi smiled, wearing what he thought was an appropriate expression, and said softly, "Captain Li, Divine Capital has had fierce wind and sand lately. Be careful not to let it blind your eyes."

Without waiting to hear Li Qingxian's reply, he turned and left.

Li Qingxian gave Tao Zhi a glance, descended the steps, and headed for the Street Patrol Office.

By Jinlin Garden, Divine Capital Office officials had gathered around Zhou Chunfeng. When they saw Li Qingxian approach, they waved him over.

"Little Mister Li, come here." None of them addressed him by official post or rank.

Li Qingxian walked over. After He Lei introduced them, he greeted the Divine Capital Office officials one by one.

Aside from a few who remained indifferent, most wore broad smiles, and some even praised him outright.

The bold Martial Cultivators in particular beamed with delight.

"Those Finance Office bastards are too sinister. They throw their weight around just because they control the money. Who would've thought they'd be choked speechless by a child today?"

"As expected of Mr. Gangfeng's son! You suit my temperament!"

"I can't meddle in other matters, but if anyone from the Finance Office provokes you, I'll definitely lend you a fist!"

He Lei laughed. "Quit your bullshit. He's in my Street Patrol Office—could I possibly mistreat him? Besides, the Finance Office has the entire Night Guard's purse strings in its grasp, so going too far wouldn't be good. Qingxian is young and low-ranked, but he's the perfect person to deal with them."

Li Qingxian smiled. "So Lord He is using me like a spear, sending me to stab the Finance Office." He rubbed his hand into the shape of a sword and thrust it diagonally upward.

Everyone roared with laughter.

After chatting for a while, everyone gradually dispersed.

Li Qingxian bade Zhou Chunfeng farewell and followed He Lei toward the Street Patrol Office.

He Lei first praised Li Qingxian, then carefully explained what Li Qingxian, as a captain, ought to do. His points were clear and orderly, with nothing held back. In some respects, he explained things even more thoroughly than Han Anbo had, and Li Qingxian gained much from it.

When Li Qingxian said he would choose a day to pay him a formal visit, He Lei casually waved a hand and said they were both men under Lord Zhou, so there was no need for such politeness among their own. A small gathering at Drunken Retreat in a few days would suffice.

When they reached the Street Patrol Office, the two parted ways. Li Qingxian mulled over He Lei's words as he headed toward Jia-Nine Office.

Upon entering the courtyard of A Division, a familiar young Night Guard from Team Jia-Six approached and lowered his voice. "Captain Li, the new deputy captain in your team sparred with Brother Han. Brother Han took a small loss."

His eyes flickered, as if he were both uneasy and angry.

Li Qingxian frowned, then immediately drew a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.

"Thanks, brother." Li Qingxian's face darkened.

"Be careful." The Night Guard turned and left.

Li Qingxian slowed his pace, steadied his breathing, and walked toward Jia-Nine Office.

Eyes from the other rooms swept back and forth over him.

Li Qingxian entered through the half-open door and saw a sturdy stranger standing with his back to the entrance. He was at least a foot taller than Li Qingxian, and the badge on his back was likewise embroidered with a white horse crossing a river.

The difference was that his badge bore an extra ring of gold thread around it.

Principal Tenth Rank.

Li Qingxian's gaze sharpened. He had previously been said to be Subordinate Tenth Rank, yet today he had been promoted to Principal Tenth Rank.

The man said with a grin, "Brother Han, I'm really sorry. I couldn't control my strength and gave you a panda eye. I'll definitely be more careful next time. You really can't blame me. You looked quite skilled while practicing boxing in the training ground, but once we exchanged hands, I realized it was all empty form."

"It was only a sparring match. Fists and feet have no eyes; you can't be blamed." Han Anbo said.

Li Qingxian looked at Han Anbo. A faint smile hung on his face, his hair was disheveled, his right eye socket was bruised black and blue, and there was a hole torn through the elbow of his left sleeve, with dust and blood caked around it.

Behind Han Anbo, Yu Ping narrowed his eyes and stared at the man without blinking.

"You were the one who first offered to exchange hands?" Li Qingxian stood in the doorway with his back to the sunlight outside, his shadow falling into the room.

The man abruptly turned around. His face was sallow and his nose high. The moment he saw Li Qingxian, his smile widened. Without cupping his hands in greeting, he let both arms hang loosely at his sides and stared straight at the badge on Li Qingxian's chest. Smiling, he said, "You must be Captain Li. My name is Hong Cheng."

Behind him, Han Anbo secretly signaled with his eyes.

Li Qingxian seemed not to notice. He smiled at Hong Cheng and said, "I don't deserve to be called Captain Li. I'm only Subordinate Tenth Rank, while Lord Hong is Principal Tenth Rank."

Hong Cheng smiled. "No, no. In our Night Guard, official post comes first, rank second. Quite a few full-rank officials still have to obey their commanding officer."

"How did Han Anbo get injured?" Li Qingxian asked calmly.

Hong Cheng glanced back at Han Anbo, then laughed loudly. "You mean this? I saw Brother Han practicing boxing in the training ground and deeply admired him. My hands itched, so I exchanged a few moves with him without using True Essence. I let my guard down for a moment, and it ended up like this."

"You asked him, and he agreed right away?" Li Qingxian's eyes were cold.

Han Anbo cut in. "I agreed immediately. Colleagues sparring is common. Captain Zheng even broke my nose bridge before."

Hong Cheng, however, smiled. "Brother Han, Zheng Hui has already left. Calling him Captain Zheng isn't appropriate anymore. Good thing I treat you as one of my own. Otherwise, if someone found an excuse to wag their crooked tongues to the higher-ups, you'd certainly get a scolding."

Li Qingxian ignored Hong Cheng and looked at Yu Ping. "You tell me."

Han Anbo signaled Yu Ping with his eyes, but Yu Ping said bluntly, "Hong Cheng wanted to spar with Brother Han. How could Brother Han compete with a Principal Tenth Rank? He kept refusing. Then this... this person wanted to spar with me, so Brother Han had no choice but to agree."

"Is that so?" Li Qingxian looked at Hong Cheng.