A match made

The Heavenly Joy Star belonged to yang and governed betrothal.

The Red Phoenix Star belonged to yin and governed marriage.

According to the Qi-Reading Technique, a woman whose destiny bore the Red Phoenix Star would be gentle and beautiful, while a man whose destiny bore the Heavenly Joy Star would be handsome.

A strand of red thread also linked the two, signifying a match that would bring the couple deep affection after marriage.

Of course, the Qi-Reading Technique imposed no binding constraints. In other words, Bai Yutang and Constable Li had feelings for each other and a destined connection, and their fortunes were now nudging them toward marriage, but they would not necessarily become husband and wife.

Men whose destinies bore the Heavenly Joy Star were romantic and amorous, attracted many women, and would not readily let marriage tie them down.

"A scumbag who dates with no intention of marriage deserves a painful lesson!"

A flash of spiritual light flickered in Zhou Yi's hand and landed on the leg of the innkeeper, who was serving tea.

Bai Yutang followed meekly beside him, playing a country bumpkin newly arrived in the city to perfection.

Not only was the fellow a fine actor, he also understood that the darkest spot lay beneath the lamp. Who would imagine that a fugitive from the imperial prison would approach the constables himself?

"Ow!"

The innkeeper felt his leg go numb and accidentally spilled the tea from his pot.

Boiling tea splashed onto Bai Yutang. With his martial cultivation, it could not possibly hurt him. Yet he reacted instantly, letting out an agonized squeal like a pig about to be hauled out of its pen.

"Aw, Ma-!"

"Innkeep, hurry 'n take me to a doctor-!"

Bai Yutang was exceptionally quick on his feet. Having shown his face and cleared himself of suspicion, he could escape pursuit under the pretext of seeing a doctor.

After a few screams, Bai Yutang realized that the innkeeper, usually so perfectly in sync with him, had made no move. He opened his eyes to find Constable Li staring at him with a livid face, while four constables blocked the doors and windows.

The innkeeper pointed at his own hand, frantically signaling with his eyes.

His hand?

Bai Yutang glanced at his palm. The rough calluses had fallen off, and his dark complexion had turned into a mottled pattern.

His cover was blown!

Without time to wonder what had gone wrong with his specially formulated waterproof disguise paint, Bai Yutang sprang up with a carp's flip and lunged toward the window.

"Ow..."

Both legs went numb, and all his strength drained away at once. Bai Yutang toppled stiffly to the floor.

Constable Li snorted coldly, stepped forward, and felt around the back of Bai Yutang's head. With a hard tug, she peeled away the middle-aged face, revealing the young, handsome features beneath.

"Tie him up and send him back to the imperial prison!"

"Hongling... mmph, mmph!"

A rag had been stuffed into Bai Yutang's mouth.

"A man's mouth is a lying devil! Just tell me this: are you going back to the imperial prison to await death, or are you coming to see my father?"

"Don't speak. Nod or shake your head!"

Li Hongling drew her goose-feather saber and waved it near Bai Yutang's neck and legs. "You can shake your head if you like. From this moment on, all affection and ties between us will be severed. For everything you owe me and every lie you told me, you can repay me with a leg!"

Bai Yutang had intended to return to the imperial prison and look for another chance to escape. Seeing where the goose-feather saber was poised, he nodded with tears in his eyes.

"So you've agreed to marry me?"

Li Hongling looked bashful, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Utterly heartbroken, Bai Yutang nodded.

"You've agreed now. If you dare go back on your word again, Father will certainly ask an immortal master from the Immortal Stipend Bureau to capture you."

With that, Li Hongling turned and glared at the innkeeper, who was huddled in a corner trying desperately to make himself inconspicuous. Then she ordered her subordinates to carry Bai Yutang away.

No matter how he puzzled over it, Bai Yutang could not understand why his legs had gone numb at that crucial moment...

Zhou Yi, the instigator, observed them with the Qi-Reading Technique. Once Bai Yutang agreed to marry Li Hongling, the red thread of their marriage fate solidified. Ordinarily, there would be no further upheavals.

As soon as Li Hongling and the others were far away, the innkeeper sprang back to life.

"Oh, this is bad, this is bad! The young master's been taken!"

"Mr. Zhou, I need to return to Yu Province immediately. Sorry for the trouble, but please look after the inn."

The innkeeper said urgently, "You needn't bother with the accounts. Just keep the place from burning down. I'll reward you handsomely when I return."

"It's a trifling matter. Rest assured, innkeeper."

Zhou Yi nodded in agreement.

Bai Yutang bore golden-yellow qi, so his lineage was certain to be wealthy and prosperous. Working as a waiter was like driving a Ferrari to deliver takeout.

"Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Zhou."

With that, the innkeeper leaped away and vanished into the night, his lightness skill no weaker than Bai Yutang's.

"Making one match is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda! I do good deeds without leaving my name. On your wedding day, I'll be sure to offer my congratulations in person."

Zhou Yi considered giving the ink-stained Daoist scripture as a wedding present. He wondered whether Bai Yutang would grasp the mysteries within it.

Having unexpectedly brought about a marriage, he felt wonderfully buoyant.

When he resumed copying the Daoist scriptures, he even found himself understanding them differently.

The words left by Daoist sages held profound meaning in subtle phrases. Reading them at different times, in different places, and in different states of mind often brought fresh insights.

After finishing True Person Fubo's collected sayings, Zhou Yi wrote on the final page, "Copied by Hermit Willow Spring on the eighteenth day of the first month, year fifty of Jingtai."

Hermit Willow Spring was the sobriquet Zhou Yi had chosen for himself. His colleagues all had courtesy names and sobriquets, and he was following their lead in affecting refinement.

His magical power swept over the pages, drying the ink at once. He arranged them neatly and put them away.

Once he had copied all twelve volumes of Daoist scriptures, he would take them to a bookshop to be bound, making them easier to keep and read.

Chongren Ward.

Most of the Capital's bookshops were clustered here, selling brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as publishing and printing books.

The largest was called the Top Scholar Hall. It was said that a poor scholar once came to the Capital for the examinations without enough money to buy brushes, ink, paper, or inkstones.

The bookshop's proprietor agreed to let the scholar have brushes and ink on credit. Unexpectedly, the poor scholar placed first in the examinations, and during his horseback procession through the streets, he made a special stop outside the shop.

He thanked the proprietor and left a piece of calligraphy, after which the shop was renamed the Top Scholar Hall.

From then on, the shop provided free paper and brushes to every scholar who came to the Capital for the examinations.

Those whose names appeared on the golden list would naturally return to offer generous thanks. Those who fell below the cutoff would still feel grateful.

The scholars also liked coming to the Top Scholar Hall, hoping to catch a little of their predecessor's literary aura.

By now, the Top Scholar Hall had become the foremost bookshop, unrivaled in the Capital.

Upon entering the shop, Zhou Yi first saw bookshelves of various shapes, arranged with elegant irregularity and brimming with artistic flair.

The books were sorted by category on the shelves: Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, Daoism, Buddhism, agriculture, mathematics, miscellaneous studies, fiction, and more. Everything was there.

Above each bookshelf hung an exquisitely mounted piece of calligraphy, some by scholars who had placed first, second, or third in the examinations, and others by successful candidates on the highest examination list.

No one in the shop deliberately kept watch. Scholars were free to take books down and read them, with no concern that anyone might steal them. In this era, books were genuine assets and could be taken straight to a pawnshop for cash.

Dawn had barely broken, yet scholars were already there reading. Their clothes were all made of ordinary cloth; clearly, they did not come from wealthy households.

Only after making a circuit of the shop did Zhou Yi spot a counter in the farthest rear corner, where the proprietor was engrossed in practicing calligraphy.

The Top Scholar Hall's layout was meant to promote the principle of "reading first, business second."

This shop was not merely conducting business steeped in the stink of copper coins. It was building a culture, a brand.

The ancients' breadth of knowledge could not match that of modern people, but their business acumen was no less keen.

The proprietor put down his brush and asked, "Young sir, would you like to buy a book?"

Zhou Yi took out his handwritten Daoist scriptures and said, "Please bind these copied manuscripts for me. Sorry for the trouble."

The proprietor wiped his hands with a white cloth and accepted the manuscripts. At first glance, he could not help exclaiming, "Wonderful calligraphy!"

Zhang Cheng's handwriting was free-flowing and unrestrained, with the carefree air of someone who had cast aside worldly splendor to roam the mountains and forests at will.

Scholars particularly favored this kind of script. The higher their office and the greater their power, the more they revered immortals and recluses.

Of course, asking them to resign their posts and retire into seclusion was entirely out of the question.

"Zhi Mo, serve tea."

The proprietor asked, "May I ask which master wrote these manuscripts?"

"I wouldn't dare call myself a master. I copied them myself."

"Zhi Mo, bring the pre-rain Longjing!"

"..."

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