Zhang Xing had obtained the best possible outcome after refusing Imperial Uncle Cao.
But even the best outcome meant he was forbidden from visiting the Black Tower again. Put another way, Cao Lin had taken the initiative to cut off Zhang Xing's path upward through him. From now on, Zhang Xing could forget about rising through the ranks of the Vermilion Sashes to enter the inner halls and become a truly high-ranking official of the Great Wei Dynasty.
This road was no longer his to travel; this tower was no longer his to climb.
That was all.
Naturally, Zhang Xing did not feel much disappointment, only a mixture of lingering fear and relief. Even after some time had passed, with braziers set out in the courtyard, split logs burning, iron racks erected, meat roasting, and wine warming, the atmosphere remained somewhat tense.
The clearest sign was that everyone drank in silence for a full quarter of an hour and ate some roast meat, yet nobody struck up a conversation-even the usually talkative Yue Niang had nothing to say.
"Speaking of which, how many people are in the Crouching Dragon Guard?" Beside the crackling brazier, Zhang Xing reached for a piece of still-hot sauced meat from the plate Yue Niang had brought, took a bite, and suddenly made an effort to ask, "What are their cultivation levels?"
"The Crouching Dragon Guard has a full complement of a hundred and twenty, but it's almost never been fully staffed." Across the brazier, Sima Zheng held a small wine flask and answered promptly, his tone level. "Ordinary members must be between Orthodox Meridian Great Perfection and Great Perfection of Meridian Unblocking-the so-called Eight Extraordinary Meridians stage... Once they reach Condensing the Core, they don't stay. They generally go into the army."
"What do they