Chu Yuanzhen: Should I Step Outside?

Early spring is a windy and rainy season.

A three-masted ship capsized, braving the wind and waves, its sails billowing in the wind.

After lunch, Song Tingfeng, with one hand on his sword, stepped onto the deck and gazed towards the capital city against the wind.

In just over a month, the flames of war honed the features of his face, the bloodshed sharpened his eyes, and his overall spirit and energy underwent a dramatic transformation.

Footsteps approached from behind. Song Tingfeng didn't turn around, but pointed north and said, "We'll reach the capital in about ten days."

Zhu Guangxiao hummed in agreement and stood shoulder to shoulder with Song Tingfeng, gazing north. He remained taciturn, and apart from his more composed and dignified demeanor, he hadn't changed much.

On the contrary, the glib and smooth-talking Song Tingfeng seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

"With the merits I've accumulated in Yunzhou, I'm qualified to exchange them for a visualization diagram of the Spirit Refining Realm." Song Tingfeng smiled. "I plan to advance to the Refining Spirit Refining Realm."

In the past, Zhu Guangxiao would have been surprised. As colleagues for many years, he knew that Song Tingfeng lacked ambition and was content with his lowly position. He spent his days patrolling the streets and his nights visiting the Imperial Academy of Music, living a very comfortable life.

If Yunzhou's military merit were converted into silver, it would be enough for him to live in the Imperial Academy of Music) for a year.

"Um."

Zhu Guangxiao nodded.

Just then, another group of men who had finished eating and come out for some fresh air arrived on the deck, laughing and joking, their expressions showing joy and anticipation at going home.

"Tingfeng, when we get back to the capital, let's go to the Imperial Academy of Music for drinks." A familiar gong player walked over and put his arm around Tingfeng's shoulder.

Song Tingfeng seemed not to hear, silently gazing northward.

The gong-bearer walked away, looking bored.

Song Tingfeng exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "My talent is not bad. I've been stuck at the Peak Qi Refining for so many years, so my foundation is solid enough. It won't be difficult for me to advance to the Spirit Refining Realm by the end of this year."

"During this time, I've been thinking, what if I hadn't been so lazy, what if I hadn't been so useless, what if I had already reached the Spirit Refining Realm when I came to Yunzhou?"

Song Tingfeng lowered his head and said softly, "I'm not going to the Imperial Academy of Music anymore, never again."

Zhu Guangxiao remained silent, then patted him on the shoulder.

The imperial examination proceeded smoothly. At the beginning, Second Uncle Xu and Xu Qi'an were quite concerned about Xu Erlang's condition, showing him great care and concern.

The way his parents treated him during his college entrance exams is how Xu Qi'an is treating Xu Erlang now.

However, the ensuing chaos in public order kept Xu Pingzhi, a centurion of the Imperial Saber Guard, and Xu Qi'an, Nightwatchers, extremely busy.

People in the martial arts world love to fight and be brave. There are indeed chivalrous heroes who uphold justice, but most of them are lowlifes. What decent person would want to be involved in the martial arts world?

When they're out of money, they might target a few wealthy but disreputable individuals, and then lend a hand to the poor who are struggling to make ends meet—that's already considered chivalrous thieves.

Women like Li Miaozhen, who truly benefit the world and uphold justice, are extremely rare.

In just four or five days, Xu Qi'an alone caught several out-of-towners drunk and fighting. According to his second uncle, thieves could be caught every night in the outer city, while the inner city was peaceful.

Because there was a curfew in the inner city, the five guards of the capital would sound their bows to warn anyone who was out at night. If they chose to flee, they would be shot dead on the spot.

However, if it is a suspicious person walking on the roof, there is no need to sound the alarm; they have the right to act first and report later.

When encountering troublemakers, they are usually taken to jail and await release on bail by their companions. These minor offenses that do not warrant the death penalty are the most troublesome.

That day, Xu Qi'an was patrolling the streets with two gong players when they passed a brothel. Suddenly, they heard the sound of tiles shattering.

Looking up, I saw two martial arts practitioners fighting fiercely on the rooftop.

A crowd gathered below, pointing and whispering, some jeering, others cheering.

"Damn it, these bastards, they're still causing trouble even after their weapons have been confiscated." Xu Qi'an cursed and ordered the gong-wielding officer beside him, "Go, get them down here and take them all back to the yamen."

There are ordinary people watching here, so it's not appropriate to strike the gong. The sound waves from the Law Artifact could harm the people in the surrounding area.

Two gong-wielding officials leaped into the air and shouted, "Troublemaking and fighting are forbidden in the inner city. Come with me to the yamen."

They were warning the other side not to resist, which is the same as sounding a warning with a bow.

Who knew that the two martial artists would get into a real fight? In the heat of the moment, the martial artist didn't care who anyone was, and he attacked government officials just the same.

One of the gong-wielding men narrowly avoided a vicious groin kick, flew into a rage, drew his sword with a clang, and unleashed a powerful slash.

Although the gong-wielding watchman is the lowest-ranking Nightwatchers, his Qi Refining Realm cultivation makes him a formidable opponent in the martial world, and ordinary martial artists are no match for him.

Bite!

A burst of energy shot out from below, striking the blade of the gong and causing it to deflect.

The martial arts master, having narrowly escaped death, instinctively mustered all his strength and kicked the gong in the chest. The gong, struck by the kick, fell from the rooftop, performing a beautiful backflip before landing steadily.

Xu Qi'an squinted and flicked his thumb to reveal a black and gold longsword.

Seemingly sensing his murderous intent, someone downstairs shouted, "Stop!"

They were two groups of well-dressed out-of-towners, including young men and beautiful, curvaceous women. Behind them stood middle-aged or elderly people.

The two charlatans stopped when their masters shouted to stop.

Xu Qi'an placed one hand on his knife and strode over with an air of indifference, as if he didn't recognize anyone.

"My lord, I am Lu Chun of the Lu family of Jingzhou," a handsome young man in white robes said, bowing respectfully.

The beautiful women's eyes lit up when they saw Xu Qi'an approaching.

Xu Qi'an nodded, looked at the other group, and asked, "What about you?"

The man leading the group was a young master with an effeminate air, who snorted. The old man beside him quickly replied, "Reporting to your Excellency, it's the Zhao family of Jingzhou."

The Lu and Zhao families are well-known clans in Jingzhou, with both pillars of the family pursuing official careers and experts in the martial arts world, having connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

In layman's terms, they were local gentry. Of course, large families like the Lu and Zhao families had already transcended the category of "gentry." It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them wealthy and powerful.

The two sides were sworn enemies in Jingzhou, stabbing each other in the back on the official front and engaging in sword fights in the martial arts world. Their grudges had a long history.

I happened to run into them on the street while I was in Beijing watching the game.

After exchanging a few sarcastic remarks, the two sides became enraged, but they remained relatively restrained, sending only two of their trained experts to fight on the rooftop.

Although causing trouble in the street is illegal, it did not harm innocent civilians or cause too much damage. With the combined power of both families, they are fully capable of handling the situation.

"Who was it that flicked the qi just now?" Xu Qi'an scanned the crowd.

The effeminate young man raised his chin. "It's me."

Xu Qi'an nodded slowly and looked at the two groups of people. "Alright, all of you will come with me to the Night Nightwatchers's Office."

The handsome and extraordinary young master of the Lu family frowned slightly.

"What?"

The effeminate young master sneered, "We didn't fight in the street. You can take them both back to the yamen."

"Just go when I tell you to. If you keep nagging, believe me, I'll kill you," Xu Qi'an cursed.

Attacking Nightwatchers —that crime alone is enough to get them in serious trouble. These outsiders are far too arrogant.

"Why should I? Even a night Nightwatchers has to obey the law under the emperor's nose." The effeminate young master was not intimidated at all.

Clang!

The black and gold longsword was drawn, and a thin, dark gold line flashed by.

Before the effeminate young master could react, and seeing that he was about to die, a beautiful and gentle woman beside him reacted first, taking off the silver hairpin from her hair and pointing it at the Sword Qi.

Bang!

The silver hairpin shattered, and the Sword Qi cut her delicate hand.

Xu Qi'an sprang to his feet, kicked the woman away, and then, after landing, delivered a spinning kick, knocking the effeminate young man to the ground.

This kick used hidden force; the bones weren't broken, but it injured the opponent's internal organs.

Xu Qi'an ignored the effeminate young master, thrusting his long sword forward and sneering, "Even with the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm, you won't be able to leave the capital."

The old man's face was ashen as he looked down at his chest.

Xu Qi'an turned around and looked at the Lu family members. "Are you leaving or not?"

The Lu family members' gazes fell on the old man's chest, where a faint red stain had appeared.

The copper-plated, iron-boned defenses have been breached.

They re-evaluated Xu Qi'an; this Silver Gong was so young, it was already unbelievable to them that someone so young could become a Silver Gong.

Just now, a casual sword strike and kick directly defeated the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, who Spirit Refining Realm. Then, with a nonchalant slash, he broke through the physical defense of the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm cultivator.

This level of cultivation is simply terrifying, and his talent is even more astonishing.

As expected of the capital city, even a random silver gong (a low-ranking official) would be considered a genius outside.

"I will leave it to you, sir." The handsome young man dared not disobey.

After escorting the two groups of people back to the yamen, Xu Qi'an summoned the clerk in charge and said, "Make each of these two groups pay one hundred taels of silver. Do not release them if they pay even a penny less."

"Of the three hundred taels that are deposited, fifty taels can be divided between you and your colleagues, fifty taels each for the two gong-bearers who patrolled the streets with me, and the rest should be sent to Chunfeng Hall tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I will take care of it," the clerk said hurriedly.

Xu Qi'an nodded in satisfaction, then went to the stable, mounted his beloved mare, and headed towards the imperial city.

The sun was high in the sky, and he planned to go to Lingbao Temple for a free lunch and, while he was there, ask Luo Yuheng for guidance on the "Heart Sword" sword manual.

Xu Qi'an had already mastered the Heart Sword Manual, which he considered not difficult. To use it, he only needed to attach his spiritual power to the sword and slash out like a burst of energy.

The difficulty lies in how to smoothly integrate it with the flow of Qi.

This is like having no problem drawing a circle or a square with one hand, but trying to draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other will overwhelm your brain and cause you to frequently get stuck. When drawing a sword, you either forget to channel your inner energy or forget to attach your spiritual power.

Now that he's a Silver Gong (a high-ranking official), he can freely enter and leave the imperial city. As soon as he flashes his waist token, the guards on the city wall immediately let him through.

Upon arriving at Lingbao Temple, the young Daoist boy guarding the gate went to announce their arrival and returned shortly afterward.

"The Daoist leader invites you."

Xu Qi'an nodded and followed the young Daoist into the temple. After passing through corridors and courtyards, he met "kind little aunt" Luo Yuheng in a quiet room.

Besides her, a swordsman in a blue robe sat on the futon. He had a free and easy demeanor, and a strand of white hair on his forehead highlighted his maturity and added to his charm.

"Holy crap, Number Four is here too!" That was Xu Qi'an's first thought.

"Damn it, Luo Yuheng knows I'm the wielder of the Earth Book fragments." This was Xu Qi'an's second thought.

"Imperial Advisor!"

Xu Qi'an bowed without changing his expression.

Then, with a grin, he cupped his hands in greeting to Chu Yuanzhen: "Top Scholar."

Chu Yuanzhen smiled nonchalantly, somewhat surprised to have encountered Xu Qi'an here.

Logically speaking, given Xu Qi'an's rank, he shouldn't be qualified to enter Lingbao Temple and meet the Daoist leader.

"How did Lord Xu come to know the Imperial Preceptor?" he asked, voicing his curiosity.

Luo Yuheng was about to answer.

"Cough cough cough"

Xu Qi'an coughed forcefully and quickly tried to send a telepathic message to the Imperial Preceptor, but it was bounced back.

The sound was transmitted again, but it bounced back.

The message was sent again, but was rejected by my kind aunt.

Luo Yuheng's attitude was clear: We're not that close, no private chats.

Using such an intimate gesture as telepathy was indeed too much of a stretch for the Imperial Preceptor, Xu Qi'an with some anxiety.

Chu Yuanzhen glanced at Xu Qi'an, then at the Imperial Advisor, and smiled, "Should I step aside?"

Xu Qi'an felt somewhat embarrassed.

PS: Updated first, then revised.