A visit to the Directorate of Astronomy

"Yes, everything is ready now, except for the Princess."

Chu Xianglong lowered his voice and spoke in a tone that only he and Emperor Yuanjing could hear.

The old emperor's usually expressionless face broke into uncontrollable joy. He took a deep breath, suppressing the laughter rising in his throat, and slowly nodded.

"Very good, Prince Huai has not disappointed me, very good, very good!"

Chu Xianglong continued, "This humble servant has another request. I encountered a mishap during my training and am unable to fight for long or at full strength. I request Your Majesty to send someone to escort the Princess to the north."

The old emperor scrutinized him, his gaze sharpening slightly, and questioned, "At this crucial moment, has your training gone awry?"

Chu Xianglong quickly bowed his head, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

He knew that the old emperor was suspicious by nature, and if he didn't explain the matter clearly, even if he was the Prince of Zhenbei's confidant, the old emperor would still be suspicious.

He then confessed in detail how he plotted to obtain Xu Qi'an's Vajra Divine Skill, joined forces with Duke Cao, and used the imperial examination fraud case to coerce Xu Qi'an.

"You bastard!"

Emperor Yuanjing was furious upon hearing this. He kicked Chu Xianglong away, his hair and beard bristling, and roared in a low voice, "If I weren't counting on you to do my job, I would have chopped off your dog's head right now!"

Chu Xianglong lay prostrate on the ground, unable to rise.

Emperor Yuanjing paced back and forth in his study, pondering, "Sending the Imperial Guards to escort it would be too conspicuous and inappropriate. The transport of provisions is slow and not yet fully prepared. If it is transported along with the provisions, it will not arrive in the north until late spring, or even early summer."

"Various factions in the court have repeatedly petitioned for a thorough investigation into the massacre that ravaged three thousand miles. Therefore, let the princess accompany the investigation team heading north. This will both keep things under wraps and provide her with expert protection."

After speaking, Emperor Yuanjing shook his head again. "Still not suitable. The princess has a magnificent aura. Even if there is Law Technique to conceal her aura, her appearance is still beautiful."

Chu Xianglong's eyes lit up, and he said, "That's easy, Your Majesty. The Princess Consort possesses Law Treasure that can not only change her appearance but also conceal her aura, transforming her into an ordinary woman."

Emperor Yuanjing frowned, "What kind of Law Treasure does she possess?"

Chu Xianglong said, "The princess said it was a gift from the imperial advisor, and she used it to sneak out of the mansion several times."

Emperor Yuanjing remained silent for a moment, then said, "Let's settle this matter for now; we can discuss the details later."

Xu Qi'an walked to the Star-Gazing Tower. To his left was Zhong Li, to his right was Li Miaozhen, and behind him was a group of people: Heng Yuan, Chu Yuanzhen, Lina, Su Su, and others.

Yang Qianhuan was not in the group; he had returned to the Bureau of Astronomy ahead of time. If he had stayed with the group, things would have been very difficult for him.

If he runs ahead of the crowd, the fellow disciples at the Star-Gazing Tower will be able to see his face. If he runs behind the crowd, the people on the street will be able to see his profile.

Yang Qianhuan observed Wei Yuan and the Supervisor for many years and came to a conclusion: important people don't travel. For example, the Supervisor, that old geezer, only sits on the Eight Trigrams Platform, daydreaming and drinking.

Important figures always travel by horse-drawn carriage, which also prevents the general public from having the opportunity to see their faces.

Therefore, upon hearing that Xu Qi'an and others were coming to the Bureau of Astronomy, Yang Qianhuan made a quick escape.

"Master, will I be able to get a physical body soon?" Su Su's face flushed with excitement.

Li Miaozhen didn't answer, but there was expectation in her eyes. If she could rebuild Su Su's physical body, it would fulfill the maid's long-cherished wish.

Chu Yuanzhen and the others were simply interested in Song Qing's work.

Song Qing, the Bureau of Astronomy, was known as the foremost alchemist under the Director of the Alchemy. His reputation was widespread, and they had long admired him.

The reason he is ranked below the Supervisor is that the Supervisor is forced to suppress others by relying on a first-rank Warlock. In terms of fancy tricks and the development of Alchemy, the Supervisor is probably not as good as Song Qing.

Previously, they were not qualified to enter the Bureau of Astronomy, but now, with Xu Qi'an leading the way, it was a rare opportunity, so they naturally wanted to come and visit, to see Song Qing's Alchemy and the Star-Gazing Tower.

As they approached the Star-Gazing Tower, a figure in a yellow dress suddenly darted out of the lobby on the first floor. Chu Caiwei, with her big eyes, oval face, and sweet, charming smile, came out to greet them.

Lina happily went to greet her.

"I packed a whole table of food at Cassia Moon Tower, just waiting for you to come!" Chu Caiwei jumped up and down.

"Do you have any of my favorite braised pig's trotters, preserved duck, or fish roe soup?" Lina jumped up and down with joy.

"Yes, yes, wait, isn't Lingyin here?"

"Her mother left her at home, and she's crying her eyes out."

"Poor thing, she didn't come, so all the food is ours, hahaha."

"I think so too, hehehe."

The two girls, hand in hand, left the crowd behind and strode away.

Xu Qi'an opened his mouth, then turned to the crowd and said, "I'm more familiar with the Bureau of Astronomy, so I can show you around."

He had already asked Yang Qianhuan to return and send a message to Song Qing, telling him that he wanted to bring his friends to visit the Bureau of Astronomy Observatory.

Upon entering the hall, the aroma of medicinal herbs fills the air. Healer in white coats are busy at work, some cutting herbs, some decocting medicine, and others flipping through medical books.

At this moment, all the Healer simultaneously stopped what they were doing, looked towards the main entrance, and called out loudly, "Young Master Xu!"

No one was surprised by the respectful attitude of the ninth-rank Healer. When Number One was recounting information about Xu Qi'an, the gong, in the fragments of the Earth Book, he mentioned that Xu Qi'an was proficient in Alchemy and had an excellent relationship with Song Qing of the Bureau of Astronomy.

Moreover, although the Warlock is proud and arrogant, and has the air of a successor to Confucian School, a ninth-rank is still a ninth-rank, and the difference in rank cannot be made up for by the difference in the system.

Xu Ningyan is a pawn of the Director of the Imperial Observatory. Perhaps he is not good at Alchemy at all. It is all a facade created by the Director of the Imperial Observatory to make him appear close to the Bureau of Astronomy and to deceive others. Chu Yuanzhen thought of something deeper.

Xu Qi'an nodded slightly. "Junior brothers, you've worked hard. Please continue with your work."

After greeting them, he led Chu Yuanzhen and the others up the steps and began to speak eloquently:

"The Bureau of Astronomy has nine floors. The first floor, in the main hall, is the area where ninth-rank Healer work. The second floor is the area where eighth- Qi-Watching Master work, and so on. The ninth floor, also called the Eight Trigrams Platform, is the territory of the Director of the Observatory."

"I heard that the Supervisor has been sitting at the Eight Trigrams Platform for many years," Li Miaozhen said.

"I understand what you mean, I also want to know, does the Supervisor not poop?" Xu Qi'an thought to himself, while outwardly maintaining a respectful demeanor.

It is said that the supervisor is responsible for observing the human world.

He focused intently on observing the world. The crowd was filled with awe, feeling that the image of the supervisor had unknowingly become incomparably lofty.

The style instantly became much more sophisticated.

"The supervisor should be able to hear my flattery of him," Xu Qi'an said with relief.

As they continued upwards, every white-robed Warlock they encountered greeted Xu Qi'an respectfully, as if a junior were meeting a senior.

This made Chu Yuanzhen and the others slowly realize that something was wrong. If they were just good friends, why would things have come to this?

Moreover, the white-robed Warlock never greeted Zhong Li, even though Zhong Li was the fifth disciple of the Supervisor, and her status should have been very high.

Hmm, perhaps she's plagued by misfortune, and others dare not get involved with her. Chu Yuanzhen secretly speculated.

I only thought that Lord Xu had a good relationship with the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy, but the respect these Warlock showed could not be explained by a good relationship. Number Six Hengyuan was stunned.

"Does this kid have a lot of prestige in the Bureau of Astronomy?" Li Miaozhen wondered in surprise.

Wow, Xu Ningyan, that lecherous fellow, really wasn't lying. He's got such a high status in the Bureau of Astronomy? But I heard that sixth-rank Alchemist are the most arrogant group in the Bureau of Astronomy. Will they give Xu Ningyan face? Su Su was both excited and worried.

"The alchemy room is on the seventh floor, which is also the Alchemist ' headquarters. They usually study Alchemy and live here," Xu Qi'an said.

The quick-witted Su Su raised a question, saying sweetly, "Didn't you say that the floor level is determined by rank? Alchemy is rank six, so it should be on the fourth floor."

"That's true in theory, but there's always a difference in reality. I think Senior Sister Zhong can give you the answer to this question." Xu Qi'an looked at Zhong Li, who had disheveled hair and was obediently following beside him without saying a word.

Zhong Li whispered, "I'm the only fifth-rank official in the Bureau of Astronomy, Senior Brother Yang is the only fourth-rank official, and Second Senior Brother is the third-rank official."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she spoke softly, not daring to raise her voice.

I understand. High-level Warlock are extremely rare; it's pointless and unnecessary for one person to occupy an entire floor.

Hengyuan sighed, "Advancing within the Warlock System is really difficult."

At this point, he and Chu Yuanzhen looked at Zhong Li, deeply remembering the girl's tragic fate.

Zhong Li lowered her head sadly.

With an incredibly tense tone, Su Su asked, "Has Song Qing's human body refinement truly succeeded? Is he really willing to give it to me?"

Everyone immediately looked at Xu Qi'an.

"Um... I'm so busy, how could I have time to pay attention to Song Qing's bizarre experiments?" Xu Qi'an said awkwardly, "I'm not quite sure either."

Zhong Li said softly, "Junior Brother Song did indeed cultivate a person. It is said that the sixth-rank junior brothers were all in an uproar that day. What's most surprising is that even the supervising teacher didn't punish him."

"During that time, Junior Brother Song was very proud of himself. However, no one saw his finished product except for the junior brothers who participated in the refining process. For Junior Brother Song, this was a significant step forward in his Alchemy career, which he treasured and refused to show to anyone."

"Even if it were me, even if it were Senior Brother Yang, Junior Brother Song wouldn't let me see it. He said that good things are only for like-minded friends to appreciate, and ordinary people are not worthy of seeing his work. Of course, Senior Brother Yang wouldn't bother to see it either, because in Senior Brother Yang's eyes, Junior Brother Song is just as unbearably vulgar an ordinary person."

At that moment, everyone looked at Xu Qi'an with distrust in their eyes.

In their view, Song Qing was the kind of fanatic obsessed with Alchemy, and one can imagine how much importance such a person would place on his work.

Even his fellow disciples wouldn't let him see it, let alone Xu Qi'an, an outsider. Although Xu Qi'an had an excellent relationship with the Bureau of Astronomy, could their relationship be better than that of his fellow disciples?

The light in Su Su's eyes dimmed instantly.

Li Miaozhen gave her a reassuring look and whispered, "Things will work themselves out. I'll find a way to see Song Qing's work."

Su Su nodded and replied telepathically, "Master is still the most reliable."

As they walked and talked, the group entered the alchemy room. In the spacious room, a group of Alchemist were engrossed in their experiments. Each of them had a table with bottles, jars, utensils, and materials on it.

"Senior Brother Song, your new gunpowder is no good. It explodes every time. I'm starting to suspect that Senior Sister Zhong is Curse us," someone said.

"My new soapberry formula is also one step away from being perfect. If I can't develop a soapberry that surpasses the current one, then this formula is meaningless."

"My alchemy was just one step away from completion. If I fail again this time, I'll lose more than a thousand taels of silver in total."

At this moment, Song Qing looked up from his desk and saw the group of people entering the alchemy room.

He was taken aback at first, then his expression slowly twisted, gradually becoming ferocious, and he roared, "Senior Sister Zhong is here!"

The entire alchemy room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

"Put out the fire! Put out the fire quickly!"

"My alchemy has failed again!"

"Stop! Stop! The alchemy room can't explode! It's full of useless gunpowder!"

The Alchemist ' faces contorted as if they were in the middle of a battle, as they swiftly worked on their tasks.

In a short while, everything calmed down.

"It didn't explode?"

"Is it really Fifth Senior Sister? Or could it be someone impersonating her?"

Amid the cheers of the Alchemist, Zhong Li lowered her head and walked away silently, her back view lonely and pitiful.

Suddenly, her arm was grabbed. Zhong Li turned around and saw Xu Qi'an's displeased expression. She complained, "Where are you going? You can't go anywhere without me. Stay by my side, I'm here, it's okay."

Zhong Li stared at him for a long while, her eyes, hidden in her hair, seemed to brighten. She nudged her head and obediently said, "Mmm."

On the other side, the Alchemist tidied up their belongings, paused their experiments, and then looked at the crowd with their chins raised, their eyes full of scrutiny.

Li Miaozhen's heart sank, sensing that this trip to the Bureau of Astronomy would most likely end in rejection. However, with Xu Qi'an and Zhong Li present, there was still some possibility of discussion.

The Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy were indeed arrogant. Just as everyone thought this, they heard Xu Qi'an frown and say in a condescending tone:

"Senior Brother Song, I heard you've created a human being? My friend wants to go see it."

"Idiot! Is this how you beg for something?" Li Miaozhen cursed inwardly.

Su Su quietly stamped her foot, her brows furrowing in anxiety.

Suddenly, a loud laugh rang out, echoing in the alchemy room. Song Qing opened his arms to greet him, as warmly as if he were seeing a long-lost brother.

"Young Master Xu, you've finally arrived. You've been back in the capital for months, visiting the Bureau of Astronomy countless times, yet all you've done is fool around with Senior Sister Zhong, completely forgetting the great cause of Alchemy."

The other Alchemist gathered around in delight, excitedly exclaiming:

"Young Master Xu, you've finally arrived."

"Many of our recent alchemical research Alchemy have hit a bottleneck. My fellow apprentices and I have been discussing them day and night without any progress. We are all eagerly awaiting your help."

"Young Master Xu, I beg you, could you spare some time to come to the Bureau of Astronomy? Alchemy needs you!"

"Young Master Xu, has the next volume of the Blue Book been written yet? We've been waiting for half a year."

As the crowd surged, Li Miaozhen was pushed and shoved backward, and had no choice but to give up her spot.

Li Miaozhen looked bewildered. She examined the Alchemist, her haughty expression gone. The group of white-clad figures beamed with joy and excitement as they surrounded Xu Qi'an, chattering away.

Judging from their eyes, Xu Qi'an seemed to hold a very high position. Everyone showed genuine respect, especially when the Blue Book was mentioned; they adopted a very humble attitude.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Li Miaozhen had the feeling that they were waiting for charity.

This is absurd, absolutely absurd.

PS: Thanks to the patron "L I really have no money" for the donation. Remember to join the patron group on WeChat; everyone there is talented and speaks very kindly. They share great things every day.

Thank you to "Anonymous" for the 600-coin reward.