Pretty damn good

In the Imperial Study, Emperor Yongxing looked at the memorial presented by the Grand Secretariat, which detailed various matters related to donations, including but not limited to how to promote donations, set standards, and conduct asset liquidation for officials who claimed to be incorruptible.

He wrote over a thousand words.

Reviewing memorials was no easier than reading books, because many memorials submitted by ministers contained hidden "traps."

If the emperor didn't want to be made a fool of by the civil officials, he had to be astute enough to spot the traps hidden in the memorials.

In this regard, no one can help, because once you sit on the throne, all the officials and ministers are your enemies.

Emperor Yongxing was pushing for donations for disaster relief, and he couldn't afford any mistakes at this critical juncture, so he was paying extra attention.

"His Majesty!"

At this moment, the chief eunuch Zhao Xuanzhen hurriedly entered the imperial study and whispered:

"The Grand Tutor is ill."

Emperor Yongxing looked away from the memorial, pinched the bridge of his nose, and then asked:

"Ill? Alas, the Grand Tutor is advanced in years and should not be so overworked. Go to the Imperial Pharmacy and fetch some tonics to replenish his qi and blood and send them to him."

Zhao Xuanzhen agreed, but did not leave. He then said:

"The Grand Tutor said he would resign from his post and no longer teach the young masters, and asked His Majesty to find another suitable position."

"He's going to the Xu Residence to be a tutor, instructing Xu Xinnian's younger sister, a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy."

"Huh?" Emperor Yongxing was taken aback, completely bewildered.

Chief Eunuch Zhao Xuanzhen said:

"The Grand Tutor means that he must devote himself entirely to educating the child and cannot be distracted in any way. He hopes Your Majesty can understand."

Emperor Yongxing's expression turned solemn, and he leaned forward slightly, asking in surprise:

"That child is exceptionally gifted and intelligent, which has aroused the Grand Tutor's interest in him?"

"Interesting. Even back then, the Grand Tutor didn't treat Huaiqing this way. Tsk tsk, the Xu Household is truly full of heroes. First there was Xu Qi'an, then Xu Cijiu, and now even a little girl is no ordinary person."

After he finished speaking, he saw that Zhao Xuanzhen looked stiff and didn't know how to explain.

"Hmm?" Emperor Yongxing expressed his doubt with a nasal sound.

"Your Majesty is unaware of the truth, but the Grand Tutor was angered."

Zhao Xuanzhen quietly relayed what had happened in the Imperial Study to Emperor Yongxing.

Emperor Yongxing remained silent for a long time, lost in deep self-reproach.

After a long pause, he said, "Send that girl back to the Xu Residence. I will write a memorial to appease the Grand Tutor. During this time, do not let the Grand Tutor leave the palace; keep a close watch on him."

Zhao Xuanzhen responded hesitantly:

You can keep it for a while, but not forever.

Emperor Yongxing remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

"I will issue Xu Residence, forbidding them from sending the Grand Tutor to their residence."

After seeing Zhao Xuanzhen off, Emperor Yongxing took a sip of ginseng tea, recalling what the chief eunuch had just said, and clicked his tongue repeatedly:

"Incredible, incredible."

"I don't believe there's such a fool in the world. I'll test him myself when I have the chance."

The carriage wheels rumbled and came to a stop at the Xu Residence. Little Douding, carrying a small cloth bag, jumped down from the carriage.

The small cloth bag was bulging, and it seemed to be full of things.

These are pastries she got from Huaiqing.

Xu Xinnian then jumped off the carriage and walked into the mansion expressionlessly.

The little boy, with his hands tucked behind his back and his head down, rushed into the mansion, tripped at the entrance, and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Second brother, I fell down."

She raised her face and looked at Xu Xinnian.

Xu Erlang's handsome face twitched slightly. "And then?"

She patted her bottom and stood up, protectively holding the pastries in her small cloth bag, cautiously watching Xu Erlang.

Xu Erlang frowned as he looked at her.

The little boy glanced cautiously at his second brother, then suddenly ran away in fear.

Xu Erlang was stunned for a long time before he realized that he hadn't given Lingyin a nice look the whole way, and his foolish sister thought he was eyeing the pastries.

The evidence is that she didn't help him up after he fell.

As we entered the inner courtyard, we saw the mother and daughter staring at each other.

The aunt said angrily, "Why is she back? Was she kicked out of the palace again?"

Xu Erlang nodded.

"You"

Her aunt's chest heaved violently with anger, and she gritted her teeth. "What's going on?"

Xu Erlang said helplessly:

"Lingyin angered the Grand Tutor to the point of illness. Ha, by tomorrow, her name will be known throughout the officialdom and the Confucian community."

"Every scholar knows that the Grand Tutor, a man of immense learning and prestige among Confucian scholars, was so angered by a mere child that he was bedridden."

The aunt swayed, a sudden realization dawning on her, and said, her face pale:

"How will Lingyin ever get married?"

Xu Erlang laughed in exasperation and complained:

"It's all Mother's fault! Lingyin isn't cut out for studying, but you were determined to make her learn to read and write and become a talented woman."

Overwhelmed with grief, the aunt blamed the incident on her second uncle:

"Look at her silly face, she takes after your father. If she took after me, she would be proficient in all the arts at such a young age."

"I studied very hard."

While eating the delicious pastries from the palace, Lingyin said with a wronged expression.

Xu Erlang rubbed his temples. He was worried about something else: once this matter spread, Lingyin might become a hot commodity in the eyes of some people who wanted to make a name for themselves.

As a scholar of the Imperial Academy, the Grand Tutor cultivated Vast Righteous Qi and held a leading position in the literary world.

If even the Grand Tutor couldn't enlighten a child, wouldn't he become famous overnight if someone successfully enlightened him?

Before actually meeting Lingyin, no one would think they couldn't even handle a child; at that time, countless people would flock to visit them.

"To be so stupid as to be famous throughout the capital, what kind of nonsense is this?"

Xu Erlang rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

The next morning.

Li Lingsu knocked on the door, and with the sound of the bolt being pulled open, the door opened. He looked inside and saw Xu Qi'an standing by the window drinking tea, while Mu Nanzhi sat at the table, controlling the little white fox and brushing its teeth with a boar bristle toothbrush.

"Waaaaah"

The little white fox made a painful sound, its limbs kicking erratically every now and then.

"Don't move, brush your teeth properly, or your breath will stink."

Mu Nanzhi said.

"I don't smell bad, boohoo!"

The little white fox made a habitual protest, seemingly used to such things, and its resistance was not very strong.

"They're raising her like a daughter," Li Lingsu thought to herself, and said.

"Senior Xu, the waiter has prepared breakfast downstairs."

His address of "Senior Xu" this time didn't sound as sincere as before.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the little white fox shook off Mu Nanzhi and cried out, "I'm hungry! I'm hungry!"

As he spoke, he exhaled foam.

The group went downstairs and saw Miao Youfang already sitting at the table, eating his breakfast.

Each person receives a bowl of plain porridge, three meat buns, two steamed buns, and a plate of pickled vegetables.

Shengyi County was not wealthy; resources were scarce, and the people were struggling to even get enough to eat.

There were no docks nearby, and trade was underdeveloped, so even if they had money, the inns couldn't offer anything better.

Everyone took their seats and ate quietly with their heads down.

Miao Youfang asked, "Senior, where do we go next?"

"Once we find the host of the dragon energy in Jiangzhou, we'll go to Jianzhou," Xu Qi'an said.

Li Lingsu from Jianzhou's expression changed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head to drink her porridge.

"Sir, are you here for the night or just looking for a meal?"

The waiter's enthusiastic voice drew their attention, and Miao Youfang turned his head to look, his eyes slightly brightening.

The waiter greeted a rather attractive young woman who was dressed in a plain-colored short jacket and leather boots, and had a very slender figure.

She had delicate features, a resolute gaze, and an aloofness that kept strangers at bay.

"Checking in!"

"That's what the woman said."

Watching the waiter lead her upstairs, Li Lingsu joked:

"Didn't you say you'd slept with countless courtesans? Is this all you've got?"

Miao Youfang reluctantly withdrew his gaze and retorted:

"Can a courtesan and a female knight-errant be the same thing? Come to think of it, during my most glorious month, several female knights-errant tried to seduce me."

"But I cruelly rejected them."

The most glorious month refers to the time when the dragon's aura is present.

Li Lingsu asked in surprise, "Why?"

Miao Youfang sighed and said helplessly:

"You don't understand. In the world of martial arts, women are always a problem. The more beautiful the woman, the more trouble she's in."

"It's not that there's anything wrong with their personalities, but beautiful female warriors always seem to attract trouble. Sometimes they encounter skilled men who are fond of women, and if they want to sleep with you, you simply have no way to refuse."

"You can't expect every martial artist to be as chivalrous and righteous as I am."

"So, as her companion, what should you do? Stand up for her, and you might get killed. Not stand up for her, and it would be too humiliating. So, you might as well go it alone."

Li Lingsu and Xu Qi'an both wore expressions of "I've learned something."

Neither the Heavenly Sea King nor the Capital Sea King had ever encountered such a thing.

Miao Youfang suddenly revealed a lewd expression and said, "Brother Li, you claim to have seen countless women, including many high-ranking martial artists, right? Were there any above the sixth rank?"

Li Lingsu nodded. "Of course."

Miao Youfang chuckled and said, "I'm just curious, a sixth-rank martial artist has skin and bones of copper and iron. How could your embroidery needle penetrate their flesh?"

"This angle is quite unique." Xu Qi'an, who had never slept with a martial artist of rank six or above, also turned his head to look at Li Lingsu.

"Vulgar!"

Li Lingsu didn't know how to answer.

Xu Qi'an and Miao Youfang chuckled.

Miao Youfang laughed and said, "Actually, I've figured it out too. Fish scale armor is also difficult to injure with swords and spears, but a needle can still pierce through the gaps."

After saying that, he suddenly slumped onto the table, unconscious.

Li Lingsu held a soul in her palm, squinted her eyes, and smiled:

"Brother Miao, you have some great ideas."

Just then, a yellow-haired mongrel dog ran in while the waiter was away.

Li Lingsu flicked her finger and pushed the soul into the body of the earth dog.

"Where did this stray dog come from? Get lost!"

The waiter came downstairs, brandishing a stick to chase the yellow-haired stray dog away, and even hit it a few times.

Li Lingsu's smile deepened as she tossed a meat bun to him, "Poor fellow, here, this is a treat for you."

"Woof woof woof"

The yellow-haired mongrel, refusing the meat buns, barked rhythmically outside the inn.

"He's insulting you!" Xu Qi'an said.

"What did you say to me?" Li Lingsu asked with a smile.

"He insulted you, saying you gave birth to a son but had no 'wife,' and that I'm a courtesan, every woman I've slept with has found a new love, and I even gave you a bunch of kids, just waiting for you to come home and call me 'Dad.'"

Xu Qi'an said.

Li Lingsu stared in disbelief, her face stiff. "How did you know?"

"I'm sure I can understand animal language," Xu Qi'an said with a smile, then added:

"Oh, he just said, 'You have a great ass!'"

Li Lingsu flew into a rage, rolled up her sleeves, and stood up, shouting, "I'll skin it alive and eat its meat today!"

He suddenly felt a tap on his back, and then his Primordial Spirit and Law Power were completely sealed.

The Holy Son, his face pale, turned to look at Xu Qi'an:

"What are you doing?"

Xu Qi'an said with a smile, "If you want fairness, go ahead and have a fight."

Soon after, pedestrians on the roadside and guests in the inn stopped to watch, or peeked out to see a man and a dog biting each other, fighting fiercely.

The crowd cheered loudly, sometimes encouraging the people, sometimes clapping for the dog.

Xu Qi'an and Mu Nanzhi finished their breakfast in a pleasant atmosphere.

In a small town in Yuzhou, brothels stand in the morning mist.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the patrons and girls, Ji Xuan took out a small bronze cauldron and placed a blood-covered, unconscious man inside.

He glanced at the shattered staircase and the cracked ground, tossed down a silver ingot, and turned to leave.

Outside the brothel, on a street stall, the one-armed White Tiger, Xu Yuanshuang and her brother, the alluring Liu Hongmian, and the beggar Danxiang in a colorful robe were all eating their breakfast with their heads down.

Ji Xuan sat down by himself, asked the stall owner to bring him a bowl of piping hot soy milk, and gulped down half of it, letting out a satisfied sigh:

"The thirteenth host of dragon energy."

Liu Hongmian pouted. "It's a pity it's all just scattered dragon energy."

Ji Xuan laughed:

"Little by little, it adds up. When scattered dragon energy gathers to a certain extent, its attraction to other dragon energies will increase."

"I have to thank Yuan Shuang for her help. Without the aid of the Qi-Watching Technique, how could it have been so fast?"

Xu Yuanshuang said calmly, "You should thank the spies of the Heavenly Mystery Palace. Without their all-out efforts to gather intelligence, you couldn't have collected the dragon energy so quickly."

Just as Ji Xuan was about to speak, he saw Xu Yuanshuang take a slip of paper from a small pouch at her waist and say:

"Breaking news: A host of dragon energy has been discovered in Yuzhou. This is one of the nine crucial dragon energies."

The spies in Yuzhou dared not act rashly, for the dragon's aura has the ability to bring good fortune and ward off evil, and they were afraid of alerting the enemy.

Ji Xuan's eyes lit up. "Yuzhou, it's not far from here."

PS: I'll continue writing the next chapter; I'll read it tomorrow morning. Please vote with your monthly tickets.