He pointed a finger above the disc. A thumb-thick pillar of light, about a foot long, shot up from its center.
Then, the brass-colored pillar of light sprayed out threads of brass, which rapidly interwove to form three tiers of glowing, brass-colored discs, each larger than the one below it.
A ring of Red Curse Yellow Talismans hung beneath each glowing disc. There were over a dozen in each ring, and each talisman was about the size of two fingers held together.
The translucent Yellow Talismans rotated slowly. A moment later, one of them solidified.
Zhou Chunfeng opened his mouth and sent a voice transmission.
Once he finished, the Yellow Talisman burst into flames, transformed into a small crimson bird, and flew into the sky, vanishing from sight.
「Ministry of Revenue Street.」
After a long chat with Duan Heng, Li Qingxian glanced at the time. He saw that Luo Jing was still lost in thought and snorted inwardly.
"Lord Luo, it’s getting late. If you’re unwilling to cooperate with the Night Guard, I’ll find someone else." As he spoke, Li Qingxian patted the kraft paper bag he was carrying.
Luo Jing glanced up at Li Qingxian, then looked away, remaining silent.
Duan Heng, standing to the side, grew anxious. "Lord Divine Son, you can’t pass up an opportunity this good! This is the son of Mr. Gangfeng! He’s a man of his word; if he says it’ll make money, it’ll make money. If he says you have a shot at the Middle-Third Grade, you’ll definitely reach the Middle-Third Grade!"
Luo Jing was unmoved.
Li Qingxian smiled, turned, and started walking toward the Ministry of Revenue. "It’s been a pleasure meeting you both. Even if business doesn’t work out, goodwill remains. If we have a chance to drink together in the future, it’s my treat. Farewell!"
Before Li Qingxian had even taken his third step, Duan Heng grabbed his sleeve, then turned and glared at Luo Jing. "Brother Jingg, haven’t you been going on and on about reaching the Middle-Third Grade? The opportunity is right in front of you! Why are you just letting it walk away? It makes no sense!"
Luo Jing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "You... you’ve really sold me down the river... Forget it." He turned to Li Qingxian. "Li Qingxian, is this truly at the behest of Lord Zhou Chunfeng?"
"Go ask around in the Outer District North Twelve Blocks. When have I, Li Qingxian the Sunshine Boy, ever told a lie?" Li Qingxian said with a serious expression.
Luo Jing looked suspicious. He pointed to the Deer and Crane Pattern Jade Pendant at Li Qingxian’s waist. "Where did you get that?"
"It’s a family heirloom from my mother. She said it wards off evil," Li Qingxian replied.
"Anything else?"
Li Qingxian looked down in thought for a moment before saying slowly, "My maternal grandfather left it to my mother. My grandfather was a Fate Master. I suppose this Jade Pendant is likely related to Fate Masters."
"Correct. This item looks like something from the Fate Measuring Sect. It’s not rare among Fate Masters, but for ordinary people, it’s quite a treasure."
"I do have a rudimentary knowledge of Fate Skills," Li Qingxian said.
"Anyone can study Fate Skills, but they are easy to learn and difficult to master. The threshold for true proficiency is extremely high." Luo Jing glanced toward the black carriage and continued, "I have admired Lord Zhou for a long time. If Lord Zhou himself asks it of me, I will definitely facilitate this cooperation."
Li Qingxian thought for a moment, then said, "Uncle Zhou wants me to take full responsibility for this matter as a way to train me. But I didn’t expect to be targeted by Pang Mingjing the moment I left. He’s from the Finance Department, which doesn’t get along with our Divine Capital Bureau. It looks like he’s planning to use me to embarrass Uncle Zhou. As long as you get me safely to the Night Guard Office to see Uncle Zhou, we can start formal negotiations."
Duan Heng whispered, "He’s calling him Uncle Zhou, so the relationship must be genuine. Both Lord Li and Lord Zhou had excellent reputations. They must have been close."
Luo Jing shot Duan Heng a cold glance. Duan Heng’s expression faltered, and he took half a step back, lowering his head.
"Pang Mingjing is a Senior Seventh Grade official. I’m only a Senior Eighth Grade. I’m afraid I’m outmatched," Luo Jing said, staring into Li Qingxian’s eyes.
Li Qingxian sighed. "I don’t just have the method for making strong spirits; I have other business ventures as well. Since Lord Luo has no interest in the path to the Middle-Third or even the Upper Three Grades that’s right in front of him, then I have no choice. I’ll just have to find someone else in the Ministry of Revenue. I’m sure someone from the Five Great Evil Sects within the ministry will be interested in this deal. Farewell!"
With that, Li Qingxian turned and walked off.
Luo Jing didn’t move.
Duan Heng stepped forward, signaling frantically with his eyes, but he didn’t dare to speak.
As the distance between them grew, Li Qingxian made a beeline for the side entrance of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Stop!" Luo Jing called out.
Li Qingxian pretended not to hear and kept walking.
Luo Jing took a deep breath. "Alright, I promise. I’ll get you back to the Night Guard Office safely. Duan Heng, you go inside and find Old Hu and the others. And bring the Divine Token."
"Brother Jingg, you’re the man!" Duan Heng gave a thumbs-up and scurried off toward the Ministry of Revenue’s South Courtyard.
At the mention of the "Divine Token," Li Qingxian stopped in his tracks, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.
When the Divine Token is presented, one need not kneel even before the emperor. Beneath the Divine Spirit, all believers are equal.
"How’s that for sincerity?" Luo Jing asked with a smile.
"It’s passable," Li Qingxian said.
Luo Jing snorted. He was about to say something but instead gave the black carriage a nonchalant glance. "My men are here. Let’s head to the Night Guard Office."
Li Qingxian replied, "Lord Luo, your integrity is as strong as metal and stone, and you come to the aid of those in peril. I am deeply grateful and will be sure to repay you handsomely in the future."
Luo Jing laughed, a mix of annoyance and amusement in his voice. "What’s the use of an unranked Night Guard like you flattering me? People will just laugh at me for it. If your esteemed father were still alive, a single word of praise from him would be worth more than ten thousand of your words."
"Perhaps many years from now, in the annals of history, these words of mine will be worth more than my father’s praise," Li Qingxian said.
Luo Jing studied Li Qingxian carefully, then chuckled. "Ambitious. I knew you had an extraordinary air about you. It wasn’t a mistake to ask you those questions on a whim."
Li Qingxian took a deep breath, but he couldn’t hold it in. "Cut the crap. You only started talking to me after you saw the Deer and Crane Pattern Jade Pendant. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?"
"Don’t you slander me! I, Luo Jing, am a perfectly up... upright young man in the Ministry of Revenue." In the end, he didn’t have the gall to finish the word "sunshine."
"I believe Lord Luo is an upright young man," Li Qingxian said.
"And I believe you’re a Sunshine Boy," Luo Jing replied.
The two of them nodded at each other with perfectly straight faces.
"Are there nine one-foot-long incense sticks in that paper bag?" Luo Jing suddenly asked, jutting his chin toward the bag and rubbing the mole near his mouth.
Li Qingxian understood instantly. He turned to look at the black carriage, cursing under his breath.
’No wonder Han Anbo always said etiquette was paramount. How can you meet a god without visiting their temple? And how can you visit a temple without burning incense?’
’The Ministry of Revenue officially belongs to the Imperial Court, but it’s also the territory of the Five Great Evil Sects.’
’Though he’d never set foot in the Ministry of Revenue, he’d faintly heard the saying: Bring incense when you enter, for you worship the gods, not the men.’
’If you entered without incense, best-case scenario, the believers in the ministry would force you to buy nine one-foot-long sticks at an exorbitant price. Worst-case, you’d be accused of blasphemy and see your entire family ruined.’
"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Luo." Li Qingxian sighed to himself. ’These Ministry of Revenue officials are all cunning old foxes. Luo Jing first showed his sincerity, then did me a huge favor. No matter what, I’ll have to remember this debt of gratitude.’
"It’s nothing," Luo Jing said. "These little tricks are only for hassling outsiders. They don’t work on our own."
"By the way, you’ve studied Fate Skills too?" Li Qingxian asked. "I’m not gifted in either scholarly or martial pursuits, but I do have some small insights into Fate Skills."
In Daqi, Fate Masters held a unique status.
The daily chronicles of the Grand Ancestor of the Qii Country clearly recorded that the reason he had raised an army and founded the dynasty was that he had gained the support of the foremost Major Sect of Fate Skills: the Celestial Fate Sect.
To this day, the Daqi Royal Family patronized only one Sect: the Celestial Fate Sect.