Li Qingxian and his two friends slept like the dead, not waking for a full day and night.
Early the next morning, while Li Qingxian was still in a deep sleep, he was summoned and taken away by the Guard Commander’s guards.
When he returned, everyone at the Divine Capital Bureau who saw him offered their congratulations, their faces filled with envy.
Li Qingxian was dressed in a brand-new Senior Ninth Grade Official Uniform, featuring a black wolf patch on a green background with gold trim. At his waist was a new Copper-Embedded Fish Cloth Pouch, and hanging between his belt and the pouch was a green Official Seal Ribbon.
Inside his Qiankun Bracelet was a large blue cloth bundle containing the ceremonial, court, public, casual, and combat attire of a Senior Ninth Grade official. What he wore now was his regular uniform.
When he walked into Room A9, Han Anbo and Yur Ping were stunned.
The green brocade robe, the black wolf upon his chest, his heroic brows arched high, his eyes shining—he looked dashing and full of spirit.
Yur Ping ran over. "Let me touch the black wolf! When I was a kid, I thought this was the most impressive official robe. I dreamed of wearing one."
As he spoke, he hunched over and gently, carefully stroked the embroidered black wolf.
Han Anbo’s expression relaxed into a smile. "If you’re not busy today, we should buy some food and wine and go visit Captain Zheng."
"Is that appropriate?"
"If you were still just Tenth Grade, he might feel awkward. But since you’ve been promoted to Senior Ninth Grade, he’ll be even happier than you are."
"Alright. I’ll also make a trip home. I’ve been away for so long, my aunt and uncle must be worried."
"Is Mr. Xiaoli in?" a familiar voice called out.
Li Qingxian stepped out of the room and saw Jingg Guan, the eunuch from the Inner Treasury Bureau in charge of the distillery, standing outside. Noticing the Ninth Grade black wolf patch on Li Qingxian’s chest, he couldn’t help but praise, "What a handsome young man! Congratulations, Mr. Xiaoli, on your honorable promotion to the rank of Senior Ninth Grade!"
"You’re too kind," Li Qingxian said with a smile.
"May I have a word in private?" Jingg Guan said.
The two walked to a corner of the courtyard, and the others, taking the hint, moved away.
Jingg Guan glanced around and lowered his voice. "While you were away these past few days, the distillery sent out samples from the trial batch for tasting. The response was excellent, which has attracted some covetous eyes. The others are no bother, but I only learned this morning that people from Prince Yuann’s Mansion have been making inquiries. I’ve heard a little about what happened between you and the Heir of Prince Yuann. I urge you to be careful."
"Thank you, Lord Jingg..." An idea came to Li Qingxian. He took out silver notes worth a hundred taels from his Qiankun Ring and stuffed them into Jingg Guan’s hand. "Lord Jingg, please don’t refuse. I have some other matters I’d like to ask for your advice on."
"Given our relationship, there’s no need for this..." Jingg Guan said, holding the silver notes without either pocketing them or pushing them back.
Li Qingxian said, "Lord Jingg, you’re a veteran of official circles; you know best how these scions operate. In your opinion, what does the Heir of Prince Yuann see in this distillery?"
Jingg Guan pondered for a moment, then snorted coldly. "I may not know about other things, but I know exactly what these filthy degenerates are thinking. The distillery is jointly managed by five parties. No matter how powerful Tang Enxuan is, he can’t afford to offend the Inner Treasury Bureau, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, or the Night Guard. But he can afford to offend *you*. When a scion like that targets you, they always resort to the same few tricks."
"Please, tell me," Li Qingxian said.
Jingg Guan tucked the silver notes into his sleeve and spoke slowly. "First, there’s ’bringing a knife to court.’ They’ll set a trap to make you commit a crime, frame you for it, and devour you whole. Second is ’watching the fish before scraping its scales.’ They’ll start by luring you with benefits, like a high position and generous salary, raising you like a prized koi in a pond. Once they have what they want, they’ll scrape your scales and debone you. If you’re lucky, you might keep your life. Third is ’the plum tree takes the peach tree’s place.’ They’ll use official channels to directly transfer your property deeds and shop licenses into their name. This trick only works on the powerless, so they can’t use it on you. Fourth is ’pulling the weed to see the mud.’ Who among us hasn’t gotten their hands dirty? They just need to find one little thing, and we’ll be forced to submit. Fifth is ’luring the phoenix to stew a pot of birds.’ They’ll make grand promises to entice you into a partnership, then slowly bleed you dry. This is often used against merchants. Sixth is ’falsely donning white,’ where they pretend to be defeated and sue for peace..."
Jingg Guan listed a few more examples, and Li Qingxian cursed them inwardly. ’Not a single one of these bastards is a decent person.’
"So what do you think Tang Enxuan will do to me?" Li Qingxian asked.
Jingg Guan shook his head. "That’s hard to say. I’ve only seen him once, many years ago in the palace, and we didn’t even exchange greetings."
"I’ll remember today’s kindness. Thank you, Eunuch Jingg." Li Qingxian offered one of his own gold ingots.
But Jingg Guan pushed it back. "I take what I’m owed, and I don’t take what I’m not. If I accept this too, our friendly relations will sour."
Li Qingxian vaguely understood. He immediately withdrew the ingot and smiled. "I’ve learned my lesson."
Jingg Guan gave a slight smile. "Mr. Xiaoli has a limitless future! I’ll be heading back now. We can’t let anything go wrong with this distillery."
After seeing off Jingg Guan, two more people arrived unexpectedly.
Upon seeing the man in the lead, all the Night Guards flattened themselves against the walls and then quietly slipped away.
The gold-threaded elephant patch on the man’s chest commanded respect, but the Official Seal Ribbon on his Silver Fish Pouch was black, which was downright terrifying.
"Lord Guo, Lord Wang, what brings you two here?" Li Qingxian said with a smile, greeting Guo Xiang, the Deputy Disciplinary Officer of the Black Lamp Department. Behind him stood Wang Buku. Neither of them wore anything to indicate they were from the Black Lamp Department.
"Let’s talk inside," Guo Xiang said with a smile. Wang Buku’s expression was placid.
"Please, my lords." Li Qingxian invited the two inside. Han Anbo and Yur Ping hastily stood up to serve them tea.
"You two, go stand guard outside. Don’t let anyone disturb us," Guo Xiang said, sitting directly on the edge of the bed.
"Yes, sir." The two left.
"Don’t just stand there. Sit," Guo Xiang said.
Only then did Li Qingxian sit. Wang Buku remained standing by Guo Xiang’s side.
Guo Xiang smiled faintly. "Let’s cut to the chase. Are you interested in joining the Black Lamp Department?"
"No!" Li Qingxian refused flatly.
Guo Xiang was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. "Don’t be so quick to refuse. The Black Lamp Department may seem dangerous, but it’s actually very relaxed—yes, just like your name, Qingxian. If you don’t believe me, ask Buku. He’s been with the Black Lamp Department for nearly three years. How many times have you been afflicted by Deceit?"
"Only twice. Usually, we just investigate Deceit-related incidents. There are typically only four or five cases a year. Most of the time, it’s very quiet," Wang Buku said.
"Not interested," Li Qingxian said.
Guo Xiang sighed. "I came to find you for three reasons. First, your performance in the Yellow Springs Mysterious Land and the Deceitful Mother Village shocked me. I’m not sure even I could have surpassed what you did. After all, Deceit is ever-changing and unpredictable. Even a Great Fate Master could lose their life dealing with it."
"Aren’t you afraid something will happen, talking about Deceit so openly?"
"Common people are afraid, so of course they don’t dare speak of it. But if you have no fear, what’s the harm? The second reason is that the team is already short-staffed, and on top of that, Buku’s three-year term is ending. He’s a Martial Cultivator who hasn’t reached the Middle Grade, so he has to leave." Guo Xiang gave Wang Buku a helpless look.
Wang Buku’s expression remained calm.
Li Qingxian became lost in thought. Years ago, when Emperor Taining ascended the throne, all the other kings rebelled. Afterward, Emperor Taining swept through the realm, secured his throne, and launched a great purge.
Duke Rong was forced to drink poison, and everyone in the Rong Mansion was exiled. On the road, some died, and others fled.
Because Wang Buku was the illegitimate son of Duke Rong’s eldest legitimate son, his life was spared. When he grew up, his identity was exposed. The hidden powers from that time wanted to kill him, but others sought to protect him. In the end, Wang Buku joined the Black Lamp Department, which prevented the mastermind behind the scenes from being able to touch him.
Once he leaves the Black Lamp Department, Wang Buku will likely be targeted by those hidden enemies.