Li Qingxian was exasperated. "My Literature Cultivation was interrupted. If I start again, I have to begin from scratch. Confucianism requires studying the Four Books and Five Classics—one book per year! It would be a full nine years before I’d even be qualified to open my Middle Dantian, and even then, success isn’t guaranteed. I really can’t do it. When it comes to the scriptures of Literature Cultivation, I’m completely in the dark."
"The current Chief Minister, Zhao Yishan, restarted his Literature Cultivation at the age of twelve. He studied diligently for twenty years before finally opening his Middle Dantian. After that, his rise was meteoric and unstoppable. Last year, he reached First Grade, his name renowned throughout the world."
"How can I compare myself to a freak like Zhao Yishan? You really think too highly of me. If I remember correctly, when he became the Champion Scholar, wasn’t he in the same cohort as you?"
"Indeed," Zhou Chunfeng said.
Li Qingxian said, "Uncle Zhou, no offense, but... even though Zhao Yishan was already over fifty when he became Champion Scholar, you weren’t far behind. He was the Champion, you were third place, both Advanced Scholars of the same year. So why is it that after all these years, you’re only Fourth Grade while he’s advanced to First Grade? This Literature Cultivation is like rowing a boat upstream; if you don’t advance, you fall behind!"
"Do you want me to throw you out?" Zhou Chunfeng laughed as he scolded, pointing his Cow Bone Fan at Li Qingxian.
"See? Even you can’t compete with him. You expect me to risk my life trying to compare to Zhao Yishan?!"
Li Qingxian felt inwardly helpless.
’He had actually considered Literature Cultivation a few days ago, but back on Blue Star, he was just a slacker student.’
’Forget the profound Confucian classics—he hadn’t memorized any classical poetry since high school. He’d forgotten most of it, only remembering scattered lines and phrases.’
’The key was that advancing in Literature Cultivation depended solely on comprehending the scriptures and pursuing the ultimate truths of Confucianism. Knowing more poetry wouldn’t increase one’s Literary Qi in the slightest.’
’With his limited knowledge of poetry, he could, at best, get lucky once in a while—like a blind cat finding a dead mouse. If he encountered poems similar to those from his past life, he could help people revise their Battle Poems and work as a Poetry Master.’
’But the Literary Qi gained as a Poetry Master couldn’t be used for advancement; it could only be used to feed his Righteous Sword.’
’Besides, he had the Celestial Destiny Instrument. To not spend his time practicing his Fate Skill and instead waste so many years on the uncertain path of Literature Cultivation would be putting the cart before the horse.’
Seeing the two fall silent, Zhou Henn couldn’t help but ask, "So how did you discover that Divine Sky Thunder Seed?"
Zhou Chunfeng also looked toward Li Qingxian.
Li Qingxian cleared his throat and said, "Like I said, I discovered it by chance through my Fate Skill. I didn’t know if it was real or not at the time; I was just giving it a try. I never expected it to actually work."
Zhou Henn asked, "Were those things—the Talisman Paper, Chicken Blood, and Money Sword—real or fake?"
Li Qingxian smiled. "Of course they were fake. Fate Masters use goat’s blood, not chicken blood."
"Then what is that Divine Sky Thunder Seed?" Zhou Henn was truly curious.
Li Qingxian spread his hands. "Honestly, I don’t know either. But Sister Youfei said it was a treasure bestowed by the Celestial Emperor. Uncle Zhou, do you know?"
Zhou Chunfeng shook his head. "It must be an ancient Divine Object. Such things belong to the virtuous. The fact that you obtained it means you have the favor of the heavens. However, you must not speak of this to outsiders. I’ve already placed a gag order on the remaining members of the Night Guard and the Celestial Cloud Sect."
"Those people from the Night Guard and the Celestial Cloud Sect who were struck dead by the celestial thunder—there was something wrong with their backgrounds, wasn’t there?" Li Qingxian asked.
Zhou Chunfeng said, "The investigation afterward confirmed it. The Third Grade from the Demon Sect who was impersonating a Night Guard member had died long ago. Of the two Night Guards struck by the celestial thunder, one was a Demon Cultivator and the other an Evil Cultivator. The two disciples from the Celestial Cloud Sect were also Demon Cultivators."
"Uncle Zhou, this time I helped the Night Guard eliminate five Third-Grade members of the Demon Sect, countless small fries, and took out four moles. You should calculate the merit for that," Li Qingxian said with a grin, leaning back in his chair.
Zhou Chunfeng shook his head. "If I give this credit to you, what about Ye Han?"
Li Qingxian had a sudden realization. "I think you should promote Ye Han. That will make the Demon Sect even more certain it was him."
Zhou Chunfeng nodded, then said, "Yesterday, when I learned you’d been promoted to Tenth Grade, I went to the Guard Commander to have you promoted to Squad Commander of Room A9. But I was a step too late. The Guard Commander had other arrangements."
"Hm?" Li Qingxian sensed something was off in Zhou Chunfeng’s tone.
"I argued forcefully, and in the end, the Guard Commander had to give up on his candidate for Squad Commander. However, he insisted on appointing the deputy commander. That deputy is one of Wei Yong’s men, the Disciplinary Officer of the Night Guard Finance Department," Zhou Chunfeng said.
Li Qingxian’s expression darkened. Pang Mingjing, the Room Leader of the Finance Department’s Accountants who had tried to harm him on Ministry of Revenue Street, was a trusted subordinate of Wei Yong. He had been secretly looking into matters and people related to the Finance Department these past few days.
"You couldn’t refuse?"
"Wei Yong played this move well. He knew I would never let his man become Squad Commander, so I would inevitably have to confront the Guard Commander. I can oppose him once, but I can’t do it a second time. Otherwise, where would the Guard Commander’s prestige be? How could we work together in the future? So, his real goal was to send a deputy commander to muddy the waters. I’m not a prophet. By the time the Guard Commander proposed his candidate for deputy, I understood, but it was already too late," Zhou Chunfeng said.
Li Qingxian said helplessly, "You officials are all full of schemes. Wei Yong must have promised that Cowardly King some benefits."
"It’s just a trivial matter," Zhou Chunfeng said with a faint smile.
"You’re not angry?"
"Just a trivial matter." Zhou Chunfeng seemed completely unconcerned about Wei Yong inserting his man into the Divine Capital Bureau.
Li Qingxian couldn’t understand. He looked at Zhou Henn, who wore an expression that clearly said, ’Don’t ask me about brainy stuff.’
Zhou Chunfeng finished his tea with a smile and said, "Tomorrow is the Disciplinary Assembly Hall. Now that you’ve Entered Grade, you can attend for the first time. I’ll take you to meet some people. The Divine Capital Bureau can directly appoint Junior Tenth-Grade officials. Tonight, I’ll have someone deliver your Determination Book and a Junior Tenth-Grade Official’s Uniform."
"So when I’m promoted from Junior Tenth Grade to Senior Tenth Grade, will I have to take the Cyan Cloud Determination Examination like with other grade advancements?"
"You don’t need to for Senior Tenth Grade. As long as you can last a hundred rounds against a Junior Ninth-Grade, the Guard Commander can issue a Determination Book. Other people have to wait for the annual Cyan Cloud Examination to go from Junior Ninth Grade to Senior Ninth Grade, but the Night Guard can do it through an internal assessment. However, starting from Senior Eighth Grade, you must participate in the unified national Cyan Cloud Examination, regardless of whether you’re a Confucian, Daoist, Martial, Demon, Evil, or Puppet cultivator. Of course, some Independent Cultivators not serving in the Imperial Court can, with recommendations and testing, skip participating for every single grade. For example, Youfei only participated in the Fourth Grade Cyan Cloud Examination."
The two chatted for a while longer, with Zhou Chunfeng offering much advice. Finally, under the exasperated gazes of both Zhou Chunfeng and Zhou Henn, Li Qingxian left, carrying the plate of pastries.
After leaving Chunfeng Inn, Li Qingxian headed straight for the infirmary, only to learn that both Zheng Hui and Yur Ping had already left for Room A9.
Before he even entered, he heard Han Anbo sighing sorrowfully.
"Brother Zheng... I’m afraid he’s lost his Essence, Qi, and Spirit this time. For such a dark-skinned man, he didn’t have a single white hair at over fifty years old. Now, after just one day, almost half his hair has turned white..."
Li Qingxian stepped through the door. Han Anbo and Yur Ping looked over, their gazes complicated.
Perhaps because the paper on the windows was too thick, the room was a little dim.
"What’s wrong with Captain Zheng?" Li Qingxian asked.
The plump, fair-skinned Yur Ping forced an ugly, fake smile. Without any ceremony, he took the pastries, gave a piece of osmanthus cake to Han Anbo, and then held the plate and began to eat silently.
Han Anbo pinched the osmanthus cake and looked at Li Qingxian. "Captain Zheng went home to recover. Without his Cultivation, he could have stayed on as a regular Night Guard, but he’s too proud. He won’t be coming back."
"You didn’t try to convince him? At least in the Night Guard, he’d still have this uniform for protection," Li Qingxian said.
Han Anbo shook his head. "We tried, but he wouldn’t listen. He was injured in the line of duty. Even without his Tenth-Grade stipend, as long as he doesn’t cause trouble, he can keep his status as a Night Guard and still collect the salary of a regular member."
Li Qingxian didn’t know what to say and just sat to one side.
Yur Ping swallowed a piece of water chestnut cake and asked in a low voice, "Everyone in the Government Office is saying you’ve Entered Grade. Are you going to take over as Squad Commander of Room A9?"