"Captain Li, there was no need to do that for me..." Han Anbo felt like something was caught in his throat, leaving him speechless.
Li Qingxian smiled. "Brother Han, I was just using what you taught me. You see, I was perfectly amicable when I first spoke to him. Staying silent on the way here was my way of compromising. And in the end, I drew my blade using the Ministry of Revenue’s rules and Brother Jing’s authority."
Han Anbo’s gratitude was like a sandcastle on the beach, washed away in an instant by a single wave. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "But I didn’t tell you to use up all your chips in one go on the very first day!"
Yu Ping was also dumbstruck, muttering to himself, "A bureaucratic mastermind!"
"What’s going on?" Luo Jing asked curiously.
Han Anbo explained the whole story of Wei Yong "mixing in sand," and recounted the advice he had given Li Qingxian.
Luo Jing, also not knowing whether to laugh or cry, gave him a thumbs-up. "A bureaucratic mastermind!"
Li Qingxian smiled. "I’ll take that as a compliment."
Luo Jing shook his head. "Well, it’s out of my hands. I’ll report back to Lord Zhou and let him deal with the headache."
"This won’t cause any trouble for you, will it?" Li Qingxian asked.
"A mere unranked Junior Official? What trouble could he be? By the time Wei Yong’s people find him, his mind will have long been corrupted by the Evil Skill, and he’ll be beyond saving. Besides, do you really think someone like Wei Yong would bother saving one of his pawns?" Luo Jing said.
"Then I owe you one, Brother Jing. By the way, let’s get down to business. Lend me five hundred taels of gold, plus two hundred taels of silver," Li Qingxian said with a straight face.
Luo Jing leaned back slightly. "What do you need so much gold for? Are you sure a mere Eighth-Grade Official like me can even produce that much?"
"I’ll owe you a life," Li Qingxian said with a faint smile.
Luo Jing’s eyes widened, an expression of indescribable, joyous surprise spreading across his face. He leaned forward. "You can use Fate Skills now?"
Li Qingxian nodded.
"Five thousand two hundred taels of silver for a life? A bargain! Don’t pay me back. Consider it a purchase!" After speaking, an awkward look appeared on Luo Jing’s face. He cleared his throat and asked, "You’re not deceiving me, are you?"
"Otherwise, why would I ask for five hundred taels of gold instead of five thousand taels of silver?" Li Qingxian countered.
Luo Jing slapped his forehead in a moment of realization. "Right, I’m being dense. You need the gold to forge a Life Artifact, and the two hundred taels are for other Life Materials."
Li Qingxian nodded.
"Are you short on cash?" Luo Jing asked.
Li Qingxian almost retorted, ’Isn’t that obvious?’ but he quickly caught himself, remembering that officials like these never spoke directly. He instead said, "After my father passed away, the Capital City Li Family and his good friends did send some silver coins. Part of it was given to my aunt and uncle for safekeeping, and the other part was used to purchase a country estate, which is managed by the clan elders of the Capital City Li Family. They’re afraid I’ll spend it recklessly, so they only give me a monthly allowance of two taels. They’ll hand over the rest when I come of age. However, the total amount of silver coins they have on hand doesn’t exceed three thousand taels."
"No wonder. In that case, I’ll give you an extra hundred taels for your daily expenses. Your status is different now. A monthly allowance of only two taels is far too little," Luo Jing said.
"Once the strong spirits start selling, I won’t be short on money," Li Qingxian said.
Luo Jing glanced at Han Anbo and Yu Ping. "There’s been a small hiccup with the Ministry of Works. Didn’t Lord Zhou mention it to you?"
"What happened?" Li Qingxian asked.
"The Ten Hall Yamas of the Underworld are fighting over something. The Puppet Cultivators are aligned with the various Yama Kings, and with the higher-ups fighting, things are naturally unsettled down below. From what I hear, a Disciplinary Officer from the Artisan Department will come with people from the Inner Treasury in the next few days to hear you out, and then they’ll make a decision. But you’d better have this thought through. We don’t understand this ’distillation’ or ’alcohol’ you’re talking about, but those Puppet Cultivators know it very well," Luo Jing said.
"Don’t worry, the more they understand, the better. But what I’m curious about is, why has the Underworld taken such an interest in the Human Race’s artisans?" Li Qingxian asked.
Luo Jing laughed. "A Puppet’s structure is unique and requires a great number of artisans. What’s more, the Underworld is full of skeletons; they need artisans to figure out how to best make use of them. Besides, those brainless Puppets are no match for living people, are they? So after the Underworld returned to the mortal realm, the various Yama Kings vigorously cultivated artisan Puppet Cultivators. Before the current Emperor ascended the throne, over half of the mid- to low-ranking officials in the Ministry of Works were Puppet Cultivators. Letting the Underworld take over the Ministry of Works was just a natural progression."
"And the artisans aren’t opposed to it?" Li Qingxian asked with keen interest.
"They were reluctant at first, but then they discovered that practicing puppet cultivation while alive didn’t have much of an impact on them. Plus, before they died, they could convert into a puppet body with all their memories intact, which is practically like living for several hundred more years. So, any resentment faded away. Later on, many of the older artisans wanted to become Puppet Cultivators, but the conversion consumes the Underworld’s Treasures. This led the Underworld to strictly control the number of new Puppet Cultivators, only recruiting artisans with real skill."
"I see. In that case, let’s set a time. I’ll explain the details to the official from the Ministry of Works," Li Qingxian said.
"Set a time? Impossible. If it were just the Ministry of Works, it would be simple. But the Inner Treasury is likely sending a Junior Director. That’s someone who works directly for the Emperor—a truly busy man. You’ll be lucky to get half a day’s notice." Luo Jing watched Li Qingxian intently.
Li Qingxian smiled. "It’s no problem. True gold fears no fire."
"Good. By the way, gold isn’t as easy to come by as silver. I’ll need a few days to gather it. You certainly know how to give me a challenge," Luo Jing said.
"I’ll be waiting for your good news."
The two chatted until noon. After sharing a lunch and tasting the Ministry of Revenue’s famed yellow chives, Li Qingxian finally took his leave.
As they walked out of Ministry of Revenue Street, Yu Ping rubbed his stomach and whispered, "I ate too many of those yellow chives. They don’t sit well."
"Then why did you eat so many if you can’t digest them?"
"But the Ministry of Revenue makes them so well! They’re even better than the ones at those famous taverns," Yu Ping said.
Li Qingxian thought of the "trapped pig breaking its pen" Fate Grid and couldn’t help but laugh. "You’re probably the only person who comes to the Ministry of Revenue just for the food."
Han Anbo, who had been quiet for a while, finally said, "Captain Li, you really didn’t have to do that for my sake. For people like us who are destined to never be Entering Grade, what month goes by where we aren’t hassled a few times?"
"It wasn’t entirely for you. It was for me, too. If I don’t pick out this grain of sand now, next it’ll be a rock to the head, and after that, it’ll be Bai Gushan falling on top of me. It would never end."
"I understand that, but weren’t you a bit too hasty?" Han Anbo still felt it was reckless.
Li Qingxian nodded. "Brother Han is right. This matter can’t be rushed. It can’t be finished in one go."
Han Anbo breathed a sigh of relief. "So you do listen to reason."
Li Qingxian continued, "That’s why I need to follow up with a second move."
Han Anbo and Yu Ping stared wide-eyed, their faces completely bewildered.
Li Qingxian smiled. "You taught me: when a blade is drawn, it must draw blood. They failed to harm me last time, and now they’re ’mixing in sand’ again. It proves they haven’t given up. There’s no sense in guarding against a thief for a thousand days. So, this time, I should be the one to strike first."
Han Anbo felt like he was about to cough up a lungful of old blood. ’Don’t speak,’ he thought, ’absolutely do not speak, or I might just spray it everywhere.’
Yu Ping sighed. "Ever since you made Entering Grade, you’ve gotten even more reckless."
"Don’t you two worry. This isn’t recklessness; it’s a battle of wits and Fate Skills. I want to show them the consequences of offending a Fate Master. But I’ll need your help."
"With Fate Skills? Tell us," Yu Ping said, his spirits lifting.
Li Qingxian said, "I want detailed files on Wei Yong and Tao Zhi. I’ll find the right opportunity to perform an Inference on their Fate Grids and Qi Fortune, and then use a Fate Skill to resolve this. I had originally planned to endure it for a few more days, but what happened with Hong Cheng taught me that being even a single step too slow can get you bitten."
"Alright, I’ll help you investigate! That’s what we Night Guards are for," Yu Ping said excitedly.