"Falling into a Deceit? I’ve read about it in books, but the descriptions were never detailed," Li Qingxian said.
Han Anbo said helplessly, "They wouldn’t dare go into detail. With this kind of thing, the more you talk about it, the more likely you are to fall into a Dececeit again."
"Is it that scary? So what is falling into a Deceit? Give me the simple version."
Han Anbo lowered his head and thought for a long while before saying, "Falling into a Deceit is similar to being cursed or poisoned, but it’s far more sinister than any curse or poison. Dispelling a Deceit is extremely difficult."
"How exactly do you dispel one?"
Han Anbo said helplessly, "Although I’ve dispelled a Deceit before, the whole process was a blur, and even now, there’s no foolproof method. If I had to say something, I could only share some basic pointers. For example, once you’ve fallen into a Deceit, you must strictly follow certain rules. If you break them, you’ll be injured at best, and at worst, you’ll die instantly. As for how to dispel it, the theories are all over the place, but you definitely need to find the right opportunity. If you choose the wrong one, it’s a fatal dead end."
"Terrifying..."
"Also, you need to be extra careful."
"What does that have to do with me?" Li Qingxian said.
"Fate Masters are good at dispelling Deceits, but they’re also susceptible to falling into them." Han Anbo’s eyes were dark and profound.
"Is that so? Well, I’d better stay far away from Deceitful Demons in the future," Li Qingxian said.
Han Anbo said, "This is a joyous day. Let’s not talk about such creatures. Just you wait. Once it’s confirmed that you’ve been promoted to Fate Master, the Guard Commander might personally grant you an audience."
"Really?" Li Qingxian said.
"Just wait for the news. You’ll understand the status of a Fate Master soon enough," Han Anbo said with a smile.
Just then, a knock came from the door. "Is Captain Li Qingxian in?"
"They’re here," Han Anbo said.
He opened the door to find a Guard from the Chunfeng Inn. The Guard looked at Li Qingxian, clasped his fist, and said, "Lord Zhou said for you to come to the Chunfeng Inn tomorrow morning to attend the Disciplinary Assembly Hall together."
"Alright, thank you," Li Qingxian said.
After the Guard left, Li Qingxian pursed his lips and said, "What’s so great about the Disciplinary Assembly Hall? I’ll just be standing around if I go."
Han Anbo opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he just smiled and closed it.
Having successfully forged his Life Artifact, Li Qingxian decided not to engage in Cultivation that night and instead got a good night’s sleep.
Early the next morning, Li Qingxian headed to the Chunfeng Inn.
At the Chunfeng Inn in summer, the morning light illuminated a hundred brilliant flowers in a riot of purples and reds.
The study was crowded with officials from the Divine Capital Bureau, and many more were still standing outside.
A few acquaintances were there, like Room Leader Hex Lei of the Street Patrol Room and Director Cao Ming.
When they saw Li Qingxian, they all took the initiative to greet him, and those who were seated all stood up.
It was an even warmer reception than the last time outside the Disciplinary Hall.
When the time came, Zhou Chunfeng led the way with Li Qingxian at his side, and the group of more than twenty people set off together.
Along the way, they continuously passed colleagues adorned in Brocade Robes.
Arriving outside the Disciplinary Hall, Li Qingxian swept his gaze over the scene. The low platform at the far end was empty, and while the four Purple Sandalwood Master Chairs inside remained, many more Purple Sandalwood Armchairs and willow folding chairs had been added. Some of the folding chairs were even placed behind the hall’s pillars.
Just as Li Qingxian was about to walk inside, he noticed Zhou Chunfeng had stopped and was looking ahead.
A troop of brocade-robed Night Guards was approaching them.
The person at the head of the troop wore a Fourth Grade Leopard Head Bright Copper Breastplate Battle Armor. Their skin was fairer than snow, their lips a vibrant red, and their eyes were immense and strikingly clear. Like Zhou Chunfeng, they also had a feminine appearance, but they were taller, more imposing, and carried a more commanding presence. In terms of looks alone, they were nearly Zhou Chunfeng’s equal. Together, the two of them looked like a perfectly matched pair of jade figures.
However, this person’s expression was cold, as if frozen, unlike Zhou Chunfeng’s approachable demeanor... wait!
Li Qingxian glanced at the person’s throat and saw no Adam’s apple, then at the hairpin in their hair, and it suddenly dawned on him. This was a valiant Female Official. This must be the Left Deputy Commander and Disciplinary Officer of the Demon Hunting Bureau, Songg Yanxue.
The two groups stopped, and the officials from both sides clasped their fists in unison.
"Greetings, Lord Songg."
"Greetings, Lord Zhou."
Out of the corner of his eye, Li Qingxian spotted a familiar face.
Ye Han was standing not far from Songg Yanxue, separated by a few Middle-Grade Officials.
Ye Han looked over as well.
The two of them gave a slight nod.
Li Qingxian felt there was something in the way Ye Han looked at him, but he couldn’t quite figure it out at the moment.
"Yanxue," Zhou Chunfeng greeted with a smile.
Who would have thought that Songg Yanxue would completely ignore him? Her tall frame stood as straight as a mountain, proud and aloof. Her cold eyes swept up and down Li Qingxian.
"Li Qingxian?" Songg Yanxue’s voice was like clinking ice, crystalline and clear.
Li Qingxian immediately bowed and said, "I am he."
"Good man! Don’t learn any bad habits from Zhou Chunfeng. The Demon Hunting Bureau welcomes you anytime." After speaking, she still didn’t even glance at Zhou Chunfeng and walked straight into the Disciplinary Hall.
Ye Han glanced at Li Qingxian, his expression growing even more complicated.
Li Qingxian stood there dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened. ’Aren’t all the Middle-Grade Officials supposed to be on friendly terms?’
’This woman dared to slap him in the face publicly. How could Zhou Chunfeng tolerate that?’
Li Qingxian looked toward Zhou Chunfeng, who was still maintaining a faint smile.
Li Qingxian looked at the other officials. All of them looked completely unfazed.
Li Qingxian shot a look at Zhou Henn, wiggling his eyebrows.
Zhou Henn glanced at Zhou Chunfeng and secretly sent him a telepathic message.
"Songg Yanxue’s mother was unable to marry Lord Zhou back in the day. She fell ill from melancholy and lived with regret for the rest of her life."
Li Qingxian had a sudden epiphany, his mind instantly filling with countless dramatic stories.
’I get it!’
Li Qingxian gave Zhou Chunfeng a thumbs-up.
Zhou Chunfeng shot Li Qingxian a glare, then bowed formally and entered the Disciplinary Hall.
Inside the Disciplinary Hall, morning light and candlelight mingled, but in Li Qingxian’s eyes, the place still felt somewhat dark and cold.
Stepping over the threshold, Li Qingxian saw that the walls on both sides of the great hall were lined with hundreds of Tenth Grade Junior Officials in Brocade Robes.
A vast sea of Military Officers’ White Horse Patches was interspersed with a few Civil Servants’ Magpie Training Patches.
Li Qingxian glanced down at his own White-Horse-Treading-the-River patch and started walking toward a corner. ’With so many people here, I can lean against the wall in peace without being noticed.’
Seeing Li Qingxian heading for the corner, Hex Lei couldn’t help but ask, "Li Qingxian, what are you doing?"
Everyone in the hall turned their heads in unison, glancing first at Hex Lei, and then toward the bewildered Li Qingxian.
"Huh?" Li Qingxian was confused.
Hex Lei pointed to the rearmost Purple Sandalwood Armchair—the seat for a Middle-Third Grade Official.
"You want me to sit there?" Li Qingxian noticed everyone was looking at him and lowered his voice, but the hall was so quiet that everyone could still hear him.
Hex Lei nodded.
Li Qingxian lowered his voice even more and said, "Stop joking. I have a White Horse Patch, not a bear, elephant, or leopard."
As he spoke, Li Qingxian tugged at the patch on his chest.
After a brief moment of silence, the crowd burst into roaring laughter.
Li Qingxian was baffled. He scanned the officials and saw no malice in their smiles; they simply found the situation amusing.
Even the expression of Left Deputy Commander Songg Yanxue softened considerably, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly upward.
Hex Lei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He looked at Zhou Chunfeng and said, "Lord Zhou, you didn’t tell him?"
"Why would I tell him?" Zhou Chunfeng said with a calm expression.
Hex Lei said helplessly, "Li Qingxian, have you never heard the saying, ’He who holds a Life Artifact is one rank higher’?"
"I have, but one rank higher for me is still only Ninth Grade. At best, I’d get to sit in a willow folding chair."
Hex Lei cursed good-naturedly, "You really are a fake scholar! The full saying is ’He who holds a Life Artifact is considered one rank higher than any official he meets’! In the Night Guard, a Lower-Grade Fate Master has the same status as a Middle-Grade Official, and a Middle Grade one gets to sit directly in a Purple Sandalwood Master Chair."
It all clicked for Li Qingxian. No wonder Han Anbo had been so happy yesterday but held his tongue; he must have wanted it to be a surprise. The other officials probably thought he already knew, or that Zhou Chunfeng had told him.
Li Qingxian shot a helpless glance at the beaming Zhou Chunfeng. ’He definitely did this on purpose.’
"This humble official was unaware. My apologies for the blunder."
Li Qingxian clasped his fist, walked over to the last Purple Sandalwood Armchair, and sat down. He rested his arms on the armrests, wriggled his back against the backrest, and muttered under his breath, "It’s actually pretty comfortable."
The officials chuckled. Some of the older ones smiled warmly, finding this young man more and more likable.
Wei Yong glanced at Li Qingxian, his face devoid of expression, then looked toward Ye Han.
In the corner, Ye Han stood with the other Tenth Grade officials. He gazed at Li Qingxian’s seated figure from behind, then lowered his head, his face obscured by the shadow of a pillar.