After casually placing the Destiny Star, Fox Posing as Tiger’s Might, onto the Moon Pillar, Li Qingxian opened his eyes and looked toward Pang Mingjing.
Li Qingxian vaguely sensed that the luster of Pang Mingjing’s skin was fading at an extremely slow rate.
Seeing the Dragon and Gazing at Qi.
Pang Mingjing’s Qi Fortune had previously been that of an Approaching Officer. Now, the Official Seal was gone.
In its place, a sword and a saber hung crossed in the air, both completely covered in rust.
The defeat of the Four Fiends heralded the arrival of a disastrous fate.
Rust on the hilt means injury to the self.
Rust on the blade means lasting injury.
Rust covering the entirety means permanent injury.
A Fate Technique states: With the sign of defeat and permanent injury, the rest of one’s life is without hope.
Li Qingxian stood up.
Pang Mingjing looked over warily.
Li Qingxian walked over, patted Pang Mingjing’s shoulder, and said with a smile, "We’re even now. Fann Xing, take good care of Lord Pang. After all, he used to be a Night Guard."
Li Qingxian turned and left, with Han Anbo and Yur Ping hurrying to follow.
Pang Mingjing watched Li Qingxian’s departing figure, his brow tightly furrowed. He felt a terrible panic in his heart.
Pang Mingjing slowly walked back to his cell, sat down on the dry straw, and gazed out the window.
’I don’t know why, but I feel so empty inside...’
Pang Mingjing’s face was a mask of confusion.
As Li Qingxian reached the entrance of the Imperial Prison Department, a new acquaintance approached, flanked by two Tenth-Grade Junior Officials.
Ge Chao stopped and said with a fake smile, "Lord Li, you come and go from the Imperial Prison Department so freely, one might think you treat it as your home."
"What’s it to you? Stop meddling in things that don’t concern you. Instead of gossiping behind people’s backs, why don’t you try doing your own job!" Li Qingxian shot back, then continued walking.
Ge Chao’s expression didn’t change. "Don’t forget about the Disciplinary Assembly Hall tomorrow."
Li Qingxian couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Just as he stepped out of the Imperial Prison Department, he ran into one of Zhou Chunfeng’s Guards, who told him he absolutely must attend the Disciplinary Assembly Hall tomorrow.
After the Guard left, Han Anbo said, "It looks like Ge Chao reported this to the higher-ups. They’re going to settle this matter at the Disciplinary Assembly Hall tomorrow."
"It’s fine. Uncle Zhou didn’t summon me to the Chunfeng Inn, so he probably doesn’t think it’s a big deal," Li Qingxian said.
Han Anbo sighed. "Captain Li, you know I’m not one to meddle, but this matter could be big or small. I think you need to be extra careful. Yes, most of the Night Guard support you, but your father has many potential political enemies. Plus, you’ve been in the spotlight too much lately, and some people might want to take you down a peg. What’s more, Lord Zhou isn’t without rivals in the Night Guard. It’s not easy for them to challenge Lord Zhou directly, but targeting you is much simpler."
Li Qingxian smiled. "Brother Han, don’t worry. I know you’re looking out for me. But I’m fully prepared for this. Ge Chao can’t touch me."
"Are you sure?"
"I’m sure." Li Qingxian’s gaze was calm and open.
Han Anbo nodded. "Good. I was worried that your sudden rise in status would make you arrogant, but now that I think about it, you’re not that kind of person. That sets my mind at ease."
"The truth will come out in less than ten days," Li Qingxian said.
Just as he returned to Room A9, Fann Xing rushed in, closed the door, and whispered, "Ge Chao went into Room C7 and kicked me out. He’s probably looking for Pang Mingjing to cause trouble for you. I wanted to stop him, but a higher-ranking official can crush you with his authority."
"It’s fine," Li Qingxian said.
"But..."
Li Qingxian smiled slightly. "You can go back for now. I’ll be focused on my Daoist Skill Cultivation for the next two days, so I won’t be visiting you."
Fann Xing stood frozen in place, his face full of worry.
Han Anbo chuckled. "Lord Fann, you don’t need to be afraid. If anything happens to you, Captain Li will definitely protect you."
"Really?" Fann Xing looked toward Li Qingxian.
Only then did Li Qingxian understand Fann Xing’s true purpose. He said, "Don’t worry. If he tries to harm you, I, Li Qingxian, will protect you!"
"Thank you, Lord Li! Thank you, Lord Li." Fann Xing left, profusely grateful.
Li Qingxian looked at Han Anbo and said, "Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure."
"I’m only in my forties. I’m not old."
"Haha, right. You’re the treasure, but not the elder."
Li Qingxian sat down at his desk and thought about Fate Skills and Daoist Skills.
’Now that I have two Destiny Stars, my Fate Grid is completely different. I don’t have to live in constant fear anymore. Demon Hunting requires combat abilities. Since I haven’t reached the Seventh Grade, I can’t use a Flying Sword. My only option is Thunder Skills.’
Li Qingxian opened a Daoist Book and began to earnestly study Thunder Skills.
The Cultivation of Thunder Skills was different from ordinary Magic.
Thunder Skills are supreme in power and Yang energy, fierce and unyielding. They cannot be cultivated directly. Instead, one must visualize a "Thunder Department True God" on their Spirit Platform. Each Thunder Department True God governs one or more types of Magic, and one casts spells by borrowing the power of the visualized True God.
This method of Cultivation is called "Sealing Inner Gods."
Normally, a Tenth-Grade cultivator cannot visualize a Thunder Department True God, but the Divine Sky Thunder Seed breaks this restriction.
For the past few days, Li Qingxian had been following the method in the book, trying to visualize the Ninth-Grade "Child Position" Thunder Department True Gods. This included the Force-Rising Child, the Banner-Holding Child, the Light-Throwing Child, the Sword-Holding Child, the Recording Child, the Purple Light Child, and several others, but he had failed every single time.
’Even if my own talent is terrible, this Divine Sky Thunder Seed is anything but. Youfei said this Divine Sky Thunder Seed was a personal gift from the Emperor of Longevity. With a background like that, it’s like being the nephew of the Lord of Thunder City himself. Its status is so high that even if the Thunder Department Childs are Immortal Officials, they have to show it some respect. Could my Cultivation method be wrong? I’ll wait for Youfei to arrive and ask her.’
Li Qingxian read a few more pages of the Daoist Book and sighed internally.
’I’ve only memorized the contents of the Fate Skills by rote and have never received a systematic education as a Daoist or Destiny Cultivator. Both the Life Books and Daoist Books are written in complex classical text, and I have no foundation in it. Reading the Daoist Books in particular is like trying to decipher a Celestial Book; just a little bit leaves me feeling exhausted.’
’Can’t rush it. The more I rush, the more likely I am to give up. Besides, even the current Chief Minister, Zhao Yishan, took many years to achieve his transformation; it wasn’t an overnight success. People who seem to change suddenly have no doubt endured untold suffering and put in tremendous effort behind the scenes. It takes months just to lose some weight. It’s completely unrealistic for an ordinary person like me to instantly become a diligent scholar. Only people who dream of reaping without sowing think that change is easy. Someone like me, who neither reaps nor sows, might not be good at calculating much, but I’m better than anyone at knowing my own damn limits.’
He put out the lamp and, ignoring the sound of Yur Ping secretly eating snacks in his bed, Li Qingxian mulled over Fate Skills and Daoist Skills until he groggily drifted off to sleep.
He woke up, ate breakfast, and followed Zhou Chunfeng to the Disciplinary Hall.
Upon entering the Disciplinary Hall, Li Qingxian felt the eyes of every official present turn to him, to one degree or another.
Ye Han and Wei Yong were there as well.
Li Qingxian found an armchair, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest, reviewing the details of Fate Skills and Daoist Skills in his mind.
When the time came, the Guard Commander was absent, as usual, and the other three Purple Sandalwood Master Chairs were empty.
The Right Deputy Commander, Yuu Xianhe, presided over the meeting.
Li Qingxian’s mind was completely preoccupied with Daoist Skills and Thunder Skills, so he had no interest in the meeting. He only noticed that there were very few people present today, even fewer than the first time.
Thirty minutes into the meeting, a deafening explosion suddenly echoed from the Northwest district of Divine Capital City.
The veteran Night Guards merely glanced toward the door before continuing with the meeting. This sort of thing happened in the Divine Capital every few days.
’A commotion that loud must be at least a battle between Fourth-Grade Experts,’ Li Qingxian thought. ’It’s a real shame I can’t see it.’
A short while later, a series of explosions boomed across the Divine Capital.
In just a single hour, there were five distinct explosions, and twice, phenomena characteristic of the Upper Three Grades appeared.
Even the veteran Night Guards showed strange expressions.
Some of the more experienced members scanned the Disciplinary Hall and discovered that there were far fewer Middle-Grade officials from powerful bureaus like the Demon Hunting Bureau, the Imperial Guard Bureau, the Imperial Prison Department, and the Divine Capital Bureau than usual.