Ye Han gritted his teeth, found a deserted spot, and cursed under his breath.
After a long while, he lifted his head, his eyes filled with rage.
’Once this gets out, my status will plummet.’
’Shunned by the Disciplinary Officer twice in a row!’
’Looked down on by a woman twice in a row!’
"Li Qingxian..."
The Qiankun Ring flashed, and an invitation from the Heir of Prince Yuann appeared tightly gripped in Ye Han’s hand.
He took one last look in the direction of Xuezhai, then strode out of the Night Guard Office and into the deep night.
Li Qingxian walked with Jiang Youfei on Night Guard Street for a while. After watching her fly away, he turned to head back.
After taking a few steps, he saw a familiar figure with his head down, walking toward him.
"Is that... Brother Ye Han?" Li Qingxian asked.
Ye Han froze, looking at Li Qingxian in astonishment as he hastily put the invitation back into his Qiankun Ring.
"Bro... Brother Li," Ye Han stammered.
Li Qingxian glanced at his Qiankun Ring and smiled. "Brother Ye, in the Disciplinary Hall today, you were led astray by the Ge Dynasty. That person isn’t as righteous as he appears. And Pang Mingjing—if he dares to kill me, putting on a show of mourning is a trivial matter for him. Think about it carefully, and you’ll understand. Have I, Li Qingxian, ever done you any harm? In my heart, you, Ye Han, may have made some small mistakes, but you’ve always been an upright and good brother."
As he spoke, Li Qingxian patted Ye Han’s shoulder and walked past him.
Ye Han gritted his teeth, his head lowered. After a long while, he lifted his head and walked toward Prince Yuann’s Mansion.
「Before dawn the next day」
For once, Li Qingxian woke up early. After washing up, he zipped over to the Chunfeng Inn.
For the entire day, Li Qingxian studied the Thunder Skill with Jiang Youfei.
That evening, back in Room A9, Han Anbo came close and whispered, "A friend from the Demon Hunting Bureau sent word today. He said Ye Han somehow managed to piss off Disciplinary Officer Songg. He’s forbidden from entering Xuezhai from now on, and Disciplinary Officer Songg will no longer be instructing him in martial arts."
"When did that happen?"
"They say it was last night."
"No wonder..." Li Qingxian had sensed Ye Han’s mood was off at the time but hadn’t given it much thought. He’d only fed him a couple of lines for the sake of his Fate Grid.
"Do you know why?"
"Not sure. My friend is just an ordinary Eighth-Grade Official, not qualified to enter Xuezhai. The guess is that Ye Han did something to displease Disciplinary Officer Songg. She’s famous for being uncompromising—upright, never bends the law for personal reasons, and handles things fairly and justly. There’s no one in the Demon Hunting Bureau, from top to bottom, who doesn’t respect her. Some people even dislike our Lord Zhou out of their admiration for Disciplinary Officer Songg."
Li Qingxian smiled. "Is the story about Lord Zhou and Songg Yanxue’s mother true?"
"One hundred percent!"
"So Songg Yanxue really hates Lord Zhou?"
"I wouldn’t go so far as to say ’hate,’ but she definitely loathes him. She’s always poaching talent from the Divine Capital Bureau. You might be next," Han Anbo said.
"The Demon Hunting Bureau is a dangerous place. I’d rather die than go."
Han Anbo said, "Haven’t you heard the rumor?"
"What rumor?"
"The Cabinet is going to dissolve the Street Patrol Room. Some of the Night Guard will be transferred to the Demon Hunting Bureau, giving the Bureau an unprecedented surge in power. Lord Songg’s status will rise with the tide."
Li Qingxian pondered for a moment, then asked, "What are Lord Songg’s hobbies?"
"Didn’t you just say you’d rather die than go?"
"I don’t *want* to go, but Uncle Zhou is usually as wary of me as if I were some lecherous rogue. Yet these past two days, he’s had Youfei come teach me. He’s definitely trying to temper me. He’s said before that the Divine Capital Bureau handles affairs in the Divine Capital, and the waters there run too deep—it’s too easy to offend the major powers. The Demon Hunting Bureau, on the other hand, is much simpler; you’re less likely to make enemies. He’s one of those old-school types: when he protects his own, he *really* protects them, but when he disciplines his kids, he’s liable to break the cane. The more Songg Yanxue values me, the more likely he is to throw me to her. None of these officials have a kind bone in their body."
"You’ll be promoted to the Ninth Grade soon. You’ll be an official then, not just a clerk."
"Even if I, Li Qingxian, starve to death, I will never become their kind of official."
"Alright, I’ll remember you said that."
"Don’t. I was just talking."
He woke the next morning and, in the cool morning breeze, happily went to the Chunfeng Inn to learn the Thunder Skill from Jiang Youfei.
’This Thunder Skill stuff isn’t so hard, is it?’
In the afternoon, Jiang Youfei suddenly took out a Communication Talisman Disc. After giving Li Qingxian a couple of instructions, she left the Chunfeng Inn.
Li Qingxian studied alone in the Chunfeng Inn for half an hour until his head was spinning.
’What a garbage book. It’s not nearly as clear and simple as Sister Youfei’s teaching.’
"Where’s Youfei?" Zhou Chunfeng’s voice came from the main room.
Li Qingxian walked out of the side room and looked at Zhou Chunfeng, who was dressed in green silk. "She received a communication and left. Probably something to do with the Celestial Cloud Sect. Uncle Zhou, can I go see the Ge Dynasty or not?"
"You really want to see him?"
"I really do," Li Qingxian said.
Zhou Chunfeng thought for a moment, then took out his Communication Talisman Disc and waited quietly.
After a short while, a talisman on the three-tiered Communication Talisman Disc began to flash.
Zhou Chunfeng reached out to touch it and listened intently.
A moment later, Zhou Chunfeng put away the Communication Talisman Disc and said, "Come with me to the Imperial Prison West Courtyard. Remember not to wander off. The West Courtyard has two Deceitful Lands."
"What?" Li Qingxian had long known how terrifying Deceitful Lands were. When a Deceitful Demon dies, it can transform into a Deceitful Land, which can also form a sinister power that kills people.
"Don’t make a fuss. In the Capital City, apart from the Civil Official Office and the Daoist Official Office, all the major Government Offices have Deceitful Lands." Zhou Chunfeng stood up, and Li Qingxian and Zhou Henn followed.
"You mean to say that the major Government Offices like the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Works also have Deceitful Lands?" Li Qingxian asked in disbelief.
"The Ministry of Justice has an especially large number of them. Four have been reported, but I know of eight. Who knows how many more are hidden," Zhou Chunfeng said as they walked.
Li Qingxian was a little dazed. The Evil Sects and the Demon Sect were still considered part of the Human Race, but Deceitful Demons were a completely different, sinister species—one that even the Demon Race supposedly feared.
’Deceitful Lands in the great Divine Capital, the capital of the entire nation?’
A thought flashed through Li Qingxian’s mind. "Are there Deceitful Lands in the Imperial Palace?" he asked.
Zhou Chunfeng turned and gave Li Qingxian a deep look. "I don’t know."
Li Qingxian cursed inwardly. ’This Qi Country is truly insane. Deceitful Lands in the Imperial Palace? What in the world is Emperor Taining doing?’
Zhou Chunfeng said slowly, "Have you ever seen places in the Capital City sealed off by the Night Guard with black lanterns hung outside?"
"Of course. When I was a kid, I wanted to go take a look inside, but someone talked me out of it."
Zhou Chunfeng and Zhou Henn both chuckled.
Realization dawned on Li Qingxian. "So those are Deceitful Lands too? Oh, right, the Night Guard has a Black Lamp Department that I’ve only ever heard of. Is that what they manage?"
"What else?" Zhou Chunfeng said.
Li Qingxian sighed internally. ’This Daqi Country is a place that constantly shatters my worldview and redefines rock bottom.’
’If it weren’t for the Qi Fortune Fish I get every day for being a Night Guard, I would’ve packed my bags and run away long ago.’
Li Qingxian thought for a moment, swallowed, cleared his throat, and said in an exceptionally gentle tone, "Uncle Zhou, I know I’m usually blunt, but I never mean you any harm. I respect you like a real uncle; you’re the closest person I have right now. When you get older, I’ll definitely take care of you in your old age..."
Li Qingxian wisely held back the inauspicious final words.
"Out with it. What do you want from me?"
"It’s just that... well... could you maybe not send me to the Black Lamp Department to be tempered?"