Chapter 79: Qi Le

"Quick, let this old man take a look!"

A voice that sounded somewhat aged, yet possessed great vigor, came from outside the door.

Before long, an old Confucian Scholar dressed in green robes rushed in, his eyes fixed intently on the *Righteousness Song* that had yet to be put away on the desk.

"Master Qi!"

"Why, why are you in such a disheveled state?"

Lu Jianxing looked at him with some surprise.

This was Qi Le of the Qingyun Study, an old Confucian Scholar in the city.

He usually ran a study in the North City, selling writing brushes, rice paper, and some classics for scholars.

It was just that in this remote little County, there were no real scholars to speak of.

On most days, he would just write couplets or door curtains for the merchants in the County; he couldn't earn much money, and the study was very difficult to maintain.

What truly kept him fed was doing some business with the government officials.

Although Qi Le's cultivation was very low, he was one of the few ranked Confucian Scholars in the city, often writing unranked "Ink Treasures" for the people of the Demon Slaying Division to serve as protective talismans.

The Demon Slaying Division also looked after his business; whenever the County needed the Four Treasures of the Study or held some events, they would invite him to write on their behalf, and they did not treat him unfairly.

Entering the ranks of the Confucian Dao was much harder than the Martial Dao, as it required talent and a master's lineage; unless an ordinary family was exceptionally wealthy and possessed outstanding talent, it was very difficult to achieve anything in the Confucian Dao.

This Chiyang County had a total of three ranked Confucian Scholars: one was a legal advocate at the Government Office, one was the Magistrate himself, and the last one was the Qi Le before them.

Having passed the age of fifty, he had only just managed to reach the Eighth Grade; he was not a talented prodigy.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Town Guardian, could you let me take a look at this *Righteousness Song* of yours?"

"The opportunity for my breakthrough tonight lies entirely in this object!"

Qi Le's green robes were tattered and stained with much grime, as if he had taken a tumble on his way here.

His eyes were fixed intently on the *Righteousness Song* on the desk, his expression full of longing.

"Old sir, if you want to look at it, just go ahead."

"If it can be of any help to you, Senior Brother certainly won't mind."

Zhao Zheng's crisp voice came over, and Qi Le's expression changed slightly.

"Senior Brother?"

Only then did he notice that there were two little children in the room, resting on the chairs by the desk, looking like carved jade.

Hearing Zhao Zheng's words, he raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, are you saying that this article was written by your Senior Brother?"

Zhao Zheng tilted his head.

"That's right, Senior Brother is amazing, isn't he? There were even strange phenomena when he wrote it."

"Although Zheng'er doesn't understand it, I still feel warm inside. Old sir, you should read it carefully; you might gain more insight than Zheng'er."

The little one picked up the rice paper from the desk and handed it toward Qi Le.

Hearing this, Qi Le turned his gaze toward Li Xiang.

His expression was strange.

Fine eyebrows and a thin frame, with delicate features—what a pretty little child.

He looked about the same as the little one speaking beside him, both like children of six or seven years old.

Looking again at the Ink Treasure on the desk, Qi Le's expression became even stranger.

This was a Mysterious Grade Ink Treasure; how could it possibly have been written by a child?

He simply took it as the uninhibited words of a child and assumed they were joking.

"Little one, do not cause trouble."

As he spoke, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said.

"Town Guardian, who exactly composed this Ink Treasure?"

"I have been stuck at the Eighth Grade for many years; my teacher died early, and I have no lineage, so there are many things I know to be so, but do not know why they are so."

"Having seen a Mysterious Grade Ink Treasure today, I ask the Town Guardian to put in a good word for me so I may borrow it to study."

Lu Jianxing's expression was also very complex.

"Master Qi, this Ink Treasure was truly written by this little gentleman here."

"The two of them have a rather special lineage; their teacher is a Great Confucian living in seclusion."

"It is not convenient for me to reveal his name, so do not speak carelessly. If you truly wish to see it, you should ask this little gentleman."

Upon hearing this, Qi Le's expression was very complex.

"Old sir, why are you dazing off?"

"Senior Brother wrote it for you all in the first place, so you can just look at it."

The little one reached out again and handed the *Righteousness Song* to Qi Le.

Li Xiang lay on the table, watching quietly without speaking.

He now felt a very strong sense of drowsiness washing over him.

His entire head felt heavy and muddled.

Even though his Martial Dao cultivation was very strong and his body was extremely powerful.

He did not know why, but after writing this *Righteousness Song*, his whole head felt muddled.

It was as if he had exhausted too much of his essence, energy, and spirit.

"Ah, yes, yes, if you want to see it, just take it."

"I am a bit tired; let me rest for a while."

Saying this, Li Xiang lay down on the table.

He fell into a deep, groggy sleep.

Having walked all the way from Shihe Village, he did not feel particularly tired.

But writing the Righteousness Song in one breath had exhausted him thoroughly.

It seemed that this calligraphy treasure was also an extremely troublesome thing to write.

He lay slumped over the desk, drifting into a hazy sleep.

In his daze.

He heard voices vaguely ringing out around him.

"Congratulations to Master Qi for entering the Seventh Grade of the Confucian Dao!"

"No, no, no, I, Qi Le, owe this little gentleman a massive favor; in the future..."

————

"Big Brother, we can't get out!"

"The Magistrate, the Magistrate has actually sealed the city; now, entry is permitted but exit is forbidden."

——

"Big Brother."

"Shen Lian, Shen Lian he..."

"What happened to Shen Lian? Speak clearly!"

"Big Brother Shen, he went to the Wenwu Building all by himself to save Miss Tong!"

"Damn it, that good-for-nothing!"

——

Drowsy and hazy, Li Xiang was incredibly sleepy.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky was already bright.

He was still in the study, having fallen into a groggy sleep slumped over the desk, and a thick overcoat was draped over him—it was the official uniform of the Demon Slaying Division.

Hm?

"Damn, how long did I sleep?"

"Are my parents alright!"

Li Xiang opened his eyes, his heart in a state of chaos.

The city was in a restless time, yet he had actually slept straight through until dawn.

In one night, far too many things could have happened.

"Hey, Senior Brother, you're awake."

The little fellow's voice suddenly rang out.

Looking toward the sound, in another corner of the study, Zhao Zheng was holding a brush, boredly drawing little animals on the floor.

The room was empty; not a soul could be seen.

"Where are my parents?"

"And what about that Lu Jianxing from the Demon Slaying Division?"

"Quick, quick, quick, stop playing, tell your Senior Brother."

Li Xiang was somewhat anxious.

Having slept, he had truly delayed things a bit.

"Ah, Senior Brother, don't be anxious."

"Uncle and the others are outside eating porridge."

"They said that the old gentleman called Master Qi seems to have entered the Seventh Grade."

"He used Haoran Righteous Qi to draw a big circle, enclosing the Demon Slaying Division; it's very safe here now."

Li Xiang nodded.

It seemed that Qi Le had broken through.

His own Ninth Grade Haoran Righteous Qi was enough to slay a split soul of a demon spirit.

Now that he was Seventh Grade, it stood to reason that protecting a courtyard would be more than enough.

"Then where are they?"

"Oh. They said that going on like this is not a solution."

"Town Guardian Lu took some men and went to find the Magistrate."

"They said the Magistrate is the source, and they must slay the source to save the Commoners of this County."

(End of chapter)