Chapter 790: Stone Seal
Chapter 790: Stone Seal
“I. . . ”
The wind whistled past Mei Changkong's ears, and he felt his vision go dark before he fainted.
By the time he woke up again, he was already inside a mountain cave.
“Eh? I’m alright. . . ”
He circulated his qi to regulate his breathing, feeling comfortable and at ease throughout his body. The injuries he had originally sustained from County Magistrate Cao and the wounds left by the Martial Judge had vanished without a trace.
“Good. . . you’re awake? ”
At this moment, a flicker of light and shadow appeared at the cave entrance, and a black-clad young Daoist walked in. It was precisely Fang Xi.
Mei Changkong remained silent for a moment, then suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, touching his five limbs to the earth: “Changkong thanks Benefactor for saving my life. May I ask, Benefactor, what Dao do you cultivate? ”
“The path I cultivate is naturally that of the carefree True Immortal, one of eternal life. ”
Fang Xi replied with a smile.
Mei Changkong's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
To not enter the Dao Court, to cultivate and comprehend on one’s own, is ultimately an illusion!
This restriction had caused countless heaven-blessed talents to stoop in resignation, and even the occasional stubborn ones would waste their lives away.
At this moment, Mei Changkong thought of his own sect, and couldn't help but whisper in his heart: “Master. . . ”
Thump, thump, thump!
He suddenly kowtowed heavily, his voice like a cuckoo crying blood: “This old man. . . this old man. . . having seen the path of a True Immortal today, I shall die without regret. . . Benefactor, simply give the command, this old Daoist will not shrink from death! ”
In the blink of an eye, this Mei Changkong was already weeping copious tears.
‘Hmm? He didn't desperately beg me to take him as a disciple. He's quite perceptive, understands hierarchy, and knows when to advance and retreat. . . ’
Seeing this scene, Fang Xi secretly praised him.
If it were the type who, after being saved, shamelessly wanted to become his disciple and beg for True Immortal arts.
Fang Xi might have just slapped them dead.
Even if he didn't slap them dead, he would simply flick his sleeves and leave.
There are thousands upon thousands of cultivators in the world; would he be afraid of not finding a guinea pig? Why hang oneself on one tree?
As it seemed now, this Mei Changkong was quite decent.
He sat cross-legged, and a wisp of black qi naturally emerged in the void, resembling a spirit mushroom, supporting Fang Xi's body: “Recount your experiences, one by one. . . ”
Seeing Fang Xi like this, Mei Changkong felt even more envious in his heart.
A Rogue Cultivator's spiritual opportunities were limited; even if he possessed a strange treasure, he had to carefully conserve every wisp of his magic power to guard against the unexpected.
Such a luxurious action was utterly impossible for him.
Mei Changkong composed himself, and then recounted his experiences in detail: “This old man hails from the Flying Star Temple. . . ”
“. . . For this assassination, this old man had already refined three ‘Mourning Nails. ’ As long as they nailed that Cao villain's physical body, they would surely corrupt his soul. Alas. . . ”
Towards the end of his narration, the old Daoist shook his head helplessly, presenting a gray-white Stone Seal and three jet-black nails: “These items, Benefactor, please appraise them! ”
“Hm. ”
Fang Xi first picked up the three ‘Mourning Nails’ and couldn't help but smile.
From the perspective of a top-tier Demonic Cultivator like him, these artifacts were simply too crude to behold.
However, corrupting a Foundation Establishment cultivator's Divine Soul was somewhat plausible—provided they could hit their target.
Mei Changkong, apparently, couldn't hit anything.
‘Furthermore, the officials in this world all possess Daoist titles and divine offices. Even if all three nails struck, I fear they wouldn't be able to destroy the opponent's Divine Soul. . . ’
Fang Xi had witnessed the power of the deities today, and it was indeed quite impressive.
For example, that City God of Qingxi County, within the borders of Qingxi County, definitely possessed power comparable to Core Formation!
Moreover, various divine arts were even more akin to divine abilities, manifesting at will, making them quite troublesome even among Core Formation cultivators.
However, the Divine Dao also had its drawbacks.
That was, once outside the divine office's jurisdiction of Qingxi County, this Lord City God would likely immediately revert to being an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, perhaps even slightly weaker than one. . .
‘This Stone Seal, however, is quite interesting. . . ’
Fang Xi immediately picked up the gray-white Stone Seal again.
He saw that the Stone Seal was square, its inscriptions at the bottom already blurred beyond recognition, and its surface covered in cracks.
Yet, it was precisely this Stone Seal that allowed Rogue Cultivators without a Daoist title or entry into the Dao Court to gain a sliver of respite under the inescapable heavenly net and earthly snare.
He toyed with it for a moment, sensing a profound aura hidden within the object.
Alas, he was not a high-level Divine Dao cultivator and could not discern its profound mysteries.
“This item is quite remarkable. I can only confirm that it is a high-grade Divine Dao treasure. . . ”
Fang Xi tossed the Stone Seal back to Mei Changkong.
Mei Changkong, however, looked as if he had been struck by lightning, then gave a bitter smile with a hint of realization: “This old Daoist also had some suspicions. It seems my guesses were correct. . . ”
A look of dejection appeared on his face.
After all, successive patriarchs of the Flying Star Temple had all dreamed of cultivating and comprehending on their own to become carefree immortals.
Yet, they discovered that their path had been wrong from the very beginning.
The external objects they relied upon were also part of the Divine Dao!
It was as if they had tried countless paths, only to ultimately circle within the grasp of the deities.
Had he not witnessed Fang Xi's ‘True Immortal path’ today, such a blow, enough to shatter his worldview, might have even driven Mei Changkong to self-destruction.
“Since it is a Divine Dao treasure, it is not what this old man seeks. ”
Mei Changkong gritted his teeth, held the Stone Seal with both hands, and knelt again: “This old man is willing to offer this treasure to Benefactor, only asking that Benefactor permit this old man to serve by your side, to be an old servant at your beck and call. . . ”
“This item. . . is no ordinary thing. Have you truly thought this through? ”
Fang Xi picked up the Stone Seal and asked with a smile.
“No regrets, even if I die nine times! ”
Mei Changkong's reply was firm and decisive, yet at the same time, a sense of melancholy loss filled his heart, as if he had let go of something profoundly important.“Since that is the case, I shall accept it. ”
Fang Xi nodded with a smile: “I intend to travel the world, seeking a place to cultivate in seclusion. I do indeed need an old servant to handle miscellaneous affairs. From now on, you may call me Young Master. ”
“This old servant greets Young Master! ”
Mei Changkong hastily bowed.
Fang Xi held the Stone Seal, and in the depths of his being, he felt a karmic connection form with this person, and couldn't help but smile.
In this world, the rules of the Dao of Karma were considerably stronger than in the Earthly Immortal World.
However, he was naturally uninhibited and fearless.
...
After sending Mei Changkong out to procure some wild game, Fang Xi waved his hand, and a shimmering light appeared within the cave, revealing six talismans.
Among them, three were Daoist titles: two ‘Supreme Dao Court Merit Official’s Daoist Titles’ from the Day and Night Wandering Gods.
No wonder these two gods dared to aspire to attain rank; it turned out they were jinshi, genuine Daoists with registered Daoist names!
And another was an eighth-rank ‘Supreme Dao Court Big Dipper Secret Daoist Title’, belonging to that Martial Judge.
Fang Xi then looked at the remaining Divine Dao Edicts.
He saw a jade-white edict, one chi long and three fingers wide, inscribed with ‘Day Patrol Commander of Qingxi County City God Temple’!
The other one was similar, only it read ‘Night Patrol Commander of Qingxi County City God Temple’!
“They're all unranked divine officials, but they seem better than the Well Dragon King's divine office of Water Transport Envoy. ”
Fang Xi looked at the last Divine Office Edict.
This one was even more different. Not only was it pure white throughout, but it was also wreathed in wisps of crimson qi, with colorful divine script flickering upon it, inscribed with ‘Unranked Ninth Grade Martial Judge of the Reward and Punishment Department of Qingxi County City God Temple’!
“An unranked ninth-grade divine office! ”
Feeling the power of this divine office talisman, Fang Xi couldn't help but murmur.
Such a divine office could allow a mortal to ascend to heaven in a single step, without even needing a talent test.
Moreover, the divine office itself came with certain magical techniques, much like a ritual empowerment, allowing newly ascended deities to learn them instantly! And they could essentially master them thoroughly!
“The gains today are not small, but the potential troubles are also great. For someone who has truly achieved a rank and an official position, they have a record even in the Dao Court. . . it's possible even the Son of Heaven knows of this Tie Ci from Qingxi County. If I killed him, I would immediately become an enemy of the entire Divine Dao. . . ”
“Of course, even overturning the entire Dao Court wouldn't be much, as it's just a minor realm after all. But if the Heavenly Court intervenes, it won't be fun. . . ”
“And these Daoist titles naturally all have tracking and positioning effects. . . ”
At this moment, these six talismans glowed brightly, like six fish, seeming eager to break through the air and fly away.
A faint smile appeared on Fang Xi's lips, and he suddenly waved a hand.
A silver light emerged, enveloping the six talismans, and vanished without a trace in an instant.
“The tracking is powerful, so let them track to Trapped Sky Island in the Earthly Immortal World then. . . ”
“These six talismans can all be used to copy divine script, which will bring immediate improvements to my talisman-making arts. . . ”
“Especially the unranked ninth-grade Martial Judge's divine office, it gives a different feeling. ”
“I wonder what kind of enlightenment higher-grade divine offices can provide me? ”
A hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
Of course, a divine office is the core of a deity. It's virtually impossible to see such a secret unless you kill the other party or become their superior.
Therefore, to observe more divine offices and divine scripts, there seemed to be only one path forward?
“That's not entirely true. As the saying goes, 'to gain office, kill, burn, and accept amnesty'. . . it's not unheard of for the Dao Court to subjugate evil gods and incorporate them into orthodox worship. . . ”
Fang Xi looked in a certain direction, lost in thought.
...
Several days later.
White Sweet Village.
“Congratulations, Young Master Gan, you've passed the child scholar examination! ”
A group of people surrounded Gan Yu's family fence, their gazes filled with envy as they looked inside.
Among the crowd, there were also two yamen runners.
These yamen runners usually descended upon the villages like wolves and tigers, bullying the villagers was a daily occurrence.
Ordinary villagers would go weak in the knees at the sight of their official attire, wishing they could kneel down and push the village chief and landlord forward to deal with them.
But at this moment, the two yamen runners had faces full of smiles as they bowed to Gan Yu: “Congratulations, Child Scholar Gan! You placed sixth in this child scholar examination. Next year, you'll surely have a seat at the Deer Cry Banquet. . . ”
The Deer Cry Banquet was an official banquet held after one successfully passed the provincial examination and became a juren.
This was naturally a way to offer good wishes.
Gan Yu thanked them repeatedly, then took out a few silver coins that Fang Xi had sponsored him again, offering them to the two yamen runners: “You two have worked hard traveling far. Please accept this small token for tea. ”
“Child Scholar Gan is too kind. . . ”
The older yamen runner's face was full of smiles, almost splitting his wrinkles and creases: “This is the official document. Young Master, please remember that in seven days, you must go to the yamen to meet Lord County Magistrate. Lord County Magistrate will personally confer the Daoist title upon the newly advanced child scholars. . . ”
“Thank you for the reminder. ”
After Gan Yu sent off the two yamen runners, he saw a white-haired old man approaching, his face beaming, leaning on a pigeon staff. He recognized him as the village's largest landlord and quickly cupped his hands: “Old Master Bai. . . ”
“Eh. . . Ah Yu shouldn't call me that. . . ”
Old Master Bai chuckled: “This old man felt back then that you, Ah Yu, would amount to something, and seeing you today, it's indeed true! Our White Sweet Village's ancestral graves must be smoking with good fortune to produce a child scholar. From now on, dealing with the officials will be up to you. . . ”
Becoming a child scholar brought many conveniences; for instance, it was considered half an official status. When tax collectors came down to the villages, they wouldn't dare to exploit them too much, and one could procure some benefits for the entire village.
Listening to Old Master Bai's compliments, Gan Yu couldn't help but feel a sudden realization.
This was merely an unranked child scholar. If he passed the provincial examination and became a juren, gaining tax-exempt land, he feared the villagers would start dedicating their land and selling themselves into servitude. . .
Stepping onto the path of the imperial examination truly brought an immediate, vast difference.
The second update will be later
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