socalfunplaces Page 503
Page 503
"A gong can block a blow from a master of the Refining Spirit Realm, and striking the gong can also shake the enemy's mind..."
"The night watchman team consists of at least two people and at most three, rotating every three days to guard different areas of the capital..."
Xu Qi'an secretly made up his mind that he must become a Jinluo like Li Chang'an, who would not have to go to work every day and could just pick up girls and write calligraphy in his spare time. That was the life a man should live.
This kind of life of working like a beast of burden is just a temporary phase!
On his first day as a night watchman, Xu Qi'an received his first case.
In Taikang County, which is under the jurisdiction of the capital, a man-eating monster has appeared in the Great Huangshan Mountain. It has already devoured many people, and the county government can no longer contain it. The night watchman decides to send someone to investigate.
Xu Qi'an reviewed the case files at the yamen, and then left the capital with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao. They met up with the constables of the Jingzhao Prefecture and arrived at Dahuang Mountain together.
After a brief discussion of the case, the group arrived at the edge of Mount Huangshan half a day later and stopped by the official road.
"Xu..."
Xu Qi'an reined in his horse and dismounted. As soon as his boots touched the ground, he felt something strange under his feet.
He looked down and saw a soft wad of cloth among the scattered pebbles by the roadside. He had stepped on the cloth, which was why he felt an unusual softness among the stones that were uncomfortable under his feet.
He kicked it casually, and then found that the heavy wad of cloth flew out. Xu Qi'an immediately bent down and picked it up.
The cloth ball turned out to be the top of a money bag, and Xu Qi'an found a whole bag of loose silver!
A quick weighing revealed it to be around ten ounces.
Unexpectedly, I had such good fortune after leaving the capital, finding so much silver all at once!
Xu Qi'an carried the money bag, and six or seven people, including the two night watchmen, all looked at him with envy.
"Everyone who sees this gets a share, fellow colleagues..."
As Xu Qi'an was speaking, he made a move to open the money bag and distribute the money, but Song Tingfeng immediately stepped forward and held Xu Qi'an's hand down.
"Ning Yan, what are you saying? What you found is yours. We are not people who would take advantage of others."
Zhu Guangxiao, Lü Qing, and the others all knew that Xu Qi'an was Li Chang'an's disciple, and they quickly waved their hands to express the same sentiment.
The constables from the government office dared not take it; if they didn't, it would be even more inconvenient for the two night watchmen to take it.
Xu Qi'an nodded and said, "If I hadn't joined the night watchmen, I wouldn't have had such good luck. After this case, I'd like to invite you two to relax at the brothel."
Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao's eyes lit up, and they immediately realized that Xu Qi'an knew how to handle things.
Xu Qi'an then glanced at Lü Qing and said to the imposing female constable, "Once this case is resolved, I will treat Constable Lü to a drink."
Lu Qing took it as a polite gesture and immediately cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Lord Xu is too kind."
Xu Qi'an glanced at Lü Qing's bulging chest with a serious expression, then said, "Gentlemen, investigating the case is the priority. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Let's head into the mountains immediately!"
……
While Xu Qi'an was solving a case in Dahuang Mountain, Li Chang'an was cultivating.
Among the three cultivation systems of Confucianism, Taoism, and martial arts, Li Chang'an's martial arts cultivation has now reached the peak of the fourth rank. His fourth-rank cultivation technique has been perfected, and his use of sword intent has reached a state of perfection.
The reason he prioritized martial arts training was because his physique made it very easy for him to break through the third-grade immortal body of a martial artist.
For a fourth-rank martial artist to break through to the third rank, they must refine and stimulate their physical body to undergo a transformation and transcend the ordinary.
However, Li Chang'an's current physical body has an extremely long lifespan and is an extraordinary body. As long as he adapts to the rules of the Great Feng world, he can smoothly enter the third rank of martial artist.
Reaching the third rank signifies entering the realm of the extraordinary, a difficult leap for any martial artist in the Great Feng world. However, Li Chang'an has already completed most of this difficult leap by chance.
Now, all I need to do is follow the rules of the Great Feng World, take some pills, and make my physical body, which allows me to traverse the void, conform to the rules of a third-grade martial artist, and I can advance smoothly.
"Congratulations, Brother Li, you are only half a step away from becoming extraordinary. I knew I had not misjudged you."
A fat orange cat, curled up in a corner, meowed once and then began to speak in human language.
"Master Jinlian, your injuries are almost healed by me, why don't you return to your original body?"
The orange cat walked over gracefully and said slowly, "This cat body has its advantages. At least it makes tracking and infiltration very convenient. I have long been able to separate my spirit from my body and switch between my physical body and the cat god at any time."
Li Chang'an felt that Master Jinlian had some special fetishes when it came to cats.
"I've healed your injuries. Could you help me find some pills that can help a fourth-rank martial artist advance to the third rank?"
"Brother Li, I am a Taoist priest. If you want elixirs, you should go find a sorcerer. Doesn't the female disciple of the supervisor often come to see you?" The orange cat licked its paws and said casually.
“Caiwei is only a sixth-grade cultivator, and she doesn’t have any good pills.”
The control over elixirs in this world is extremely strict, and only the upper echelons of each system have them. Li Chang'an doesn't want to go to the supervisor right now, so finding Jinlian is the most convenient option for the Taoist priest.
The orange cat thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there is another place where you can find the pills you need."
That's the Qinglong Temple outside the city. Their Buddhist monks follow a similar path to martial arts practitioners; they definitely have the kind of elixir you need.
Qinglong Temple, the temple where Hengyuan and Henghui resided. After Li Chang'an saved Henghui, the monk Panshu even wrote a polite letter inviting Li Chang'an to come and discuss Taoism.
However, Li Chang'an felt there was nothing to talk about with the monks, so he never went.
"I can go to Qinglong Temple by myself, but I can't heal you for nothing."
The orange cat bristled and said, "You can be said to be richer than a country now, how come you're still so stingy?"
Besides, you follow the path of self-cultivation, and you don't use ritual implements often, so I have nothing to give you.
Master Jinlian complained a couple of times, but still took out a bracelet from the storage artifact around her neck. "This Bodhi bracelet can change one's appearance and conceal one's aura. It might be of some use to you."
Li Chang'an took the Bodhi bracelet and immediately realized that it was the bracelet of Mu Nanzhi, the flower goddess in the original novel, which Xu Qi'an, the lucky man, had won for her in the game of pitch-pot.
However, as long as Xu Qi'an remains within the capital city limits, his luck will be suppressed by Li Chang'an. Although Li Chang'an doesn't know why, Xu Qi'an's luck is clearly not that extraordinary.
The orange cat had already told him that Xu Qi'an only hit one arrow when he tried to throw it into the pitch-pot game.
In fact, Li Chang'an still possessed the skill of concealing his aura, but because it was so rare in this world, he did not flaunt it.
Moreover, given his current cultivation level, this Bodhi bracelet is still of little use to him.
However, Mu Nanzhi, the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess, is currently in the capital. She is the most beautiful woman in the Great Feng Dynasty, and the Flower Goddess's spiritual essence can easily help martial artists break through from the fourth rank to the third rank.
If used wisely, it could even help a third-rank official advance to the second rank; that's exactly what the Prince of Zhenbei planned in the original story.
So now, shouldn't we get to know each other beforehand? After all, Mu Nanzhi is only a princess in name, and in reality, she's just a vessel prepared by Emperor Zhende.
After the orange cat left, Li Chang'an instructed the key members of Changqing Trading Company to start keeping an eye on Mu Nanzhi's whereabouts.
Changqing Trading Company now has shops of all sizes in the capital, dealing in calligraphy and paintings, storybooks, monosodium glutamate, and perfumes, and is gradually forming the prototype of an intelligence network.
Coincidentally, a few days later Mu Nanzhi left the city, and her destination was Qinglong Temple.
Li Chang'an knew that Mu Nanzhi was timid and proud, and like Princess Pingyang, she often went to temples.
However, Princess Pingyang went to the temple to see the monks, while Mu Nanzhi went there more to relax, because she was being watched too closely in the palace.
Li Chang'an went out alone, and as soon as he spoke, the law followed. He soon arrived at the entrance of Qinglong Temple.
Right at the temple gate, a magnificent golden nanmu carriage with a lake-blue curtain was parked, with only two soldiers guarding it.
Li Chang'an entered Qinglong Temple, partly to ask Pan Shu for some elixirs, and partly to flirt with Princess Mu.
Chapter 304 Your Highness, Screaming Your Head Off Is No Use
Qinglong Temple, with its wisps of smoke rising from it, resembles a fairyland.
Devout men and women came and went at the main gate, the main hall was filled with lay Buddhists who had converted to Buddhism, and people came in an endless stream to burn incense, worship Buddha, and make wishes.
Li Chang'an easily met the old monk Pan Shu, who was extremely grateful to Li Chang'an. Li Chang'an not only saved Heng Hui, but also Qinglong Temple.
If Heng Hui and Ping Yang were murdered quietly, most people would probably assume they had successfully eloped.
In that case, Qinglong Temple would definitely have been implicated, and it wouldn't have the prosperous scene of incense offerings it has now.
In a living room, Li Chang'an and the monk Pan Shu sat facing each other.
"Lord Li is renowned throughout the Great Feng Dynasty. Today, this humble monk has finally met you in person. You truly possess extraordinary bearing and a dignified appearance." Monk Panshu said with a beaming smile.
"How are Heng Hui and his fellow disciples doing in Chuzhou? Do they need any help?" Li Chang'an hadn't heard from the two monks for a long time.
Hengyuan was very active in the Heaven and Earth Society chat group, which suggests that he was not having a hard time.
Pan Shu smiled and said, "Hengyuan helped Henghui assassinate many barbarian generals, and Henghui's exile period was also reduced. I estimate that the two of them will be able to return in a few years."
This monk Hengyuan is really good to his simple-minded junior brother.
The old monk continued, "Heng Hui originally didn't want to learn martial arts, but after the great calamity last year, he started learning martial arts with Heng Yuan. His mindset changed, and he made great progress in his understanding of the Dao. This old monk is very pleased with him."
Buddhist practitioners do not abstain from killing; on the contrary, they advocate eliminating demons and monsters. Therefore, the actions of Hengyuan and his fellow disciples are harmless to their spiritual beliefs.
Li Chang'an nodded and said, "Master Pan Shu, I have reached the peak of the fourth rank in martial arts cultivation, and I am only one step away from the third rank. Stepping into the immortal body is similar to that of Buddhist martial monks, so I have come to ask for your guidance."
Although these words were spoken lightly, they deeply shocked the old monk Pan Shu.
Li Chang'an cultivates three different schools simultaneously, all of which are at the fourth rank, meaning he is already capable of fighting against third-rank opponents.
Now that Li Chang'an is about to enter the third rank of martial arts and become extraordinary, his strength will be even more immeasurable, and he may even be able to fight against a second-rank martial artist.
Such a figure is not to be ignored, not only in the Great Feng Dynasty, but also in the surrounding countries.
"Lord Li, the requirements for physical cultivation are extremely high when moving from the fourth rank to the third rank. It is generally difficult to even begin to grasp the basics without decades of honing and nurturing. Even with elixirs, it would be futile."
Li Chang'an could guess the old monk's doubts, because it was common sense.
Subsequently, Li Chang'an unleashed his martial aura, radiating a faint golden light. Every pore on his body brimmed with energy, and his body hair stood on end. This physical strength was already comparable to that of the Vajra Realm in Buddhism.