Volume 1, Chapter 20: Guidance from a Junior Student

After a brief scuffle, Qin Zheng finally earned his junior sister’s pity, at the cost of a large bump on his forehead.

Xie Qingluan quietly rubbed her chest, her face flushed red as she stated stiffly, "If you dare to act like a rogue again, I really will leave! Yang Fengqing never even looked for me; your plans have nothing to do with me!"

The girl was filled with resentment. *That senile old man, why did he have to make me stick to this shameless scoundrel!*

"Qingluan, we’ve been through thick and thin together. Why are you so guarded against me?"

Qin Zheng, thick-skinned as ever, weighed his words carefully. "You understand my plan, right? I want to ask for your help. Use your Art of Qi Observation to ask the women in the Music Conservatory what exactly happened to them during the five days they were abducted by that monster."

He sighed and continued, "However, this matter touches on their privacy and concerns that lecherous monster. If I were to ask, they would inevitably feel humiliated and might just invent stories, which would be counterproductive."

He was waiting for Xie Qingluan for exactly three reasons, and this was the first. The second was where to obtain the flesh and blood of spirit beasts or rare heavenly treasures. The third was how to utilize the divine consciousness he had developed prematurely.

Xie Qingluan blinked her almond-shaped eyes and said crisply, "They are now helpless and abandoned, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices hasn't provided any guidance for their consolation. You are their official pacifier—what do you intend to do?"

Qin Zheng patted his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. *I, Qin Conan, already have three tangled messes to deal with; where would I find the energy to coddle these women?*

According to standard procedures, the placement of these victims depended solely on their household registration. Women of slave status were not permitted to remain at the Music Conservatory and would be sent to the Laundry Bureau, where they would be forced into hard labor while serving the lowest-ranking laborers and cart drivers. Commoners were to be compensated for their losses and then dismissed. Women of monastic status were to be compensated and then placed in new temples.

Currently, Li Wei, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was playing deaf and dumb. He was likely too intimidated by the scale of the case to act, fearing he would end up like Cui Guangyuan, harassed and picked apart by the other lords.

The key to it all was money. With money, one could ransom the slave-class women, compensate the Great Ning for property losses, and appease the commoners and monastics. Money was truly omnipotent—too bad he didn't have any.

Qin Zheng explained the difficulties, leaned in toward Xie Qingluan, and asked with a cheeky grin, "Qingluan, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

"Don't come any closer! You must call me Official Xie!"

Xie Qingluan’s proud little face panicked. She retreated several steps, pointed at the ground, and warned vigilantly, "You are not allowed to get this close to me! From now on, you stay at least ten feet away unless I give you permission!"

*Nothing good ever happens when this annoying brat gets close to me.*

*If it weren't for that old man's orders, I wouldn't bother with him at all! Stay calm, don't let him see that I’m being forced to stay by his side!*

Xie Qingluan muttered to herself, then tightened her expression and lifted her chin, taking the initiative. "Your etiquette was taught by the Eldest Princess—how can you still be so rude?"

Qin Zheng raised an eyebrow. *You little snot-nose, how dare you criticize the Eldest Princess? I won't settle this with you yet. Once I've finished with the trouble at hand, I'll pin you to the bed and make you cry out for your daddy!*

Xie Qingluan began to think, her expression cooling. "When I left the Imperial Observatory, my teacher spoke of this. He said these women are pitiable souls and must be given their freedom."

Qin Zheng paused, stunned. *The Grand Astrologer cares about such trivial matters? According to Yang Fengqing, the Grand Astrologer is a god-like figure perched high above—does he really have the heart for this?* He suspected Xie Qingluan was bluffing, but he had no proof.

Qin Zheng deliberated and said with an awkward smile, "If the funds aren't enough, could Official Xie take a trip to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and ask for some money?"

Xie Qingluan crossed her arms. "That is your business! If you do as my teacher instructed, I can help you ask the Court of Imperial Sacrifices how much money is needed. I will also help you ask them what happened while they were being held."

Qin Zheng thought it over. The two requests weren't contradictory, and one was essentially solved. He immediately continued, "Where can I buy the flesh of spirit beasts or other rare, miraculous treasures?"

"You can't buy them anywhere!" Xie Qingluan lifted her chin, acting haughty. "Heavenly treasures are priceless and rare; they are always traded through barter. Don't even think about using silver. Besides, even if you were lucky enough to stumble upon them, you couldn't afford them."

She raised an eyebrow and enticed him, "My Imperial Observatory has some treasures, but they were all acquired through trade. We won't sell them to you unless you trade them for valuable intelligence or knowledge!"

*So, you're still eyeing my ancestral knowledge? We can certainly negotiate a price for that. But since I can get spirit beast flesh from Yang Fengqing, your value is plummeting...*

Qin Zheng had a plan for his second doubt, so he continued, "How do I use this divine consciousness I've developed prematurely? Why could it never break through the defense of that bell of yours?"

"Divine consciousness is formless and intangible; it is not a Nascent Soul or a Primordial Spirit. How could it possibly break through my Shaohao Bell?" Xie Qingluan gave Qin Zheng a look, speaking with the tone of an honor student lecturing a dunce. "Even a fourth-rank martial artist like Yang Fengqing couldn't do it. Unless it was the Primordial Spirit of a second-rank martial artist, it would be impossible to break the Shaohao Bell’s defense while I’m not paying attention!"

She added with a haughty expression, "Of course, that's only a possibility. Even when the senior sister of my Imperial Observatory activated the Shaohao Bell, not even a first-rank expert from the Daoist sects could break it."

Qin Zheng was stunned and felt a bit discouraged. "Does that mean you don't even need to cultivate? You can just carry the artifact and be invincible?"

"The Shaohao Bell only defends against divine consciousness. Furthermore, there's a difference between my senior sister activating it and me doing so. If I were truly attacked by a powerful foe, the bell might remain undamaged, but I might not be able to withstand the residual force of the strike."

Xie Qingluan looked a bit frustrated. She clenched her small hands and whispered, "The key is that it's... it's only on loan from my teacher. I don't know when he might take it back..." She was anxious; she had brought most of the Imperial Observatory's treasures with her, and she wasn't sure if that senile old man would have the heart to take them back.

Qin Zheng didn't understand her concern, so he continued, "Then what is my divine consciousness actually good for?"

"The Daoist sects have the best explanation for the marvels of divine consciousness: 'Internal contemplation and visualization, establishing forms in the void.'"

Xie Qingluan’s honor student persona ignited as she spoke fluently: "The so-called 'internal contemplation and visualization' means to visualize the shape of your divine consciousness within your sea of consciousness. Only by giving form to the formless can you launch an effective attack!"

She thought for a moment and added: "You used your fists to injure He Liu, a junior commander of the Night Watch. He is at the eighth rank and lacks divine consciousness. If you had attacked him with your divine consciousness instead of your fists, he would have been completely defenseless."

"Of course, divine consciousness attacks are extremely dangerous. If someone has a defensive artifact, you could end up hurting yourself. You’ve seen Yang Fengqing—he doesn't even use his divine consciousness in daily life."

"Furthermore, internal contemplation is the foundation for cultivating a Primordial Spirit; it is crucial. If you don't have a suitable object to visualize, don't attempt it yet. Otherwise, if others are visualizing the sun, and you are visualizing a grain of sand, how will you compete with them?"

"I heard that someone once entered an ancient imperial tomb and visualized the Daoist techniques of the Human Emperor, gaining immense power. Unfortunately, he disappeared later, and no one knows the location of the tomb anymore."

Qin Zheng listened, completely dumbfounded. He never realized there were so many facets to cultivating divine consciousness. If his junior sister hadn't warned him, he would have lost right at the starting line. He was so touched he almost wanted to hug her and give her a kiss.

However, he hesitated about what to visualize. Should he visualize his little flame? Once he entered the seventh-rank Spirit Refining Realm, both his supernatural powers and his divine consciousness would be that little flame, capable of annihilating both body and soul with a single strike.

Qin Zheng pondered for a moment and set the thought aside. He asked, "If I don't have an object to visualize for now, are there any other uses for my divine consciousness?"

"You come from the Emperor's Xuanhe Garden, and the Eldest Princess taught you etiquette and laid your foundation. Didn't she tell you these things?"

Xie Qingluan’s academic patience wore thin, and she became impatient. "You can use the method of internal contemplation to scan your physical body, identify weaknesses, and refine your physique in the Essence Refining Realm so that you can step into the Qi Refining Realm sooner."

She furrowed her delicate brows and continued, "Other cultivation systems use divine consciousness to control artifacts, but you are a martial artist inheriting the legacy of the Lord of War. What is a Lord of War? The master of all weapons, the god of war. Naturally, you don't need to refine external artifacts!"

*You little snot-nose, you're criticizing the Eldest Princess again!*

*Once I step into the Qi Refining Realm, I'll come and spar with you again—and at least complete fifty percent of my 'take-down' plan.*

*But with this, my three problems are all solved!*

Qin Zheng rubbed his chin, glanced at Xie Qingluan, and grinned. "Did the Grand Astrologer send you here with so many treasures to find a son-in-law?"

"In your dreams!" Xie Qingluan glared at him, held up three jade fingers, and said crisply, "My teacher told you to do three things for me, and after that, he will grant you a supreme treasure!"

Qin Zheng didn't hesitate; he got up and walked away. "I'm busy! The young ladies are calling me for dinner!"