"I don't care about him."

Luo Yuheng frowned slightly, displeased. "You don't need to use him to provoke me all the time. I will make my own decision about who to cultivate with. You don't need to worry about it, Senior Brother."

She looked as if she was dissatisfied with being forced into a marriage by her elders... The orange cat chuckled lightly in its heart, naturally raising its paw... It glanced at something, then put it back down.

"It seems that Junior Sister doesn't really despise Xu Qi'an, or at least he doesn't make you feel disgusted. Anyway, I know you don't like Emperor Yuan Jing."

"No woman would like a man who constantly demands to cultivate with you," Luo Yuheng said indifferently.

Oh no, Xu Qi'an is also such a person... The orange cat sneered in its heart, but maintained a calm exterior and said with a smile:

"Junior Sister, no one can decide for you who to cultivate with. However, choosing a cultivation partner is not a trivial matter and should not be taken lightly. You should observe carefully. I have some important information about Xu Qi'an here, which may be useful to you."

Luo Yuheng's attitude did improve, and she nodded. "Senior Brother, please go on."

"In fact, this intelligence not only concerns Xu Qi'an, but also involves the secrets of the ancient People's Sect," Taoist Master Jin Lian said, then paused for a moment before continuing:

"Number Five is a young girl from the Gu Clan. You should know about this. She left the Southern Frontier not long ago and came to the Great Feng for training..."

The orange cat moved its paw, suppressing its instincts with great determination, and continued, "But she went missing near Xiangcheng two nights ago.

"The night before last, I gathered Numbers Three, Four, and Six to search for her. After several explorations, we found her in a large tomb at the foot of the southern mountains outside Xiangcheng.

"The owner of that tomb was a senior of the People's Sect. According to the information recorded in the murals, he was born in an era when the descendants of gods and demons were active. In order to cultivate using the spiritual energy, he killed the king, seized the throne, and declared himself emperor."

"Seizing the throne..." Luo Yuheng's brow furrowed. "Is he also a second-rank cultivator?"

The orange cat shook its head. "I originally thought so too. However, he failed to cross the tribulation and perished. He built a large tomb underground."

"It must have been built by his descendants," Luo Yuheng said as she poured a cup of water and pushed it in front of the orange cat.

The orange cat lowered its head and extended its pink tongue, taking a few sips of tea. It sighed, "The difference between a cat's tongue and a human's is really big. The tea tastes bland and tasteless. What a waste."

Then, returning to the topic, it said in a deep voice, "The problem lies here. That cultivator failed to cross the tribulation, but his physical body did not perish and has been sleeping in the underground palace. We awakened him when we entered the main tomb."

Xu Qi'an could see the details, and a veteran like Taoist Master Jin Lian could not possibly overlook them. The scorch marks on the mummified body and the strength of the physical body...

Taoist Master Jin Lian immediately realized that the mummified body was the cultivator, and the old silver coin was just pretending not to know.

"This is impossible!" Luo Yuheng's expression turned serious.

The heavenly tribulation destroys everything. If a second-rank cultivator fails to cross the tribulation, their primordial spirit and physical body will be destroyed together, leaving nothing behind.

The previous generation's People's Sect leader was like this.

"I was also surprised at first, but the fact is as I said," the orange cat replied.

In fact, it had concealed something from the members of the Heavenly Dao Society. The Earthly Sect leader did not fall into demonic ways after failing to cross the tribulation, but took a wrong path to deal with the tribulation and accidentally fell into the demonic path.

If he had failed to cross the tribulation, the Earthly Sect leader would have turned to ashes long ago.

"After the mummified body appeared, it mistakenly recognized Xu Qi'an as its master and presented him with the ancestral jade seal that it had guarded for many years..."

"Wait!" Luo Yuheng raised her hand and furrowed her delicate brows. "You said it called Xu Qi'an its master?"

Taoist Master Jin Lian nodded affirmatively.

Luo Yuheng, who was plump and beautiful, resembling a worldly beauty yet also a cold fairy, fell silent. It took her more than ten seconds to digest the immense information contained in that sentence, and then she said slowly:

"You said the mummified body is that cultivator, but it called Xu Qi'an its master. Who is his master, and why did it mistake Xu Qi'an for its master?"

The female national teacher stared intently, her gaze unwavering, and her expression particularly focused, showing that she cared deeply about these matters, or perhaps she had discovered some clues from these matters.

Taoist Master Jin Lian analyzed, "My guess is that the mummified body is a discarded shell, and the true cultivator has left the body and reshaped a new physical form."

This involves the cultivation system of the People's Sect.

At the third rank of the People's Sect, there is the Yang Spirit!

In the People's Sect, the Yang Spirit is also called the "Dharma Body," which is the embryonic form of the Dharma Appearance.

The three sects of Heaven, Earth, and Man follow different paths, but the core is the same. In summary, the steps of cultivation are as follows:

First, cultivate the Yin Spirit, then refine the Golden Elixir. When the Yin Spirit and the Golden Elixir merge, the Elemental Infant is born. After the Elemental Infant grows, it becomes the Yang Spirit. When the Yang Spirit reaches maturity, it becomes the Dharma Appearance.

Therefore, the Yang Spirit is the embryonic form of the Dharma Appearance, also known as the Dharma Body.

At the third rank of the People's Sect, cultivators can initially break free from the shackles of the physical body, allowing the Yang Spirit to roam freely between heaven and earth.

Even if the physical body is destroyed, as long as a certain price is paid, it can be reshaped.

Of course, this does not mean that the physical body is unimportant. On the contrary, the physical body is the key to becoming a first-rank terrestrial immortal.

When the Yang Spirit further transforms, it becomes the Dharma Appearance. At this point, the Dharma Appearance must merge with the physical body, reunite, and then pass through the heavenly tribulation to complete the transformation.

This is how terrestrial immortals are born.

"Since it was able to leave behind a discarded shell, it means that the cultivator was not a first-rank terrestrial immortal. If that's the case, how did he escape after failing the heavenly tribulation?" Luo Yuheng furrowed her brow.

"So it's just a guess. It seems that Junior Sister is also unaware of the reason," the orange cat said regretfully, shaking its head.

"If I knew the reason, my father wouldn't have perished in the heavenly tribulation," Luo Yuheng pouted.

"That makes sense," the orange cat nodded, showing a humanized smile."This matter will be set aside for now. Let's talk about the next piece of information. After failing his Tribulation Crossing, Daoist Du Jie built a large tomb for himself and ordered his disciple, Yi Tui, to guard a national jade seal containing the gathered fortune.

Daoist Du Jie told Yi Tui that he would come back to take the jade seal. Yi Tui mistook Xu Qi'an for Daoist Du Jie and handed the jade seal to him. Can you guess what happened next?"

Luo Yuheng's heart pounded with excitement, her bright eyes sparkling as she eagerly asked, "Did Xu Qi'an get the national jade seal? This is really good news, Senior Brother. This piece of information is priceless."

If she could exchange the national jade seal from Xu Qi'an and use the gathered fortune inside to cultivate, she would soon reach the first rank. She wouldn't have to worry about cultivating with a smelly man anymore.

Promoting to the first rank, living carefree between heaven and earth, with a long lifespan. She wouldn't have to be a national teacher anymore, wouldn't have to deal with Emperor Yuan Jing, and wouldn't have to be trapped in the capital.

At the thought of this, Luo Yuheng's heart beat even more violently, her breathing becoming rapid.

Since the establishment of the People's Sect, there have been countless second-ranked individuals, but first-ranked individuals are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. How many talents have been blocked by the Heavenly Tribulation?

"The jade seal is gone," Taoist Master Jin Lian said regretfully.

Luo Yuheng's expression suddenly stiffened, her breathing paused, and she exclaimed sharply, "The jade seal is gone? Did it stay in the tomb and not get taken out?"

"Is it in the mountains outside Xiangcheng? Tell me the exact location of that mountain range," she demanded.

She suddenly got up, summoned her flying sword and duster, and let them hang behind her. Then, as she walked out, she reached out to the orange cat, drawing it into her palm.

Luo Yuheng couldn't sit still.

"Sister."

Taoist Master Jin Lian's neck was grabbed, his limbs hanging down, in a posture of "I can't be bothered to move," and he said, "The jade seal is not in the tomb. Even if you go, you won't find it."

Luo Yuheng stopped in her tracks, widened her beautiful eyes, and scolded coquettishly, "You old Daoist, can't you just explain everything clearly at once? Hurry up and tell me, where is the jade seal?"

With a wave of his sleeve, the orange cat was sent tumbling.

"The jade seal is destroyed..."

Before Luo Yuheng could get angry, the orange cat added, "The gathered fortune inside was completely taken by Xu Qi'an."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuheng was dumbfounded on the spot.

After a while, Luo Yuheng returned to her cushion in silence, sat down, and murmured, "All the gathered fortune was taken by him..."

"If you previously thought that his gathered fortune was insufficient, then now, it should be a sure thing to help you reach the first rank. Of course, whether to cultivate with someone, and whether to cultivate at all, is up to you, Sister," the orange cat said gently.

It crouched for a moment, then, seeing Luo Yuheng lost in thought, couldn't help but cough and remind her, "I wonder if these two pieces of information are worth two Blood Fetus Pills?"

As soon as the words fell, Luo Yuheng threw two porcelain bottles from her sleeve, clear and translucent.

The orange cat opened its mouth, swallowed the two porcelain bottles, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sister."

Lightly jumping off the table, it wagged its tail and happily darted into the flower garden, leaving the Lingbao Sect.

Luo Yuheng sat like a statue for a long time. Suddenly, her long, curled eyelashes trembled, and the beautiful woman came back to life.

She raised her arm, her sleeve slipping down, and her fair and delicate jade hand gently held a hairpin, lightly pulling it out.

The lotus crown fell to the ground, and the soft green silk poured down like water, unrestrained.

A heavenly beauty.

"National Teacher, National Teacher..."

At this moment, a veiled woman, holding her skirt and covering her face, rushed in. She stepped over the threshold and saw Luo Yuheng, who was as beautiful as a waterfall of green silk, and was stunned.

The veiled woman stood still for a moment, pointed at Luo Yuheng, and exclaimed, "You've finally come to your senses and want to cultivate with Emperor Yuan Jing?"

As she spoke, she even winked and made a flirtatious gesture.

Luo Yuheng's fair face blushed slightly, and she twisted the hairpin in her hair, performing a magic trick to secure her hair.

She abandoned the fallen lotus crown on the ground.

"What do you want from me?" Luo Yuheng asked calmly.

The veiled woman did not answer, but walked straight to the table, turned over an upside-down teacup, poured herself a cup of warm tea, and drank it all in one go, burping contentedly.

"The palace received a message from the border, saying that the Northern King has already reached the third rank, and at the latest, he will reach the peak of the third rank by early next year, or even earlier this year."

The veiled woman paced back and forth in the quiet room, muttering, "This is not good, this is not good."

Luo Yuheng frowned and said, "So soon?"

After pondering for a while, she smiled and said, "What's not good about it? If he advances to the second rank, your position as the Northern King's consort will only be second to the Empress. The concubines and noble consorts in the palace will have to bow to you."

"Who cares about those things," the veiled woman said, then furrowed her brow suddenly. "Right, the messenger who returned was his deputy, and that rough warrior deputy even asked me about the Buddhist martial arts."

.............

Imperial City.

Xu Qi'an bid farewell after having lunch at Lin'an Mansion, riding his beloved mare, contemplating his gains in Lin'an Mansion.

"Indeed, chess is still too difficult for her. She doesn't like it much, but she treasures the chessboard and pieces we made together...

"Long Aotian and Zixia's words, she also likes them, but she seems a bit disappointed with this issue? She wouldn't say where I wrote poorly, and was evasive...

"Today, I held hands with Lin'an twice. Once when teaching her to play chess, and the other when I pulled her while boating in the rear pond. It's a good sign that, as long as I don't take too much advantage, she can accept physical contact with me. More than friends but less than lovers.

"Hold steady, hold steady. For now, love is like a carriage, with Lin'an inside and me outside. In the near future, love will be like a bed, with Lin'an underneath and me inside."

Soon, the Nightwatcher's yamen came into view."Big Brother, Big Brother..."

At this moment, a familiar shout came from the entrance of the yamen.

Xu Qi'an's face stiffened as he turned towards the sound, spotting Old Zhang's son from the gatehouse.

"How many times have I told you, outside you must call me 'Young Master'," Xu Qi'an scolded annoyedly, then asked, "What brings you to the yamen?"

The servant from the outer city still clung to old habits, calling him Big Brother and Xu Xinnian 'Second Brother'. This reminded Xu Qi'an of his previous life, where despite being an adult, his parents still called him by his childhood nickname, which was particularly embarrassing, especially in front of others.

"A young lady has come to the residence looking for you. When asked about her relation to you, she wouldn't say. She just insisted on finding you. The lady of the house sent me to call you back," explained Old Zhang's son, "But the guards at the yamen wouldn't let me in, and they said you hadn't checked in today and weren't at the yamen, so I could only wait at the entrance."

A young lady?

Xu Qi'an reviewed the 'fish' in his pond, first ruling out Chu Caiwei, who was a regular visitor at the Xu residence, coming over every now and then.

It couldn't be Fu Xiang either; she had no reason to visit unannounced, and besides, his aunt recognized Fu Xiang. At that time, love was like a coffin, with Xu Qi'an inside and Fu Xiang, the creditor, outside.

Could it be Zhong Li?... Xu Qi'an pondered, then asked, "What features does this young lady have?"

...

Inside a tavern in the inner city, Zhu Tuizhi, a student from Yunlu Academy, was drinking with his classmates.

Aside from the students of Yunlu Academy, there were also a few from the Imperial College.

Although there was a rivalry over doctrinal orthodoxy between Yunlu Academy and the Imperial College, and the students did indeed look at each other with mutual hostility and disdain, it was limited to that.

If there were any irreconcilable conflicts, in truth, there were none, as the doctrinal disputes were too remote for ordinary students, most of whom didn't even have the chance to become officials, or could only be minor ones.

If one side took the initiative to make friends and flatter, then sitting together and enjoying wine and conversation was quite easy.

Zhu Tuizhi had been in a terrible mood recently, having failed the imperial examinations.

For the proud Zhu Tuizhi, this was a tremendous blow, especially since his long-time rival, Xu Xinnian, had topped the exams with the title of "Huiyuan."

The gap between them was even more pronounced.

After the results were announced, he spent his days lingering in brothels, the Official Brothel Sector, and taverns, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

"When did he ever have such poetic talent?"

This question constantly troubled Zhu Tuizhi. As a classmate and rival, how could he not know Xu Xinnian's capabilities?

His policy essays and understanding of the classics were indeed first-rate, but his poetry was mediocre. Zhu Tuizhi was confident that in terms of poetry, ten Xu Xinnians couldn't compare to him.

"Who would have thought that this year's Huiyuan of the spring examinations would be taken by Xu Xinnian from your Yunlu Academy."

A student from the Imperial College remarked, "This is a disgrace for us at the Imperial College. If it were in the past, this would have caused an uproar.

"But if it's Xu Xinnian, then everyone is convinced."

Another student from the Imperial College shook his head and recited, "The road is hard, the road is hard, with many diverging paths, where am I now? The strong wind and waves will come in time, just hang the cloudsail to cross the sea.

"Every time I savor this poem, it stirs up a boundless passion in my heart, making any hardship seem trivial. Hahaha, let's drink!"

The students from Yunlu Academy showed proud smiles. With Xu Xinnian's top score, they felt honored as students of Yunlu Academy.

Only Zhu Tuizhi remained silent, drinking sullenly.

At that moment, a young student from the Imperial College who had not spoken glanced at Zhu Tuizhi and smiled, "Brother Zhu doesn't seem very happy?"

Zhu Tuizhi glanced at him. This person's surname was Liu, with the single character 'Jue' for his given name, and he was very good at socializing. He didn't speak ill of the students from Yunlu Academy just because he was from the Imperial College.

In the circle of young scholars in the capital, he had extensive connections. Like Zhu Tuizhi, he had also failed the imperial examinations.

This novel is available on "p𝑎wread.com".

Zhu Tuizhi didn't answer and waved his hand, continuing to drink.

Liu Jue didn't mind and was determined to draw Zhu Tuizhi into the conversation, asking, "Why has Xu Huiyuan's poetic talent never been mentioned before if it's so extraordinary?

"Even if it's a stroke of genius, to produce such a timeless masterpiece, his own poetic skills can't be too low. Yet, I've never heard of a Xu Xinnian in the poetry circles of the capital."

Zhu Tuizhi snorted and drained his cup, saying disdainfully, "Don't say you haven't heard of him, even I, a student of Yunlu Academy, have never heard of him."

Upon hearing this, the students from the Imperial College became interested and looked over.

Liu Jue narrowed his eyes, his tone unchanged, and casually asked, "What do you mean by that, Brother Zhu?"

...

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