Second Uncle Xu was deeply moved. His twenty years of mediation hadn’t been in vain. Although his wife still disliked their nephew, the younger generation maintained good relationships with each other.
Second Uncle Xu took the sleeping infant from his daughter’s arms and consoled her, “Ning Yan has already been released. It’s over now.”
Ling Yue Xu remained skeptical.
Despite Second Uncle Xu’s attempts to persuade her, she was still doubtful and turned her gaze towards her second brother.
Xin Nian Xu calmly stated, “It was a trivial matter.”
Ling Yue Xu believed him then. Someone as proud as her second brother wouldn’t lie about such an important matter.
County Magistrate Zhu, who had been closely following the aftermath of this incident, rushed over as soon as he received news from his clerk.
“How did you resolve the issue with Young Master Zhou?” County Magistrate Zhu asked, puzzled. Unless Young Master Zhou had given up himself, which he thought unlikely.
“I asked for my teacher’s help,” Xin Nian Xu replied.
So that’s it… County Magistrate Zhu suddenly understood, but then felt something was amiss. The influential figures in the imperial court were all graduates of the Imperial College, and it was well-known that the Imperial College and the Yunlu Academy were at odds.
Even if Xin Nian Xu’s teacher was a great scholar, Minister Sun from the Ministry of Justice wouldn’t have released the person so readily. There would have been at least some back-and-forth if only to diminish the face of the Yunlu Academy’s great scholar. It couldn’t have been resolved so easily.
“And there was Master Mu Bai,” Xin Nian Xu added, then supplemented: “As well as the White Robes from the Celestial Observation Bureau.”
“What?!” County Magistrate Zhu was startled. His expression became cautious, and his attitude grew more respectful. “Like father, like son indeed!”
“Congratulations, Lord Xu. Your son is truly gifted, not only earning the respect of the Yunlu Academy but also maintaining connections with the White Robes of the Celestial Observation Bureau. His future is limitless. To have such a son, I’m truly envious.”
The second brother knows the White Robes of the Celestial Observation Bureau. Ling Yue Xu immediately looked at Xin Nian Xu, feeling a strong sense of security.
For ordinary women, they obey their father at home and their husband after marriage — reflecting their two sources of support before and after marriage.
At home, the father is the support, and so are the brothers.
Xin Nian Xu shook his head, “I didn’t invite Master Mu Bai; it was my eldest brother’s connection. I don’t know the White Robes from the Celestial Observation Bureau either; my eldest brother brought them in as well.”
When did Ning Yan Xu become acquainted with the great scholar Li Mu Bai from the Yunlu Academy? Perhaps Xin Nian Xu had acted as a bridge. But how could a mere clerk be acquainted with the White Robes of the Celestial Observation Bureau?
County Magistrate Zhu stood dumbfounded, his mind filled with the words “impossible.”
Ning Yan Xu had been working under him for some years now, always a quiet, unremarkable figure. His relationship with colleagues wasn’t bad, but not particularly close either.
He had no great talents, except for fighting.
Lately, he had suddenly become clever and smooth-talking, calling Constable Wang “brother” and drinking merrily with colleagues.
But no matter what, it shouldn’t have earned him the appreciation of a great scholar or the friendship of the White Robes from the Celestial Observation Bureau.
“If that’s the case, Ning Yan Xu’s status is no longer what it used to be. Even I will have to be polite to him… When he reports for duty tomorrow, I’ll probe and see what’s going on,” County Magistrate Zhu thought to himself.
Ling Yue Xu widened her big eyes, hardly believing it.
But the clever girl quickly made a connection. Was it that poem? The farewell poem her eldest brother had written for her second brother, had earned the great scholar’s appreciation and thus his willingness to help mediate.
But how did her eldest brother become acquainted with the celestials from the Celestial Observation Bureau… Her eldest brother was becoming more and more mysterious.
…
Qi An Xu followed Song Qing along the corridor. Light beams shot out from air holes in the right wall, providing illumination.
The Star-Gazing Tower had no windows, which disappointed Qi An Xu as he couldn’t admire the distant scenery.
Soon, they arrived at a secret room. Song Qing took out a key to open the door and lit the candles inside.
The secret room was filled with various strange objects. Some were weapons and crossbows, while others were completely unidentifiable.
Qi An Xu looked around as if he were browsing a clothing store. Suddenly, something startled him.
“What is this?”
It was a huge glass bottle filled with clear water. Inside the water was a strange creature. It looked like a cat, but its body was covered with wooden textures, and there were even wooden knots on its belly.
Even stranger, it was alive. The protruding wooden knot, seemingly its heart, was slightly undulating.
“This is a great experiment,” Song Qing said solemnly. “Its original form was a cat. I tried to fuse it with a tree, hoping it would gain the ability to regenerate lost limbs. I was close to succeeding. Even if you cut off its head, it would grow back within three days. Its only weakness was its heart.”
“But I also failed, because it completely turned into a tree. It can’t move, can’t think, and can only be kept in water.”
…Are you a devil? Qi An Xu’s gaze towards him changed.
“What do you think of my idea?” Song Qing asked in a probing tone. Seeing Qi An Xu’s changed expression, he frowned, somewhat disappointed. “You think there’s a problem too?”
Qi An Xu maintained his expression and shook his head. “I just think you’ve gone in the wrong direction. I’ve also thought about this kind of alchemy, but I call it hybridization technology.”
Hybridization technology… Song Qing mulled over these words, his eyes growing brighter.
“We can start with small things, hybridizing similar species. For example, crossing two different breeds of cats to give birth to a completely new species,” Qi An Xu said.
“Give birth to a different species? What kind of species would be born?” Song Qing asked eagerly.
“I don’t know. Maybe it would produce a completely new, superior breed, or maybe the opposite,” Qi An Xu said. “But isn’t that the charm of alchemy?”
“You just mentioned alchemy! You just mentioned alchemy!” Song Qing suddenly became very excited.
“What’s wrong?” Qi An Xu’s heart sank, suspecting he had said something wrong.
“I believe alchemy isn’t limited to inanimate objects. I think living beings are also within the realm of alchemy. That’s why I altered this cat, but my teacher disagreed. He said life isn’t within the realm of alchemy. He even confined me for a long time because of this.”
The Astronomy Chief did a great job… Qi An Xu kept a straight face and said, “Whether it is or isn’t, let time be the judge.”
After some thought, he continued, “If you want to refute the Astronomy Chief but don’t want to be confined, I have a suggestion.”
“Tell me,” Song Qing now regarded Qi An Xu as a kindred spirit.
“You can start with plants,” Qi An Xu said. “Plants are also life, but their nature is much less complex. I’ve seen a kind of alchemy in ancient texts that aligns with your ideas…”
He didn’t continue.
“Go on, tell me,” Song Qing said, feeling an unbearable itch of curiosity, his puffy eyes widening.
“Brother Song has quite a collection of interesting items here,” Qi An Xu hinted. “The unchanging principle of alchemy…”
“I understand. I can give you three gifts. Given your current Refining Essence realm, I think this item suits you,” Song Qing immediately understood Qi An Xu’s meaning. He didn’t mind the principle of equivalent exchange.
He appreciated it.
“The material of this crossbow was created by chance during one of my experiments. It’s harder and more flexible than ordinary iron, but due to the difficulty in production, it can’t be mass-produced. The string is made from a combination of the silk from the Six-Eyed Venomous Spider from the Southern Frontier and the silk of the Seven-Colored Silkworm. In an ambush situation, it can pierce through the protective true qi of a Qi Condensation realm martial artist, excluding those at the peak of Qi Condensation.”
“Its most valuable feature is the formation carved onto this military crossbow. The formation enhances the power of the arrows, posing a threat to experts in the Spirit Refining realm. However, it can only be used three times before the formation dissipates.”
Qi An Xu’s heart stirred. “Is this a magical artifact?”