Chapter 88: Wen Fanghong, Offer to Join the Imperial Prison

Lu Yang was somewhat surprised, clearly having not expected his father to pass before realization slowly dawned upon him.

His father had truly succeeded, not just the Provincial Examination the previous year, but he had now also passed the Imperial Examination in one attempt as well.

Lu Yang looked at the name on the list for a while.

The handwriting was unmistakable. His father had personally written his name before leaving the examination hall.

Lu Yang’s expression gradually became thoughtful.

In his father’s first Provincial Examination, Lu Shishui was an arrogant young man who had passed the previous two examinations in one try each, having basically encountered no setbacks on his path.

He had been confident in his literary talent and somewhat looked down upon others.

That arrogance ultimately caused him to underestimate his opponents and fail.

Then, before his second Provincial Examination, he lost his wife.

Although he rarely mentioned it, Lu Yang knew that the death of his mother had affected him deeply.

He had been drowning in sorrow at the time, which naturally led to another failure.

But now, everything was different.

Lu Shishui had experienced enough failures, learning from those failures, and he had also become more mature.

His temperament had completely stabilized.

There was no longer the arrogance of his youth, nor was there the sorrow that had once consumed his heart. He had nothing weighing him down.

He simply studied, prepared, and participated, producing a naturally different result.

Lu Yang’s admiration for his father couldn’t help increasing slightly.

It was only a very small change, but it was there in the end.

After all, Lu Yang had already lived for three lifetimes and was on his fourth life.

His mental age was already comparable to some of the oldest Qi Sea Realm cultivators, and his experiences far exceeded those of ordinary people.

Yet, even someone like him couldn’t help admiring Lu Shishui.

That alone showed what kind of person his father was.

If only his cultivation talent was higher...

Lu Yang sighed inwardly.

His father’s cultivation talent could only be considered decent.

At thirty years old, he had reached the peak of the Sixth Stage Body Tempering Realm.

This was already quite good among ordinary people and even above him during his second life right after transmigration.

But compared with true geniuses, it wasn’t particularly impressive.

At most, with proper guidance and resources, he could reach the middle or even later stages of Spirit Awakening Realm.

If Lu Shishui possessed extraordinary cultivation talent as well, perhaps his future would be even more remarkable.

Still, everyone had their own path, and for many people, cultivation wasn’t everything.

He smiled and looked up at Lu Shishui.

"Congratulations, father."

Lu Shishui looked at him, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Thank you, son."

There was a trace of brilliance within his eyes as he said this.

After so many years, he had finally taken this step ans fulfilled a promise made to his wife.

At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Shishui!"

Lu Yang turned around and saw his grandfather walking towards him.

Lu Hai was walking over with an old man around his age.

The two of them were talking harmoniously, and Lu Hai’s expression was noticeably more relaxed than usual.

The old man beside him had a broad frame and a calm expression.

His clothes were simple with no extravagant ornamentation, yet there was an invisible air surrounding him, an intrinsic authority belonging to someone who had been in a position of power for a long time.

Just like his past life self.

Lu Hai soon arrived before them, his eyes first scanning the list.

Then, as his gaze landed on Lu Shishui’s name, his face bloomed into a pleased smile.

"Good!"

He looked towards his son, reaching out to pat his shoulder with a face full of pride.

"Shishui, well done!"

Lu Shishui bowed slightly, "Father."

Lu Hai laughed as he spoke.

"I knew you could do it. All those nights you spent studying paid off in the end."

The old man beside him also looked at the list, shaking his head with a smile.

"Old Hai, you have a fine son."

Lu Hai immediately laughed.

"Hahaha, naturally, he’s my son, after all."

He seemed extremely pleased.

Lu Yang looked at the old man beside his grandfather carefully, feeling that there was something familiar about him.

It was then that he remembered that he had seen this person before.

It was shortly after his birth.

At that time, Lu Yang was still a newborn, but perhaps due to his extraordinary comprehension or mental power honed in three lifetimes, he didn’t experience the sleepiness that accompanied newborns most of the day.

Thus, he naturally remembered basically every single thing that had happened around him since his birth.

This old man had visited the Lu residence back then.

At the time, Lu Yang had only taken a brief look, but he still recognized him now. ℯℯ𝑙.

Wen Fanghong, the Prison Supervisor of the Imperial Prison, a Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator and Lu Hai’s sworn brother.

Lu Yang’s eyes were slightly thoughtful.

He had heard some things about Wen Fanghong from his grandfather.

Wen Fanghong was originally a Rogue Cultivator who had come to the Imperial Capital in his early years after his parents’ early demise, to search for opportunities and live a good life according to his parents’ wishes.

At that time, he was dirt poor, doing some odd jobs and physical labor that required cultivators in the capital.

His cultivation resources were scarce, and he had no backer, barely managing to make ends meet.

It was around that time when he met Lu Hai, and the two hit it off immediately.

Lu Hai had helped him quite a bit back then relying on his father, Lu Yang’s great grandfather, who at the time was the head guard of a certain pharmacy.

He shared his resources with him, introduced him to several people who provided him help, and sometimes just gave him a place to stay.

Over time, the two became close, and eventually, they became sworn brothers.

Wen Fanghong had never forgotten those favors even after decades.

He continued to work hard and cultivate while establishing connections, and after many years of effort, he eventually became the Prison Supervisor of the Imperial Prison.

It could be said that his current position was partly because of Lu Hai.

Of course, Lu Yang didn’t think Wen Fanghong just relied on his grandfather.

If he had no ability himself, no one could have pushed him to the position of Prison Supervisor.

A Spirit Awakening cultivator couldn’t be underestimated, especially one who had risen from nothing.

Wen Fanghong looked at Lu Yang, a hint of curiosity and benevolence in his eyes.

Lu Yang remained calm, bowing politely.

"This must be Grandpa Wen."

Wen Fanghong raised an eyebrow slightly.

He didn’t expect Lu Yang to know his name, much less what he looked like.

On second thought, his sworn brother must have told the child about him.

"Good child, come here and let Grandpa have a look."

Wen Fanghong couldn’t help but smile, inwardly praising the child’s mannerism as Lu Yang walked over obediently.

Wen Fanghong examined him, comparing him to the little infant he had seen years ago.

At first, he only looked with his eyes before his Divine Sense spread out instinctively, sweeping over Lu Yang.

Lu Yang noticed it almost immediately, but his expression didn’t change in the slightest.

An ordinary Body Tempering cultivator would usually have no way of knowing if a Spirit Awakening cultivator probed them with Divine Sense unless the Spirit Awakening cultivator wanted them to know.

However, Lu Yang was no ordinary Body Tempering cultivator. He had been a peak Spirit Awakening cultivator in his past life too, particularly sensitive to Divine Sense.

The Dust Hiding Breath Concealing Method operated naturally, concealing his Blood Qi and cultivation aura while making his physical body appear much weaker than it truly was.

To Wen Fanghong at this moment, Lu Yang was merely a six year old child at the First Stage of Body Tempering Realm.

He was not even at the peak of the First Stage of Body Tempering Realm, with a considerable distance between his displayed cultivation and the peak of the First Stage of Body Tempering Realm.

If one had to stubbornly describe it in words, then his current cultivation was outwardly around the late stage of the First Stage of Body Tempering Realm.

Wen Fanghong’s Divine Sense swept through him, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"This child..."

He was genuinely surprised.

The first thing he noticed wasn’t Lu Yang’s cultivation, but his physical foundation and bone structure.

It was immensely strong, brimming with potential.

For a six year old child at the First Stage of Body Tempering Realm, this foundation was excellent, proving just how good his talent was.

His Blood Qi was vigorous, his meridians were stable, and his physical body had clearly undergone considerable tempering.

Even more importantly, his aura was extremely stable, with no obvious flaws that he could detect.

Wen Fanghong withdrew his Divine Sense, nodding inwardly.

Very good talent.

Considering his age, it was genuinely impressive even to a old Spirit Awakening cultivator like him.

If nothing unexpected happens and he receives sufficient resources, this child can probably enter the Spirit Awakening Realm before forty years of age, perhaps even before thirty-five.

If he manages the latter... then there would be hope of impacting the Essence Gathering Realm.

Wen Fanghong couldn’t help looking at Lu Hai.

Old Hai truly has great fortune, to have a son talented in literature and a grandson talented in cultivation.

Lu Hai noticed his expression and asked curiously.

"What?"

Wen Fanghong smiled.

"Your grandson’s talent is quite good."

Lu Hai’s face immediately became even more pleased.

"Of course, a tiger father doesn’t have a dog son, and a tiger grandfather also naturally doesn’t have a dog grandson."

Lu Yang remained silent, almost bursting into laughter.

Wen Fanghong’s judgment wasn’t wrong, it was simply based on incomplete information.

He couldn’t see through the Dust Hiding Breath Concealing Method, that was precisely why Lu Yang had been willing to allow him to examine him.

The more convincing his displayed cultivation was, the less suspicious people would become.

Wen Fanghong looked at Lu Shishui and then at Lu Hai before suddenly asking.

"Shishui, what are you planning to do with Yang’er?"

Lu Shishui was slightly startled, "What does Uncle Wen mean?"

"You’ll be receiving your official post after next month’s Palace Examination." Wen Fanghong smiled, glancing at Lu Yang.

"Once you enter the Imperial Court, you’ll probably become quite busy, and it’s no guarantee where your post might be. Are you planning to have Yang’er follow your path?"

Wen Fanghong looked towards Lu Hai before continuing.

"Or are you planning to let him follow old Hai’s path?"

Lu Hai raised wore a profound expression on his face.

"What are you thinking?"

Wen Fanghong laughed before saying, "If he chooses the latter, I can cultivate him."

Lu Hai’s expression changed slightly, and Lu Shishui also looked at him.

Wen Fanghong continued calmly.

"With his talent, there is no reason for him to waste it through years of grueling Imperial Examinations. If he wants to enter the Imperial Prison, I can personally teach him and also help him establish a foundation. With sufficient resources and proper guidance, he might eventually become my successor."