Chapter 373 - 367: Sister Qiao Arrives in the Capital

Chapter 373: Chapter 367: Sister Qiao Arrives in the Capital

"Bai Yuan?"

"Bai Yuan!"

...

Upon hearing Bai Yuan’s name, all the court officials began to mutter among themselves.

They felt like they had been hearing that name constantly lately; it was just too familiar.

Not long ago, Bai Yuan had turned the Capital City upside down, and now he was being lauded as the hero who captured the Immortal Fox. This left many of the ministers rather astonished.

This new Imperial Censor truly had some skill to be able to achieve such a great merit.

However, since it was Zhou Xianhai, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had spoken personally, it couldn’t be false.

Emperor Li Chengyuan looked at Bai Yuan, who was standing among the ranks of Civil Servants, with some surprise.

"Bai Aiqing, We are very curious as to how you found that Fox Demon."

Bai Yuan slowly walked to Zhou Xianhai’s side, bowed, and then spoke, "This servant is untalented, but I have learned some of the Demon Hunters’ craft."

"Oh?"

Li Chengyuan leaned forward slightly.

As Emperor Xuanyang, he had met quite a few Demon Hunters, no matter how small their numbers were.

But for a prodigy on the Hidden Dragon list to also be a Demon Hunter—that was a first.

Bai Yuan’s ability to find the Immortal Fox using a Demon Hunter’s methods was proof enough that his skills in Demon Hunting were not to be underestimated.

"Bai Qing must be handsomely rewarded!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Felicitations, Your Majesty!"

The crowd of officials in Taihe Hall knelt and shouted their congratulations.

Meanwhile, the Vice Ministers who had lost their sons felt a bitter pang in their hearts.

With Bai Yuan now basking in the Emperor’s favor, it would be increasingly difficult for them to bring him down.

...

A sovereign does not jest. This was no empty saying.

The phrase had two meanings. First, whatever the Emperor said must be done, no matter how absurd. Second, every word the Emperor spoke would be recorded.

The Emperor’s praise for any official would eventually be converted into merits at the Ministry of Personnel.

To say nothing of the Emperor personally promising a handsome reward.

"Lord Bai, His Majesty has heard that you enjoy collecting Cultivation Techniques, and has therefore specially granted you permission to enter the Heavenly No. 1 Inner Treasury to select one."

The old eunuch, Eunuch Chang, had appeared at Bai Yuan’s residence.

’What does it mean to be deeply favored by the Emperor?’

Receiving many Holy Decrees only meant you did your job well. But to have an old eunuch from the Ritual Department personally deliver a verbal edict—that meant you had become one of the Emperor’s trusted confidants.

And that was precisely Bai Yuan’s current situation.

If the officials living on the Black Tortoise Great Path learned of this, their eyes would probably turn red with envy.

The old eunuch, Eunuch Chang, smiled warmly. "Lord Bai, from the first time this old slave saw you, I knew you were destined for a limitless future."

Bai Yuan laughed. "Eunuch Chang, you flatter me."

Eunuch Chang was different from other officials.

Other officials feared the Imperial Inspection Office as if it were a tiger, and they avoided Bai Yuan like the plague.

But he was a eunuch from the Ritual Department, which, in essence, was a department that eliminated hidden threats for the Emperor—just like the Imperial Inspection Office.

Moreover, Eunuch Chang was already a eunuch and had no descendants, so he cared even less about such things.

Naturally, Bai Yuan was also willing to be on good terms with this Chief Eunuch from the palace.

"Eunuch Chang, I just had some specialty snacks sent from Ling Province. Why don’t you join me in sampling them?"

Eunuch Chang smiled and waved his hand. "This old slave still needs to return and report, so I cannot stay long."

Bai Yuan sounded slightly regretful. "What a pity."

This was the Capital City, not Ling Province.

Even though Eunuch Chang was the third-ranking Chief Eunuch of the Ritual Department, he still didn’t dare to be too ostentatious.

After seeing the old eunuch off, the smile remained on Bai Yuan’s lips.

’I really hit the jackpot this time.’

In addition to the one opportunity to visit the Heavenly No. 1 Inner Treasury granted by the Emperor, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhou Xianhai, had also given him one.

This meant he now had two opportunities to enter the Heavenly No. 1 Inner Treasury.

Adding the two from before, that made a total of four times!

Such frequency was likely a rare sight in the entire Xuan Yang Empire.

...

The first time is unfamiliar, the second is routine.

And this was already Bai Yuan’s third visit.

The old clerk from the Ministry of Revenue couldn’t hide the envy on his face as he watched Bai Yuan take out two Tokens for the Heavenly No. 1 Inner Treasury from his sleeve.

’That’s the Heavenly No. 1!’

Including these two Tokens, Bai Yuan had a grand total of four opportunities for the Heavenly No. 1 Inner Treasury.

In his entire life, he’d never even have a chance at the Heavenly No. 4, yet Bai Yuan had gotten four chances at Heavenly No. 1.

’It really is infuriating to compare yourself to others.’

"Lord Bai, what do you plan to get this time?"

the old clerk from the Ministry of Revenue asked.

Bai Yuan had already chosen two Cultivation Techniques before. Logically, he should choose something like pills or weapons this time.

Cultivation Techniques were good, but one was usually enough.

Having more was pointless, let alone for Bai Yuan, who already had two.

His finger had even flipped to the page for pills.

Bai Yuan didn’t hesitate. "Cultivation Techniques."

The old clerk’s hand paused. He even suspected he had misheard.

"Lord Bai, did you just say Cultivation Techniques?"

Bai Yuan nodded. "Precisely."

The surprise on the old clerk’s face grew.

But he didn’t press the matter. The other party was an Imperial Censor from the Imperial Inspection Office; a mere clerk like him was no match in either power or status. Prying further might displease him.

He skillfully flipped to the pages on Cultivation Techniques.

Bai Yuan didn’t even look for long.

"The Vajra Lion Technique and the Dan Tian Breathing Technique."

The old clerk wrote down Bai Yuan’s name in the ledger.

As per the usual procedure, the Imperial Guard watching over the Inner Treasury would deliver the two Cultivation Techniques to Bai Yuan’s residence.

...

「The next day.」

The member of the Imperial Guard delivering the Cultivation Techniques knocked on Bai Yuan’s main gate.

When Bai Yuan opened the door, he was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the person delivering the techniques this time to be the same Imperial Guard Commander from before.

The Imperial Guard Commander was also sizing Bai Yuan up with curiosity.

Although the Cultivation Techniques from the No. 1 Heavenly Library were precious, as the Imperial Guard Commander in charge of the Inner Treasury, he had seen many officials receive this honor.

But he had never seen anyone like Bai Yuan, who had taken all four chances for himself and chosen Cultivation Techniques every single time.

It was no wonder he found it peculiar.

"Lord Bai, here are your Cultivation Techniques."

The covers were brand new, likely the result of some scholar pulling an all-nighter.

"Thank you, General. Would you like to come in for a cup of hot tea?"

"No, thank you. I still have official business to attend to."

"Then official business should indeed take priority."

Bai Yuan and the Commander exchanged only a few simple words before the Imperial Guard Commander strode away down the Black Tortoise Great Path.

After seeing the Imperial Guard Commander off, Bai Yuan returned to his room.

’Two more Cultivation Techniques!’

’If I can just get one more Cultivation Technique, I’ll have everything I need for the second layer of the Divine Mansion Technique.’

He once again began to stay up all night studying the two techniques, even more diligently than when he had prepared for his graduate school entrance exams.

He was starting to understand how those top students felt.

The dry text became more and more interesting the more he read it, and the feeling of sudden enlightenment was simply addictive.

He went into closed-door cultivation in his room for seven straight days.

On this day, the little girl Fang E shouted from outside the room.

"Master, an Immortal Sister is here to visit!"

Bai Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

’Immortal Sister?’

’Could it be Fang Wan and Lu Yu?’

With this thought, he stood up.

When he reached the entrance of his residence, a slender figure was already standing there.

A gentle smile blossomed on Bai Yuan’s face, his eyes softening.

"Sister Qiao."