Chapter 54: The Chancellor is Looking for You

Zhou Chen's experiences were exceedingly rare,

the difficulties faced by these lowly martial trainees in pursuing cultivation were deeply moving,

yet at this very moment, Xu Yuan's thoughts turned to Tian'an Martial Academy.

Because of figures like Ying'er—black-scaled guards who acted like assassins—Xu Yuan had already realized that his father, though seemingly a mere old man, maintained a private system for training his own soldiers.

The training of the black-scaled guards was conducted in secrecy, much like how noble families keep their household servants, but the establishment of Tian'an Martial Academy was entirely different—it was openly laid bare to the world.

An open recruitment of disciples for the entire realm.

For ordinary people, this was a path to cultivation;

for the Xiangguo Estate, however, it served as a direct and public method of recruiting soldiers.

With this thought, Xu Yuan gently suppressed his contemplation, refraining from further analysis.

Thinking more now would be useless—better to wait until his strength had grown and then simply ask his father directly.

Stepping out of Wu Xuan Yuan, Xu Yuan led Zhou Chen straight toward the Library of Scripts.

Without the nourishment of elixirs, meridians and spirit-souls required rest, yet time could not be squandered.

Xu Yuan intended to make use of these precious hours to consult certain ancient texts.

Though this was no imperial court minister’s residence in the capital, as the ancestral home of the current Prime Minister, the library within these halls housed many rare and forgotten manuscripts.

How did Xu Yuan know this?

The several tens of thousands of silver coins now stored within his Su Mi Seal—those were earned this way. How could he not know?

...........

Xuanwu Yuan lay in the southwest corner of the servant quarters, while the Library stood at the northernmost end, within the residence of the master, Anxiu Garden.

The vastness of the estate sometimes proved a disadvantage, yet Zhou Chen’s eloquence kept the journey from becoming dull.

He shared stories from his own life, tales from the teahouses and alleyways, and even insider gossip about the affairs within the Prime Minister’s household.

For instance, when a rare martial arts scripture emerged in a certain region, a swarm of young disciples rushed to seize it, only to die in the process—eventually, the elite offspring of noble families claimed it all.

For instance, in the imperial capital, several courtesans listed in the official gazette commanded prices so exorbitant that merely entering a private chamber to listen to music and exchange poetry would cost hundreds of taels per night.

And again, although the entry fee at Tian'an Martial Academy was extraordinarily high, the academy actually operated at a yearly loss—losses so staggering they had to be covered entirely by the Tian'an Merchants' Association.

Because of his status, Zhou Chen spoke of these matters without the slightest hesitation.

Their casual conversation, however, enriched Xu Yuan’s knowledge once more.

As they approached the gate of the Library Hall, the two guards on duty bowed respectfully upon recognizing Xu Yuan and then allowed him passage without further delay.

The Library Hall was a modest four-story building, surrounded by small bridges, pavilions, and a gentle stream flowing quietly—its atmosphere deeply traditional and elegant.

Pushing open the door, they found themselves inside a small room.

In the room stood an ancient wooden table, with an elderly man, his hair and beard completely white, seated behind it, holding a book in his hands.

Previously, Xu Changtian had never seen this man here when he came to steal books.

Cast a sideways glance at Zhou Chen, and seeing his face unchanged, Xu Yuan roughly deduced that this man was likely a steward guarding the Book Repository.

Xu Yuan and Zhou Chen walked on, the old man never lifting his eyes, still lost in his book.

At this scene, Xu Yuan felt a quiet respect stir within him.

Entering the Book Repository, they did not linger on the first floor. Instead, they ascended the wooden stairs toward the highest level.

As they walked, Xu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity.

“Master Zhou,” he asked, “was that old man particularly powerful just now?”

Zhou Chen raised his eyes slightly, speaking with utter indifference:

“Just a soul-bound cultivator, a fifth-rank with half his body already in the earth. Nothing remarkable about him.”

Hearing this, Xu Yuan felt a subtle disappointment.

He had assumed the man was a master of the kind that walked like a monk, silent and unbroken—yet in truth, he sensed nothing of Zhou Chen’s cultivation.

Zhou Chen smiled lightly at this moment and said:

"Lord, the script archive within Jingjiang Mansion doesn't contain anything particularly rare. Having a fifth-rank official stationed there seems rather excessive. However, there is a master in the script archive of the Imperial Capital—perhaps you've met him before."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan recalled slightly:

"Was it the maid who cleaned the books?"

Previously, whenever he had sneaked into the script archive in the Imperial Capital to steal books, he had invariably encountered a young woman using a ladder to dust the shelves.

She was quite young, utterly out of place among the heavy, scholarly atmosphere of the archive. Every time he saw her, she looked at him with a gentle, patronizing gaze—like she was viewing a junior. That had left a lasting impression.

"It seems you truly have met her."

Zhou Chen nodded, speaking softly: "Lord, don't be fooled by her youth—she's actually only a few years younger than me. Originally, she served as a maid to the lady..."

At this point,

Zhou Chen realized he had spoken too freely and immediately fell silent.

The bookshelf chamber fell into sudden silence.

The stillness stretched for several seconds before Zhou Chen spoke, his voice soft and measured:

"Um... in short, later on, she went to the household's bookshelf chamber."

Xu Yuan said nothing.

He knew why Zhou Chen had remained silent earlier.

In his memory, there was almost no information about that mother.

Even if there was, it was all confined to the earliest, most fleeting years of childhood.

No father, only a mother—

this absence, this void, was one of the roots of the original self's withdrawal and descent into darkness.

Yet, according to Zhou Chen's account of the founding of Tian'an Martial Academy, Xu Yuan could almost sense that the mother's passing was somehow linked to the very establishment of that academy.

The two maintained a heavy silence as they made their way up to the fourth floor.

Zhou Chen climbed straight out of the window to sit upon the roof, drowning his unspoken sorrows in wine, while Xu Yuan quietly and wordlessly turned the pages of the various volumes scattered across the highest level.

...

...

Time trickled by sluggishly as the hour drew near to noon.

"Third Young Master."

Within the hushed sanctuary of the pavilion's top floor, a slightly raspy female voice suddenly broke the silence.

The sound, arriving without the slightest warning, caused Xu Yuan's hand to tremble faintly as he held his book in rapt concentration.

He lifted his gaze only to find Ying'er standing there, clad in her form-fitting black attire.

Xu Yuan knit his brows and asked:

"Anything wrong?"

"Yeah."

"Say it."

"The Chancellor has summoned you."

"..." Xu Yuan.

Brief and to the point, Xu Yuan's heart leapt into alarm.

After a moment of thought, Xu Yuan realized his father couldn't possibly have traveled all the way from afar to Jingjiang City. This summons must have been a message sent through intermediaries.

"Let's go."

No further words. With a simple motion, he placed the book in hand onto the shelf, and Xu Yuan stepped down the stairs.

Ying followed.

On the way down the stairs,

Xu Yuan seemed to recall something, and suddenly asked:

"Wait—did Su Jinxuan say anything?"

Su Jinxuan had been entrusted to Ying'er for ten days; he assumed she’d already said everything she had to.

Ying'er replied:

"She mentioned a few things, but not many."

Xu Yuan was taken aback:

"Only a few things from Su Jinxuan?"

That surprised him greatly.

Though Su Jinxuan, that cunning fox, was usually sharp-minded, under pressure she seemed to lose her wits entirely.

One could only say she was a very astute young lady.

Yet now, she had stayed under Yin'er's care for over ten days, and had only shared a little.

Her bones were quite hard.

Yin'er nodded:

"Yes, she only told a little.

A week ago, when I left the estate on business, I asked her once, and she gave me some information. Today, upon returning, I intend to go ask her again."

"..." Xu Yuan.

"..." Yin'er.

"Did you use the punishments I described?"

"Yes."

"........"

A moment of silence fell,

Ten days,

Xu Yuan briefly imagined that vixen's state of mind.....

A faint shudder ran through his body.

Clearing his throat, he pressed no further about Su Jinxuan, and turned to ask instead:

"You said just now that you left the estate? Why?"

"To investigate Qin Weijiu." Ying'er replied.

Xu Yuan halted his steps, glancing back:

"That Qin Weijiu is the same Mister Qin? Any progress?"

"......." Shadow lowered his gaze, fixing it on the tip of his own shoe, silent.

Xu Yuan remained silent for a moment, then let out a soft, dismissive huff, and walked silently out of the room without a word.

If it were Zhou Chen, he would have simply told him outright.

Apparently,

this Shadow still needed to be trained.