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The Da Ming in this world was rather magical, and the magic lay in what the founding Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang did besides some minor things such as overturning the cruel rule of the Mengyuan and establishing the Da Ming. He also made a small, human contribution.
He pioneered Dragon Tiger Qi.
Simply put, Dragon Tiger Qi is a unique "Spirit Qi" that is rooted in the national fortune of Da Ming and is bestowed upon an official's person by the imperial court's decree. That is to say, if someone wants Dragon Tiger Qi, they first need to obtain an official position and then can receive their own Dragon Tiger Qi through the imperial court's mandate.
Dragon Tiger Qi is different from Spirit Qi; Spirit Qi is attained by understanding and refining oneself through the world's myriad things, reaching a state of "connecting with spirits and absorbing Qi." However, Dragon Tiger Qi is granted by the imperial court based on whether you live up to being a "Civil Official Benevolent to the People, Military Official Defending the Nation," and it is increased along with your achievements and promotion in official rank.
In other words, the amount of Dragon Tiger Qi directly correlates with the rank of the official. If a Ninth Rank sesame official released their Dragon Tiger Qi, even tigers would grin and lament how much of a feast they ate for breakfast today.
But if a First Rank senior official released their Dragon Tiger Qi, then spirit beasts for hundreds of miles around would kneel down and respectfully kowtow three times.
However, within the various departments of the court, there were four departments whose members were exceptionally unique, not subject to this rule. Among them, the Jinyiwei was one of these exceptions.
They did not engage in court politics or receive official ranks but wielded Fifth Rank Dragon Tiger Qi.
"What a fine night for Lord Guo to indulge in some elegant pleasures."
After sitting back down, Zhou Li quietly nudged Tang Wan, signaling her to scoot over to the side. Zhou Li then made room for the Jinyiwei in front of him and said warmly:
"I wonder if the Lord is also headed to Beiliang?"
"My trip is not for official duties but for a private matter, so there's no need for formalities."
Despite being a member of the Jinyiwei, the man showed no arrogance; in fact, he was surprisingly friendly. Sitting next to Zhou Li, he spoke clearly:
"This time, I am visiting an old friend in Beiliang. Since the Shangjing route is blocked, I've come to Zongmu Town to take a high horse carriage. And you two are...?"
"Us?"
Zhou Li paused for a moment before smiling and saying:
"I am from Beiliang, and this disciple of the Tang Sect is a friend of mine. I'm here to pick her up for a reunion. We had not expected the official road to be closed and had no choice but to come here to catch the high horse."
"Then we can be considered fellow travelers."
After saying this, an eerie silence fell among the three of them.
Tang Wan remained silent because she did not know what to say and chose to daydream. Zhou Li was silent because he sensed the other man had ulterior motives and feared speaking too much and making a mistake.
Guo Lingyun was silent because he was stuck in an awkward situation.
Well, it seems I've got the wrong person!
Hou Jue? Where's Hou Jue?! At this moment in Bi Yang, shouldn't you be standing here, respectfully serving me tea and expressing gratitude for my kindness in remaking you? Why are there two people I don't recognize here, who are these people? I'm not going to Beiliang, what would I do there?
Where the hell are you?
Guo Lingyun was now silently tapping his toes on the floor, staring intently at the approaching high horse carriage, his mind racing as he pondered how to extricate himself from this embarrassing situation.
In truth, if the two people with him were not Zhou Li and Tang Wan, Guo Lingyun would have already left, indifferent to whether it was awkward or not — you talk about awkwardness with the Jinyiwei, they talk about your family.
But with these two...
Guo Lingyun was so polite because he knew more and understood more secrets than most of the local Jinyiwei.
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Hence, Guo Lingyun did not dare show any displeasure toward Zhou Li and Tang Wan at all. He was familiar with the two and also knew the backgrounds of their families. Moreover, since he had a habit of making veiled insults, Guo Lingyun found himself at a loss for a way to extricate himself with dignity, thus awkwardly waiting for the arrival of the tall horse-drawn carriage.
In the midst of this awkwardness, the tall horse arrived, and at the same time, Guo Lingyun had already thought of an excuse to leave the place quickly and find Hou Jue to hang him up and whip him.
Just as he was about to claim he needed treatment for constipation, the silhouette of a person on the tall horse-drawn carriage caused his pupils to constrict abruptly.
Without any indication, Guo Lingyun swallowed the words he was about to say, his hand also resting on the hilt of his saber. Yet, he did not show any of this, and neither Zhou Li nor Tang Wan at his side noticed anything.
"The tall horse has arrived, board quickly, we won't wait for latecomers!"
With the coachman's shout, Zhou Li and Tang Wan both stood up. Seeing this, Guo Lingyun did not say much and followed the two, slowly making his way toward the carriage.
Checking tickets for the tall horse-drawn carriage was quite simple: one only had to hand their ticket to the boy beside the carriage door, who, upon confirming it, would allow boarding to find a seat. Zhou Li and Tang Wan, of course, didn't need to say much and handed their tickets to him in an orderly fashion before entering the carriage.
The boy had just neatly collected their tokens, and without lifting his head, stretched out his hand, urging impatiently, "Hurry up, the carriage doesn't wait for anyone."
Without a word, a weighty token was placed in the boy's extended hand. He was initially startled, about to get annoyed with the person for forging a ticket, when he saw the four large characters carved with Dragon Tiger Qi on the copper-surrounded silver token.
Northern Town Pacification Office.
Holy shit.
Upon closer inspection, the boy saw that the man in front of him was dressed in the Flying Fish Attire and wearing the Embroidered Spring Knife, with a stern and imposing face that exuded an indelible air of chill. Instantly, the boy's knees grew weak, his form collapsing, as if he wished he could use his knees to carve two holes into the ground.
"Don't make a scene."
Guo Lingyun glanced at the boy, took back his waist token, tapped his foot, and a burst of Qi immediately helped the boy to stand, "Now, tell me, where did the man in red in Carriage Number One board the train?"
"Reporting to, to, to, to, to, to... the lord, that person boarded at, at, at Taiying..."
With a wave of his hand, the boy's mouth was sealed by an invisible Qi. Guo Lingyun opened the door of the last carriage, turned his head, and said coldly, "Keep your mouth shut, understand?"
Watching the boy's head nod in a blur, Guo Lingyun's right hand yanked, and the grand Red Flying Fish Costume was instantly replaced by a plain grey robe, his previously proud aura subsiding. For a moment, except for the saber at his waist, there was no discernible difference between Guo Lingyun and an average person. He pulled open the carriage door and stepped into the tall horse-drawn carriage.
"Is this what you always refer to as playing the pig to catch the tiger?"
Zhou Li and Tang Wan, seated in the middle carriage and having witnessed the whole scene, looked at Tang Wan, who was gazing up with a curious expression, and at that moment, Zhou Li did not respond but fell into deep thought instead.
Leaning against the not-so-comfortable chair back, Zhou Li lowered his voice and said to Tang Wan, "There's someone on this carriage."
"And a pangolin."
Tang Wan nodded, her voice hushed, her originally soft and clear voice seeming somewhat comical, "Did you hear what the pangolin said?"
"What?"
That was when Zhou Li realized the pangolin that had been by his side all this time had disappeared.
"The pangolin said…"
Tang Wan had barely started speaking when suddenly, a loud boom and vibrations interrupted their conversation.
Boom!!!!