The news of the assassination attempt on the ruler was sealed by several high-ranking officials, and except for a few people like the Head of the Apothecary House, Fang Lu, and Jing Ye, no one else knew about it. Fortunately, Ji Xia woke up safely, feeling more energized than before the attack, which relieved the officials greatly.
The people of Tai Cang were becoming increasingly anxious. They knew that this year's harvest was poor and had prepared for hunger. However, when they came to collect grain, they found that the amount distributed was even more than in years of good harvests. While this seemed fortunate in the short term, the people, not lacking in intelligence, understood the reasoning: eating more now meant less later, and there was a real possibility of a complete grain shortage.
Many citizens organized elderly members of their families to go to the Tai Cheng Prefecture, urging the royal court to distribute less grain during times without snow or darkness, so that Tai Cang could survive the coming lean months. Ji Xia, upon reading the memorial sent from Tai Cheng Prefecture, couldn't help but laugh but quickly grew solemn.
"Some people are worried because they are getting too much grain?" he thought, realizing how hard life must have been for the people of Tai Cang in the past.
Ji Xia carefully annotated the memorial, then issued orders for the grain distribution to follow the population records of Tai Cang, with strict daily meal rations for adults, children, and the elderly, all set one level higher than before. He also ordered the grain houses to post announcements and send people to read them aloud, reassuring the people that the royal court had resolved some of the grain supply issues through other channels, so they need not worry.
Jing Ye, standing nearby, watched Ji Xia handle the affairs with great respect. "Not only is the ruler kind-hearted, his cultivation progresses at an astonishing pace, and he is highly skilled in governance. Tai Cang is truly fortunate to have such a ruler."
The day before, Jing Ye had returned to Nanqing Street to bring gifts for his younger sister, including several sets of clothes, some meat, and a package of tea that Jing Yu had insisted on giving him before his departure. When Jing Yu learned that her brother no longer served in the Cang Guard but had joined the royal court, her face lit up with joy. Upon hearing about the ruler's assassination attempt, she was shaken and repeatedly asked whether the ruler was unharmed. Jing Ye was puzzled by her reaction, and after two hours of questioning, he returned to the royal court feeling confused.
"By the way, did Jing Yu like the clothes I brought back?" Ji Xia asked, still reading through documents.
"She liked them very much, Your Majesty," Jing Ye replied. "She wouldn't even wear them at first, just folded them carefully and kept them for a long time."
Ji Xia smiled at the thought of Jing Yu's childlike innocence. "She also asked me to send her regards to Your Majesty and said you must always be vigilant in the future."
Ji Xia nodded thoughtfully. "Jing Yu is still so young, yet she cares so much."
Jing Ye smiled. "Now, to Jing Ye, the ruler is a hero. The scene of you remaining calm when the national teacher from Zhou Qing tried to assassinate you left a deep impression on her."
"That man only relied on numbers to intimidate people," Ji Xia said with a strange gleam in his eyes. "If it were now, I would have killed Qing Fu Ren myself."
Jing Ye, confused, asked, "What did you say?"
Ji Xia chuckled. "It's nothing. By the way, have there been any updates from the Jiuquan Kingdom?"
"There have been no messages from the borders," Jing Ye replied. "The Jiuquan people are very different from us, and our men have been unable to infiltrate them."
"They are probably intentionally blocking us," Ji Xia murmured thoughtfully. "I killed their queen before, so now they must be handling funeral rites."
Jing Ye seemed somewhat pleased at this thought. "I heard that when the Jiuquan people die, their bodies are eaten by the nobles. The queen's body should taste better than the others."
Ji Xia shuddered. "Don't talk about such disgusting customs. You've made me lose my appetite."
Jing Ye bowed and continued his watch over Ji Xia.
After lunch, Ji Xia retired to his chambers to rest while Jing Ye stood guard outside. Ji Xia sat cross-legged on his bed, his mind constantly replaying the three killing techniques from the Starry Secret Scroll.
One technique, the Hundred Fold Waves, had already been mastered to perfection, and with a single thought, he could conjure a surge of spiritual energy, each wave stronger than the last. The most crucial thing now was that although he had reached the peak of the Nine Heavens, he was able to achieve the ultimate form of the Hundred Fold Waves.
The other two techniques were the Qing Jun Sword Style, which Ji Xia knew well through Ji Qianqing, and the Tian Cang Seal, a technique with very few records in the Starry Secret Scroll. It was merely a method of cultivation with no detailed explanations or key points.
This intrigued Ji Xia, and after some careful study, he let out a long breath.
"The difficulty of cultivating this Tian Cang Seal is truly extraordinary," he thought. "It requires not only immense talent but an astronomical amount of spiritual energy to activate."
"No wonder there are no detailed records. Among all the cultivators of the Starry Secret Scroll, few, if any, have mastered the Tian Cang Seal."
After thinking for a while, Ji Xia mused, "Maybe I should try cultivating this extraordinary technique. The spiritual energy from the Great Snow Mountain has almost solidified, and other cultivators would have exhausted their spiritual energy after just a single Tian Cang Seal, but I have no such concerns."
He hesitated for a moment, then smiled to himself. "My cultivation path has been too smooth, and it's time to confront this challenge. If I can't overcome this final difficulty, how can I reach even greater heights?"
With that, his thoughts cleared, and the Starry Secret Scroll activated. The Great Sun Spirit Furnace began to operate, drawing in spiritual energy from all directions, refining and suppressing it in an instant. Ji Xia's spiritual energy was now almost at full capacity, nearing the limits of the Great Snow Mountain. Without more unusual techniques or a breakthrough in divine powers, he could no longer make further progress.
"The Great Sun Spirit Furnace is truly formidable. The speed of refining spiritual energy is almost unimaginable."
Ji Xia murmured to himself as the Tian Cang Seal appeared in his mind, and he carefully read through its teachings, ensuring no detail was overlooked. After some time, the spiritual energy from the Great Snow Mountain surged out, gathering in his palm as the first trace of the Tian Cang Seal was formed.
"I've taken the first step," Ji Xia thought, looking at the dense spiritual energy in his hand.