Chapter 206: The Demon Summoner
"Kill a few chickens? Am I one of those chickens, or the monkey?"
Gu Linuan's eyelids twitched, his heart uneasy. He took out a few Da Feng coins and stuffed them into the eunuch's hand, then steeled himself and walked toward the palace. Before he had gone far, he encountered another eunuch bearing an imperial decree, also heading toward the Imperial Academy. The eunuch greeted him with a smile: "Congratulations, Lord Gu!"
Gu Linuan, distracted, replied, "Eunuch, what is the occasion for congratulations?"
"You may not know, Lord Gu, but the Imperial Academy's Doctor of the Academy has rendered meritorious service in quelling the rebellion. His Majesty has ordered this old servant to go and bestow rewards upon him, promoting his rank."
Gu Linuan was startled and blurted out, "Promoted again? Another eunuch just passed by to promote his rank—how can he be promoted twice in a row?"
The decree-bearing eunuch said, "His Majesty stated that the first promotion was because others failed to do their duty, while the Doctor of the Academy did his duty well, so he was promoted to the rank of Senior Sixth Grade. This time, it is because the Doctor of the Academy achieved great merit in quelling the rebellion in the Southern Frontier, so he is to be promoted again, to the rank of Junior Fifth Grade."
Gu Linuan took out a few Da Feng coins and quietly slipped them into the eunuch's hand, stammering, "So he has earned merit. The Doctor of the Academy is a doctor of my Imperial Academy; his achievements and rewards bring honor to me as well..."
"Indeed!" The decree-bearing eunuch smiled charmingly and hurried away.
Gu Linuan, still distracted, continued walking toward the palace. He encountered yet another eunuch bearing a decree, who approached with a beaming face and laughed, "Congratulations, Lord Gu! Best wishes, Lord Gu!"
Gu Linuan, his face dark, said, "Eunuch, what is the occasion for congratulations?"
"His Majesty has ordered this old servant to deliver a decree to promote the Imperial Academy's Doctor of the Academy!"
The old eunuch laughed, "The Doctor of the Academy, Qin Mu, has cured the Imperial Preceptor's injuries, and is promoted to Senior Fifth Grade Upper, Zhong San Da Fu, with treatment equal to that of the Imperial Academy! Three promotions in a single day—this is a great joy for your Imperial Academy!"
Gu Linuan nodded woodenly, took out a few Da Feng coins, and slipped them into the old eunuch's hand without anyone noticing, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes: "I share in the honor..."
As the eunuch walked away, Gu Linuan's face darkened. One rises while another falls—if Qin Mu kept rising, he would soon be on par with him!
He had been promoted three times, and Gu Linuan had to spend a considerable amount of money!
"If he rises any further, I'll have to call him 'my lord.'"
Gu Linuan steadied himself and went to see the emperor, presenting the list of fallen scholars. Yanfeng Emperor was reviewing memorials. He looked up, took the list, and read it through, his heart aching as he said, "These scholars were the pillars of my empire, the future backbone of the nation, and they were killed by the rebels because the news leaked! I want to kill someone!"
Gu Linuan broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead and dared not speak, unsure if the emperor's desire to kill might turn on him if he interjected.
Yanfeng Emperor stood up, paced back and forth, then suddenly slammed the table, saying with deep pain, "I issued the decree before departing, informing them of the training location—why were they ambushed? Gu Linuan, my beloved minister! Tell me, who leaked the news?"
Gu Linuan pondered and said, "Judging from the battle situation in Li Prefecture, the Deputy Magistrate of Li Prefecture had already captured Lu County. When the Imperial Academy and the scholars arrived in Li Prefecture, the rebels precisely used the Soul-Drawing Technique, indicating that the rebels knew the exact time of the scholars' arrival, as if they had foreseen it. They must have received news of the scholars' training before capturing Lu County, which allowed them to still have the strength to summon souls after Lu County fell. This suggests that the leak did not come from the Imperial Academy or the scholars, but rather..."
He steeled himself and said, "But from me, or from those high-ranking officials of the First Rank."
"The rebels are among us!"
Yanfeng Emperor sneered, "It seems someone among us wants my seat to shift, to make room for them. On that day, when we discussed the matter, those who knew of it, besides you and me, were all high-ranking officials of the First Rank: the Crown Prince's several teachers, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Works, and the Duke. Who among them do you think it could be?"
Gu Linuan's forehead beaded with sweat the size of beans, and he clenched his teeth, saying nothing.
Yanfeng Emperor glanced at him and snorted coldly, "Afraid to speak? You are disloyal to me."
Gu Linuan's cold sweat poured down like rain: "Your servant was frozen in the Great Ruins for two hundred years and knows little about the court ministers; I dare not speak recklessly..."
"Speak recklessly; I pardon you of any crime."
"Your servant is dull-witted and foolish, and was even tricked out of the court sword by the Doctor of the Academy, proving my stupidity..."
Yanfeng Emperor laughed in anger, pointing at his nose, "Stop trying to muddy the waters with me! The Doctor of the Academy tricked you out of your sword; just bow your head and apologize to him, and ask for it back. If you were truly stupid, what use would I have for you as the Grand Sacrificial Officer? Pack your things and get out! Speak, who do you suspect?"
Gu Linuan gritted his teeth, then suddenly raised his head and said, "The Crown Prince's several teachers are highly suspicious!"
"What did you say?"
Yanfeng Emperor was furious, his imperial might erupting, forcing Gu Linuan to lower his head.
Suddenly, Yanfeng Emperor slumped, waved his hand, and said, "Gu, my beloved minister, you are very clever, very clever... Leave now."
Gu Linuan, drenched in cold sweat, slowly backed out.
"Come back," Yanfeng Emperor said.
Gu Linuan's hair stood on end, and he steeled himself to return. Yanfeng Emperor said slowly, "This time, the Imperial Preceptor has rendered great service, and I have never rewarded him. What do you think I should bestow upon him?"
Gu Linuan lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, what can you bestow upon him?"
Yanfeng Emperor shook his head, "Nothing left."
Gu Linuan thought for a moment and said, "Then bestow upon the Imperial Preceptor beauties and wealth."
"What you think is what I think."
Yanfeng Emperor sighed, "But I fear he will refuse as he did before."
Gu Linuan hesitated and said, "Many things have happened this time. If the Imperial Preceptor is truly wise, he will accept this time."
Yanfeng Emperor was stunned, then laughed, "You are also an interesting person. I am not killing a chicken to show you; you are not the chicken. Leave now. Also, stop provoking the Doctor of the Academy. You cannot afford to provoke him; his power is beyond your imagination. Every time you wear the tight shoes he gives you, I feel embarrassed for you. You were appointed by me despite opposition, and I don't want to keep cleaning up after you."
Gu Linuan felt deeply ashamed and withdrew, thinking to himself, "I can't afford to provoke him? I can't afford to provoke him? I am a mighty giant of the demonic path, one of the few prominent figures in the demonic path—how can I not afford to provoke a brat at the Five Luminaries realm? Have I lived these few hundred years in vain..."
Yanfeng Emperor continued reviewing memorials, then suddenly put down his vermilion brush and stared blankly into space: "I took this throne in middle age and even outlived several of my sons. It seems my Crown Prince won't have to wait as long on the throne as I did..."
At the Imperial Academy, Qin Mu had received three imperial decrees, and his official rank had been promoted to Senior Fifth Grade Upper, Zhong San Da Fu. Zhong San Da Fu was a kind of welfare position without real power, a type of civil official known as a National Superior Minister, but merely a figurehead.
Clearly, the emperor still had doubts about him as the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect and would not grant him real power, lest the court be filled with villains from the sect.
Qin Mu casually tossed the three scrolls of imperial decrees into the western room, his heart undisturbed.
He was still cultivating the other four transformations of the Five Luminaries realm.
During this southern campaign to quell the rebellion, the Yanfeng Imperial Preceptor had guided them greatly. Shen Wanyun, Si Yunxiang, and others had plunged into the Tian Lu Tower upon returning from the Southern Frontier, searching for techniques for the Five Luminaries realm.
Si Yunxiang had even borrowed Qin Mu's Doctor of the Academy book token to access the third floor of the Tian Lu Tower to consult techniques.
"The Yanfeng Imperial Preceptor's reforms promote the idea that all worldly methods are for the daily use of the people; the Yanfeng Empire is like a larger Heavenly Demon Sect."
Qin Mu inhaled the star power of the Saturn Star, and his body slowly began to change. His two legs gradually merged into one, forming a serpent's tail, with a human head and serpent body, towering two to three zhang tall. Behind him, two closed doors appeared.
During his journey to the Southern Frontier, he had already mastered the divine transformations of the Mercury Star Lord, Mars Star Lord, Jupiter Star Lord, and Venus Star Lord among the Five Luminaries Divine Treasures, but the form of the Saturn Star Lord was difficult to master. No matter how vigorous his vital energy, he could never form the most perfect Saturn Star Lord form.
This time, as he activated the Dominant Body Three-Pellet Art, the closed doors behind him gradually became clearer, but the inscriptions on the doors remained somewhat blurry and indistinguishable.
The Saturn Star Lord was extremely special among the Five Luminaries Star Lords. The Saturn Star Earth Marquis True Art, the foremost of the Five Luminaries, was unexpectedly difficult to cultivate, especially the door behind the Saturn Star Lord.
Qin Mu could transform into the form of the Saturn Star Lord, but that door was always difficult to make clear and visible, and the inscriptions on it remained blurry.
In the air, a stream of earthy yellow light continuously flowed into him, the Saturn Star power surging, making his divine form increasingly stable. Gradually, Qin Mu noticed that the Saturn Star Lord's form had another change: a phantom of a scroll appeared in his hands.
He looked at the phantom of this scroll, but the text on it was still unreadable. However, from the strange patterns of the text, it seemed to be written in tadpole script, with characters resembling sun, moon, insects, and fish, completely different from modern writing.
Qin Mu had studied under the Deaf Master, a great scholar, for nearly ten years. The Deaf Master had profound expertise in ancient scripts, but he had never taught Qin Mu this form of tadpole script.
Qin Mu turned his head to look at the phantom text on the door behind him. Although still blurry, he could vaguely make out that it was somewhat similar to the text on the scroll.
"What kind of writing is this?"
Qin Mu felt a strange unease. If every martial artist at the Five Luminaries realm had such a double-door behind them, and every divine form of the Saturn Star Lord held such a scroll, then surely someone would have thoroughly studied the text on the scroll and the door, deciphering its mysteries. Why had even the Imperial Preceptor never mentioned this?
Could it be that others' Saturn Star Lord divine transformation did not include this door or this scroll?
As he was thinking, suddenly a deep, demonic voice echoed in his mind: "Stop your wild thoughts. This is Netherworld script. How could a weak and insignificant creature like you possibly recognize Netherworld script?"
Qin Mu's hair stood on end, and he was terrified, shouting, "Who? Who is speaking inside my body?"
"Pretending?"
The voice laughed, "How long will you keep pretending in front of me? When I borrowed your eyes to observe the Yanfeng Imperial Preceptor's combat techniques, didn't you already recognize me? The Summoner of the Netherworld Lord?"