Chapter 133 Wuming Village

Two years later.

There are many more officials in the court than when the new emperor ascended the throne. The top scholar in the first imperial examination was Xiaoqian, the manager of a branch of Xinhua Bookstore.

Before Zhou Chaoyun officially named her the top scholar in the imperial examination, Shang Yuji recognized her as Zhao Qian, the girl he had asked about the girls he had rescued from the bandit stronghold. With a pair of sorrowful eyes, she won the imperial examination and rode a spirited horse, enjoying the springtime in the capital.

Because of the need for overseas experience, he has been assigned by Zhou Chaoyun to guard the Yanbei Pass.

In the first imperial examination, scions of prominent families, with their vast collections of books and their innate knowledge, made up a large proportion of the candidates.

Nowadays, with the proliferation of bookstores, it is still difficult for ordinary people to learn to read and write, but the cost has decreased significantly. The literacy rate among the general public has risen sharply, most notably in the significant increase in the proportion of those who came from humble backgrounds in the second imperial examination.

After the court session, the newly appointed officials from the same cohort subtly surrounded the top scholar. Due to a shortage of personnel in the court, these candidates were assigned to specific positions by His Majesty. As many officials left the court, the new officials inevitably paid attention to several important ministers, among whom was Chancellor Shang.

His crimson official robes billowed with each step, his long hair was neatly tied up, and his eyebrows and eyes were as clear as mountains and as gentle as water. He seemed to be a spiritual being born from the purest essence of heaven and earth, and was not to be profaned.

If we were to discuss Lord Shang's achievements alone, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he deserves to be mentioned for several days and nights.

Even if some people had doubts about Shang Guoxiang, once they worked with her, they would know that she was truly capable and had to be convinced.

This was the first time the new officials had formally attended court, and they were intimidated by the heated debates between their superiors, each of whom seemed more capable than them. However, upon closer listening, they discovered that each official was speaking eloquently and proposing different policies from different perspectives. Each one sounded reasonable, and for a moment, it was impossible to tell whose was the best.

Unexpectedly, after the adults finished arguing, they all looked at Prime Minister Shang, as if they wanted her to reason with her and choose someone. Prime Minister Shang pointed to one person, who was one of the successful candidates in the previous imperial examination. Her status was lower than that of the officials in the court. However, after the Prime Minister chose her, the officials stopped arguing and tacitly agreed to choose the young girl.

Shang Yuji: When the nation's fortunes are on fire, it's all good. Whoever shines brightest in her eyes has the most positive impact on the nation's destiny.

His Majesty nodded, seemingly understanding the reason, and appointed the young woman as the person in charge of this matter.

As the crowd departed after court, the new officials curiously noticed a handsome young man standing outside the hall, carrying a long sword on his back. His face was so beautiful that one could not mistake his gender at a glance.

I didn't see him inside the palace when I went to court, so why was he waiting outside the Golden Palace?

As Shang Yuji approached, Jiang Xi's upturned fox-like eyes sparkled. She took Shang Yuji's outstretched hand, and the two walked side by side, talking and laughing.

One of the new officials spoke up: "Is this the husband of the Prime Minister of Shang, the Jade-Faced Yama?"

One sentence ignited their discussion, and they began to chat about the achievements of the two officials.

Shang Guoxiang's unerring predictions, his numerous groundbreaking inventions, and his visionary policies have won the hearts and minds of all who have heard of him.

Lord Jiang is known for another aspect: he single-handedly forced the assassins who intended to assassinate His Majesty to change their plans.

It is possible to infiltrate the palace to assassinate someone, but one must avoid the time when Lord Jiang is on duty, or when Prime Minister Shang is handling state affairs in the palace.

Because the two always appeared at the same time, in order to avoid being hunted down by Lord Jiang, they could not sneak into the palace while Prime Minister Shang was working. Therefore, there was even a business on the black market selling information about Prime Minister Shang's work schedule.

During the Prime Minister's leave of absence, and without Lord Jiang patrolling the palace, it was the perfect time for the assassins to make their move. The palace guards patrolled the palace the most on this day, creating a strange balance among the three parties.

Lord Jiang's formidable reputation intimidated even assassins, forcing them to "go to work on time," causing quite a stir in both the imperial court and the martial arts world.

Moreover, Lord Jiang is undoubtedly the most important person in the court, and many martial arts practitioners will come to fight him during his duty hours.

Since Lin Mingshan did not participate in the new generation of martial arts champion competition, the title of champion of the younger generation changed hands, but the newly appointed champion failed to withstand three moves from Lord Jiang.

After two years of fighting, Lord Jiang still had no equal, and there were even rumors that Lord Jiang's strength was comparable to that of Alliance Leader Huo Wulin.

The martial arts practitioners don't know which one is stronger, since the two have never actually fought. However, to borrow Senior Tangxi's words, when everyone compares Jiangxi to Huo Wei, Huo Wei has already lost halfway.

Among them, the friendship between Prime Minister Shang and Lord Jiang is even more famous. Whether it was their mutual support during their first encounter in difficult circumstances, their engagement and wedding banquet in Yangzhou, or their continued intimacy even after they have risen to high positions, it is a well-known story in both the imperial court and the martial arts world.

Lord Shang didn't care about the stories circulating among the people, and since Lord Shang didn't object, Lord Jiang certainly wouldn't object either. As a result, several versions of the story were circulated among the people, and some of the plots were so exaggerated that Shang Yuji shook his head after reading them.

It's no wonder that popular literacy has led to a surge in secular literature.

The new officials were excitedly discussing that Shang Yuji was unaware that if they persisted for two more days, the new emperor's rest period after giving birth to the princess would end, and they could take over the political affairs she had been handling. After handing over the matters at hand to Zhou Chaoyun, she could take Jiang Xi and go with Huigu Acuo Ashuang to the legendary and mysterious Wuming Village in the southern border.

The energy accumulated by Nanyang, Pingchang, and Luoling during the crisis was used to mitigate subsequent natural disasters in other places. Two years later, the energy collected by the White Group was sufficient to support Da'an for a whole year of favorable weather, so Shang Yuji was able to go out with peace of mind.

She missed the martial arts competition a year ago because she was busy, but she didn't want to miss the witchcraft duel that Wu Ming held once every ten years three months later.

This is a major event concerning the entire Wuming. All Wuming Gu practitioners outside the village need to return to participate. After hearing Huigu talk about this, she planned to go with them.

Firstly, he was invited by A-Cuo to travel to southern Xinjiang; secondly, Jiangxi was a Gu foe identified by Wu Ming, so this was a good opportunity for him to make his appearance.

As for other reasons, Xiao Lü ate the black worm that fought to the end inside the monster's body. After two years of feeding and refining, it was only one step away from becoming the Gu King. Perhaps this witchcraft duel will provide an opportunity for its evolution.

Five days later, after handing over his official duties, the convoy heading to Wuming was ready.

Ah Shuang gave Ah Yi and Cui Shuxin the delicious insects she raised, along with a breeding manual she had written herself.

Shang Yuji and Jiang Xi went to say goodbye to Yi Sha, Xiang Fengyun and others who were seeing them off at the pavilion. They had already said all the farewell words before they parted. Shang Yuji smiled and said, "Elder Yi, I entrust the Prime Minister's Mansion to you. If nothing unexpected happens, we will probably be back in about a year."

Yi Sha waved his hand: "It's a rare opportunity to go out, have fun, no need to rush back."

Since Yi Sha took it upon herself to get rid of Mo Wuhen, who was a menace whether alive or dead, she has been free of any worries.

With Hui Gu and Jiang Xi present, the witchcraft that had kept his body impervious to fire and water was neutralized. Yi Sha then led the Seven Stars Sect juniors who had come to the capital to find an open space and burned him completely. The juniors collected the ashes and remains of the scourge and returned to report. Yi Sha recounted the whole story of his close friend Wu Yue in a letter, which he entrusted to a junior to deliver to the sect leader, thus informing the sect leader of his reason for staying in the Central Plains.

After settling down the remaining troubles and trivial matters within the sect, Yi Sha decided to settle in the capital.

After saying goodbye to the people seeing them off, the carriage slowly drove away and gradually disappeared from sight.

The five men passed through Yangzhou on their journey, returned to their residence to rest for a few days, arranged their affairs in Yangzhou, and then continued south.

...After nearly two months, we entered southern Xinjiang. With Hui Gu's guidance, we entered Wuming Village without any obstacles.

The villagers knew they were coming, so they prepared an empty room in advance and arranged everything to wait for their arrival.

The Uming people live in bamboo houses built high up, with the lower part elevated and the upper part inhabited. In the humid and hot southern region, Shang Yuji, dressed in a blue-purple Uming floral skirt embroidered with intricate patterns, sat on a bamboo rocking chair, a wooden basin of saltpeter ice beside her, and slowly fanned herself.

After staying in the village for ten days, Shang Yuji roughly figured out the layout of the village.

The mountain breeze blowing through the forest plays a natural melody that fills the entire mountainside, and also makes the wind chimes in the corner of the house tinkle with a clear and melodious sound.

The renowned doctor Youfang generously provides Lingnan-exclusive medicine packs, which effectively repel mosquitoes and eliminate miasma, making them an essential medicine for traveling.

Fresh fruit was placed within easy reach next to the ice basin, and behind the fruit were clusters of small hills, which were the emerald snakes that Jiang Xi had arranged to guard her safety.

Xiao Bai was borrowed by the village elders to record the characteristics of the Gu King, while Xiao Lü was busy feasting. Wu Ming had specially cultivated and raised poisonous insects and herbs to raise Gu worms. The same principle applies when Xiao Lü arrives and Wu Ming and the rats run into the rice granary. If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Lü can become a new Gu King before the witch-gu duel a month later.

With Xiao Lü around, they've practically secured the title of champion in this year's witchcraft duel.

A Gu master who cultivated a Gu King in just three years is undoubtedly a peerless genius in the entire history of witchcraft.

In Wuming, the strength of a Gu practitioner is the most powerful voice.

Jiang Xiqu was already highly regarded as a Gu master. After learning about his strength, the elders in the village were eager to support him as the new village leader and lead the Wuming Gu Gu to a higher level. Unfortunately, Jiang Xiqu had no such ambition, and the elders returned empty-handed.

These past few days, Jiang Xi has been studying orthodox witchcraft. However, judging from the elders' dejected state when Shang Yuji picked them up, he should be able to find common ground with his three masters.

"Let's go pick them up."

The emerald snake raised its head, flicked its tongue, and coiled around her exposed jade arm. The icy scales pressed against her skin. Shang Yuji fanned herself and said, "Be gentle. If you leave marks, Xi Qu will punish you, and I won't be able to save you."

Xiao Cui lowered her head sadly, seemingly recalling the miserable past when she was punished by her master to stand in the corner. Then she loosened her grip and silently became a series of green armlets.

On her way to the center of the village, villagers greeted her as she passed by. Shang Yuji recognized them all and called them back one by one.

Wu Ming's xenophobia stems from his rejection of those ignorant people who, out of ignorance of witchcraft and fear of it, smear witchcraft.

When Lin Mingshan last visited Wuming, he acknowledged the effectiveness of witchcraft and adhered to the principle of using witchcraft boldly if it was useful. By gaining the approval of the villagers, he was able to leave Wuming Village safely.

Given this, with the added bonus of being a Gu Zi's partner, Shang Yuji, dressed in Wuming's finest attire and sporting the Gu King's hair ornament, garnered an extremely high base favorability rating upon landing in Wuming Village. Coupled with the occasional interaction points she had accumulated over the past few days, her overall favorability rating in Wuming Village remained high.

The center of Wuming Village is the headquarters of Wuming's management. Jiang Xi has recently been studying other branches of witchcraft knowledge with the elders there, progressing in both depth and breadth, and training a hexagonal witchcraft master.

Jiang Xi learned witchcraft knowledge that ordinary people found difficult to acquire very quickly. The elders became more and more determined despite the setbacks. Now, the elders dared to teach, and Jiang Xi dared to learn. He was even able to successfully implement what he learned, which led the elders to believe that he was a born witchcraft practitioner.

No wonder that even though he was turned into a Gu person by King Qi in his previous life, he was still able to control King Qi's Gu worms to kill him.

Jiang Xi, carrying the rare Wuming cloth in his arms, saw the person he had been thinking about as soon as he stepped out of the door. He started walking quickly, then started running, and only stopped when he reached her.

"Ah Ji! You've come to pick me up! I passed the advanced Gu master assessment today, and then I got some new fabric from them. I'll make two new outfits when we get back!"

She ran after him, the silver bells on her clothes jingling. He smiled and told her what he had done that day.

When they were at the imperial court, Jiang Xi would pick her up after her shift. Now that she had come to Wuming, Shang Yuji was picking him up after his studies. Listening to his excited sharing, she nodded and said, "Okay, then you can measure me. I've been eating too much lately, I must have gained some weight."

"No, Ah Ji hasn't gained weight, she's the same as before."

Shang Yuji glanced at him, and he smiled even more brightly: "I know Ah Ji's figure best."

She had no choice but to admit, "That's true, then let's do it your way."