Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 8. Introduction
Three days later, at the outer gate of the Imperial City Temple.

The disciples participating in the test lined up one by one, and their numbers were called. Those whose numbers were called were the ones who passed.

Song Chen paid attention to the number of people. There were a total of fifty-seven people in this test. All fifty-seven people had passed the "Intent" test, but most of them were eliminated in the "Qi Gathering" stage. Including him, only eleven people passed.

Han Xian held the roster and read it aloud one by one. By the time the last name was read, the entire square had split into two sides.

One side has more people, the other side has fewer people.

Those on the side with more people looked on with envy at the other side.

A young man beside Song Chen smiled and said, "I am a member of the Zhong family, my name is Zhong Xu. And you are my fellow Daoist?"

There was a sense of pride in the boy's tone.

Song Chen returned the greeting and said, "Brother Zhong, I am Song Chen from the Que family."

A young girl beside her said, "I am also from the Que family. My name is Que Tan'er. I saw that Third Master personally brought you here. You must be a genius recruited from outside the family, right?"

Song Chen said, "I am from the lineage of Mr. Shenyun."

The girl asked in astonishment, "You're the one Mr. Shenyun saved?"

Song Chen said, "That's right."

Que Tan'er smiled and said, "That's really fate. We're both from the Que family, so we should get along well from now on."

The eleven people stood together and began to communicate rapidly, forming small cliques.

Just then, Han Xian coughed, then put his hands behind his back, looked at the forty-six people who had failed the test, and said, "If you want to join the Immortal Talisman Guard, then follow Lord Yu. If you don't want to join, then you may leave on your own."

Song Chen looked across at the other side.

In recent days, he has also learned about the capital's defense system from his wife, Pei Qianxue.

The imperial capital is roughly divided into three systems: "army", "guards", and "cultivators".

The guards serving in the capital were known as the Five Mysterious Guards.

The Five Mysterious Guards are divided into the Bright Guards and the Dark Guards.

The Ming Guard includes the Sword Guard and the Immortal Talisman Guard. These two types of positions seem plentiful in the capital, but they are positions that outsiders desperately want. When Song Chen was still in the cannon fodder camp, Brother Lin, Brother Cheng, and Brother Yong's biggest wish when they chatted was "to make some military achievements in the north, and then come back to be a Sword Guard."

The guards with swords are ordinary martial artists who have some martial arts skills and have undergone training, and are qualified to serve as guards.

There are far fewer Immortal Talisman Guards. These are guards who have already comprehended "intention" and can absorb "human energy," and are able to use cultivator talismans. Their status is naturally much higher than that of the Sword Guards.

As for the secret guards, they are called the Dragon Guards.

The Dragon Guardians are monks who have joined the Imperial City Temple but are willing to swear allegiance to the emperor to the death.

These types of cultivators will obtain massive resources, but they will also be controlled by the emperor in some way.

At this point, putting aside the Dragon Guards, those who were eliminated were qualified to become Celestial Talisman Guards.

As Han Xian finished speaking, almost all of the forty-six people came out. After Yu Cheng left, the remaining two seemed to have other plans and left on their own.

Han Xian turned his gaze back to Song Chen and the others, and then said, "From now on, you will be outer disciples of my Imperial City Temple. Tokens will be distributed and your names will be registered later."

Now that you have joined my Imperial City Temple, you should first understand one thing: spiritual cultivation depends on your own efforts.

There is no readily available spiritual energy for you to absorb within the sect, and many of you should also know that the family's spirit stones are mostly used for testing and are expensive and rare.

This energy is mostly found in the mountains and rivers; you must use your own cultivation techniques to absorb and cultivate it.

Unlike the guards who obey the emperor and mostly travel within the capital, we cultivators need to go out frequently, while you newbies need to report to the cultivation sites outside.

This is both a form of self-cultivation and a responsibility.

As for the remaining inheritance and questions, your teachers will explain them to you when you arrive at your training site.

As for the allocation of cultivation points, it is all random and based on need.

Some of you may be assigned to better places, while others may not.

Don't feel it's unfair; the path of cultivation is inherently unpredictable, and this is merely the beginning.

After saying that, Han began to call out names one by one.

Song Chen stood at the back of the line, listening to the instructions of each training point in front of him.

Jinjingshan Mountain in Linxi County, Xiaofeng Village volcano, and Bishui Lake in Tao County.
As he listened, Song Yan roughly understood: the assignment of outer disciples of the Imperial City Temple was just like officials going to their posts, except that the places they went to were mostly blessed lands where they could collect spiritual energy.

For example, Jinjing Mountain sounds like a place where people cultivate the "metal" lineage.

That fiery crater is where one cultivates the "fire-based" lineage.

That emerald lake corresponds to the "water system".

Therefore, it seems that one's choice of which lineage to cultivate is not a matter of personal choice, but rather a matter of chance.

However, most of these places are located near the capital.
He was thinking.

Han Xian suddenly reported: "Yu De, Green Luo Mountain, Lingtao County."

The man whose name was called stepped forward, his face full of worry, and said in a distressed voice, "Master Han, Lingtao County is more than a month's journey from the capital. My home..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted. Han Xian said coldly, "If you are not ready to cultivate, come back when you are ready. Today's session can be cancelled."

The man hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, no, I'll go, I'll go."

Soon, it was Song Chen's turn.

Han Xian glanced at him, then at the last two people behind him, and said in one breath: "Song Chen, Zhong Xu, Que Tan'er, Jinxia Mountain, Fengling County."

After saying that, Han Xian left without waiting for the three to be stunned. He had already wasted a lot of his time on the supervision and assessment, and he had to go and do his own thing.

in situ
Que Tan'er said happily, "Jinxia Mountain is just on the outskirts of the capital, and Fengling County is also very close. We can make a round trip in one day."

Zhong Xu was overjoyed and looked at Song Chen, saying, "Brother Song, we are indeed destined to be together. From now on, we will be fellow disciples. I am seventeen this year, how about you?"

Song Chen said, "Eighteen."

Zhong Xu cupped his hands and said, "Then you must be my senior brother, haha."

Song Chen didn't speak again. He suddenly remembered that there was a mountain in the distance from the cannon fodder camp, and that mountain seemed to be called something like Jinxia Mountain.
Han Xian said that "the allocation is based on need." Under what circumstances would it be necessary to allocate the three disciples?

In addition, he also learned something from Madam Pei Qianxue: "The spiritual energy of mountains and rivers is not unlimited. Generally speaking, the number of cultivators that a certain mountain or river can supply is also limited."

what does this mean?
this means
A carrot and a pit.

Out with the old, how can the new arrive?

Jinxia Mountain is so close to the capital, this pit must be full.

How come there are three empty spaces all at once?

Did those three return to the capital after being promoted to inner disciples, or...?
The autumn wind was bleak, swirling yellow leaves across the sky, casting dappled shadows, like a hundred ghosts walking in broad daylight. Song Chen took a deep breath, but felt the air entering his lungs was icy cold.

Three days later.
Shenyun Mansion moved, relocating from one of the eight mansions surrounding General Que's Mansion, but it remains a luxurious residence.

The name on the plaque remains unchanged.

On the day of the relocation, the Shenyun Mansion was unusually lively. Firecrackers were set off at the door, and paper-cut decorations and double happiness characters were pasted on the windows. The atmosphere was extremely festive, and guests came in droves. When a passerby asked, he said that it was the wedding day of the only cultivator of the Shenyun lineage of the Que family. The bride was Pei Qingyue of the Immortal Talisman Guard.

The groom wears a wedding suit, the bride wears a veil, red rice is scattered, they step over a fire basin, hold an embroidered ball, and drink the nuptial wine.
A couple who had only met a few times were now holding hands and drinking each other's drinks.

Just then, a voice called out from outside the door, "Wait!" followed by a strong young man rushing in and shouting, "Qingyue, I just returned from outside. Why are you getting married in such a hurry? Is someone forcing you? Is that it?!"

This interruption immediately drew a lot of attention and people started watching the spectacle.

Someone recognized the strong young man as Yang Dongdu, a master among the Immortal Guards.

Pei Qianxue frowned immediately and looked at an old man to the side.

This old man was not Master Que the Third, but an elder from the Que family. He came here as an elder to witness the wedding, which can be considered as establishing a good relationship because there is still potential for the family to split up.

The old man waved his hand, and immediately someone helped the young man away.

The wedding resumed after a brief interruption.

The night is getting darker.

In the bridal chamber, the bride, wearing a red veil, sat by the candlelit couch until the door opened and a figure reeking of alcohol stumbled in.

The groom lifted the bride's red veil, muttered "Wife," and then collapsed onto the bed, rolling to the corner and falling fast asleep.

Pei Qingyue was stunned for a moment, then instructed the maid to bring some sobering tea. She then helped Song Chen take off his outer clothes and trousers little by little, covered him with a quilt, bit her lip, loosened her belt and clothes, leaving only her undergarments, blew out the candles from a distance, and then quietly lay down beside the young man, beside this unfamiliar husband.

She simply couldn't fall asleep.

But after a while, she noticed something was wrong.

Because the husband's breathing beside me sounded so fake.

She took a deep breath and said, "You don't actually like me."

Song Chen opened his eyes and said, "Is that what you think?"

Pei Qingyue replied, "Yes."

Song Chen suddenly flipped over, pinning the beautiful young woman beneath him, and then said, "I like it."

The young woman subconsciously moved twice before beginning the final procedures of the marriage alliance.

For a very long time.

The young woman lay in Song Chen's arms, her four legs warmly intertwined.

She closed her eyes wearily. In any case, the marriage was complete. This man would now belong to this mansion, and their fates were completely intertwined.

She had already given her body to him; whether she gave him her heart or not was unimportant, and she didn't want to think about it anymore.

In the Tianxiang Pavilion, the air was thick with the scent of rouge, and beautiful women mingled and moved about. Yang Dongdu grabbed a prostitute and pressed her down hard. The prostitute playfully tapped his forehead and said, "You naughty boy, you came every few days last year, why have you been gone for so long this year? I thought you had forgotten me, hehehe."

Yang Dongdu angrily rebuked, "You lowly whore, see how the master deals with you!"

The prostitute giggled and cried out, "My lord, spare me! Spare me!"

(End of this chapter)