Chapter 8: Demonstration in the Courtyard
To save time, the free consultation session saw people forming groups of three to five, gathering with friends who had similar questions to seek guidance together.
Xue Wenzhong moved through the crowd, explaining at times and occasionally having junior clerks demonstrate the techniques themselves.
In the courtyard, wind began to rise, clouds surged, thunder rumbled, and a light rain fell, instantly enlivening the scene.
As they waited, Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong grew restless and started teasing their fellow practitioners.
“Brother Zhou, why does your 【Summon Wind】 always blow into people’s trousers? You must have used this trick to charm quite a few ladies, right?”
“Brother Ye, your 【Summon Thunder】 is so-so. It’s not even louder than your snoring. You really need to practice more.”
“Oh wow, Brother Cao’s 【Summon Rain】 is quite something. It’s like a woman peeing, and it’s even split... Hahaha!”
"...."
Laughter erupted around them, and those being teased didn't get angry but instead bantered back, bringing some light-heartedness to the otherwise tedious practice.
However, as the conversation continued, the boys' topics began to veer off, eventually drifting into discussions of men and women, growing more and more animated.
“Speaking of which, during the Spring Festival this year, I passed by a local house and heard sounds from inside. A man was whispering and grunting, ‘Baby, it’s almost out, just push a bit harder~,’ followed by a woman complaining softly, ‘Father-in-law, you’re on top, I’m below, how am I supposed to push? Maybe we should switch places.’”
“I got curious and took a closer look. Can you guess what I saw?” Qian Dong raised his eyebrows and looked at the group of boys around him, deliberately pausing to keep them in suspense.
“Ew~ Father-in-law and daughter-in-law? Could it be some dirty old man? Brother Qian, stop, don’t pollute our ears.”
“Brother Cao, you were listening the most attentively earlier, and now you’re pretending otherwise? If you don’t want to hear it, step aside. I’m a commoner, I enjoy hearing this.”
“You’re killing me! What did you see, Brother Qian? Just say it already.”
They laughed and chatted seriously, but Zhao Xing couldn’t help shaking his head, not because of them, but because the old agricultural officer, Xue Wenzhong, had silently walked up behind Qian Dong.
“What did you see?”
The sudden, hoarse voice startled the boys. Qian Dong turned around, his face alternating between red and green, mumbling: “N-Nothing.”
Xue Wenzhong’s face creased into a smile, “They can hear it, but I can’t? I insist on hearing it, or none of you will get off easy. All of you, off to the back mountain to cut grass.”
Qian Dong stammered, Chen Ziyu averted his gaze, and the others looked away, except for Zhao Xing, who watched the spectacle as if it had nothing to do with him.
Xue Wenzhong noticed and pointed him out, “Zhao Xing, if they can’t say it, you tell me.”
Zhao Xing replied calmly, “Elder Xue, what Brother Qian mentioned was nothing but an ordinary matter. It was just a father-in-law and daughter-in-law digging up a silver box left by their ancestors in a dry well. Brother Qian was merely overthinking it.”
“Well, you’re quick-witted,” Xue Wenzhong chuckled.
Qian Dong quickly chimed in, “Ah, yes, that’s what I meant to say.”
“Right, right, that’s what we all heard,” the others echoed.
Seeing that the old officer wasn't making things difficult, Qian Dong swiftly changed the subject, “Elder Xue, recently when I use 【Moving Clouds】, I feel it’s unstable, sometimes strong, sometimes weak. Could you guide me?”
“Cast the spell and let me see.”
Without hesitation, Qian Dong pointed upward, and a grayish-white cloud appeared two meters above him, wobbling like a drunk man holding an umbrella.
After observing for a moment, Xue Wenzhong gestured for him to stop, “You can’t control your essence energy, so the spell fluctuates.”
Qian Dong listened obediently.
“But don’t worry, that’s normal,” Xue Wenzhong took Qian Dong’s hand, ran his fingers over his wrist twice, and then let go. “You’re about to reach the second stage of Gathering Essence, just a step away from breaking through.”
“You all are similar; many of you are close or already at that point. But there’s no need to rush. Go back, focus on stabilizing your essence, and it will resolve soon.”
“Thank you, Elder Xue.”
“Hmm?” When Xue Wenzhong’s gaze landed on Zhao Xing, he let out a soft ‘hmm,’ then grabbed Zhao Xing’s hand.
The others looked over curiously.
After a moment, Xue Wenzhong’s brow relaxed, and he smiled, “Not bad, you’ve already entered the second stage of Gathering Essence, ahead of the others.”
The others looked at him enviously, while Chen Ziyu beamed with pride for his brother. Qian Dong nudged him, giving him a ‘I knew it’ look.
Zhao Xing remained expressionless. He had a system, so he knew when he broke through, unlike the others who were uncertain about their progress.
As the group took turns asking their questions, it came to Zhao Xing’s turn, and he mentioned the three new techniques he had obtained from the temple, asking Xue Wenzhong for guidance.
“The feeling of 【Summon Wind】 is similar to 【Moving Clouds】. Both gather essence to manipulate natural forces, following set spell paths. However, Summon Wind is more difficult because it has directional elements. You need to be more precise in the casting process. Try using one-third of the essence needed for Moving Clouds and start with the north wind.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing immediately began casting.
His essence shot north, and soon, a breeze started to blow.
At first, it was just a gentle breeze, but it gradually grew stronger, blowing everyone’s hair straight.
Xue Wenzhong’s face showed some surprise because Zhao Xing’s control over the wind was very steady, and the wind was strong, not at all like someone casting for the first time.
If it were a beginner, people’s hair would be blowing wildly, not standing straight.
“How did I not notice he had such talent before?”
Intrigued, Xue Wenzhong said, “Try the other directions.”
Zhao Xing nodded slightly and pointed in each direction. The north wind had no one in its path, but the other directions were filled with clerks casting spells, causing significant interference.
However, thanks to the modifications from the Dao Embryo Pill, Zhao Xing’s control over essence was stronger than the others, allowing him to overpower their interference.
In the courtyard, only Zhao Xing’s wind responded as he wished, while everyone else was left in disarray.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Xue Wenzhong said, satisfied, allowing Zhao Xing to stop.
The other clerks, confused at first, soon realized that the unusual wind was coming from the direction of the old officer and resumed their own practice.
Next, the old officer asked Zhao Xing to try 【Summon Thunder】.
“Moving Clouds contains yin and yang, pure and impure energies. Control them with your essence; the heavy forms rain, the combined forms thunder. The key lies in…”
“Boom!”
Before he could finish, a thunderclap echoed through the courtyard.
The sound was so loud it seemed to explode right next to everyone’s ears.
Now, the entire courtyard turned to look.
Above Zhao Xing, a mass of gray-white clouds churned, the gray and white energies colliding like war chariots crashing into each other.
The next moment, a flash of purple appeared, followed by another thunderclap!
“Ziyu, brother’s thunder is a bit too loud, don’t you think?” Qian Dong stared blankly at the sky.
“I think so too. Is there really such a big difference between the first and second stages of Gathering Essence?” Chen Ziyu muttered, still in shock, likely because the thunder had stunned him.
Xue Wenzhong opened his mouth but had nothing to say.
All his previous words were unnecessary.
If Zhao Xing hadn’t carried a beginner’s application form with him, Xue Wenzhong would have thought he’d been practicing for a long time.
Judging by these two spells alone, Zhao Xing didn’t seem like a novice at all.
“Elder Xue, please guide me,” Zhao Xing withdrew his spell and waited for instruction. But Xue Wenzhong just smiled and said, “You’re quite talented with 【Summon Wind】 and 【Summon Thunder】, and you’ve already grasped the basics. What more can I say? You’ll reach mastery with just a little more practice.”
“As for the ‘Grasses as Soldiers’ technique... follow me.”
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