I meet all the requirements for becoming a god in this world!

Chapter 256 Martial Arts Aim to Advance to the Fourth Rank

Cheng Laiyun came out of the house, walked through the corridor, and saw two unfamiliar eunuchs standing at the entrance of the reception hall of the Regent's Office.

The two men each held a sandalwood brocade box in their hands, standing properly with their chins slightly raised.

Cheng Laiyun was very familiar with this expression.

People from the palace always feel superior to others, no matter where they go.

He had a plan in mind, so he kept walking, a perfectly timed smile on his face, and stepped into the side hall.

In the side hall, an indigo-blue figure stood with his hands behind his back in front of a desk. He didn't sit down, nor did he look at the map on the wall. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and examined the furnishings of Laiyun Hall.

The man was in his early forties, with a fair complexion and no beard. His cheekbones were slightly prominent, and his indigo eunuch's robe was pressed perfectly without a single wrinkle. A piece of ancient jade of excellent quality hung from the dark silk sash around his waist.

When Cheng Laiyun entered, he was reaching for an open document on the table, flipping through a couple of pages with a faint smile on his lips, as if he were looking at something interesting.

"I am deeply sorry for not being able to greet you properly, Eunuch Cao."

Cheng Laiyun bowed with his hands clasped in greeting, his voice neither too loud nor too soft.

Cao Ying put the official document back on the table and turned around.

His gaze as he sized up Cheng Laiyun was undisguised.

From head to toe, from the crumbs of scallion pancakes stuck to his clothes to the bronze plaque of the Regent at his waist.

He scanned every corner, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, a smile appearing on his face, but the smile only lingered at the corners of his mouth, not reaching his eyes at all.

"Inspector Cheng, I have long admired you."

His voice was unhurried, carrying a composure cultivated over many years:

"We've heard of you since we were in the North—the snake demon's poisonous clouds outside Qingzhou City, the execution of Yang Shi'en at Chengtian Gate, and the pilot program for new policies in Changle County."

"After returning to the capital, His Majesty always praised you as a 'capable minister' whenever he mentioned you in front of us."

"Today's meeting proves you are indeed a young man of great talent."

"You flatter me, Eunuch Cao."

"When you, my father-in-law, assist the Prince of Zhenbei in the northern border and resist the demon race, you are truly protecting the country for the court with real swords and spears."

"In the capital, I merely run errands and handle cases; I am unworthy of such praise from Your Majesty." He gestured for him to enter.

"Please have a seat, sir. Someone, bring some tea."

The two took their seats as host and guest, respectively.

Cheng Laiyun sat in the main seat, and Cao Ying sat in the first guest seat.

As soon as the tea was served, Cao Ying picked it up, took a sip, put it down, and without exchanging pleasantries, began to speak.

"Inspector Cheng, I've come today with two matters."

He held up two fingers, his tone still calm:

"The first thing is to send a congratulatory gift."

"Congratulations on your marriage! Our family has been busy with affairs in the palace and hasn't had time to offer our congratulations, so we're making up for it today."

"Our family brought two snow ginsengs from the northern border. They are of decent age and will be given to Inspector Cheng to help him recover."

He gestured with his chin toward the two eunuchs at the door:

"It's not something valuable, but the sentiment behind it is what matters."

"Thank you, Eunuch Cao."

Cao Ying waved her hand.

Then he raised his second finger, his tone still calm, but his gaze was fixed on Cheng Laiyun's face and wouldn't look away:

"The second thing is the position of Commander of the Regent's Office."

Cheng Laiyun's hand holding the teacup didn't pause for a moment. He put the teacup back on the table, raised his head, and met Cao Ying's gaze.

He still wore that perfectly timed smile, and didn't say a word.

Waiting for Cao Ying to continue.

"I know that Prime Minister Zhang recommended you in court."

Cao Ying leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest twice, her tone unhurried:

"Zhang Xiang said you handled the case effectively and made contributions to the implementation of new policies, and we acknowledge all of that."

"But the position of Commander—Inspector Cheng, to be honest..."

"According to the rules set by the founding emperor, one cannot be appointed without being of the third rank. You are of the fourth rank. You cannot cross this threshold."

Cheng Laiyun didn't respond, but simply held his teacup, waiting for him to finish speaking.

Seeing that he remained unmoved, Cao Ying's smile deepened, but the scrutiny in her eyes became even more undisguised.

"I served in the palace for more than ten years, and then spent five years in the northern border."

"When it comes to handling cases and implementing new policies, we're no match for you."

"But when it comes to guarding the Regent's office for His Majesty—I'm more suitable than you."

"You are Zhang Xiang's man, and our family is His Majesty's man."

"Chancellor Zhang wants the Regent's Office to follow the path of new policies, while His Majesty wants the Regent's Office to be more obedient to the court."

"To put it bluntly, these two paths boil down to whose orders the commander should follow."

"Inspector Cheng, you're a smart man, we won't beat around the bush with you."

Cao Ying leaned forward slightly, looking directly into Cheng Laiyun's eyes, her voice low but heavy:

"The Regent's Office is His Majesty's Regent's Office."

"His Majesty has appointed me to sit in this seat, so I will sit here."

"His Majesty doesn't want you to get involved, so you'd better not get involved."

At this point, Cao Ying's tone became sharp:

"I'm not here today to challenge you, but to lay it all out on you—from now on, even if I become the commander, you'll still be the inspector. New policies will still be implemented as usual, and cases will still be investigated as usual."

"As long as you don't go against His Majesty, we won't make things difficult for you."

After saying that, he stared indifferently at Cheng Laiyun.

Laiyun Hall was somewhat quiet.

After some time had passed.

"Eunuch Cao," Cheng Laiyun finally spoke.

His tone remained unhurried, each word he uttered landing steadily and clearly in the side hall:

"As you just said, the Regent's Office is His Majesty's Regent's Office."

"I disagree with that statement."

Cao Ying's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"From the day Emperor Taizu established the country, the State Administration Office has never been anyone's private property."

"It is a public instrument for supervising officials and inspecting the whole country, and it is the last line of defense for the people."

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the Regent's Office is not only the Regent's Office of the Imperial Court, but also the Regent's Office of all the people under Heaven."

"Cheng spent five months working in the fields of Changle County, witnessing firsthand how the new policies enabled people who had been burdened by poll taxes for half their lives to finally have enough to eat."

"I hold this position of commander not to oppose His Majesty, but to ensure that after the new policies are implemented, the people of the world can pay less silver and eat more."

"This is Cheng's duty, and it is also the duty of the Regent."

He looked into Cao Ying's eyes, his tone indifferent, each word like a sharp sword, refusing to yield an inch.

The smile on Cao Ying's face had completely disappeared. He leaned back in his chair, staring at Cheng Laiyun, his fingers resting on the armrest, no longer tapping.

"There's one more thing, Eunuch Cao is wrong."

"Eunuch Cao is His Majesty's man, and it is your duty to safeguard the State Administration Office for His Majesty."

"But I, Cheng, am not one of Zhang Xiang's men; I am a subject of the Great Yuan Dynasty!"

"It is my duty to safeguard the new policies for the benefit of all people."

"Since we each serve our own masters, let's each rely on our own abilities."

The side hall was quiet for a moment.

Cao Ying looked at Cheng Laiyun, and Cheng Laiyun looked at Cao Ying.

There was no hostility in their eyes when they looked at each other, but neither did they back down.

Then Cao Ying suddenly laughed, stood up, straightened her clothes, and adjusted the ancient jade at her waist.

"Inspector Cheng, we've remembered your duty."

"Remember your duty in this family."

"Since you're not planning to back out—then don't blame us for being impolite. Goodbye."

Cheng Laiyun got up to see him off, escorting him all the way to the gate of the Regent's Office.

Cao Ying stepped out of the threshold and got into the carriage without looking back.

The curtain fell, the wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, and gradually disappeared at the end of the long street.

……

When Cheng Laiyun came out of the Regent's Office, it was already quite dark.

Cao Ying's carriage had long since disappeared at the end of the long street, but the confrontation in the side hall was still swirling in his mind.

He stood on the stone steps at the entrance of the yamen, took a deep breath of the cool evening breeze, slowly exhaled the stale air from his chest, straightened his clothes, and strode towards Yongning Street.

When the gate of the Cheng residence was pushed open, lanterns were already lit in the courtyard.

The branches and leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the night wind. A pot of tea and several overturned teacups were placed on the stone table, but no one was sitting at the table.

The lights were on in the main room, and two figures were reflected in the paper window.

One sat upright like a pine tree, while the other moved occasionally, as if he were writing something with his head down.

As Cheng Laiyun approached, he heard Xu Jiayin's voice coming from inside the house, with a slightly aggrieved tone:

"Master, I've drawn this inscription seven times already, and my hand is sore. Can I practice it again tomorrow?"

Then came Xu Miaozhen's gentle voice, her tone leaving no room for negotiation:

"Your older sister taught you to practice swordsmanship, but you complained after standing in a horse stance for only three days."

"I taught you inscription techniques, and you tried to slack off after drawing them seven times. Jiayin, there are no shortcuts in cultivation."

Cheng Laiyun stood outside the window and glanced inside.

Xu Jiayin was hunched over her desk, holding a stylus pen in her hand. In front of her was a stylus drawing that was mostly completed, with several layers of revision marks on the paper.

Xu Miaozhen sat next to her, holding a cup of tea in her hand, with the same gentle smile on her face.

Cheng Laiyun did not push the door open and went in, but simply reached out and gently knocked twice on the window frame.

Xu Miaozhen looked up and saw it was him through the window. She smiled slightly and nodded at him.

Xu Jiayin looked up and saw him. Her eyes lit up, and she almost put down the inscription pen in her hand.

But after glancing at Xu Miaozhen beside him, he obediently gripped his pen tightly again, only winking at him as a greeting.

Cheng Laiyun smiled, waved to them to continue, and then turned and walked towards the backyard.

Under the old locust tree in the backyard, Gao Heyun was sitting on a stone bench, wiping her knife.

She had finished her shift today and changed into a moon-white casual outfit. Her long hair was tied back with a silver hairpin, with a few strands hanging down beside her ears.

The Northern longsword rested on her lap, its blade polished to a gleaming shine, gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the lantern glow.

She heard footsteps, looked up, glanced at Cheng Laiyun, her gaze still as indifferent as ever, but her hand wiping the knife paused slightly.

"You came home later than usual today. Did something happen at the government office?"

Cheng Laiyun sat down on the stone bench opposite her, poured himself a cup of tea, tilted his head back and gulped it down, then put down the teacup and let out a long sigh:

"A eunuch named Cao Ying has come to the palace."

"The Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, a third-rank military officer, is His Majesty's man. He came to the Regent's Office today and talked to me about the Commander's affairs."

Gao Heyun stopped wiping the knife:

"Cao Ying... Five years ago, I returned to the Northern Border for a while."

"I've met him once."

"Nominally, he was assisting his grandfather in guarding the border, but in reality, he was keeping an eye on the movements of the Northern Army for His Majesty."

"This person's cultivation is not weak, and his temperament is stable; he's not someone to be trifled with." She paused, a faint, sharp glint flashing in her phoenix eyes.

"What did he say to you?"

He said His Majesty wanted him to take the position of commander and told me not to get my hands on it.

Gao Heyun sheathed the knife with a swift and decisive motion.

She looked up at Cheng Laiyun, her tone flat, as if discussing official business unrelated to herself, but every word carried the directness and coldness characteristic of the Northern Frontier:

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I have already refused in person."

"I said, the Regent's Office is the regent's office for all the people of the world, not a private tool for any one person."

"I, Cheng Laiyun, am determined to take the position of commander—not to go against His Majesty, but so that after the new policies are implemented, the people of the world can have more to eat."

"Each person should compete fairly based on their own abilities."

Gao Heyun looked at him for a long time, then nodded.

She only said one word—"Okay."

Cheng Laiyun smiled.

He knew she would say that word.

He picked up the teacup, took another sip, and put it down.

Then he leaned forward slightly, softened his voice, and his tone carried a seriousness that he only showed in front of Gao Heyun:

"Heyun, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about tonight."

"I have already secured my fourth rank in the Mo Sect, but my martial arts cultivation is still stuck at the peak of the fifth rank."

"What I want to ask you today is the method to advance from the fifth rank to the fourth rank."

Gao Heyun frowned slightly.

She looked at Cheng Laiyun with a scrutinizing gaze, her tone colder than before, as if she were reprimanding a new recruit.

"The advancement from the fifth rank to the fourth rank in martial arts is different from the fourth rank in your Mo Sect."

"The Mo Sect cultivates the spirit and soul, while martial arts cultivate the will—the fifth rank condenses the will, and the fourth rank transforms the will into a domain."

"If you want the method, let me see how strong your martial arts foundation is first."

"If you are only at the initial stage of the fifth rank and try to force a breakthrough using a fourth-rank method, at best your meridians will be damaged, and at worst your cultivation will regress. This is absolutely not something you can take shortcuts for."

Cheng Laiyun looked at her businesslike expression and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He liked his wife's strictness.

Then, he picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, put it down, stood up, walked to the open space under the old locust tree, and turned to face Gao Heyun.

The martial arts aura within his body began to circulate.

Without needing to deliberately activate it or build up momentum, with just a thought, the martial aura that he had suppressed for so long surged out from his limbs and bones like a tide.

There was no radiance emanating from his body, and his robes did not flutter in the slightest.

But Gao Heyun, who was standing in front of him, suddenly contracted her pupils.

She sensed an extremely solid force of qi and blood emanating from Cheng Laiyun's body. That force was silent and still, yet like a silent volcano.

All the heat and pressure were suppressed to the deepest part, with only a few breathtaking rays leaking out from the cracks.

At the peak of the fifth rank, one's qi and blood are solidified and can be moved at will without dissipating...

This is the realm where you're just one step away from reaching the fourth rank!

She still remembered the last time Cheng Laiyun broke through to the fifth rank in martial arts... and now... only seven months have passed!

Gao Heyun has been stuck at the peak of the fifth rank for several years!

But Cheng Laiyun in front of us is actually...

Cheng Laiyun composed himself, sat down opposite her again, picked up his teacup, and, still with that unhurried demeanor, looked at her with a smile:

"Can you give me the method now?"

Gao Heyun looked at his smiling face, which seemed to be showing off no matter how you looked at it, and remained silent for a moment. Then she stood up and her tone returned to its usual indifference. But when she turned around, Cheng Laiyun clearly saw that she pressed down the corner of her mouth to prevent it from turning up.

"Wait here, I'll go get the cultivation manual."

"By the way, come to the backyard to find me at dawn tomorrow—having the cultivation technique alone is not enough; the step of transforming intent into a domain... is very difficult."