Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

The long night has come.

Chen Zhuo walked out of the study and looked up at the sky.

The echoes of the nine gongs and drums still reverberated through the streets and alleys of the county town, but the sky had already changed.

The sky wasn't the layered black of sunset, but a stripped-away black, as if an invisible hand had instantly erased the color from the sky.

Filled with curiosity, Chen Zhuo strode towards the Guanfeng Pavilion, the highest point in the Chen residence.

Qingluo followed us without us noticing, carrying a thick cloak in her arms. She didn't say anything, but silently handed the cloak over.

Chen Zhuo took it and breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped aside and waited quietly.

Then he saw a familiar figure standing in the air; it was Zhou Wenyuan, the magistrate of Qingshan County.

"Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in various forms."

Zhou Wenyuan began solemnly, reciting the Song of Righteousness, which had been passed down since the time of the First Emperor.

"Below it is the rivers and mountains, above it is the sun and stars. In man it is called the vast and righteous spirit, which fills the entire universe."

As he recited each line, the county magistrate's seal gradually appeared beside him, eventually transforming into a golden barrier that enveloped the entire county.

"Unfolding books under the eaves, reflecting the ancient path." As Zhou Wenyuan finished speaking, the Righteous Qi Formation was fully formed.

At the same time, a figure also rose into the air from the direction of the College of Arts.

"The Way is established by the sages through literature, and the sages illuminate the Way through literature." As Song Zhiyuan's clear voice rang out, a beam of azure light shot into the sky.

That is the manifestation of the cultural heritage of Qingshan County. Normally, it lies underground, hidden in stone tablets, and concealed in the insights of every practitioner of the Way of Literature.

It will only be fully awakened at the moment when the long night officially descends.

The role of the cultural context is to provide energy support for the protective shield.

The moment the protective shield took shape, Chen Zhuo felt a warm sensation rising from beneath his feet.

Then a sudden realization dawned on me.

That is the power of the cultural lineage. The aura of every literary practitioner recognized by the cultural lineage of Qingshan County, as well as every student, scholar, and successful candidate who has left their mark on the cultural lineage of Qingshan County, constitutes part of this protective shield.

Their auras all formed part of this protective barrier.

Chen Zhuo could sense his own presence within it, very faint, but undeniably there.

The moment the protective shield was completed, the long night dissipated, and Qingshan County stood like a lighthouse in the boundless darkness.

After the long night began, nothing changed except for the increased number of Green Mountain Army patrols on the streets.

The biggest changes will likely occur in the outer city area.

The outer city area is within the protective shield and is not open to the public under normal circumstances. It only serves as a temporary gathering place for people from outside the city during the long night.

This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and has become a gathering place for all kinds of underground transactions and hedonistic pursuits.

At this moment, in the outer city, on the second floor of Chunfeng Tower.

Chen Tianshen and Chen Tianlang were comfortably lying in a house.

"Sigh, old wolf, this is what human life should be like. The people here are really good at making a living."

Chen Tianlang seemed to enter a state of enlightenment, and simply hummed softly.

At this moment, Chen Tianshen sniffed the air, suddenly sat up, and looked in a certain direction. "Old Wolf, stop lying there! Look who's that!"

Chen Tianlang glanced at it and exclaimed in surprise, "Second Young Master?!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Tianshen's eyes flashed with disdain. "You've only been here a few days, and you already think you're some lackey?"

"This is Lord Elvis's order..."

"Pah! What Elvis? You should call me Mistress!" Chen Tianshen said disapprovingly.

The two exchanged a silent glance, the elder brother remaining silent about the younger brother.

Downstairs, as soon as Chen Zhuo stepped into Chunfeng Tower, he was greeted by the aroma of seafood.

"Sir, what kind of service would you like? We have plenty of girls available today!"

Chen Zhu waved his hand impatiently, "I want to see your manager!"

Upon hearing Chen Zhuo's words, the madam was taken aback, then revealed a standard smile.

"Sir, please don't joke around. Chunfeng Pavilion doesn't have a manager."

Seeing her like this, Chen Zhuo remained unmoved and said firmly, "I said, I want to see your manager!"

Then a touch of scholarly atmosphere emanated from the surrounding area.

Seeing his expression, the madam's smile faded. "Sir, you're actually trying to use force? Spring Breeze Pavilion isn't easily intimidated!"

She clapped her hands, and several burly men jumped out from the surrounding area.

Just as a battle was about to break out, a voice came from upstairs.

"Please come to the third floor for a chat, young friend."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people who were blocking Chen Zhuo exchanged glances and made way for him.

Seeing this, Chen Zhuo shook his hand and went up to the third floor.

In fact, he didn't come here to cause trouble, but rather to test the secrets of Chunfeng Tower as instructed by his father.

Recently, Chunfenglou has transformed from an obscure, third-rate brothel into the largest intelligence trading center in the outer city and even the entire Qingshan County.

Chen Tiansheng suspected that the news of his ambush and the theft of his goods were related to the demon race, and even to the Spring Breeze Pavilion.

As soon as he entered, a middle-aged man stood up.

"Young Master Chen, what brings you here?"

Chen Zhuo was not surprised that the man recognized him at a glance.

During this period, his novel "The Long Night" has become increasingly popular, and his fame has soared.

"I'm here for three things!"

"What are the three things? Young Master Chen, please speak freely. I will certainly help if I can."

Ding Xiuyuan said with a respectful expression.

Chen Zhuo glanced at him. "The first thing I need to know is all the information about when the Chen family's goods were hijacked before the Long Night."

Upon hearing this, Ding Xiuyuan looked troubled and said, "Young Master Chen, this matter is too difficult to handle, after all, it happened before Changye."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhuo did not press the matter and changed the subject.

"The second thing is that demons have entered the city. My master asked me to find them. Does the shopkeeper have any connections?"

He didn't make this up.

Searching for lurking demons has always been a regular task for the Academy of Literature; he was just using this as an excuse to bring it up this time.

"Regarding this matter," Ding Xiuyuan still looked troubled. "The whereabouts of the demon race are unpredictable. Those that could be easily found have already been found, and those that cannot be found are deeply hidden and not easy to find."

Seeing his reaction, Chen Zhuo was not annoyed, but instead brought up the third thing.

"I need to find something that has a similar aura to this stone."

As he spoke, he took out the Originium he had obtained from the corpse pit.

Upon hearing this request, Ding Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the last request didn't seem too difficult.

Then he looked at the stone that Chen Zhuo had taken out, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Young Master Chen, I don't see anything special about this stone."

Although he concealed it well, Chen Zhuo had been observing him and keenly caught that slight abnormality.

Just as he was about to continue probing, the sound of fighting came from downstairs.

The two looked down and saw that Chen Tianshen and Chen Tianlang were fighting with the guards of Chunfeng Tower.

Chen Zhuo was puzzled. "Aren't these two the local militia that my father recruited when he returned home late at night? What are they doing here?"