Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

Zhou Wenyuan specially chose the "Spring Wood Skill" for Shen Qi.

This internal martial art doesn't follow a forceful or brute approach; instead, it emphasizes continuous, uninterrupted energy. A single breath of internal energy flows gently and steadily through the twelve main meridians, perfectly suited for Shen Qi to hone his foundation.

……

"call--"

Shen Qi exhaled a breath of stale air, his blood and qi surging.

A wisp of heat condensed and did not dissipate, faintly weaving into the shape of smoke above his head.

Qi and blood surged like smoke, and the Body Tempering Realm was achieved.

"Great!" Zhou Wenyuan stood under the eaves and couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.

He stepped down the stairs, looked Shen Qi up and down, his eyes full of satisfaction: "You completed a full cycle of the Spring Wood Technique in just one day. Your comprehension is truly astonishing."

Shen Qi quickly clasped his hands and bowed his head: "It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, sir. If I had to figure it out on my own, I'm afraid I wouldn't have even gotten the hang of it in ten days or half a month."

Zhou Wenyuan waved his hand: "I was just giving you a few casual tips. Your cultivation still depends on yourself. Now that you've just entered the Body Tempering Realm, you must avoid being greedy and rushing ahead. These next few days, just focus on cultivating your Qi and blood and consolidating your meridians. I'll instruct the kitchen to prepare more blood-nourishing medicinal dishes for you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, right." Zhou Wenyuan turned around, took a coarse cloth bundle from the stone table, and handed it to Shen Qi. "These are the items you asked me to send someone to the outer city mortuary to retrieve yesterday. They're all here."

Shen Qi took it with both hands and unbuttoned it in front of Zhou Wenyuan. There was nothing special inside: two sets of faded mortician's clothes, plus a few old thread-bound books.

Zhou Wenyuan's gaze naturally fell on the book at the top.

"Yuanming's Essence".

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone revealing a hint of surprise: "You still believe in these fortune-telling and metaphysical theories?"

This book was practically a must-have for everyone in the Imperial Observatory.

But for Shen Qi, a mortician, this obscure and difficult-to-understand stuff seemed somewhat strange.

Shen Qi patted the books in his hands. "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by adults. I'm a lowly person, and I'm bound to have bad luck. I bought these two books just for good luck. In our line of work, we believe in seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. Just treat it as entertainment, don't take it seriously."

Hearing Shen Qi's words, Zhou Wenyuan shook his head and said in a serious tone, "The cultivation of martial arts should focus on tempering the body and strengthening the mind. The theory of fate is vague and should not be believed. You have just entered the threshold of martial arts, and this is the time when you need to focus on your studies. Don't let these unorthodox methods distract you and waste your talent."

"Yes, I've got it." Shen Qi bowed his head in response.

"However, this *Yuanming Sui* is, after all, the culmination of Lord Xuanweizi's efforts. Although the version circulating now is no longer the original one, it still contains some wisdom." Zhou Wenyuan then changed the subject slightly, "Without a knowledgeable guide, an ordinary person would find it difficult to even grasp the basics after several years. If you are truly interested in this, you can seek guidance from Lord Sizhu when you have the opportunity. Lord Sizhu has done considerable research on this book."

"How could I, a lowly and uncouth person, dare to bother Lord Si with such a matter?" Shen Qi smiled innocently.

Zhou Wenyuan nodded and said no more: "There are still things to take care of in the department. You should study hard and not put the cart before the horse."

"Congratulations, my lord."

Watching Zhou Wenyuan's figure disappear outside the courtyard gate, Shen Qi immediately picked up the package and quickly walked into the house.

The charcoal inside was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy.

Shen Qi walked directly to the table and opened "Yuanming Sui".

He flipped through the pages rapidly between his fingers, skipping directly to the prefaces and general outlines of Volumes One and Two, and stopping at Volume Three, "The Mandate of Heaven".

The obscure classical Chinese and dense annotations made him frown. He squinted and meticulously examined each line, focusing on words like "hidden dragon," "heavy yin," and "shifting fortune."

Half an incense stick later, his fingertip slammed heavily onto a line of small characters.

found it.

"Those whose destinies evolve in succession, and whose celestial bodies interact and produce extraordinary phenomena, are called 'transformed from the body into a spirit.'"

Shen Qi leaned closer and read on, word by word: "When fortune turns and one encounters a noble person, one sheds the physical body to transform into spirit, encounters life and moves towards Qian (乾), and the overall pattern turns auspicious. If the shadow of the hidden void is covered by heavy Yin (阴), it is not a sign of misfortune, but rather a harbinger of an impending extreme change."

It turned out that it was the heavy yin energy, a sign of transformation, not some kind of disaster!

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Shen Qi's forehead. Jiang Xinyue's destiny was actually about to soar to great heights.

According to the brief passage in Volume Ten, "The Secret of the Jade Well," once the Hidden Dragon in the Abyss formation completes its "Transformation from Body to Spirit," it becomes the true "Flying Dragon in the Sky" formation. At that time, both the primary and secondary destiny formations will be activated simultaneously, giving rise to the most extreme aura destined in this person's life.

nominative? Complementary case?

Shen Qi's eyes lit up, and he kept flipping through the pages.

Since the goal is to achieve deification, there must be a specific analysis of her destiny. As long as we know Jiang Xinyue's primary and secondary destiny, we can deduce the next actions and allegiances of this person in charge of the Observatory.

"Splash!"

Turn the page. That's it.

Shen Qi was stunned. He rubbed the two pages several times to make sure they weren't stuck together. After Volume Ten, it jumped directly to Volume Eleven, which discussed miscellaneous topics related to Feng Shui. There was absolutely nothing about the classification, characteristics, and evolution of the primary and secondary destiny types of the Flying Dragon in the Sky.

"this……."

This book is definitely not the original; it's missing so much.

Shen Qi closed the book with a look of disappointment and slammed it heavily on the table. This incomplete copy bought from outside was hopeless. He had to find a way to get the complete version; if only he could get his hands on the copy on Jiang Xinyue's desk…

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, the sky was overcast, and snowflakes began to fall again.

"Master Shen, here's your medicine, and the Rumors Record that just arrived today." The old servant of the Zhou family knocked on the door at the appointed time and handed over the tray.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Shen Qi picked up the medicine and drank it all in one gulp. The warm medicinal properties dissolved in his body, making him feel comfortable and warm all over. He casually unfolded the official gazette, "Chronicles of Peaceful Times," and quickly scanned the front page.

The Prefect personally inscribed a plaque for the Yan family, a family known for its virtuous deeds; the Yan family then set up ten more soup kitchens.

The gist of the report is that the disaster relief officials sent by the imperial court have successfully entered the city, and the prefectural government has issued a strict order to stabilize grain prices and severely punish merchants who hoard grain. The report states that, with the cooperation of the Yan family, the disaster situation in Chengping County has been fully brought under control, the displaced people have been properly resettled, and order has been restored.

Shen Qi shook his head at the sight.

Has the disaster been brought under control? If the refugees have truly been resettled, why are the checks at the inner city checkpoints becoming stricter day by day?

He turned the newspaper over and looked at the last page on the back.

In the bottom right corner of the page, a notice immediately catches the eye.

[Fire Prevention Notice for Chengping Book Club]

"The winter plague has not yet subsided, and now another evil wind has risen. Somehow, the southern district of the outer city has run into the Fire God, and several territories, including the Chang Le Gang, have been 'fired' one after another. The fire was as fierce as a tiger, leaving not a single hair behind. By the time the patrol officers woke up and went to extinguish the fire, dozens of gangsters had already been burned to a crisp, and even their own mothers couldn't recognize them when they were all mixed together."

"I hereby humbly request all residents of the outer city: the night is windy and dry, so please turn off your lights and go to bed early! If you must light candles to watch the play in the middle of the night, please prepare a water tank by your bedside beforehand. After all, fires are a serious matter. I hope everyone takes good care of themselves and pays close attention to fire!"

……