Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

The room was dimly lit.

A middle-aged man with a bald head and a face full of fat, wearing a short yellow-green shirt with seven withered leaves embroidered on the chest, was bowing respectfully to the man in the seat in front of him.

"Our people brought news that they entered the inner city of the Prince's mansion, were recruited by that concubine, and have already entered the Prince Su's mansion today to treat that young master's illness."

"What was the result?"

Sitting in his chair, Xu Meishan wore a silly grin, holding a small black wooden cauldron in his arms, without raising his head.

"No information has been sent out from the inside yet."

The bald man nervously swallowed, bending even lower.

Xu Meishan stared at the black cauldron in his arms for a while before continuing, "Pass down the word: do not disturb the person and the fox in the portrait... How's the matter with the Mo family going?"

"Reporting to you, sir, the net is already set, and we're just waiting for those rats from the Great Spirit Ferryman's Office to crawl in."

"Change the transaction location to Zhenji Ridge, thirty miles outside the city, and set the time for the third day of next month," Xu Meishan instructed with a silly grin.

The bald man was taken aback. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Sir, changing the transaction location at the last minute is prone to problems. What if we startle those rats... Moreover, according to custom, the Prince Su's heir goes to Zhenji Ridge to pray for blessings every year on the third day of the tenth lunar month. Although he is currently suffering from a strange illness, no one can say for sure whether he will still go."

Xu Meishan shifted his gaze from the black cauldron in his arms and repeated, "Change the transaction location to Zhenji Ridge, thirty miles outside the city, and set the time for the third day of next month."

Cold sweat instantly soaked the bald man's back. He knelt down on one knee with a thud, his voice booming.

"Yes, I will arrange for someone to take care of it immediately."

Beian was far from the capital, and this was his first time dealing with this Lord Frostfall, but he had heard that this man had a strange quirk.

Words should not be repeated more than twice, for if they are, blood will surely be shed.

Xu Meishan lowered his head again and looked at the black cauldron.

"Okay... I'll be there too."

Upon hearing this, the bald man's face immediately lit up with joy, and he flattered, "With you here, sir, this operation is sure to be a success..."

He flattered him for a long time without interrupting, but just stared silently at the cauldron in his arms until the other party finished speaking. Then he said with a silly smile, "Go and do your work."

"Yes, sir!"

The bald man got up and left, carefully closing the door behind him, afraid of making a noise and disturbing the person in front of him.

In the dimly lit room, only Xu Meishan remained.

After a long silence, he addressed the black cauldron in his arms with a respectful tone:

"Yes, Godfather, Meishan will definitely handle this matter well."

......

The next morning, a light rain began to fall.

This makes the already chilly late autumn even more freezing.

Inside the Qunying Academy.

Qin Ning, dressed in a light blue robe with a retainer's token hanging from his waist, stood under the eaves holding a paper umbrella, taking a deep breath of the fresh air mixed with autumn rain.

At his feet, the little black cat poked its head out. The yellow and blue ball looked at the raindrops dripping and splashing on the bluestone bricks in the yard. After hesitating for a moment, it jumped back onto Qin Ning's shoulder in a few quick leaps.

Yesterday, the other party forced her to learn to read, and she originally planned to protest today by not squatting on their shoulders.

Well... Tanuki thinks it's okay to protest a couple of days later.

Qin Ning tilted her head and scratched the little black cat's chin, then flicked her finger lightly between its eyebrows.

"Let's go, first to the dining hall, then to the library; once the rain stops, let's go to that concubine's private treasury and select the medical books and martial arts manuals."

Fifteen minutes later.

Qin Ning had a steamed bun in her mouth, and the little black cat also had a steamed bun in its mouth.

A person and a cat appeared in front of the five-story library of the Prince's Mansion in such an eerie way.

Cross the threshold and show your guest token to the person on duty.

After verifying the token, the guard handed it back, saying, "You may freely enter and exit the first three floors. There are guards on the third floor, so please don't get lost. Also..."

Qin Ning swallowed the bun she was biting into in three bites, then asked curiously, "What else?"

The guard, who had intended to remind him that eating was prohibited in the library, was taken aback and turned his gaze to the little black cat on Qin Ning's shoulder, which was also carrying a steamed bun in its mouth.

"in addition......"

He had barely uttered two words when the kitten swallowed the meat bun, which was bigger than her face, in two bites.

Guard: "...Please come in."

Qin Ning scratched his head in confusion, left the still-dripping paper umbrella at the door, and stepped into the ocean of knowledge.

The layout of this ancient building is somewhat similar to the shape of a pine tree, with the ground floor being the widest and largest, housing the most books and classics. However, the contents of those books are relatively the least valuable.

After exploring each section, Qin Ning and the cat went up the steps to the second floor of the library, which was smaller in size.

Detailed Explanation of the Nine Major Cultivation Systems

The book was placed on the first shelf of the first row on the second floor. The pages showed obvious signs of wear and tear, suggesting that it had been read by many people.

Picking it up and flipping through it to make sure it contained what she wanted to read, Qin Ning took the book to the window and read it carefully by the light filtering in.

The book contains information about the nine major cultivation systems, including Yin-Yang, martial arts, medicine, Confucianism, Buddhism, Mohism, and military strategy. It describes the characteristics of each system and the names of the ranks before the fifth rank.

The Yin-Yang School excels in astrology, fortune telling, the Five Elements, formations, and so on, making it the most popular cultivation path today. Martial artists are most adept at killing in the early stages, and upon reaching a high level, they can master unique martial arts essence, their physical bodies are comparable to metal, and their survivability can rival that of the Buddhist golden body.

The sixth rank of a physician is called "Saint Hand." This level of skill does not rely on external objects such as herbs or acupuncture needles; with just a pair of bare hands, one can heal 80-90% of injuries and diseases.

Legalists emphasize law, tactics, and power. The four laws of the seventh level of interrogation can reveal whether a prisoner is lying.

Confucianism flourished in its early years, dominating both the imperial court and the common people. However, it declined due to internal divisions, with its ideology branching into many factions that continue to be debated to this day.

The book records a rumor that the current paths of cultivation, such as Yin-Yang, Legalism, Mohism, and Miscellaneous, all originated from Confucianism and developed over several generations to reach their current scale.

There is not much information about Buddhism in this book.

It only indicates that this religion is the state religion of the Great Spirit, and that it is internally divided into two major sects: Zen and Tantric Buddhism.

When Qin Ning saw the Mo family, he took a closer look and found that their cultivation path was quite ingenious.

Ninth-rank craftsman, eighth-rank storyteller, seventh-rank wandering knight.

These three grades actually represent three different internal paths of cultivation within the Mohist school. If you choose the path of a craftsman, you may become a master craftsman with unparalleled skill.

Storytellers and wandering knights are quite similar, but one focuses on spreading ideas, while the other emphasizes practical actions.

It is worth mentioning that every generation of leaders of the Mohist school took the path of storytelling.

Military strategists value battlefield combat, and most directly, the higher the rank, the more soldiers one can command to form military formations.

There's not much to say.

As for the miscellaneous...

The book says that this lineage has been cut off.

In recent decades, no one has been able to reach the fourth rank, which seems to be related to the destruction of a certain mysterious cultivation path.

Mysterious cultivation path... I always feel like it's talking about the Taoist sect I belong to.

In addition, Qin Ning also discovered that the book specifically emphasized that the fifth grade is a major watershed in each cultivation system.

The difference between a fifth-rank and a sixth-rank cultivator is no less significant than the difference between a cultivator and an ordinary person!

Regarding lifespan, those who pass the fifth rank can expect a minimum lifespan of one hundred and twenty years.

After finishing the book in one go, he glanced at the water clock in the corner and noticed that the needle was pointing just towards noon.

I patted my stomach and wasn't hungry yet. I peeked out through the crack in the window and saw that the rain hadn't stopped.

He then picked up the little black cat that was already sleeping on the windowsill and went up to the third floor.

I'm planning to see if there are any books or records about omens.