The Capital City.
After leaving the Inner Hall, Chen Xin skillfully made his way back to the Divine Robe Guard’s Secret Vault.
This time, there were no hidden eyes watching him.
"Please come in, Lord Chen."
The guarding Captain said respectfully. He stared at Chen Xin with fervent eyes, wishing he could be just as awe-inspiring.
In just a few short days, Chen Xin had once again made a name for himself within the Divine Robe Guard. Even the Captain guarding the Secret Vault knew his name and his deeds.
Chen Xin nodded amiably at him and walked into the Secret Vault’s pavilion, his right hand still resting on the hilt of his saber.
The Captain watched Chen Xin walk away. He hadn’t expected this Copper Order to be so approachable and completely devoid of arrogance despite his achievements. He just wondered why Chen Copper Order was tapping his index finger against his saber hilt as he walked.
In the first-floor main hall, Chen Xin picked up the Martial Arts catalog for the Fifth Layer and flipped through it.
After fighting the two Outer Realm experts from the Celestial Fragrance Sect, Chen Xin clearly realized a few things. While the mid-range Seven Kills Saber Technique was more than enough to handle Outer Realm opponents, he was lacking in close-combat Fist and Foot Martial Arts.
For example, in his palm exchange with Shi Yuanjian, although he had sneakily used his Divine Illumination Internal Power to catch the opponent off guard, the result was that he was the first to be forced back by Shi Yuanjian.
Therefore, Chen Xin planned to select a Fist and Foot Martial Arts manual to make up for this shortcoming.
The white-haired old Clerk’s attention was drawn by the SWISH SWISH of flipping pages. Looking up, he saw Chen Xin holding open a catalog, asking him for a key.
The old Clerk took a glance, dug out a small key from under the desk, and handed it to Chen Xin.
Chen Xin took it, then turned to find the Clerk in charge of the lower nine layers of the Secret Vault. After whispering a few words, the Clerk nodded in understanding and handed him a voucher.
Keys and voucher in hand, Chen Xin first went down to the fourth underground layer of the Secret Vault.
Master Military Craftsman Luy Da, whom he had met before, was not there. Instead, someone else was managing the area. Chen Xin directly handed over the voucher.
The manager entered a small door and came out with a bottle of Pills.
It was a Sixth Grade Antitoxic Pill, the Profound Purity Pill. Crafted by an Alchemist from the Medicine King Sect, its quality was guaranteed.
Although its Grade was not as high as the Life Creation Pill Chen Xin had previously bluffed about, its actual utility for him was superior. After all, his own Divine Illumination Internal Power could heal near-fatal wounds, rendering a healing pill like the Life Creation Pill unnecessary.
When roaming the Martial World, it was easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. The Profound Purity Pill could neutralize toxins of the Sixth Grade and below. Even for poisons above the Sixth Grade, it could suppress them as much as possible before the medicinal efficacy faded.
Pocketing the Profound Purity Pill, Chen Xin went straight up to the Fifth Layer above ground in the Secret Vault.
Upon reaching this layer, the feeling of emptiness was palpable. Not only were there fewer bookshelves holding Martial Arts manuals, but there were also hardly any Divine Robe Guards or Eastern Depot Constables browsing through them.
As soon as Chen Xin appeared, several gazes shot toward him. Seeing that he only had a Copper Cloud Pattern Token hanging from his waist, they were even more surprised.
Chen Xin paid no mind to their stares. He went straight to the cubby storing the Cultivation Skill and took out the Secret Manual inside.
Written on the cover in flamboyant, sweeping strokes were the words: Majestic Seven Luminaries Finger.
"The majestic seven luminaries brightly illuminate the nine domains."
This was a Secret Fifth Grade Fingering Skill.
Its Finger Force was seemingly divine and wholly unpredictable, containing seven stances: Sun, Moon, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The seven stances gave rise to and destroyed each other in seven different ways, creating forty-nine variations that mirrored the waxing and waning of the stars and transcended the laws of Yin and Yang.
Simply put, this Fingering Skill had an extremely high ceiling. Its forty-nine variations practically covered all possible combat scenarios. It could break fists and palms, shatter sabers and swords, and pierce through True Qi. It could very well be called the Dugu Nine Swords of Fingering Skills.
Chen Xin sat down right there and eagerly devoured the contents of the Secret Manual. Gradually, the shifting stars of the night sky seemed to appear within his mind, and the infinite mysteries of the forty-nine variations were fully absorbed by his eyes.
The next day.
Carrying a freshly bought roast chicken, Chen Xin leisurely arrived at the printing factory located in the White Paper Ward.
As soon as he stepped into the bustling printing factory, Chen Xin bumped into a eunuch dressed in official court robes.
"Oh, Chen Copper Order is quite leisurely, even bringing food along." The eunuch wore a smile on his face as he sniffed the air. "This smell... could it be roast chicken from Yunxi Building? Chen Copper Order is truly a fellow gourmand."
"You jest, Director," Chen Xin said, slightly embarrassed. He felt as if he had been caught slacking off by his boss.
This person possessed an extremely yin and cold Inner Strength that was not inferior to his own at all. He had to be the Rituals Department Imperial Printing Bureau Director in charge of printing the Jianghu Manual.
The Imperial Printing Bureau was solely responsible for printing books for the Inner Court. Originally, it only printed the Daoist and Buddhist Scriptures and Foreign Books required by the palace, and had nothing to do with matters outside the palace walls.
But who could resist the money from printing the Jianghu Manual? It was an immensely lucrative endeavor. The reigning Emperor Tianjing was obsessed with Refining Dao and Cultivating Profound, engaging in massive construction projects to build Daoist Temples and palaces, and performing Daoist Rituals. Which of these didn’t require money?
Therefore, the task of printing the Jianghu Manual for the entire country was monopolized by the Rituals Department. Right now, the Imperial Printing Bureau Directors dispatched to various prefectures were already on their way.
This also caused the status and importance of the Imperial Printing Bureau Directors stationed outside the Imperial City to rise significantly. The fact that the man standing before Chen Xin possessed Inner Strength on par with his own was proof of this.
"If you like it, Director, how about I share half with you?" Chen Xin asked, changing the subject.
The eunuch was momentarily stunned, thinking this Divine Robe Guard was quite an earnest fellow to actually offer to share his roast chicken. He reasoned that as a dignified Director, he shouldn’t care for a mere roast chicken, but then again, it had been a long time since he last tasted the food from Yunxi Building. He had to admit, he was getting a craving for it.
"Since Chen Copper Order is willing to part with it, I will naturally accept," the eunuch said from the bottom of his heart.
With a RIP, Chen Xin tore the roast chicken in half. He even applied his Divine Illumination Internal Power to lock in the juices, ensuring that the flavor wouldn’t be lost.
The eunuch’s eyes lit up. He chuckled as he took the half roast chicken and said, "It would be disrespectful to decline any further. Chen Copper Order is truly a remarkable man. It just so happens that I have a bottle of Autumn Dew White. Would you care to share a drink with me?"
"I’d be glad to," Chen Xin nodded.
"Chen Copper Order, there’s no need to call me Director anymore; it makes us sound like strangers." The eunuch turned to walk deeper into the factory, speaking as he went, "My name is Du Mao. You can just call me Eunuch Du."
Finding some seats, the two drank wine and ate chicken, satisfying their appetites while chatting enthusiastically.
"Chen Copper Order, if you are interested in the printing factory, I can take you on a tour. Or if you want to read the Jianghu Manual, just let me know. I can give you an early copy, as long as you don’t show it to outsiders.
"Hmm... Guarding this place is Lord Purple Gold’s arrangement, so I shouldn’t interfere. However, my men have this printing factory surrounded so tightly that not even a mosquito could fly in. If you have urgent matters, Chen Copper Order, it wouldn’t be a problem for you to leave for an hour or two," Du Mao said with a smile.
"I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Eunuch Du." Chen Xin shook his head. "Guarding the printing factory is my official duty; how could I neglect the public for personal reasons? A tour of the factory is also unnecessary. The craftsmen are busy with their work, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to disturb them. As for the Jianghu Manual..."
After Chen Xin spoke, Du Mao immediately revealed an ’I knew it’ expression. "In two more hours, the first batch of the Jianghu Manual will be finished printing. At that time, Chen Copper Order, you can use my name to directly take a copy. Otherwise, according to the rules, you can only read it but not take it with you."
"You are too kind, Eunuch Du." Chen Xin cupped his fists and said, "How about this: from now on, I will bring you a roast chicken from Yunxi Building every day?"
"No, no, no. The capital’s delicacies are not limited to Yunxi Building’s roast chicken. There is also Shuiyun Pavilion’s roast duck, Drunken Immortal Inn’s Bamboo Leaf Green Tea..."