Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 703 On Cranes and Ducks

“There are still quite a few words left after it’s been read once, let’s read it again,” Pei Ye muttered. “Thirty coins are enough for half a day’s rent…”

Zhu Gaoyang ignored him, paid for the newspaper himself, and brought back a brand-new copy.

The official gazette itself was free; it was the manpower and time spent circulating it that cost money. If you didn't want to go to the government office to collect it, you would often have to pay some copper coins if you found the gazette in an inn, on the street, or anywhere else that was easily accessible.

Even the most chivalrous heroes who roam the martial world are not short of such trivial matters.

But Pei Shaoxia is simple and honest, which is his unique advantage.

Zhu Gaoyang threw the national newspaper on the table. Pei Ye took it and happily opened it. The black cat stood on his lap, its two paws climbing onto the table, and it also put its head up.

As usual, the opening paragraphs begin with affairs of state in the Tang Dynasty, but this time Pei Ye did not gloss over them; instead, he prominently placed a line of text at the very beginning:
In April, the imperial court will select a successor. Please be informed.

The bold, heavy ink filled half a page; the national newspaper had never used such a font and layout before.

Pei Ye stared for a while, but there were no further words below. The names of the several princes of the Linxue lineage did not appear, nor was there any introduction or analysis. There was only a short, cautious text, written in extremely solemn and respectful language, which described the sacredness of the Tang Dynasty's founding by Heaven, traced the centuries-old tradition of selecting heirs, and quoted a few lines from the sage's sacrificial text.

“Over the decades, the sects have maintained close ties with the imperial court, and they have also been affected by the change of the throne,” Zhu Gaoyang said. “Look at the sects that have come to the capital this spring. In addition to those participating in the Feather Scale Trial, there are more high-ranking people than in previous years. All of them are here for the new heir to be selected.”

Pei Ye nodded slowly.

He flipped through the pages; the court section mostly contained Yuanzhao's articles and actions, which Pei Ye began to skip, until he reached the martial arts world section. It was indeed thicker than usual, and the headline was as expected.

In April, as the earth warms and rivers thaw, fish swim and birds fly, a time of flourishing life in the rivers and lakes. The imperial examinations for fish and birds, spanning the five seas and nine provinces, are summoned to the capital, where talents from all directions and heroes from across the land gather for this grand event.

The Feather Scale Trial is a broad title, divided into three parts. The first part introduces the rules of the Feather Scale Trial, and then lists the sects that have entered the capital, arranged from top to bottom according to their rank. Those who have entered the capital have real seals, and those who have not entered the capital have virtual seals.

Pei Ye thought the person who arranged this was a genius. Regardless of what the sect members thought, as an audience member, he already had the feeling that the crickets were gradually taking their places. Pei Ye glanced at it and saw that Yun Lang was still absent. Looking further down, Bai Lu Palace, Long Jun Dongting, and Beihai Prefecture were all mentioned, while Xu Dao Mountain and San Shan Fu Cha were absent.

"White Deer... White Deer Palace has two military leaders participating in the examination this year, right?" someone in the hall said at this moment. "One crane and one duck, just the right age."

"【Sword Demon】and 【Knife Demon】, Knife Demon and Red Pearl are both of good age, but Sword Demon Yang Zhenbing is two years younger. He was listed at nineteenth in last autumn and winter, so I'm afraid he will have a hard time getting into the top ten."

The Taoist priest laughed, "Brother, you jest. Jumping ten places in half a year from within the top twenty is simply a pipe dream. It would be a great victory for Yang Xiaobing to enter the top fifteen. Even if he drops slightly, it would be reasonable."

The man from Diancang said, "Isn't Yan Feiqing just jumping to ninth place? He's also a member of your Taoist school!"

"This...we are disciples of the Jingming Sect." The Taoist choked for a moment, "Junior Brother Yan is, after all, an exception."

He added, "Junior Brother Yan is like a sword that has been tested in fire and refined in ice. He and his sword are both invincible, which is something that others cannot match."

Pei Ye couldn't help but turn his head away, still chewing something, and said, "Friend, you are mistaken. Yan Feiqing always keeps at least a portion of his strength in reserve when using any sword; he would never use an all-out offensive sword."

"...My oversight." The Taoist priest paused slightly, then clasped his hands in greeting. Everyone looked over as well. "Greetings, young man. May I ask which family's esteemed disciple you are?"

Pei Ye smiled and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "I am Pei Ye. I am hardly a successor; I am more like a rogue cultivator."

"Hmm." The Taoist chuckled, clearly not taking it to heart, but didn't argue further, only continuing, "Last year at the Southern Sword Gathering, I witnessed Yan and Yang wielding their swords. The Sword Demon's sword is extremely fine and exquisite, its wonder lying in its sword techniques. That's the White Deer Palace's tradition of seeking meaning through skill, requiring deep accumulation before unleashing its power, making a leap forward difficult in a short time. Yan Feiqing's sword, on the other hand, is born close to the principles of heaven and earth, which is also a Taoist tradition. Its wonder lies in comprehension. After he went into seclusion to comprehend it, he emerged with a small leap forward."

Pei Ye clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "That's correct."

The people in the hall, seeing his plain clothes and young age, began to comment on the rights and wrongs of the Jingming disciples. Some laughed, while others looked at him with interest. But some people paused at the sight of his name and began to doubt their ears.

After saying this, Pei Ye looked away and continued eating while flipping through the book.

Another person in the hall chimed in, "The current [Knife Demon] just passed away a couple of days ago, and it seems there's a rumor that she's taken on a new disciple."

"Who is that disciple?"

"I don't know."

Diancang laughed and said, "Hey, fellow Taoists, who's the most powerful one among you this time?"

"The entire Taoist school? Or just our own Jingming sect?"

Diancang waved his hand: "Naturally, it's your Jingming Sect. Who in the entire Taoist community doesn't know it?"

Laughter rang out in the hall.

The Taoist priest was not offended and laughed, "The one who came up on the Crane List is Uncle Xu Yuanyong, whose Taoist name is [Fadi], and he is currently ranked twenty-seventh. On the Duck List, the one who came is not quite the right age, and he is a junior brother who has not yet made it into the top fifty."

Diancang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "As expected of the Sword Sect of the Twelfth Middle School, Master Xu's cultivation is becoming more and more profound. He is expected to enter the Twenty-Fifth Middle School this year."

The thirty or forty people in the hall, especially the few from the small faction in the southwest, couldn't help but feel a sense of fantasy, realizing that they had truly arrived at the capital city, a place where dragons roamed freely.

The Cangshan Swordsman, the Jingming Taoist, and the Taihang Wanderer were all gathered together, drinking and chatting. It seemed like an ordinary scene, but in the vast world beyond the capital, these were all renowned sects, unparalleled in their power. Normally, seeing even a single disciple would be astonishing, but now all that could be heard were names among the top ranks of the Hefu sect.

Pei Ye was familiar with the Crane and Duck Book, but it was a slightly outdated version from the last six months. Just as he was about to ask Zhu Gaoyang for the man's name, the inn's door was suddenly pushed open, and two figures walked in.

One man, whose age was not easily discernible, wore a long robe and carried a sword; the other, shorter and slender, was wrapped in a soft cloak, the shape of a sword faintly visible on the fabric, but not tied at the waist, but held in front of him with both hands.

Normally, not many people would pay attention to new guests, and Pei Ye wouldn't either. But as they stood there staring at the crowd for a while, the hall gradually quieted down, and pairs of eyes turned to them.

The man in the black cloak hesitated and took two steps back, but the man grabbed his arm. The two of them seemed to say a few words, one bowing his head and the other looking up. Then the man in the black cloak stopped moving. He looked around and his gaze fell on the table where Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang were sitting. He pulled the man in the black cloak over and sat down.

After a brief interruption, the people in the hall turned their attention back to their conversation.

Waiter came over: "Greetings, esteemed guests!"

The man cleared his throat: "Shopkeeper, I would like to buy two and a half bowls of rice, two plates of vegetarian dishes, and one plate of meat dishes."

"..." The waiter paused, "What specific dishes would you like to order?"

The man paused, glanced at the half-eaten dishes on the table, and said, "Just make it the same as theirs."

"Okay!"

Only then did the man turn his gaze to the two people at the table. He saw Zhu Gaoyang frowning and Pei Ye with a piece of meat between his fingers, their lips glistening. They were both looking at him.

"...Hello, gentlemen, may we sit here?"

"You've already ordered the food."

"Thank you."

Upon closer inspection, Pei Ye noticed that the two sat calmly and didn't seem to talk much. The man was handsome and composed, while now that he was closer, Pei Ye realized that the person under the black cloak was a woman. She had a very upright and graceful posture, but her head was slightly lowered as she looked at the table, seemingly oblivious to everything around her.

Pei Ye put the meat in his mouth and lowered his head to continue reading the official gazette.

The Diancang disciple next to him resumed the conversation, saying to the Taoist priest, "Your sect is not as good as the Taihang brothers this year. They have a genius in the top ten of the Fu Ranking and a grandmaster in the top twenty of the He Ranking."

The Taihang disciples, who had been silent at first, lowered their guard and smiled, saying, "In the end, the current rankings don't count yet; we'll have to wait for the 'Preliminary Examination List' to be released."

"How much change can occur in the top ten or the top thirty... Hmm, it seems that it's really hard to say. Look, there's a special section about this in the national newspaper."

Indeed, this section is unique to this place; it is the second part listed under the Feathered Scale Trial.

It is obvious that the editors knew what people were most concerned about before the Feather Scale Trial began, so they specially listed the pre-trial booklet for discussion, which compiled the latest news of many advanced cultivators... and also listed the opinions of many well-known people.

“The Crane Clan doesn’t seem to have mentioned any changes, but there’s a lot going on in the Duck Clan,” Diancang said loudly. “Look here—it says that the Fourth Prince, Li Zhitian, has already achieved his goal of becoming a powerful cultivator, and his pulse realm should be hard to rival. He is expected to be ranked fourth, below He Yaoyao.” Pei Ye also saw this entry and paused in his chewing. He glanced sideways because the black cloak beside him subtly leaned towards him.

"Hmm, this Fourth Prince has indeed been famous for a long time, but there has been no news of him for a long time. Now he has probably emerged from seclusion," the Taoist said, somewhat surprised. "But is he directly ranked fourth?"

“I have heard of ‘Tianlin Yi’.”

"Oh? Tell me, brother?"

"Simply put, to fight him, you have to face the power of heaven and earth."

"..."

"Are you kidding me?"

Believe it or not, it's up to you.

Pei Ye glanced at the man in the black cloak beside him again, and the man finally shrank back. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke to the waiter who brought the food: "Could I also have a copy of the national newspaper?"

It was indeed a young woman's voice.

The waiter chuckled: "There are only two left, no more, no less, thirty coins for you."

The man in the black cloak paused for a moment, then looked away and tentatively tilted his gaze towards Pei Ye: "...Would it be alright if we shared a copy?"

Peeking was not allowed, but making a request was permitted, and Pei Ye generously moved closer to her.

This section contains predictions about the changes in the top twenty of the rankings, and since everyone in the hall is someone who has not yet entered the capital, they find every piece of news quite novel.

"The Fourth Prince's entry was written by the head of the Youdu branch of Beihai Prefecture," Taihang suddenly said. "Each entry is followed by a signature."

"...That's probably beyond doubt." The Taoist priest smiled.

The national newspaper is, after all, the national newspaper, and it did not record any unfounded rumors.

And precisely because this was probably the firsthand information most people going to the capital for the Feather Scale Trial had, they preferred to be conservative in their descriptions of the situation, and to be as truthful and reliable as possible, either supported by facts or by reliable sources.

This convinced everyone, who read through the previously unheard-of news one by one. These news items then coalesced into predictions about the changes in the top twenty of the rankings; the newspaper only published six of them, each one solid.

After Li Zhi took the first spot, the group of "Young Masters" took the second spot.

He was originally ranked sixth, but recently he has performed exceptionally well in the Shenjing Sword Trial. Meanwhile, the true disciple of the Three Mountains Floating Raft has not yet arrived in the capital. Therefore, most people believe that this Tianshan "Young Master" can squeeze into fifth place in the preliminary list. Indeed, many names are listed below this entry, including Nie Shangheng and Zuoqiu from Tianshan, as well as Shenjing sword critics or people from other schools who have seen him practice swordsmanship over the past few months.

"So Qunfei arrived a month ago?" Diancang asked. "I wonder if we'll be able to see Chujian again when we enter the capital these next few days."

"Although there is only one difference, sixth place is in the top ten and fifth place is in the top five, which is a big difference," the Taoist priest said.

“This person beat Yang Zhenbing.” Pei Ye tilted his head toward Zhu Gaoyang. “Ranked fifth, he must be the highest in Tianshan.”

Zhu Gaoyang said, "[Baiyi] Shang Yunning is ranked tenth. There are two people in the top ten, and these are the two people I'm talking about."

Pei Ye glanced at the black cloak again: "Have you finished looking?"

The man in the black cloak nodded vigorously. Pei Ye turned the page.

The third name is very familiar: Yan Feiqing, also known as "Inquiring into the Heart in Fire." He is expected to be listed as sixth or seventh. Indeed, there has been no news of him for almost half a year, but this has always been the case—unless he reaches a certain level that satisfies him, this junior disciple of Qingwei has never shown his face.

Many people are willing to believe that this time will be no exception. In addition to other significant names, this list also includes a name that deserves more attention—Qiu Jizi, the Dean of the Shenjing Sword Cultivation Academy.

There are many sword students at the top of the list, and few people know more about them than the Dean. He has obviously commented on all of them, and the national newspaper has carefully recorded some of the key points.

The hall erupted in another round of discussion and laughter. The Taoist priest said, "See, I told you so. If Junior Brother Yan had been ranked seventh in the preliminary exam, he would definitely have been in the top five in a real fight. If he had been ranked fifth, he would most likely have been in the top three after the Feather Scale Exam. Since entering the Duck Ranking, Junior Brother Yan has never fallen out of the rankings. This is what it means to be unwavering and to have a sword that reflects his character."

Pei Ye turned his head with a smile: "Friend, you've forgotten again. Yan Feiqing doesn't know how to wield a sword with unwavering determination. His swordsmanship is fluid and continuous. But 'the sword reflects the man' is true. It is precisely this continuous flow that allows him to keep moving up the rankings."

"..."

The hall fell silent for a moment, and Diancang beside him began to stare at him: "What do you mean 'Yan Feiqing doesn't know how to wield a sword that goes straight ahead'? Is there a sword that Yan Feiqing doesn't know how to use?"

Laughter erupted in the hall, and the Taihang disciples over there also said, "To say that a swordsman of this level 'does not' a certain sword technique is too crude."

Pei Ye then realized that these so-called disciples of major sects only had a mediocre understanding of swordsmanship, far from being proficient. He didn't know what to say for a moment, so he could only smile again.

The man in the black cloak sitting at the same table nodded and whispered, "You're right, I agree with you."

Pei Ye was slightly taken aback: "Then thank you."

"No need, no need. You showed me the national newspaper, no need to thank me." The man in the black cloak quickly waved his hand.

Pei Ye smiled, thinking that at least this person's understanding of swordsmanship was passable, so he turned back and said seriously, "Yan Feiqing really doesn't know how to use a sword that goes straight ahead. There's no way to lie about that. If you fight a strong enemy with him and expect him to use a sword move that goes all out, don't even think about it. His swordsmanship is a system of its own, pursuing perfection and flawlessness, just like the microcosm of Taoism itself."

The Taoist priest was somewhat speechless, then straightened his sleeves and chuckled, "Young brother, a true swordsman is like his sword. Junior Brother Yan has been practicing for five years, rising from over 800th on the Duck Ranking to ninth; within half a year alone, he went straight from 27th to 9th... If this isn't a meteoric rise, what is?"

'...This isn't some meteoric rise, it's a steady and methodical approach.' Pei Ye thought this was the result of Yan Feiqing's leisurely stroll, but he didn't argue any further. He scanned the hall but found no supportive glances, so he turned back to look at the black cloak.

The man in the black cloak finally gave him a nod of approval.

Pei Ye nodded in satisfaction.

But the hall fell silent for a moment as everyone lowered their heads to continue reading the national newspaper.

The Taoist priest and the Taihang and Diancang people were the first to stop.

That was the fourth prediction, right below Yan Feiqing's. Everyone who received the national newspaper saw it.

People were stunned at first, then stopped, because the passage was eight or nine lines long, so the hall was silent for more than ten breaths.

[Fourth, Pei Ye should be ranked third]

Last October, Pei Ye entered the capital. In early November, he and Yan Feiqing killed Qiu Tianyu at the West Pond. At the end of the month, he broke Xiao Jianxian He Jiu's Seven-Step Sword Control at the Illusion Tower. In December, he defeated Li Zhi's 'Tianlin Yi' with a single sword strike at the Winter Sword Platform.

Since then, his whereabouts have vanished in March, and he was not seen at any of the sword gatherings at the beginning of the year. However, based on the sword marks from last year, he is already qualified to be considered a top-tier swordsman.

His sword strikes like a bolt from the earth, soaring into the sky. Even those ranked in the top ten of the Dragon Ranking are not guaranteed victory, but are certain to win.

The signatures are: [Qiu Jizi, Yang Zhenbing, Cui Zhaoye, Jinyang]

The only sound in the hall was the crackling of the candlelight. Many people slowly looked up at the boy in the corner. He was still dressed in coarse brown clothes, wearing straw sandals, with his hair tied up, and he seemed a little dazed.

He has never been included in the Book of Cranes and Ducks.

Few people in the martial arts world have heard of this name.

His first appearance on the list was at the very top of the first page.

This is what it means to soar into the sky.

(End of this chapter)