The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

Lin Yujun stood at the courtyard gate, peeking out furtively and carefully observing Zuo Qi.

She didn't know what Zuo Qi had gone through in Beikou Bay, but for some reason, she was much happier after learning that Zuo Qi had returned, and she couldn't wait to see him after school.

However, I didn't expect that Zuo Qi was the only one in the guest room. It was a bit awkward for a man and a woman to be alone together.

Lin Yujun secretly resented her own cowardice.

Suddenly, a sound was heard.

"Miss Yujun, why don't you come in now that you're here?"

She was startled, and then she saw Zuo Qi carrying a teapot, ready to practice his martial arts.

"Brother Zuo, these are some new pastries from Xianghefang. I brought them for you to try."

Zuo Qi looked at Lin Yujun's bright eyes, smiled, and accepted the pastries.

"Thank you, Miss Yujun."

Lin Yujun lowered her head shyly, "Then I won't disturb your practice."

Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly stopped.

"Brother Zuo, you can just call me Yu Jun from now on."

After saying that, he ran away without waiting for Zuo Qi's response.

Zuo Qi stood still, the air still carrying the lingering fragrance of the girl who had just lingered there.

He shook his head slightly, enjoying the sweet and soft pastries. The aroma of the food slightly dispelled the unease he felt because of the Xu family.

It really is quite delicious.

Zuo Qi noted down the name Xianghefang, planning to bring some back for Lin Yujun next time he went out.

Time flies.

Zuo Qi was living a very comfortable life.

Ni Heng took Chen Xun back and forth, staying with He Xiao for a few days and with Zuo Qi for a few days.

Zuo Qi let him have his way. Occasionally, when he got frustrated with practicing martial arts, he would go out for a walk with him and bring back some small gifts for Lin Yujun.

It's worth mentioning that while wandering around the city, Zuo Qi bought some good things; he actually managed to gather enough materials for the Qi Condensation Pill without even realizing it.

Zuo Qi attached great importance to this prescription.

Its toxicity is very low, and two pills can be taken daily. Each pill increases the basic Qi and blood by fifty levels. When the Golden Easy Technique is sublimated and transformed, it can also provide half of the Qi and blood for cultivation. Even if one does not find a suitable fundamental method in the Six Doors, the cultivation speed will increase several times.

However, the refining process is somewhat troublesome, requiring someone who has cultivated fire-attribute techniques. Zuo Qi has cultivated the fire-attribute martial art, the Dragon-Slaying Halberd Technique, and possesses fire-attribute power within his body, which barely meets the requirements for alchemy. However, after pondering for several days, he still doesn't know where he is lacking.

Lin Yujun was quite interested in alchemy. After learning that Zuo Qi was researching alchemy, she borrowed many books related to alchemy from the ancestral academy and studied them with Zuo Qi.

They also offered many suggestions.

Lin Yuchan naturally learned of this, and she was very pleased to see the close relationship between Zuo Qi and Lin Yujun.

Li Gang told her privately that he suspected Zuo Qi had broken through to the third level of training. She didn't ask Zuo Qi, even though she knew he would definitely tell her.

Everyone needs some secrets. If you expose too much of someone, that person is destined to become alienated from you.

In any case, Lin Yujun has found a good home. Even if the Lin family declines in the future, there is no need to worry about Lin Yujun's well-being.

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

Finally, someone from the Six Doors also came to visit.

She was the woman in the red dress who was with Nanyue that day.

Sheng Lan looked Zuo Qi up and down, her eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

She came from the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) of Taizhou. Back then, she almost lost half her life trying to join the Six Doors (六扇门) to "turn over a new leaf." The young man in front of her was much younger than her, and she never expected him to join so easily.

"This is your temporary warrant. For now, it only grants you the authority to enter and exit the Tian Ce Mansion in Fushan City. Once you obtain your waist token, you will have more extensive privileges."

Zuo Qi nodded to indicate that he understood, and then clasped his hands in thanks to the other party for coming.

"Would you like to have some tea together?"

To Zuo Qi's surprise, Sheng Lan nodded directly, "Okay."

He immediately found a place to sit at the stone table in the courtyard, quite naturally.

Waiting for Zuo Qi to make tea.

Really... not bothered by details.

More like heroes and heroines of the martial arts world.

Zuo Qi thought to himself.

Sheng Lan's attire, that of a pampered young lady, reminded Zuo Qi of his first meeting with Lin Yujun, who had tried so hard to portray herself as a woman of the martial arts world.

The two were like opposites.

Zuo Qi was not good at chatting with the opposite sex, and he thought that chatting with Sheng Lan would be like sitting on pins and needles, but he was surprised to find it was unusually pleasant.

Sheng Lan was very gossipy. She treated Zuo Qi as one of her own, talking about the things she had encountered while working for the Six Doors over the years, and also talking about gossip in the martial arts world.

Outside the city, the illegitimate son of the Fushan Sect leader and the illegitimate son of the Prince of Taizhou Prefecture were vying for a woman's affections. Little did they know that the object of their jealousy was a demon.

It is also said that the swordsmen of Qingfeng Sect refer to romance as deep affection, and they have a rather unpleasant impression of it. There is also the story of a thief breaking into the city at night to guard the mansion...

All of this gave Zuo Qi his first glimpse into the various martial arts sects of Fushan City and Taizhou.

According to Sheng Lan, these sects do have their unique strengths. Perhaps their fundamental techniques are not strong, but each of them has their own unique skills in martial arts.

The Qingfeng Sect and Qinglian Sect are renowned for their swordsmanship, the Fushan Sect is unparalleled in the martial world with its Xuanfeng Divine Palm, and Jiangsha Valley is skilled in both medicine and poison...

As the conversation progressed, Sheng Lan pushed the teacup aside and asked Zuo Qi to change it to wine.

Zuo Qi gladly accepted.

"I've heard that most sects under the imperial court's rule are law-abiding and don't engage in any productive activities. How do they survive?"

"Catch demons, and use demon essences to exchange for what you need with the imperial court. As long as you don't cause trouble, the imperial court won't interfere too much with these sects. Sects are different from aristocratic families. Aristocratic families depend on the imperial court, just like your Lin family. All the direct descendants have official positions in the government. If the Lin family members are willing, they can find acquaintances in various government offices in Fushan City. However, when dynasties change or the throne changes, aristocratic families are greatly affected."

People in martial arts sects are different; most of them don't have close ties with the government, so changes in dynasties or the transfer of the throne generally don't affect the martial arts world.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Qi smiled and nodded, "Catching demons and eliminating evil for the people, living a free and unrestrained life, that's not bad at all."

Sheng Lan smiled strangely at Zuo Qi, "Are you really ignorant or just pretending? Demons are ferocious. Demon hunters may seem glamorous, but they eat the best and naturally suffer the most brutal beatings. Demons you've seen before are easier to deal with; you know their rules and methods. But demons you haven't seen before are exceptionally vicious and have incredibly bizarre methods. Take Yun City for example, right? A while ago, a skinning demon appeared, and no one knows how it appears. The people of Tian Ce Mansion in Yun City are almost driven crazy."

As he spoke, he chuckled a few times with a smug look on his face.

Zuo Qi chuckled to himself.

"Many so-called demon hunters in the martial arts world have actually seen or killed few demons. Most of them provide information to the Tian Ce Mansion, acting as... informants?"

After the conversation, Zuo Qi really learned a lot.

After thinking for a moment, he asked a more private question.

"How many fundamental laws are there in the Tian Ce Mansion? To be honest, I, Zuo, wish to change my fundamental laws. Miss Sheng, could you please explain in detail so that I can have a reference?"

"Fundamental Law? That's very expensive. A complete Xuanfa-level Fundamental Law requires nearly 10,000 merit points. A Dijing-level Fundamental Law requires hundreds of thousands of merit points. As for a Tianzang-level Fundamental Law, I heard that there is only one in the entire Tiance Mansion, and it's an incomplete copy. I wonder if anyone has ever exchanged for it."

More than 10,000 meritorious deeds?

Zuo Qi felt dizzy and lightheaded from listening.

How many merit points did Nanyue promise him last time? Three hundred points?

What kind of merit would one have to achieve to receive tens of thousands of merits in one go?

The salary within the Six Doors was based on merit. As a ninth-rank banner officer, his annual salary was five hundred dan of grain, sixty taels of silver, and one hundred merits.

Grain and silver are nothing; three martial arts practitioners who find the right path can earn more than that every month.

Similar to civil servants in my previous life, their monthly salary was several thousand, but after all the miscellaneous expenses, it amounted to tens of millions a year.

Of course, this is because the fundamental method is expensive. Martial arts techniques are much cheaper. The merit required for a profound-level martial arts technique is one-tenth or even less than that of the fundamental method.

Fortunately, the fundamental law does not require paying tens of thousands of merit points at once; it can be divided into several transactions. For example, a cultivation technique can be exchanged in several installments.

"I generally advise newcomers to think carefully before exchanging for a fundamental technique. Changing a fundamental technique is difficult, consumes a lot of merit points, and requires dissipating your cultivation and starting over, which is too troublesome. I'll get you a list another day, and you can take a look carefully before deciding on your target."

Sheng Lan was quite enthusiastic.

Just as Zuo Qi was about to express his gratitude, Sheng Lan suddenly said, "There's no rush. With the amount of merit you've accumulated so far, you'll have plenty to exchange for a fundamental technique of the Profound level or higher."

Zuo Qi: ...

The truth is the sharpest knife.

"Thank you very much, Miss Sheng. The Six Doors is indeed an important government agency; there are still many good people inside."

Sheng Lan smiled mockingly, "Are there many good people?"

The Six Doors is a mixed bag, and the current emperor is naturally wary of aristocratic families. There are no people from aristocratic families in the mansion on the surface, but whether they joined by meritorious heroes in the martial arts world or by climbing up from the bottom, how many of them are clean?

There aren't that many good people.