Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

According to Li Chongwen, Li Yuan found the secluded courtyard without much trouble; it didn't look particularly remarkable.

He found the key under the threshold, opened the door, and went inside.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees simple furnishings and a thin layer of dust around the perimeter, indicating that no one has been there for quite some time.

He locked the courtyard gate and went straight into the side room. He quickly found the blue brick that Li Chongwen had mentioned. He lifted the brick and found a layer of hard soil underneath.

He took a paper cutter from the table and carefully dug, until he touched a hard object after about a foot deep.

It was a small iron box covered with an oilcloth.

Upon opening the iron box, one finds a stack of silver notes, a small bag of gold leaves, and an oil paper package.

He first opened the oil paper package and looked inside; sure enough, there were several letters and a list written on silk.

Li Yuan didn't bother to look closely. He put the oil paper package into his pocket, picked up the silver notes and glanced at them. His eyes lit up when he saw that there were tens of thousands of taels of silver.

This old man really knows how to make money. Well, he'll accept it with a smile, as a reward for helping the original owner get revenge.

He swept everything away, put the empty iron box back in its original place, filled it with soil, covered it with bricks, and restored it to its original state.

With everything settled, Li Yuan smiled and weighed the cloth bag in his hand. It was quite heavy. This windfall was enough for him to live comfortably for a while, and he could even prepare for the awakening ceremony.

Yes, the awakening ceremony.

This is the best opportunity for all people from the lower classes in the Tang Dynasty to leap over the dragon gate. Anyone who is fifteen years old or older, regardless of gender or background, can participate in the awakening ceremony presided over by the government every January.

If one can successfully awaken a certain talent, one will be qualified to enter the Divine Martial Academy to study, thus stepping into another world.

Li Yuan is exactly fifteen years old this year. He has already registered and is just waiting for the ceremony in half a month.

After dark, Li Yuan quietly left the courtyard and wandered through the complex streets and alleys. After confirming that no one was following him, he arrived at a secluded abandoned earth god temple and buried most of the gold, silver and pearls under the broken bricks behind the statue.

He then covered it with a layer of dry soil and grass clippings, and only took out a small amount of loose silver coins to carry with him.

After doing all this, he bought some flatbreads, ate them as he walked, and returned to the Li residence.

The courtyard was a mess, and several servants looked at him from a distance as if he were a plague.

He walked straight to the main hall, where Madam Wang was directing people to pack things up. When she saw Li Yuan enter, her eyes seemed to be filled with venom.

"You finally decided to come back!"

Wang's voice was shrill, "You jinx! Ever since you entered the manor, not a single day of peace has passed in this household!"

"It's a pity I didn't kill you completely half a year ago. Now your father is in jail because of your bad luck, and your house has been ransacked. Are you satisfied now?"

Wang was used to splashing dirty water on him.

Li Yuan lowered his head, shrank back, and stammered.

"Mother, please calm down... I just visited you in prison, and Father said we should sell that old house in the south of the city to raise some money for bribes..."

"Selling the house?"

Wang screamed and jumped up, pointing at Li Yuan's nose and cursing, "You wish! That house is mine, your deadbeat father transferred it to my name a long time ago."

Her eyes were filled with malice as she gritted her teeth and cursed, "You little beast, haven't you been eyeing that ancestral property all along? Let me tell you, not a chance!"

"That old man took all the money in the house and poured it into a bottomless pit. Now there's not a penny left, and he's even thinking of selling my house?"

"Get out! Seeing your mother brings bad luck!"

"roll!"

She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and grabbed the teacup next to her and threw it at him.

Li Yuan hurriedly dodged, and the teacup flew past his ear and fell onto the blue brick floor.

"Mother, Father is still in prison waiting for his son to rescue him!"

Li Yuan cried out in grief and indignation, but his feet slowly moved towards the door.

"I've already divorced him. If you don't get out, I'll break your legs and throw you out!"

Wang shouted sternly, and several burly female servants surrounded her, each with unfriendly eyes.

Li Yuan turned and ran away timidly, only stopping when he was completely out of the courtyard.

Wang's reaction was exactly what he expected. What he wanted was to be kicked out of the house, with a reasonable and justifiable reason that would elicit sympathy from others.

He went straight back to the courtyard in Changning Lane, where it was safe for the time being, and he had nowhere else to go.

Everything will be decided after the awakening ceremony.

Outside the window, the city of Chang'an had already begun its curfew, and the faint sounds of bustling city life made this small world seem even more quiet and desolate.

Li Yuan lay on the bed fully clothed, gazing at the dark beams above his head. He felt an unprecedented sense of relief. He had finally severed all ties with that home, now all alone, yet free to roam the world.

After a busy day, Li Yuan's frail body, weakened by long-term malnutrition, could no longer hold on. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, he fell into a deep sleep.

I don't know how much time passed, but the thick clouds outside the window dispersed, revealing the deep blue sky.

A faint, pale golden light emerged from between his brows, its radiance gradually outlining the silhouette of a palace.

It is only the size of a palm, with an ancient and strange design. It is neither a palace nor a tower, with upturned eaves and closed bronze doors. The whole thing is shrouded in a faint glow.

It hovered quietly above Li Yuan, slowly rotating.

A ray of starlight slanted through the window and into the room, landing on the palace's illusory image.

hum-

A soft hum rang out, and the starlight was slowly absorbed by the palace, making the glow covering its surface seem brighter.

Li Yuan, in his sleep, unconsciously furrowed his brows, then slowly relaxed, seemingly unaware of what had happened.

Chang'an Divine Martial Academy.

Today is the tenth day after the Lantern Festival, and it is also the annual Spirit Awakening Ceremony, commonly known as the Awakening Ritual.

The square in front of the college was already packed with people.

Countless young men and women, accompanied by their families, gathered here.

Some were dressed in fine clothes, while others were dressed in rags; their expressions were a mixture of tension and anticipation.

After all, this was not just a test; for them, it was a watershed moment that would determine their fate.

Li Yuan walked alone with the flow of people, deliberately choosing a spot on the edge to discreetly observe his surroundings.

A high platform was erected in front of the square, and several people sat on it. In the center was an old man with white hair and beard and a thin face. He was none other than Dean Su Wenyuan.

The man beside him was about forty years old, with an exceptionally tall and strong build. He wore a black close-fitting outfit with a dark red half-sleeved outer garment, and a black tower pattern was embroidered in silver thread on his left chest.

It is the symbol of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Just standing there, he was like a drawn sword, making people afraid to look directly at him.

"quiet!"

A low shout instantly silenced all the noise; it was the burly man in black who spoke.

His cold gaze swept across the dark mass of people below the stage, and wherever it fell, everyone felt a momentary choke.

"I am Chen Shuo, a patrol officer of the Demon Suppression Division of Chang'an County."

The burly man's voice boomed, "Today, I am here by order of the God of War to co-preside over this spirit-awakening ceremony with Dean Su."

He paused slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Those with talent who can awaken their abilities can enter the Divine Martial Academy to study. In the future, they may join the Demon Suppression Division to slay demons, serve the imperial court, or establish their own sect. Their future is bright."

Hearing his words, many people showed eager expressions on their faces.

"If you have no talent..." Chen Shuo's lips curled into a cold, hard smile, "then go home obediently, study, farm, do business, and live a quiet, ordinary life."

His words were like a bucket of cold water, bringing the hopeful teenagers back to reality.