Silver Essence is generally used for forging weapons. It's likely available at the Firewood Iron Shop. I'll head back to Medicine King Hall first, then plan my next steps.

Before leaving, Chen Ku cremated Li Chongguang's body on the spot, turning it to ash, and buried it before making his way back to the Medicine King Hall. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Yang Luochen and Kou Ming, both of whom had already changed their clothes.

"Junior Brother Chen, you actually returned later than us. Did something happen?" Kou Ming asked subconsciously.

"It was a scare, but there was no real danger. When I was cremating Li Chongguang, the Hand Bone in his palm jolted my spirit, causing me to pass out for a while," Chen Ku said, lying through his teeth. "Luckily, by the time I woke up, both the Hand Bone and Li Chongguang had turned to ash. That's why I was late."

"Huh? That Hand Bone actually had special abilities?" Yang Luochen said. He then looked at Chen Ku with a guilty expression, adding, "It's my fault as your teacher; I should have dealt with that Hand Bone at the time."

Kou Ming said slowly after some thought, "That Hand Bone likely contained the City God's spiritual thoughts."

"Exactly." Chen Ku took the opportunity to ask his knowledgeable senior brother, "In my mind at that moment, I even saw a general dressed in Jiao Long robes, wielding a spear and charging at me."

"Junior Brother Chen, you were frightened," Kou Ming quickly reassured him. "However, those were just illusions. A Fourth Realm Day Travel City God Lord doesn't possess the means to directly attack with his spirit; it's merely to scare people. Besides, you only obtained the Hand Bone. Once it's destroyed, there's nothing to worry about."

"That's good." Chen Ku said with a sigh of relief, "However, the clothes the City God Lord was wearing make me very curious, embroidered with Jiao Long; what's the reasoning behind that?"

He now had a grand opportunity within the Transformation Diagram to potentially transform into a dragon. Naturally, he wanted to seize every chance to understand the knowledge related to dragons in this world. The Jiao Long embroidered on the City God Lord's robes was one such point of inquiry.

"Ah, those are Ceremonial Robes, a type of formal attire," Kou Ming explained to Chen Ku. "Typically, only those granted titles of nobility, along with Various Kings and other nobles, are permitted to wear them. They are divided into five grades, corresponding to the Emperor, Various Kings, Dukes, Marquises or Earls, and lesser Nobility."

"Among these, the Emperor's attire features a True Dragon with five claws. The Various Kings' attire features a Dragon King with four claws. The Duke's robes display a winged Ying Dragon. The Marquis or Earl's attire shows a horned Qiu Long, and the attire of the lesser Nobility features a footed Jiao Long."

"True Dragon? Dragon King? Ying Dragon? Qiu Long? Jiao Long?" Chen Ku suddenly asked. "And how are the names Baojiao County and Qiu Dragon Mansion related to this?"

"Junior Brother Chen is truly clever." Kou Ming first praised Chen Ku, then explained, "Our Daji Dynasty emulates the state system of the Ancient Emperors, dividing the realm into Dao, Provinces, Prefectures, and Counties. During the era of the Ancient Emperors, this system of prefectures and counties designated every county as 'Jiao County' and every prefecture city as 'Qiu Mansion.' This was because, from the time the Emperor unified the Nine Directions and used the dragon as the totem of the Heavenly Court, the hierarchy of nobility became: True Dragon Emperor, Various Dragon Kings, Ying Dragon, Qiu Long, and Jiao Long. Dragons, in fact, represented people of different ranks."

"Dragons represent people of different classes." Chen Ku repeated the phrase, a wave of realization washing over him. So, when I heard that in Ancient Times everyone was like a dragon, this was the meaning.

"Junior Brother Chen, you needn't be envious. Aren't you preparing for the Military Scholar examination?" Kou Ming further explained to Chen Ku. "Once you pass and acquire a Ninth Rank Official Title, you will have a foundation for advancement. In the Daji Dynasty, a Ninth-Rank Martial Student is exempt from ten thousand taels of silver in taxes. From then on, one is considered to possess an official rank and merit. Whether by achieving success in the military or by going to the capital to compete for the Martial Arts Top Scholar title, there is hope of later receiving a noble title."

Chen Ku smiled and didn't speak. He just took it as a compliment.

"Alright, it's getting late," Yang Luochen said thoughtfully. "Chen Ku, you don't need to go home for the next few days. I'm worried that the Fish and Dragon Association and Firewood Iron Shop might target you for assassination. Tomorrow, I'll have the Shopkeeper temporarily bring your family to the Medicine King Hall and provide a separate courtyard for you." Yang Luochen's considerations were thorough.

Just as they had gone to assassinate Ma Mingfeng, the enemy could very well come to assassinate Chen Ku. This precious disciple of his couldn't afford any mishaps.

"Alright." Although Chen Ku had his reservations—after all, living in the Medicine King Hall would make it inconvenient for his Flower Fox Mink to come and go—at critical times like this, he indeed feared assassination.

And so, a night passed.

「The next day.」

The entire Baojiao County was abuzz with the news of what had transpired at the City God Temple the previous night. With a formal complaint, the City God Temple accused the Fish and Dragon Association at the Yamen. There were even witnesses, and the two men detained by the City God Lord were confirmed to be Shopkeepers from two of the association's establishments.

「In the Yamen.」

The County Magistrate, looking at the Duan Family members below, asked Blade King Wang Yixian, who was beside him, "Have the people from the Fish and Dragon Association not yet come to court for confrontation?"

Just at that moment, a runner announced, "My Lord, Counselor Chen Shaobai from the Fish and Dragon Association has arrived."

County Magistrate Qi Wanshan said, squinting as he looked at the white-robed scholar who walked in, "Chen Shaobai, you see this official and still do not kneel?"

"I, commoner Chen Shaobai, kneel before you, County Magistrate," Chen Shaobai said, kneeling and holding up a scroll. "Regarding the case of the stolen incense offerings at the City God Temple, the Fish and Dragon Association is already aware and greatly shocked. We were about to request the court's profound judgment. Li Chongguang, Xie Shiji, Cao Wang, Fei Lun, and others had already left the Fish and Dragon Association; they are no longer official members. This matter has nothing to do with the Fish and Dragon Association. However, considering they were once part of it, our association head, Mr. Li Yutang, out of great righteousness, offers to compensate the City God Temple for their actions. We earnestly request your clear judgment, County Magistrate."

"Hmm…" Qi Wanshan said, a smile playing on his lips, "Let me see. What is this compensation?"

「Within the Fish and Dragon Association.」

Li Yutang's face twitched as he stared at the five memorial tablets in the hall. Chongguang, Mingfeng, Old Fei, Cao Wang, Xie Shiji… my five brothers…

"Head, we all understand," an old guild leader said with a sigh. "Last night's incident must have involved the Medicine King Hall. Otherwise, it's impossible that all five brothers were killed, their bodies not even found. They claim it was Peace Path… As if we wouldn't know whether it was Peace Path or not!"

"But these past few days, we've been repeatedly caught off guard, and now we're even more prone to making mistakes in our haste. I think we should avoid direct confrontation at the guild consultation meeting on the fifteenth. Let's calm down first, then seek an opportunity for revenge! As long as we find the right moment and coordinate properly with those people, Baojiao County will surely be ours to unify."

Li Yutang slammed his fist on the table, saying nothing, which was taken as tacit agreement.

And so, two days later, the Baojiao County guild consultation meeting was held as scheduled. However, those who truly knew the inside story understood that this meeting was always mere superficiality; the real, covert struggles between them had already been decided.

As expected, at this meeting, it was directly decided to pass a total of eighteen favorable regulations concerning the Medicine King Hall for the next four years. Some of these decisions were tantamount to drawing blood from the Firewood Iron Shop and the Fish and Dragon Association. Yet, the representatives from both implicated organizations present seemed to tacitly accept them.

However, Chen Ku, present at the meeting, sharply sensed an impending storm… Not only was the Fish and Dragon Association biding its time, but even the Firewood Iron Shop was preparing a major move.

「Half a month passed.」

「On February 2nd, the Dragon Raises Its Head.」

Chen Ku was still living in the Medicine King Hall, but he sneaked out in the middle of the night, solely to retrieve his Flower Fox Mink.

"Hmm, you found the approximate location of the Nine-Colored Deer, and also brought back so much Second Realm Evil Qi. Good, very good! Now I can finally transform into Ma Mingfeng and attempt to break through to the Third Layer Peak of the Mystic Barrier."

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